2 more days!! I'm on no milking countdown!!

BarbG · #1 02/04/08, 05:02 PM

Don't get me wrong I love my milk cow!! But I'm so tired of milking her with my 8month pg belly!!

We are going to once a day milking on weds. Dh will milk in the eve's and then next week to once every 2 days for another week and then hopefully dry by the 20th. The really nice thing about it is that we'll still have milk as I froze a LOT when we 1st got her.

What do you think is that a good plan for drying her up?? She's still giving 2.5 gallons a day. Will we get roughly the same amount when we go to once a day?? Do we need to still feed her the alfafla pellet/molasses mixture when she's dry? Dh probably knows but I figured I'd ask anyway. She gets no grain at all which is how we wanted it.

Thanks BarbG

Teacupliz · #2 02/05/08, 07:22 AM

Good luck we are all waiting for cow babies and you get a real human one!!!
Nothing better,.
Liz in NY

plumcreekfarm · #3 02/05/08, 11:11 AM

I've milked cows my whole life and we just simply dry them off. We do use a dry cow treatment, but it is quick and the cows do fine. Your seem to be almost dry anyway you should have no problem.

plumcreekfarm · #4 02/05/08, 11:13 AM

Also No, No, No on the alfalfa. Just give her some crumy grass hay and dry cow pellets or she will get milk fever. Alfalfa is a big no no for dry cows!

BarbG · #5 02/05/08, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Good luck we are all waiting for cow babies and you get a real human one!!!
Nothing better,.
Liz in NY

Thanks We are all on countdown here. Countdown for baby, countdown for dh to be off work , countdown for spring and our 1st cow baby. (her 5th)

Quote:

Also No, No, No on the alfalfa. Just give her some crumy grass hay and dry cow pellets or she will get milk fever. Alfalfa is a big no no for dry cows!

Not even alfalfa hay?? We have a alfalfa grass mix hay. What are cow pellets?? Never heard of them. LOL.

Thanks BarbG

plumcreekfarm · #6 02/05/08, 07:39 PM

Especially no alfalfa hay. the calcium content is too high and it causes milk fever. Feed your dry cows crappy hay. It seem counterintuitive, but it saves cow lives. Remember alfalfa is really not something a wild cow would find in big quantities. I know you don't like grain, but those dry cow pellets have the extra minerals she needs for her calf. Its sort of like cow prenatal vitamins.