Just gotta brag on this heifer!

[willow_girl]

#893 in the herd I milk ... she was our second-highest cow this month with 120 lbs ... at 296 days in milk!!!

Looking at her records over the past six months (as far back as they went on the tester's report) there is only one month she made less than 100#, and then she only missed by 1#.

She is bred back, but I'm not sure when she's due to calve (didn't check) ... I didn't see her on the list to dry off in the next 30 days, though.

Just a real nice girl -- not too big, nice udder attachment, good feet and legs, friendly personality. A.I. sired by Canvas, out of a grade cow. Her dam was a good cow, too.

Hope she'll be in the herd for many years to come. Wish my boss would flush her!

[Callieslamb]

Amazing. Do you have pictures for us? I have to get my cow fix through others.

[gone-a-milkin]

893 sounds like a good one.
My favorite cow where I work had a heifer this year.
I made sure that calf is clearly marked to be retained for a replacement.
Farmer Boss calls her "my" calf. LOL.

I hope I dont jynx it by putting such high hopes on her. LOL

[Chixarecute]

That's a phenomenal amount of production! What's her butterfat content? Do you know what her predicted lactation yield is?

[TroutRiver]

I agree - crazy production! What breed is she?

[willow_girl]

She's a Holstein. Not sure of butterfat or ME -- I don't usually get the complete test results, just the stuff the tester prints out for us on test day.

I will most likely be buying a cow out of the herd I milk later this year. She had problems with her feet last summer and didn't breed back in time. She's still open, and about 450 DIM right now. She's still making around 55 lbs. ... when she drops off a bit more, my boss will be willing to sell her. He knows she's my favorite and I'm taking her home.

I checked her records last month ... in 3 lactations, she's made 93,000 pounds! I think she deserves a nice retirement, don't you?

[Tad]

We have a few Canvas daughters and they are nice! He is an RC and we got a r/w hiefer from one of the Canvas cows.

[willow_girl]

We only have 1 r/w Holstein in the herd. I wonder if she feels lonesome? LOL

[DJ in WA]

So 120 pounds a day is 15 gallons?

More amazing to me than the production, is the ability to keep alive an animals with such freakish outflow of nutrients.

But then maybe that's why the productive lifespans are so short now - what is it, 2 or 3 lactations?

[postroad]

Oh Boy. I tried milking one of my Dexters two years ago. I could almost squeeze 2 quarts per milking. I think the average goat could do better.

I have a Dexter/Jersey heifer who was just bred. We named her Daisy Duke for good luck in the mamery gland department.

Was thinking about letting her wait another year before breeding but in the end let her be bred at 15 months same as the Dexter heifers.

She sure looks more like a small black Jersey than a Dexter and I alway think of anorexia when I see her beside the Dexters.

[Tad]

Originally Posted by DJ in WA

So 120 pounds a day is 15 gallons?

More amazing to me than the production, is the ability to keep alive an animals with such freakish outflow of nutrients.

But then maybe that's why the productive lifespans are so short now - what is it, 2 or 3 lactations?

Depends we have some that last 2 years we have one on lactation 14. Average 5 lactations maybe I would have to look it up, but the all don't give 120lbs a day either!

[francismilker]

I used to milk some holsteins that were 100+ lb. cows that were on their 6th lactation. They had a pretty cush life of knee deep pastures and shaded holding pen. They had feed bunks full of alfalfa and very rarely stood in mud. (Which is rare for a dairy cow in these parts.) Their only duty was to crank out the white liquid. However, when they crashed, they crashed hard. When you started to see a decline in body score or noticed a late rebreeding you might as well ship them out because it was all down hill from there.

BTW, that's one good cow you got there WG...

[willow_girl]

We had a cow in this herd go 11 lactations. Our oldest girl right now is about to be dried off; when she freshens back in, it will be #7. She is in good shape and I can easily see her going a couple more.

Don't forget a lot of cows get culled because they didn't breed back (or at least not on time). They can be perfectly healthy and in good condition otherwise ... in fact ... why is it always the cows with good feet who don't breed back?! Arrghhh ...

I checked the new DHI records tonight and her 305 day estimated milk is 30,120!

[willow_girl]

She's baaaaack! But she had a bull calf, darn it!

87# on her first test @ 12 DIM. She looks good.

Oh, the oldest cow I referenced above also calved in recently, another little bull. She's doing well, too.

Whew!