Milk Cow Crash Course

pfaubush · #1 07/01/11, 08:47 PM

I am trading most of my rabbitry for a Jersey cow this weekend. She is 4 years old and just weaning twins. The gal said she thinks she is pregnant and was going to take her for a preg check. I asked how long I would have to stop milking before she calved and she said she would dry up on her own. So, my question is...is that true? Also, how long after she dries up before she would have the calf?

My husband's experience has only been raising up dairy calves for butcher. This is a new ball of wax and so it's all new.

Any other words of advice?

**gone-a-milkin** · #2 07/01/11, 08:57 PM

When the vet preg checks her, they will be able to give an estimated age of the calf.
It isn't a PERFECT guess, but vets can say "less then 3 mo bred" or "6 months plus bred".

It is customary to give the cow 8 weeks dry as her maternity leave. There will be some guessing involved.

pfaubush · #3 07/01/11, 10:13 PM

Thank you!

haypoint · #4 07/01/11, 11:24 PM

Cow will dry up on her own IF you stop milking her and keep her calves away.

**gone-a-milkin** · #5 07/01/11, 11:30 PM

Some cows really do dry up on their own. If this ones owner says that, I tend to believe it.

Some will milk themselves right into the ground, but others really will let you know (with their feet even) that they are DONE for the season.
Every cow is different.

pfaubush · #6 07/02/11, 01:27 AM

So, I was talking to my fil tonight. He runs a commercial dairy in California. He told me I would need to use tubes to dry her up. Is this really necessary for a home milk cow or is it something more specific to larger dairies?

linn · #7 07/02/11, 03:37 PM

We usually start milking our cows once a day, then skip a day for a few days, then skip two or three days for a few days, until finally they dry off. You can tell when they stop making much milk because the udder is flabby looking. I like to dry my cows off gradually. I think there is less chance of trama leading to mastitis.
If this cow has been nursing calves and you are going to dry her up right away, then I would use a dry cow udder infusion in every quarter on the last milking. If you are going to continue milking her for a while and she doesn't have mastitis during the time you are milking, then I probably wouldn't use the udder infusion.

ozark_jewels · #8 07/04/11, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfaubush

So, I was talking to my fil tonight. He runs a commercial dairy in California. He told me I would need to use tubes to dry her up. Is this really necessary for a home milk cow or is it something more specific to larger dairies?

I agree with the other poster. If you are going to dry her right up with no personal history with her, I'd dry-treat just to be safe(Tommorow is a dry-cow udder infusion that you should be able to pick up at your local farm store). But if you will be milking her for a little while, long enough to know her milk is good and no mastitis, I'd skip the infusions.
We have found that we don't need to use dry-cow treatment, even in our commercial dairy herd. Now, we do put them out on a clean grassy pasture when we dry them off, so they are not laying on concrete or in the mud.