Problem with milk

[Karen in Alabam]

Sissy has been in lactation for over a year. She calved last January.

I have been milking her regularly since we took her calf away this fall. I was getting 3 gallons a day.

We put a bull in the pasture in July--not sure he was big enough to reach her, so in Dec. or Nov., we put a Jersey bull in the pasture.

Very recently her production has cut in half.
Then and now--her milk is going bad in a couple of days.

She is eating fine--acting fine. I did find some cuts on her teats like someone was stealing--but that doesn't not seem to be an on going thing and never was she slimy like someone had recently sucked off her.

(We do have a year old bull who will steal all he can get---he if for sale right now).

I freaked out and thought colostrum--but because we haven't had a bull in the pasture all the time, she can't be that close to calving.

This young bull that we have is not a tall bull by any means and we had removed him for a few months to wean him in August for a few months.

So what could be causing her milk to go bad so quickly and to reduce her output?

Thanks

[haypoint]

"Very recently her production has cut in half.
Then and now--her milk is going bad in a couple of days."

Just so I'm understanding correctly, she stopped giving as much milk as before, quite suddenly? That is very different from, We stopped taking as much milk from her very recently. Which?
I would suspect mastitis. The best non-medical treatment is very frequent milkings, like every hour for a few days.
You could have it tested for bacteria and white blood cells. She could have contracted Johnes from the Jersey bull you added. She may be holding up her milk for that thieving bull, too.
Change in feed? Buying hay from a different place?
Colder weather burns more fuel, how's her condition?
Since she could be calving in a few months, you might want to gradually dry her up and get her away from any nursing cattle. Vet could give you an idea about when she's due.

[Karen in Alabam]

She dropped production.

She had no soreness in her udder or teats. Milk looks fine and tastes fine for the first day.

I milk her twice a day.

She does not have diarrhea and neither does he.

Feed the same--we get a very high quality feed from Performance Feeds out of TN.

Our weather here is flaky. Was 60 the other day, 54 today, then there will be cold weather next week. Gets down to 30 give or take in the mornings.

We have a guy taking the thieving bull Friday---Dance of Joy!!! I have not seen him on her, and there are no new cuts on her.

I milk her out and we use udderdyne on her which is supposed to be a good preventative for mastitis.

I will see about having it tested from the vet. He has a lab.

Thanks

[haypoint]

Normally, it is bacteria that changes the freshness of milk. That is why cooling milk quickly is so important, slows the growth of more bacteria. That fact leads me to believe your cow has a bacterial infection of some sort.
IF she was bred in early July, J, A, S, O, N, D, J, F, she could be due soon. She should have gotten a break. Perhaps she is creating her own break?. April Fools day could be her due date.

[gone-a-milkin]

Hi Karen! I was just thinking of you the other day, wondering if you still have Yo and how Sissy was getting along over there.
Do you still have that CharX bull?

I agree w/ Haypoint that she may have mastitis. Have you done the CMT (California milk test)?
She has been in milk for a long time and it is quite possible that she is drying herself up in anticipation of the next calving.
Maybe you could get her palpated and find out how close she might be.
Never underestimate a short bull.

Good to hear from you.

[Karen in Alabam]

I was really hoping the Jersey bull was the one who got her. He would be the father to any calf Yo has, as she calved in August and was cycling just a few weeks ago--she takes a while to breed back.

I will try and get that test done. Will call the vet tomorrow.

Yo and Sissy are doing fine---have some pictures from a few months ago. Lately I have been dealing with piglets. Had 9 born January 6th.



Me and Bones



Here is my Sissy



and my Yo



This is Yo's baby--Stevie Born in August (all other calves were born in January and April)

[gone-a-milkin]

You are the Queen of the Hay Bale.

Sissy and Yo both look good, and your herd has really...grown.

Once you are sure Sissy is bred and that she doesn't have mastitis, you could dry her up if you want.
Maybe she is just ready for a rest.
Some cows are like that, they tell *you* when they are done for the year.

Boy, that Yo sure came around, didn't she?

You must be doing something right over there.

Thanks for the pics.

[Karen in Alabam]

We have 11--though Dudley the Jersey bull is not ours. He is starting to get bratty and will have to go home.

Friday, Ricky Bobby is leaving--the super sucker--can't wait--though being milk fed for as long as he has--he would be mighty tasty.

I am training Carole Jean (daughter of Liza and a Brahma bull)--she was born in April and is as tall as her mother. She comes right into her stall, and is very gentle.

Charlie's daughter (Pammy Jo) comes in too--she was also born in April--though she loves to swing her head when I try to pet her--nothing like her mother (she was the bottle calf we got with Yo).

Stevie (Yo's baby) comes in also to get fed along side Yo--he is a real mamma's boy.


Sissy is the only one who gives me grief. She makes me beg.

I have the mother pig and her babies in my old small barn and the cows are funny--they love to just stand there and watch them. Sissy and Carole Jean especially.

Yo hates the boar and screams if he is near--so the boys stay locked up till the cows leave that pasture. He chase the Jerseys around--he is fascinated by their udders.

I really love all my animals--they are amazing, and sometimes very trying. Like the sow who broke two gates today--one to her barn and one to the pig pen where the boys stay--what a brat.

[DJ in WA]

As Haypoint said, most likely mastitis. Greater risk of mastitis in late lactation, and with more lactations. Probably time to dry her up after treating her. Talk to your vet.

You mentioned cracked teats. That can make risk of mastitis much greater, as the end of the teat is where bacteria gain access. Have to take good care of them. Good bedding to avoid injury, applying balms, and using teat dips so bacteria can’t gain access.

While bacteria can decrease milk quality, the white blood cells increase with infection, and they realease enzymes which break down the milk. There is some increase in white blood cells in late lactation even without infection, but not nearly as much as with.

Some reading:

http://www.absglobal.com/Websites/absglobal/images/ABS%20Global%20Home/USA/Uddercare/PoorTeat%20Condition%20Increases%20Risk%20of%20Mas titisTechline%2005.pdf


http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/dairy/facts/06-049.htm

[matt_man]

I would not let the pigs in with the cows. They can and I have had them suck on a heifer (never been bred) and bring her into milk. It was never quite right though and her udder was terrible and lopsided because they favored some more than others and I constantly battled mastitis in her. We did have her raise a calf but then we ended up culling her because of the mastitis.

[Karen in Alabam]

I don't let the pigs in with them, but sometimes they get out--like today and had to hunt them down.

Took the milk to the vet.

He said there was increased white cells--he used some technical word that I can't remember. He said the milk looks good.

He said he could send it out for further testing.

He thinks because she is late in lactation--over a year--that that is what it is. He suggested milking her a few more weeks and then drying her up.

I do want to get her in there and have him look her over and see how far bred she is. But I can't do it myself and everything is mud.

She doesn't have cracks on her teats--she had cuts.

The Udderdyne has iodine in it and helps to keep her soft.

[dcross]

If the July bull bred her, you should be able to "bump" her by now.

[Karen in Alabam]

I tried that bump stuff and I never feel anything. I tried it on other cows--I can't feel anything. She just looks at me funny

[Shep]

There is a blood test that you can have done. I have our AI gal come out and take a vial of blood then I send it off to the lab in our state (WA). They call me back and tell me if she's "open" or not (not means pregnant). I don't know what it would cost where you are but we give the gal $20 for coming out then $3.50 for the test and $5.00 to ship it priority.

We've been milking our jersey for almost 2 years. She is now preggers and due in late June. The previous owner had this happen to them...she was milking over a year and her milk went "off" after a day or so. They posed your question, here on this forum actually, and someone told them that she needed to be bred. Perhaps yours is NOT pregnant and needs to be bred....but then how did we milk ours for almost 2 years with no off taste whatsoever. BTW, we do feed her very well as we don't want her to lose body weight while milking. She's around 3 gals now but last summer she was up to almost 7 gal/day.

Don't know if this helps, but maybe sheds some insight

Shep

[Fetherhd]

[QUOTE

We put a bull in the pasture in July--not sure he was big enough to reach her,
[/QUOTE]
Don't know how it is with cows but we had a 36 inch tall pony stallion...he BRED a 17 hand appaloosa mare, SHE got in a ditch for him....just saying...when it comes to sex....life finds a way!!

[Jennifer L.]

Originally Posted by Fetherhd

[QUOTE

We put a bull in the pasture in July--not sure he was big enough to reach her,

Don't know how it is with cows but we had a 36 inch tall pony stallion...he BRED a 17 hand appaloosa mare, SHE got in a ditch for him....just saying...when it comes to sex....life finds a way!![/QUOTE]


My uncle told me once, talking about short bulls, that if they had to they'd find an ant hill to get the job done.

My guess is your cow has just reached the end of the line for this lactation. They'll say "enough" at some point when they've milked a long time. The high cell count goes along with late lactation, too. I doubt it's mastitis.