milking question

[hickerbillywife]

I have a first time mother jersey that I was wanting to machine milk. She had her calf 3 weeks ago and both are doing fine. I want to know when is the best time to start milking her or have I waited too long. Her bag does not seem very big. I wanted to milk her once a day and let the calf have the rest. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[NeHomesteader]

Usually you start to milk within the first day or two. What I do if you want to milk once a day is to pull the calf off of her at the night chores and separate them , milk her out with the machine in the morning and then put the calf back in with her til night and start again. With my cow this time I pulled the calf off after 12 hours and am machine milking twice a day. Both work great and OAD will give you a little more leway if you have to be gone for a milking.

[AlannaTiernan]

My understanding is to let the calf nurse for the first 3-4 days (or 6-8 milkings) to ensure it has gotten the colostrum. Colostrum is five times higher in protein and packed full of vitamins and antibodies that the calf needs. It is safe for humans to drink, but it is thought by some to have a bitter taste. That bitterness however, can be eliminated by cooking it. Keep in mind that cooking milk with colostrum in it will thicken, but it works great for recipes like no-egg custards.

Now your cow has only been nursed on by her calf, but it should be fine. As long as she started out healthy and is of good weight....and is getting enough grain to support her milk production, she will produce. You most likely will not get as much as if you had if you milked her right away, but you can push her a *little* bit with the grain. Just watch for acidosis!

Our grain mix is a 16% dairy ration that calls for 1 lbs. of grain per 5 lbs. of milk produced (we do add about 4 cups of moistened beet pulp too). Moderation is the key...

And remember, as a first time heifer, she wont produce as much as a mature cow... but you'll be just fine!