Peachy has calved. Now what?

[Awnry Abe]

We have 3 dairy cows. All will be 2nd freshners, except Peaches. She calved today. Last year, we pretty well bungled the management of the three as far as dairy is concerned. This year we want to take a stab at getting it right, but nothing feels right. To recap last year:

Peaches calved first, we lost the calf in delivery. Losing a calf is very bad, but it was a blessing in disguise because it let us focus on just milking. She was our first hands-on-teats experience and we needed a break to give us a decent chance to get in a groove. In that respect, she was a huge success because we did get very comfortable with milking.

Sweet Pea calved a month later, and Nellie later that week. Nice healthy heifers. We wanted some fashion separation, but didn't have good calf containment. So we left the heifers on for about 4 months and weened them cold turkey. We didn't have any major short term issues, except

A) sweet pea's udder is a little worse for wear at this point.
B) Nellie can remove your head from shoulder with ninja fast kicks and
C) the calves did not thrive in that situation.

I would like some basic execution advice. I now have a good calf corral. It is my desire to pull the calf ASAP, but I would like some advice on when that should be. I don't really want to am/pm milk share because of A & B above.

Any comments towards teaching the first steps in this awkward dance would be appreciated.

[gone-a-milkin]

I guess I am not seeing any real question?
You can pull the calf ASAP if you wish to.
You can leave the calf w/ mama for a few days if you wish to.
Either way will be fine, I have done it both ways.
Calves are easier to bottle train when they are littler.

Also, I personally agree with you about not milk sharing twice a day,
especially over the long term.
Especially with a dairy breed of cow who is giving a lot of milk.
The calves grow good usually, but the udder can suffer.

Keep her milked out regularly, one way or the other.
When do the other 2 come fresh?
Did you ever get the kicky one lined out last year?

Second fresheners are generally much calmer and more mature.

Good luck and what did you get for a calf?

[Awnry Abe]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

I guess I am not seeing any real question?
You can pull the calf ASAP if you wish to.
You can leave the calf w/ mama for a few days if you wish to.
Either way will be fine, I have done it both ways.
Calves are easier to bottle train when they are littler.

Also, I personally agree with you about not milk sharing twice a day,
especially over the long term.
Especially with a dairy breed of cow who is giving a lot of milk.
The calves grow good usually, but the udder can suffer.

Keep her milked out regularly, one way or the other.
When do the other 2 come fresh?
Did you ever get the kicky one lined out last year?

Second fresheners are generally much calmer and more mature.

Good luck and what did you get for a calf?

Lol. I didn't ask a question. That's what my DW said when she read this. You kind if answered it, though, on the timing. I realize now that I am just fishing for some reassurance that I won't be screwing up horribly. I kind of need to see it happen once to know for myself.

We bottle raised our dairy goat kids this year for the first time. They never got a single sip from the tap. The does would complain for a day, but life resumed for them pretty quick. Bottle training was a snap.. (I really don't cherish the thought of a 200lb version of a bottle fed goat kid.) I hope calves behave better. I've found with goats in the past that at about 3 days, the transition goes from "easy" to "challenging". And after a week, "really tough sledding". I presume the time scale with calves is similar?

I've also never bottle fed a calf, except in my youth. I think I can probably find a way to get it going. I am thinking of pulling him in the am before I head to work. DW will get the honor of the first feeding. I may wait for the evening, though, because she has a lot on her plate.

With respect to milk supply and duration of the bottle phase, I am curious about how much of her milk will be headed to the calf. You can probably tell that I haven't done even the simplest of internet searches. What is the basic "weaning" age? I am mostly interested in what he will cost me in terms of lost revenue. I am selling out now, and I haven't even advertised. I'll be back to twice-a-day, and I'd like to figure out the right time to put out a CL ad.

The other two aren't due to freshen until October & November. This lactation is right at 10 months. Is it a mistake to leave them dry for that long? One of the two whispers in my ear every morning that she is ready for a break.

The kicky one still has me on guard, always. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "lined out"? All of my cows gently knock my hands away from the teats at times. She not so gently knocks me away from her entirely. It could be bone breaking hard to a fill-in farm hand that is not prepared. I found a flank rope to be the perfect and safe (for me) fix. She doesn't flinch when I use it. The rope was absolutely necessary this winter when her teats were chapped. I haven't needed it for a month or so, though. She's been an angel. The other fix has been proper position. There is a reasonably safe spot that is at about 4:00, and tight, next to her back leg. I can clean, dip, and strip from there, but not hook up the claw. But as for the past few weeks, she has been lulling me into a sense of security.

Oh..and she had a bull calf. Bulls are 5-0 so far this spring. I'm pretty excited about that given the market.

[sammyd]

The answer to your questions depend on your management style. A general method for calves is a gallon a day split into two feedings. Some people feed a bit more or three times a day. We keep fresh clean water and calf starter in front of them from the first week and try to have them eating several pounds of grain a day and wean at arounnd 8 weeks. We don't feed them hay for a few months.
If extra milk is not a problem then weaning can be any time you want. Run em like a beefer and feed milk for 5 months if you feel so inclined. It may behoove you to run a cost analysis of mr vs milk
I wean when I do because I buy milk replacer. We do not have a milk cow. And when I farmed I put the milk in the bulk tank. Always seperated the calf at birth.
Dry period can be whhatever. Would have some extended dry periods on the organic dairy. Dry em up when it isn't worthwhile milking her.

[Awnry Abe]

peaches is on the other side of the barn making noise.

[Awnry Abe]

Btw, thanks to you two dairy pros for chiming in. Sometimes I feel like a need my hand held through the easy stuff.

[BlackWillowFarm]

I milk two or three Jersey cows at a time. We use the milk for ourselves and a few herdshare members. The rest of the milk goes to the calves. I just weaned two calves born last July. That makes them 9 months old. If you don't need the milk, give it to the calves. At one week old they can be drinking a gallon a day split between two feedings. By three weeks I have them on a gallon and a half. That's using cow milk, not replacer. After a month or so they get up to two gallons a day, each. After three months I give them as much as I have extra and as much as they can drink. If they get sloppy manure I back off the milk a bit.

I pull the calves at birth, make sure they get colostrum, bottle feed for a couple/three weeks then teach them to drink from a bucket. After they're on the bucket giving them milk is so simple there's no reason not to feed it for as long as you can. The minimum time they're on milk here is four months. But that's really not long enough IMO.

[Awnry Abe]

I've been selling out of milk, so the cost of milk in terms of lost dairy revenue has been under consideration. I've also been noticing the unreal prices for bottle calves...as well as the unreal price of ground beef. I need to figure out what this little white-faced red carcass is going to be worth at 3 critical stages in its life to figure out what to do with him. If I can get him in a bucket or bar, that will probably help his long-term stay here on the farm.

[Awnry Abe]

UPDATE: He's gone! Sold him this morning for $425. That was my first CL sale, and it was super easy. I think I'll do it again.

[mrs whodunit]

I cow sit for a friend.

Both when I had a milk cow and now for my friend we let the calf with mom all day long and at night lock up the calf and milk the next morning.

It works so well for us.