Diet for pregnant Dairy Cow

[Buckles]

I have a pregnant dairy cow on pasture and she seems so thin. I feed her some grain and alfalfa pellets in the morning and evening but she is not putting on weight.

When you feed grain and have plenty of pasture do you still provide high protein hay to the pregnant dairy cows?

[jwal10]

Good hay and good grass should be enough. I always keep good hay out, even if they don't eat much. At this point it doesn't have to the best alfalfa, that comes with production. Grain only to calm her or call her close to watch her and get her ready for milking. Has she been wormed? Might want to check worm load. Is she thin really....or just a dairy animal. Picture would be good....James

[Buckles]

Can you worm pregnant cows? If so which one is safe for the calf?

Here are a few pictures and you can see some of the ribs and tail bones pretty easily.

[MDKatie]

She looks great to me. It's normal for dairy cows to have prominent hip bones and show some rib. Here's a publication about body condition scoring that may help show you what's appropriate for dairy animals.

[secuono]

Really strange to me the weird double standard when it comes to dairy animals and anything else. Why are they allowed to be bone thin and others aren't? I'll never get it. :/

[MDKatie]

Originally Posted by secuono

Really strange to me the weird double standard when it comes to dairy animals and anything else. Why are they allowed to be bone thin and others aren't? I'll never get it. :/

They're not "allowed to be bone thin."...they just have different body types. Dairy animals are meant to put all their excess energy into producing milk, not meat. If you have a beefy looking dairy cow, it means she's "wasting" energy on excess body mass instead of putting it in the milk bucket. There *is* such thing as a too-thin dairy animal, but most people are used to seeing beef cows being blocky, and thing a healthy-weight dairy animal looks emaciated. It's just the way they're bred to be.

Think of it like Greyhounds vs. Mastiffs. Greyhounds are supposed to be lean and thin. It's harmful to them to be overweight. Seeing the last 2 ribs on a greyhound is ideal weight. Mastiffs are meant to be bulky...they're not sleek, racing machines. Different body types and builds for different uses. Or Arabians vs. Percherons. It's not a double standard, it's just differences in breeds.

[sammyd]

that's a fine looking jersey.
You can feed alfalfa hay till about 2 months before she freshens.
Corn silage is a good option.
Or just good pasture.
If you plan on feeding grain while she's lactating start "steaming" her up the last month before she freshens or so. Start with a couple of cupfuls and work it up from there.

[Buckles]

Thanks sammyd and everyone else for the posts.

I actually have been feeding her some alfalfa pellets in the morning and evening with some low protein sweet feed.

And you mentioned to feed alfalfa hay up to the last 2 months before she freshens. Is that to help them dry out? Or is that too much protein for them?

[G. Seddon]

Curious what the black "lines" are at the base of her neck near the brisket (looks like the letter "W")...too precise to be color markings? Pretty cow!

Yes, you can worm pregnant cows. I believe Dectomax Pour-on is safe but you might ask what your vet recommends.

[Buckles]

The black lines at the base of her neck is actually grass. Haha!

[sammyd]

alfalfa can contribute to milk fever.

[idigbeets]

SammyD, it would be more appropriate to say high levels of potassium contribute to milk fever, and only for newly fresh dairy cows. Feeding lower levels of K for the few weeks up to birth of a new calf and lactations will greatly reduce the chances of milk fever.

Alfalfa, is high in K, but actual content varies, it would be best to take a sample and have it tested if one is that concerned.