Ok....ok.... HE"S HERE!!

[Hovey Hollow]

She actually calved ON her due date? Unheard of!

[Christina R.]

Many congratulations!!! Look on the bright side, that little guy is going to give you good meat during a time that beef prices are high in the store. Of course, you are going to have to remind me of that theory if Corabelle throws a bull in November!

[JulieLou42]

My first cow...Brown Swiss...calved her second at 9 months to the day. The one I have now--3/4 Guernsey-Angus-- her first was 9 mos. 5 days [Jersey cross], second was 9 mos, 12 days [Saler cross], and this last one, also Jersey, 9 mos. 6 days. So, she's right in the ballpark with gestation. [Salers take 9.5 months, my vet says.]

What is the molasses water for? And, what is "cmpk gel"? Ginger drank water within an hour. She's doin' near 4 gals per day with 3 milkings...plan to go to 2 tomorrow. No signs of mastitis, but she only has 3 quarters working, and the right front never did put out very much, most all of it comes from her rear quarters. Today is the first day that her cream isn't so very yellow, so I guess that means the colostrum is done with, and the family can start drinking real milk, again!

I sold the calf to a nearby neighbor, and am giving them the colostrum for it. He was about 65#. Anyone have any idea how much he should be drinking each day? He was born Tues. morning 'bout 3:30. Keeping a Family Cow says 1.5 gals per day for Jersey calves, in 3 feedings. But ranchers around here don't feed that much, and milk replacer bag instructs just 1 per day, in two feedings. Who is one to believe?

[Hovey Hollow]

Go with the smaller amount. You can over feed a calf and give them scours. Start small and work your way up SLOWLY.

[willow_girl]

I held my breath and tiptoed around and there it was...... no teats and a little tiny acorn. UGH!! I SOOOO wanted a girl!

Ah feel your pain!

Congrats on what appears to be an easy delivery and a healthy baby, though!

[myersfarm]

allen lots of ppl don't know about milk fever...when a milk cow goes down they think she just had trouble calfing why they die.......if you never got the pass from ktfc why not sign back up under a new name....john

[allenslabs]

I tried but still it asked for the activation code. Never got it.
Thanks all! The molasses is for milk fever I'm pretty sure. Their bodies can get depleted of dextrose and that is to make sure they don't. THe CMPK gel is calcium, potassium and magnesium and I'm not sure what the K was for. But it worked out good.

Oh and I have a small gripe! My neighbor who had been giving me the guilt trip on keeping Annie came over yesterday and I had cut Annie WAY back on feed and stuff as I was so paranoid of milk fever and mastits and stuff and he said she looked terrible and I was starving her and she was too thin. She was thin but considering she just gave birth to a HUGE calf and all she looked really good to me. He said he dumped her a bunch of feed and hay when he was out there. Next milking there was blood in the milk....... I was so annoyed. He kept saying she can't make the milk if you dont feed her.... I said Skip I don't WANT her to make a lot of milk..... I want to wean her down. No, no no he said she has to make milk and be milked 2x's a day. I was so sick of hearing it but he's 75 and used to milk 30 cows and wanted that production and stuff and I understand but..... I DON"T!!!

Sorry just needed to blow steam

[agmantoo]

Reducing the cows food intake to cut back on her milk production could cause her to start absorbing body mass in order to keep the milk production up. If this happens your cow is going to be in trouble! Her loss could end up being your loss.

[myersfarm]

grain makes body condition and hay makes milk .......thats what i have always been told........so give her 16 % feed now....after three days you have very little fear of milk fever......it kicks in when the cow is trying to make milk for the first time with all the food she has and also thats why the first milking you don't milk it all out so she will not have to strugle to replace it....she SHOULD be fine now....she can and will get brittle bones if you don't feed her.... the blood in the milk was from the udder being streched out so much nothing to worry about at all now if you have it for more then three days in a row call a vet.....john

[allenslabs]

Oh I have been graining her.... just little bits often. And she was getting very good hay of an orchard grass alf mix. Nice and soft.... very nice. The neighbor grows it. So no.... she was on feed but I fed her a pound or two 4 times a day and was building her up slow.

[myersfarm]

i give 16 % dairy feed 3 cows get 100 a day thats 50 lbs morning and night and i get almost 19 gallons a day in milk just had another calf and she is getting 20 lbs morning night and give 5 gallons with her calf still on her......also give a flick of alfafla hay to each with all the grass they can eat...........john