Photos and First Milking

[Tango]

Here is #305 at home her first morning. I couldn't take photos last night when we got in because it was already dark after I got her set up and toted 20 gallons of water from the creek. This morning she was a little nervous still (but so was I). She stood still to be milked and it went surprisingly smooth for my first time. I did get swatted in the head a few times by the tail and she managed to situate herself over a pile of her poop so I couldn't put the bucket down. Need to organize and strengthen my hands for this. I gave the milk to my dogs, since I wasn't prepared to use it. The look on my American Bulldog's face with the milk dripping from his chin was priceless, wish I had the camera on at that moment. Perfect poster dog for "Got Milk?"
Anyway, here she is. Does she look skinny to you? I've got a hundred questions already. Any good homesteading dairy cow book anyone might recommend?

[allenslabs]

Oh she is beautiful!!!!! I love her! Nice tight little udder. Back teats look a little short but the front seem nice.
You are so lucky to have such a pretty cow! I'd say give her a couple days and she'll act like she's always lived there. Food helps calm em down something great! HAHA!! But scratchins and lovins go just as far and a sweet calm voice.
Congrats on the pretty cow!

[unioncreek]

She does look a little thin, but she also looks like a young cow. I've been thinking of getting a Jersey, but I don't have the time to milk one.

Bobg

[Paula]

Congrats!!! I know you are thrilled, I remember how happy I was when I brought my first Jersey home.
She doesn't really look too thin, Jerseys can get really thin when milking especially if they are pushed for their highest production which I'm sure she was at the dairy.
Great looking pasture behind her. Do you have anything fenced yet where she will be able to graze? If not, most dairy cows will stay behind one strand of electric with no problem. I also wanted to tell you that you don't have go to the expense of feeding her grain. People always disagree with this, but usually the ones disagreeing do feed grain and have never tried pasture/hay only. We know from experience. We went to only pasture/hay about 3 years ago and our cows actually look better with no decrease in milk. We don't push for max production, just enough for us and the calf. Come to think of it I guess the calves do push for max production - they drink every drop they can get and they are always fat so I guess they're doing fine. We do feed alfalfa pellets when we milk for the added protein and as an incentive. They love that better than grain anyway and it doesn't alter their rumen ph like grain does.
The best book I know of is by Joann Grohman and can be found here:
http://www.real-food.com/
There is a nice discussion forum there too.
If your cow's short back teats are a problem for you you can let the calf nurse on them (when she has one) and just milk from the front.

[Carol K]

Oh she's adorable Marcia, nice find. I don't think she looks that thin, but she may even lose weight in the next week just because of the move, water Isn't the same, pasture isn't the same food.... well you get the idea, so don't be surprised if she does. Once she settles into the routine and is eating and drinking well, hopefully she will gain/maintain the weight you want her at. Don't forget she is in calf and to make sure she has good pasture and hay and she will be fine. You may want to worm her now you have her home, that way you know she was done and you can get her on a worming schedule. Just enjoy her and spend plenty of time talking to her and grooming her and before you know it she'll be your best friend!
Also, try and find a vet in your area before you need one and get to know them, sometime you will need one. Good luck with her,

Carol K

[Tango]

Thanks everyone She is very sweet and calm. I bought wormer from the feed store today just in case so I'll go ahead and worm her thanks for the advice. The back teats aren't a big problem, they are half the size of the front ones but milk out easily, maybe even easier for my clumsy fingers Our front pasture is 15 - 20 acres and is completely fenced. Once she is used to me and to her new routine she'll be let go with the horses. Right now her space is very small. Paula I read the ingredients of the feed the dairy fed AFTER I bought it Not happy with "animal fat preserved with ethoxyquin" for my dairy supply. I would like to get some meat to her bones. All her ribs are clearly visible andher hips are protruding. Her coat is dull and she salivates like nobody's business (is that normal? She drools.) So once I get her up to snuff then I'lll try the pasture. I'd prefer that anyway. My horses are doing very well on just pasture and minerals/salt.

[OD]

She has such big beautiful eyes!!! And she doesn't look too thin to me.
According to the experts, Jerseys are supposed to be kept thin. I have a hard time not feeding mine all she will eat, because she is so sweet. However, I learned my lesson when she nearly died of milk fever because she was fed too much alfalfa just before calving.
Keep a close eye on her when you first turn her out with the horses. Sometimes they like to chase cows.

[pygmywombat]

Be very careful when putting a cow with horses. Horses will herd, bite, and even kick cows. Especially if its just one cow with multiple horses. Our neighbors had problems with horses driving the cows right through the fences. You might want to split off an area for her in the pasture with 1-2 lines of electric on step-in or t-posts until you see how they get along.

[VictoriaAnn]

She looks so sweet! We go look at three potential jerseys at a nearby dairy this Sunday. Congratulations on yours!

Paula, when you feed yours hay in the winter is it alfalfa hay, or what? I have the book by Joann S. Groham, and I thought she went into great detail about why cows need grain. If we were to choose not to feed our cow grain, would we need to slowly take her off the feed that she's been getting so as not to upset her rumen? And how much in the way of alfalfa pellets do you give yours?

[Christina R.]

She's a gem!!! She'll look great in no time at all with your TLC. She's a lucky gal to have you!!

[Paula]

VictoriaAnn,
We feed regular mixed grass hay. Depends on where we cut it, some has some clover in it. All our beef and dairy cows do great on it alone if all they are doing is raising a calf. We added the alfalfa pellets for the one we were milking because we found they didn't hold their weight well without the added protein. We feed more of it in the winter, in the summer they do fine just on pasture - then it's more of a treat so we give just a cup or two. In the winter the amount depends on which cow we're milking. Some need more than others. We go by how the cow is looking and how much milk we need. I would say they get a minimum of about 4 lbs/day and as much as 8 lbs if they're milking heavy. If we don't have a calf on the cow while we're milking we feed them the minimum to hold their weight and get the amount of milk we want, usually just a gallon or so a day. We always try to slow the cow down to the amt. of milk we need, no sense feeding for more milk then having to find a way to use it. We do sell milk sometimes but for us it's more of a pain than it's worth.
You could use alfalfa hay instead of the pellets, it's just easier for us to use the pellets. Dh does question whether hay might be better because the pellets are heated to dry them. You should make any changes in feeding gradual so the cow's rumen can adjust.
I know Joann advocates feeding grain. We fed grain until about 3 yrs ago too, mostly just because that's what everyone does I guess. Then we started hearing/reading articles about how grass-fed milk and meat was so much better for people. And about how much healthier (longer lifespan, more resistant to disease, breed back better) cows are when they are fed this way. And how because grain causes such a different rumen environment (more acid) which makes the cow less efficient at digesting forage, that grain ends up replacing forage at about a 1:1 ratio. We even read a couple of articles where people claimed they had cows who beat Johne's (currently considered to be incurable and a death sentence for the cow) when they were put on grass and good mineral (kelp) only. We started to question if we should stop feeding grain and since we are fortunate enough to have plenty of pasture we decided to try it. We're happy with the results in every way. The beef and dairy cows do great, and grass fed milk and meat are wonderful.
I'm sorry Tango, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. It's hard to try and explain all this and be brief too.

[Tango]

Originally Posted by Paula

I'm sorry Tango, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. It's hard to try and explain all this and be brief too.

No problems, I'm learning too so I appreciate it. Thanks for the bit on the horse and cow everyone. I've been pricing electric tape fences for her and my goats but it has been expensive in the estimates so far. For anyone who visits the equine forum, you're probably aware that I have a spoiled brat of a mare and she'll probably start something with my sweet little cow. I'll keep them apart. Thanks.

[VictoriaAnn]

Thanks a lot, Paula! Makes sense to me.

[woodspirit]

very nice looking jersey. congrats. She looks young and healthy.

[willow_girl]

She looks good to me! Maybe a tad thin, but certainly not unusual for a cow in milk. Nice udder too! (Why oh why do Jersies always seem to have short teats in the back though?! Sigh!!!)

[JeffNY]

LOoks good, not sure if she is stretched out, or not. Seems slightly weak in the loins, could be her stance. Chine into the withers is nice, fairly prominent. Udder is tight, molds fairly clean into the stomach. She has some dairy character. Decent little cow. Breed her to something with strength next go around, with strong udder traits and it should make for a decent calf, pending its a heifer .


Jeff

[Tango]

Thanks for the critique Jeff. Don't know about her weakness in the back, she seems skinny back there but she's been gaining weight and is verifiably puppy dog playful now. She does seem long to me but having no point of reference with other Jerseys it might just be that she is still short. I think she'll grow a little more. Her character has come shining through so quickly. Today marks her first week home.Perhaps not all dairy cows are really fit for dairy life. Being so small I think she was more stressed in that life than maybe others. It will take a while for her to blossom out of the dairy life physically but I see progress already in her coat and her weiht, and her behavior. Still considering options for her next breeding (she's due to calve in Mar) and am looking for very small bull breeds, maybe even a Dexter.

[woodspirit]

Ok, now we see why Jerseys make wonderful pets. She sounds like all of my cats, dogs, and chickens.....in charge.

[JElfering]

She is a honey for sure. Jeff gives a good assessment. My children will add that good dairy character can often times be mistaken for skinny, underfed. Our heifer dropped alot of weight the first month or so after calving. She leveled out on her own and looks remarkable now. You want to see the ribs a bit and hip bones. She may produce a good quantity of milk as a result of this. The reason for the "Skinny" look is a result of all the intake going to the milk production. The more feed the more milk and usually the skinny look stays.

I just love her eyes. Big~round~clear~dark... "Here's looking at you BABE" eyes! Enjoy your sweetie!

Jen
Mom of 10

[MelissaW]

Oh Marcia! What a little doll! Jerseys always look like graceful deer to me. I bet your puppy dogs are having fits of ectasy with all of that fresh milk available. I told the guys about your butter. Little Man was ready to get in the car and head right down to try some! Talk to you soon!