cold temps and drop in production?

[MamaDee]

Hi, everyone.

Does a sudden drop in temperature affect milk production? Everyone was down this morning..........even our July freshener. There has actually been a downward trend the last few days. I was expecting an increase in production as the last week I have been able to finally get the girls to free choice alfalfa pellets. I've been working toward that and the last week I had gone up just enough I guess to get some left in the trough. So I expected good things in the milk bucket. No go. Production has dropped. The only other thing going on right now is that temperatures have gone from 95 during the day and 80 at night to 75-80 during the day and 50 at night. Although I thought cooler temps would help milk production.

So two things have happened that I thought would help production....and it has dropped. What's up?

The only other thing I can think of is one girl is in heat (July freshener) we have a buck also this week but no one is in heat for him but the girl who can't be bred. And it's not just her, everyone is down. Can having a buck around affect them? We had a different buck before this one for the last month and nobody milked any less. So the buck here is not new, except that he's a different one.

Hay is the same...never running out of it or water, etc. Feed the same (except the alfalfa). Nothing else new.

Dee

[SHELBY]

Well, I think it is the temp change, The temp ddropped here yesterday, and my girls were down last night and this morning, So was the jersey milk cow.

I could be totally off base here, but nothing has changed on my end (feed and what not)

[DocM]

Goats are sensitive (re: insane) to changes of any kind. Between the weather change and the feed change, and breeding season, let them acclimate for awhile (a week or more) during which there are no changes. The buck could be making them anxious too. Are they getting adequate free choice minerals? How is their copper intake with the new feed? Booster them with B complex, either injection or nutri drench. It won't hurt them and b complex is always a good influence. Another trick sometimes used to increase production is to go to three times a day milking, although I think your girls just need to settle into their new routines.

[MamaDee]

The buck could be making them anxious too>>>

I guess it is a different buck. He's a Nubian and the last was a Kinder so the Nubian is bigger and more of a "presence" in the barn.

<<<Are they getting adequate free choice minerals? How is their copper intake with the new feed?>>>

They are getting free choice minerals (with adequate copper). There isn't a new feed, but I have been slowly increasing their alfalfa pellets. They've been getting them all along, just more lately.

<<<<Booster them with B complex, either injection or nutri drench. It won't hurt them and b complex is always a good influence>>>

Oh, good idea. I guess I only think of B complex in terms of when something is medically wrong. It can help milk production? Guess that makes sense if it's b/c of stressors.

Thanks,
Dee
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