[DaisyDuke]

I bought a Jersey cow that was in the process of being dried up. she is open and was giving about a gallon of milk when we got her although the folks had not built her for about 6 weeks. we milk her once a day every now and then and get about a half gallon to a gallon of milk. I'm under the impression that keeping an open cow in milk makes them easier to breed back. We have been offered a bottle beef I'm wondering if she will just build up her supply again to put a calf on her or would we also have to bottle feed it? I was planning on continuing to milk her a little bit until we get the opportunity to breed her back. we will be putting the calf in with her either way but I would like to make sure I have any supplies that are needed without having to spend more than necessary we will probably get a small bag of artificial calf starter and a bottle just in case we need it on hand.

 

[Tom Horn]

I bought a Jersey cow that was in the process of being dried up.

I hope you bought the cow cheap. Was there no bull at her previous residence? Is she cycling? How do you plan on getting her bred back?

As for putting a calf on her, why not? If she's open there's no need to dry her off at all, so if a calf sucks her I don't see as it would hurt anything. Because she is way stale you will want to maybe supplement the calf's intake as you suggested because as the calf grows there isn't going to be much available milk from Bossy. Don't kill the calf with kindness, it's best that the calf is a little hungry rather than too full to avoid digestive problems, scours, etc. You might knock together a creep feeder in order to grain the calf, that way you don't have the cow eating the calf's grain.

If your old heifer can help you raise a calf, so much the better. It's nice to have helpers in endeavors, even if she's got four legs and flies.

 

[DaisyDuke]

People that from bought her as a family milker the reason they were selling her is it they got a larger milkcow they only had the two milk cows and my cows calf she was hand milk by this family for about a year. They got her from a dairy that thought that she was not producing enough to be in their production line I don't know how much she was giving then but for the family she was giving about three gallons being handed out. leave here cycling because for a few days she in the neighbor's bowl were singing back and forth to each other I have access to put hurtin with a bowl that is a beef dairy crosswant to make sure she's in good condition and time it right so that she'll either have the cast in November or not read her until she will calf in March or on word

so with the calf on her what would you recommend for a bottle feeding routine with supplement tall artificial milk? Talk to typing thing

 

[Tom Horn]

so with the calf on her what would you recommend for a bottle feeding routine with supplement tall artificial milk? Talk to typing thing

That would depend on your availability. If you are there during the day I would feed the calf around a quart of good quality milk replacer at noon and again around five or six in the evening. If it is a Holstein or large breed, you could up the milk to a quart and a half. I would recommend this as a preventative against scouring. better a calf that's a little hungry than one that is overfed and develops scours.