once-a-day milking for cow with calf

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If a jersey cow has a calf that is allowed to run with her during the day, but seperated from her at night and then milked in the morning, do you think the calf would get scours from excessive milk? I know jerseys produce a ton and I really don't need all the milk she would produce, and I don't really want a bottle calf. Any one else done this?

-- Elizabeth Ball (Lividia66@aol.com), February 27, 2001

Answers

The calf should drink what it needs .Try it I think you'll be ok .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), February 27, 2001.

This is a standard procedure for a house-cow (as opposed to dedicated dairy producers). Cow's milk is the standard food for calves: if the calf scours, it won't be because of any amount of milk that it wanted to drink (particularly if it was started out properly on the colostrum), but for some other reason. In fact, if you think about it, this way the calf will be sipping all day, rather than getting any enormous amount - there won't be much milk available after the morning milking, and the calf will just be taking small amounts as it becomes available during the day. Incidentally, while jerseys are a dairy breed, and hence produce a fair amount of milk, I wouldn't quite categorise it as a "ton" - that's what you get from those overbred black and white things that need supplementary feeding. If you get too much milk to use as whole milk, don't forget yoghurt, cheeses, icecream, cat and dog food, clabbered milk for pigs and poultry, and so forth. A cow is a heck of a commitment in terms of having to be there every day (although the calf can relieve you of that for a day or two here and there); but with a cow, poultry and a vegetable garden you can be just about self-sufficient in terms of food if you want to do it that way - one of the reasons why the old- fashioned small family farms used to be able to get by even though they weren't bringing in a large income.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 27, 2001.

Elizabeth: I can only tell you of our experience, for what it's worth. Our Jersey cow had a great udder and gave a LOT of milk, so in order to keep from spending so much time morning and night milking, I let the calf stay with her during the day. In a few days the poor little thing was having really serious scours. At the sale barn (the second night of this)I ran into a local dairy farmer and mentioned the problem. He told me that the calf was getting too much milk, and that she needed to be treated with medicine for the scours immediately and taken away from the cow (bottle fed a certain amount) for a time to get over it. This was at 9:30 at night, and we were both an hour and a half away from home, and he told me he'd go out to the milkhouse once he got home and leave the medicine out for me to pick up that night, and to give it to the heifer right away. (You know how quickly babies (human) can get dehydrated with diahrrea; same concept) He went out of his way after a busy day and traveling, and knowing he'd have to get up at 4 am as usual the next day, to save my calf. It worked, after my husband learned the fine art of the flying tackle in the dark of night in a barn lot littered with old baling wire and rusty tin (neighbor's lot the cow stayed in).Get an extra calf to graft onto her: it helps.

-- Peggy in IN (bptaylor@ccrtc.com), February 27, 2001.

What you describe is how I usually manage my milk cow. If she is any kind of cow at all she ought to be able to raise 2 calves. Jerseys are usually pretty good about adopting an additional calf. It might take a little patience and effort on your part. I've never had a calf get scours when it was raised on a cow as opposed to a bottle. If for some reason the calves don't seem to be getting enough milk just leave a bit extra in one of her teats in the morning(I usually did this in the hardest one for me to milk...seems every cow has one). The main thing to watch for is when the calves get a bit older sometimes they get rough with the cows udder and you will start to notice small cuts or abrasions. When this happens stop letting them run with her all day.....let them nurse but do it in the barn twice a day. By this time they will be old enough that this shouldn't create scours and they should be eating solid food too. One big advantage to managing a cow this way is that the calves will make sure the cow is stripped of milk and this will help to prevent mastitis. Another reason to raise 2 calves at once is you can sell one and he should pay for having the other butchered and any feed you gave to them. This way you basically get your beef for free. Of course if your cow has a heifer you will want to raise a bull calf for beef. For some reason I always get a cow that has bull calves...lol...just my luck.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), February 28, 2001.

I would get an extra calf too, unless you dont care that she wont produce at peak capacity. When my Jersey/Brown Swiss calved, she had so much milk that I milked her 3 times a day for a few days until she stopped feeling so engorged. Then I went to twice a day, the whole time the calf was on her all the time. I didn't milk her out all the way, or she would have kept producing too much milk. I just milked enough (like one gallon) so she would be more comfortable. At about two weeks, I went to once a day milking of 6 quarts (cause thats how big my bucket is), and when the calf was big enough to keep me from getting my fair share, he was put up at night. I'm still a once a day milker, and if I cant milk one morning I can leave the calf on all night. This arrangement is working out great for all three of us.

BTW, before she calved, I milked her once a day for about 7 months. She didn't start to dry up until a few weeks before she was due. She had been lactating for almost 2 years.

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), February 28, 2001.



I had heard that a calf can drink too much mother's milk, and scour and die, and I believed that until I met a lady who raises Jerseys and Guernseys. In course of a conversation with her I made that statement, and she shook her head, and said, "No. A calf doesn't get scours from too much cow milk unless it didn't get enough colostrum." How often have we watched a newborn calf try to find the teat? He will try to suck on his mother's leg, or her stomach, and if he does bobble around and happen to get hold of a teat we all cheer, but how long is it till he wobbles and loses it again? A few seconds, a minute? How much colostrum does a calf actually get in those first few critical hours, with his own inexperience coupled with his mama's swollen udder and teats?

I know calves were made to suck cows, and obviously out on the open range they manage to get enough colostrum or else we would have very few cows. But for my own family milk cow, I keep a better eye on her, and when she calves I go out within the hour, and I milk out at least a quart, and more if I can get it, of colostrum, and I open that calf's mouth and bottle feed him colostrum myself. Then I KNOW he got enough. I'm not taking any chances.

The last calf my cow had, I did that with him, and after that he drank every drop of her milk (and she gives two and a half gallons a day when she's fresh) for a month, and he never had squirt number one, and he weighed 330 pounds at 12 weeks old, and brought me a hefty price at the market. (I could let him have the milk because I had another cow giving me milk, too). I wanted him to have a good start, and he did.

-- Lela R. Picking (stllwtrs55@aol.com), March 04, 2001.


Just a short note. I raised a Jersey and her calves for five years and ALWAYS separated them at night and milked out in the morning. I have never had a calf scour. The only thing I ever watched for (and would take extra care with), was the first month after calving, I would take some milk off of 'Mama' at night, as well. Just keep an eye on her udder. You should be able to tell if she looks really full. This system has always worked beautifully for me and I have never had a case of mastitis, either. Good luck. Jersey's are wonderful animals!

-- Tammy (btawilliams@juno.com), March 06, 2001.

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