Milk yield

[domsmith]

After some of your knowledge!

A potential new dexter keeper has contacted me looking for a house cow. i have a cow that is suitable in type and temprement but she is 3 months into lactation and rearing her calf.

obviously her milk yield has dropped to what she needs.

My question is, if someone starts to milk her will her yield pick up enough to feed the calf and the new owner?

Does anyone in the north west have a cow about to calf or freshly calved.

dominic

[Duncan MacIntyre]

The yield is unlikely to reach what it would have been if she had been milked and fed as a dairy cow from calving. But if the feed is stepped up it will increase quite a bit, and next lactation should be more like the thing. Having been there and got the tee shirt with a 6 month calved heifer many years ago my main concern would be the prospect of converting a suckler cow to a house cow during the same lactation and staying out of hospital top do the milking next day.

Duncan

[domsmith]

Thats what i thought on the milk front Duncan.

I dont have any worries on the cow front, she is an older cow very used to show/milking/ double suckling. but i would agree she will need time and work to bring in line. and be alot more use next year.

Got your Haylage?

dom

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Hello Dom,
If your cow has been milked before then much less worry.

bale score so far heavy silage 53, haylage 78 on Friday, cut more today baled as haylage about 60 but not all wrapped yet. Only need another 400 wrapped and hopefully 250 hay to go. Despite forecast of rain we had a good drying wind here overnight and I was atonished to be able to bale this morning what I cut yesterday afternoon.
These are small round bales we are talking, just in case anyone thinks I am over feeding my cows.

Duncan