In this pic, taken about 6 weeks after calving, Plenty in the foreground looks quite plump as she suckles Cherry; Hillie beyond (with three suckling) is showing more rib.
As the calves grow and demand more, the cows will get more ribby still. (Must take a more up-to-date pic!)
As a rule of thumb, when the grass is poor I give hay / silage ad lib plus roughly 1kg (of 18% for producing milk) for every 3L I want over and above feeding herself and her own calf. I reckon on a very young calf drinking about a gallon( (4.5L) a day, rising to 6L at 6 weeks. So at the beginning of lactation, on poor grass, with an extra calf and me wanting 2L for the house, I give 2kg cake per day.
However, I can reduce the cake as the grass comes good. In a good summer, mine can do two calves with nothing extra. If I want milk for the house (I always take a couple of litres), or need them to rear additional calves (more than two apiece), then I will need to supplement. Or of course if the grass isn't growing well.
With practise, you will soon see in her bag and in the calves whether she needs you to give her more.
You absolutely want the bag to swing empty after the calves have had breakfast - they're hungry after being kept off her overnight and will keep going until they burst if you don't stop them! - so the trick is to make sure she doesn't have too much for them first thing. While you are getting the hang of it, you may sometimes need to milk off more than your 1pt in order to not leave too much for the calves
If they are still concave, and seeming desperate for more milk when her bag is empty, then they need a bit more. If they are nice and plump but still seeking milk (although with no real urgency), that's spot on. If they are so full they literally can't squeeze another drop down their throats, that's too much.
In the pic, Cherry in the foreground is on the verge of overfed
, Larry the black-and-white Hereford beyond could do with just a little more.
Topic: feeding advice (Read 2992 times)
