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Birth and Delivery

Milking after calving

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Caren	Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 1:16:01 PM We are preparing for the birth of Rainey and Nickel's calves and was wondering if anyone had advice or input about methods that work best. Some people don't milk the cow out at all and others start milking within hours. My 84 year old German mother-in-law milks out immediately and bathes the udder in colostrum. She always tells me to rub milk all over the udder. She also is never without castor oil on her person. I struggle with this issue after all of the years and need some guidance.
17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
NellieBelle	Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 11:30:13 AM Don't know how I missed the photos of your cows Caren. They are gorgeous group of girls. Belinda has such unique coloring, pretty. Can't wait to see the babies. You said Rainey and Nickel were due soon on the 14th, so it must be getting closer. Thanks for all the photos and their names.
maryjane	Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 07:57:25 AM Caren, Any word on babies yet? Only five more days. Don't be shy about more photos of Easter, Ruby, and Cupcake:)
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 17 2016 : 08:41:55 AM One big beautiful cow family! Thanks for the update, Caren.
Caren	Posted - Mar 16 2016 : 1:27:31 PM Thank you for the compliments! Cuties names from left: Easter, Belinda, Ruby, and Cupcake All sisters to Rainey and Nickel.
txbikergirl	Posted - Mar 16 2016 : 12:35:16 PM so cute caren!
maryjane	Posted - Mar 16 2016 : 12:21:12 PM This just makes my heart sing to see current photos of your cows (and the handsome Mr. Rueffer). Nickel and Rainey have some serious baby bumps happenin'. In the four beauties behind the fence, who is on the far left? Your Belinda is a total eye feast. White paint makes my knees weak. Against ebony, it's even better. Love it.
Caren	Posted - Mar 16 2016 : 10:56:15 AM Here are our four little darlings and a picture of Belinda.
Caren	Posted - Mar 16 2016 : 10:46:29 AM Hello- Thank you for asking about us. Rainey and Nickel are great and growing very round. Mr. Rueffer and I are so excited about the new little ones.
maryjane	Posted - Mar 14 2016 : 3:01:21 PM Caren, Both Rainy and Nickel are due soon. How are they doing so far? How are you?
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 09:10:52 AM My chickens love extra colostrum, but I usually save any extra and stick it in the freezer ... cows and goats. I've had neighbors and a vet call me to ask to get some from me as well. I had extra so was more than happy to share! It is indeed liquid gold.
maryjane	Posted - Feb 26 2016 : 4:05:52 PM Not only food for chickens but apparently for rubbing on the udder itself.
farmlife	Posted - Feb 26 2016 : 3:14:41 PM Again, MaryJane is good with the details. Our calf had nursed, and we went ahead and fed him a bottle of colostrum just to be sure and then also saved some in the freezer. I remember the colostrum stage lasting a 1-3 days, though, even with milking.
Caren	Posted - Feb 26 2016 : 06:59:54 AM Thank you so much for sharing your protocols and advice. Rainey and Nickel are heifers so I will need to keep a watchful eye. My mother-in-law believes colostrum is liquid gold as well. She is very old fashioned and has milked her whole life until a couple of years ago. She is 84 years old and the children said it was time to stop milking. She still uses a wringer washer outside. ;) It can be hard sometimes to make the best call of what to do. Sometimes I see new mom and baby in the pasture and I feel that I am intruding on those special moments between mom and new baby. Then I talk myself into not bothering them, but sometimes that is not best. I suppose no matter how long you have dairy cows you will always be learning. Thank you
maryjane	Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 8:44:25 PM Yes, if you're sure your calf has taken in a good amount of colostrum, you can get started milking sooner. 24 hours is the magical number for must-have-had-colostrum-by-now.
farmlife	Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 8:24:30 PM I would assume that cows' colostrum is just as beneficial as humans. This may be a little personal, but I had a lactation consultant tell me once that colostrum is "liquid gold" and that it is the best thing to heal cracked nipples. I would think the same would apply to cows. We did pretty much as MaryJane said as far as the milking, but we saved the colostrum in the freezer. That way if we ever had another calf that needed it we would have some on hand. Also, I started milking before 24 hours because Elli was super engorged. Just pay attention to your girls. They'll let you know what you need to do.
txbikergirl	Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 3:55:42 PM thanks for asking this caren. with sally o'mally due may 9th i am thinking about this daily right now. not specifically whether i should bather her udder down with colustrum ;> (that is a new one for me), but just the general timing, potential issues, etc. mary jane, you did right all that separation stuff down before. thanks for documenting all of this for us to review.
maryjane	Posted - Feb 25 2016 : 2:31:45 PM It does seem like everyone has a different protocol and like I always say, I'm a work in progress. One time with Maizy (after having a cow give birth and walk away from her calf), I grabbed-the-bull-by-the-horns and milked her out right after birth and then put X amount of colostrum (dependent upon the weight of the calf) in a tube down its throat. It's pretty invasive to say the least. What I do now is leave the cow and calf alone for 24 hours (locked up and watched constantly to make sure the calf is nursing) and then I milk her out, discarding the colostrum/milk. (Colostrum after 24 hours in a calf can cause digestive problems.) The calf is still with her and I start my once/day milking at that time. From there, I really monitor teat health and calf and begin some forced separation early on so the mother gets time away from the calf and the calf has access to its own water and food supply without having to compete with mom or others. I do believe I've written that up elsewhere here on the chatroom. I'll see if I can find it. By the time I wean at around 4 to 6 months of age, it's pretty smooth going and almost no trauma during weaning.