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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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 Posted - Jun 17 2015 : 9:11:59 PM
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Just curious what the rest of you did as you approached the last weeks of your cows' pregnancy ... did you give extra supplements? If so, what? Extra feed? If so, what?
I just counted the weeks and we have just over 10 weeks to wait ... I have a feeling that will go by fast and want to be sure Clover is getting all the nutrition she needs. She's beginning to waddle, especially as she is hurrying down the hill for her daily dairy pellets! Very cute! |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Jun 18 2015 : 04:15:35 AM
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| Charlene, I'm not going to do anything different than what I'm doing right now. I may cut back or stop her alfalfa pellets but otherwise I'm going to keep feeding them what they usually get. I've stopped the alfalfa hay for now because I'm wanting to dry Nellie and Sienna up in this next month or so. Sienna next couple so feeding them grass hay, morning and evening feed/alfalfa pellets. Someone who has gone through this a few times would be better equipped to answer your question. But that's my plan. Don't plan on changing much except cutting the alfalfa pellets. They eat pasture all day long. Last year before they gave birth I didn't do anything different, just regular routine. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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farmlife
1413 Posts
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Posted - Jun 18 2015 : 08:13:12 AM
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| Elli ate a LOT more hay in the last weeks, Charlene. |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Jun 18 2015 : 10:13:22 AM
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Thank you! Clover is not getting alfalfa right now as she is on pasture and dairy pellets. But if Elli ate a lot more hay towards the end, perhaps I should give Clover some alfalfa? I realize that Janet took that away to help dry her cows up, but I don't have that problem since Clover will be a first time mama.
Maybe I'll supplement with some Chaffhaye. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Jun 18 2015 : 10:23:25 AM
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| Just in from my new morning routine--up at dawn and with my cows until employees get here at 9. Charlene, love, love, love the photos of Ethan/Clover/Betsy. Regarding Chaffhaye, I'm noticing a significant difference in the color of my girls' milk (more yellow) this time and a higher amount of cream. I mean it's really yellow. And there's a ton of cream. When you shake a bottle for whole milk to drink, it's like drinking half and half, because it is:) Anyway, the only thing different I'm doing this time is feeding them Chaffhaye. If you want to try a bag, let me know. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Jun 18 2015 : 10:35:52 AM
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| Yes, MaryJane, I do want to try a bag please! Thank you. What would you recommend for the amount? Clover and Betsy are out on pasture. We are rotating them where they can graze. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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farmlife
1413 Posts
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Posted - Jun 18 2015 : 12:04:41 PM
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| I wish I would have introduced the alfalfa pellets or something like Chaffhaye in the last few weeks before Elli calved so that her body condition wouldn't have come down so quickly. Now that I know Elli is a picky eater I'll do it differently next time. Maybe you can avoid that with Clover by introducing the Chaffhaye now. |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Jun 19 2015 : 10:19:03 AM
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Clover loved her Caffhaye this morning! How much would you recommend, MaryJane?
Here's a photo of her right side and her baby bulge:
Does she look all right? What do you think of her condition? |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
Edited by - CloversMum on Jun 19 2015 10:19:54 AM |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Apr 16 2016 : 8:02:29 PM
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i have three weeks until sally calves. i have been reading to see if i need to change anything else. we free feed good hay in the barn all night long for them, and then 7am to 8pm each day they are out on great pasture feeding away.
because of this, the last month we stopped giving them breakfast in the morning - they have had their hay all night and they look forward to getting out to pasture ASAP each morning. at night we do serve dinner in the barn to them; we give them one cup of grain each with their minerals and about half a chaffhaye "flake" each (it fills up a one gallon bucket)... this is much less than the last discussion we had this winter as now i am not milking sally and they are also on great pasture.
i was going to cut out sally's grain this week, just until she calves. am i on the right track here with keeping her on the small amount of chaffhaye for dinner? i think i have removed all the horrible milk-fever inducers as much as possible.
if anyone would do anything different please share. thanks!
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_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Apr 16 2016 8:05:33 PM |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Apr 16 2016 : 8:32:32 PM
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Cindy, reread the first entry on this thread. I would say no to the Chaffhaye 10 - 14 days prior which is high in calcium because it's straight alfalfa. Does the grain you feed have added calcium? In other words, in about 10 days from now, no more Chaffhaye or minerals. But you can keep up the grain if it isn't high in calcium.
https://www.heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5222 |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Apr 16 2016 : 8:52:44 PM
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thanks maryjane. i have to admit i am on feed reading overload ;> i had been reducing all the chaffhaye and grain the last month and didn't know if 100% reduction was correct or not.
i think part of the problem is the accountants brain doesn't comprehend the whole protein, calcium, etc - to me that is "science", and i am horrible at all that stuff. i keep reading and reading and i only "get" so much. i keep trying to correlate it to things i can understand, like how a human needs so much greens and so much veggies, etc... but it truly doesn't register fully with me. the only way i can explain it, is that most people i know tell me that they dont get finances and feel lost about financial issues and it confuses the heck out of them... so i got the financial stuff, but the diet and science... well i wasn't handed out the talent in those areas. i am not giving up, but it takes me about 100 times longer than most people to get any of it. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Apr 16 2016 8:53:47 PM |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Apr 17 2016 : 07:10:27 AM
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| And that's why we have this place:) You should have seen me trying to figure out bees. Fortunately, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm has some very patient people on board. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Apr 17 2016 : 09:47:20 AM
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and when i get to bees i'll tax the resources at brushy mountain. until then i'll tax the resources at HJO ;>
i so appreciate y'all and your patience. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
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txbikergirl
3197 Posts
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Posted - Apr 17 2016 : 10:20:38 AM
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| i am moving my discussion over to this thread https://www.heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5222 as it more directly relates to what i am concerned with... as miss maryjane so keenly pointed out in her reminder of this thread above. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Apr 17 2016 10:21:13 AM |
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![[flourish]](/images/flourish-txt_mobius.png)
Late Pregnancy Nutrition
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