Coffee anyone ?

[murphysranch]

@farmerjan : here is the Jersey mom I mentioned a couple of days ago. Her calf is about 3 or so weeks old. What do you think of the condition of her? The gal was going to try some coconut oil to put weight on.

 

[Weldman]

Made it home last night/this morning after 21 hours of straight driving, bet the neighbors loved me at 2 AM
I don't think coffee is going to fix this.

 

[fuzzi]

I'm going to have a talk with the Dominiques about their side jobs...

Maybe they can change the oil in my car?

 

[fuzzi]

Made it home last night/this morning after 21 hours of straight driving, bet the neighbors loved me at 2 AM
I don't think coffee is going to fix this.

Ah, youth...why is it wasted on the young?

 

[Weldman]

Ah, youth...why is it wasted on the young?

Youth? Years are just numbers, life experiences determines ones age.

 

[farmerjan]

She is thin.... but there are some jerseys that always seem to be thin. She is moreso than most I have seen.

I do not have any experience with coconut oil as an additive so can't say. What little I have read says there are benefits to the butterfat content of the milk, it also said that it may help with feed efficiency. I have not seen much research on it.
The amount given would be a definite concern with me since there is little reference to it except as incorporated into a feed ration. How would you supplement it to the cow? I guess it can't hurt to try, I do not see anything worrisome about it. I would think it would be very expensive unless it is available as a locally produced source.

Of much bigger concern to me is the picture... is her udder that pendulous? It is hard to tell even with the ability to magnify it some. May just be the angle.
The cow also looks to have some age on her... Older cows are terribly hard to get weight on.. especially if they are milking heavily. The best cure for that is a long dry period where she can put weight back on before she calves. They will also lose some of that weight as they "milk the fat off their back" as the saying goes. There is no fool proof way to prevent her body from pulling the fat to utilize it in her production.
Are they milking her as well as her feeding her calf? Or are they using her as a nurse cow with multiple calves?
Lots of variables... to me the best thing for her is a grain with alot of corn in it....Corn is lower protein and fattening... and as good a hay as can be found as free choice.
She might just be one that is "pitifully thin".... have seen a few different dairy animals over the years that just stay thin.

Has she been wormed? That would be the very FIRST thing I would do... and as much as I get the chemical/drug thoughts... if she were mine and I had just gotten her... she would have been wormed right off the truck.... with a pour on like Ivermectin.... followed in about 7-10 days with something of a different class like Safeguard.... Ivermectin will knock some out if she is wormy, the safeguard will hit from a different "direction"... different type drug..... and would clean her system out. She needs to start with a CLEAN gut tract... not being "tolerant" of a percentage of worms which eventually they all have.. with some having more resistance to worm infestations...... if she has any worms, they are robbing her of nutrition and she cannot assimilate the feed she is eating as well.

You have to be careful if she does have a high worm population in her gut tract. Too severe worming the first time will cause a fast die off, and can actually cause some bloating, and toxic reaction to the worm die off in her gut. Sheep are especially susceptible to "toxic bloom" of worm die off in the gut poisoning the system, if they have a severe worm infestation... don't know about goats... Being a 4 chamber ruminant , cattle will not have as bad a reaction, but it also will take a little longer for the dead and dying worms to pass through. So you don't try to fix that all at once... Ivermectin is a great drug, but it will not cause such a severe fast reaction like some of the other wormers... Safeguard is good but has a "harsher effect" and will clean them out... so I like the 2 step approach.... JUST MY OPINION.... I am not a vet.

 

[EweAreKiddingMe!]

How is she doing?

Good. My sister had to reach her hands in and pull them out though. First one was like a water baby(Stillborn), second one was alive, third one was alive as well. The last two babies are doing good but their momma wont let them nurse so we have to tie her legs on the milking stand and let them nurse that way

 

[Blue Sky]

It’s tomato time!

 

[Blue Sky]

Good. My sister had to reach her hands in and pull them out though. First one was like a water baby(Stillborn), second one was alive, third one was alive as well. The last two babies are doing good but their momma wont let them nurse so we have to tie her legs on the milking stand and let them nurse that way

Sorry to hear that. @Baymule has an excellent recipe for homemade formulas if you need it.

 

[murphysranch]

Thank you soooo much, @farmerjan. The gal didn't ask my opinion, so I will carefully disseminate your knowledge.

Yes, the gal milks her everyday. Her udder is absolutely massive, but I'm not a cow person so I could be flatly wrong. The baby is so healthy and inquisitive. The Dexter is due soon too.