|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 16, 2012 18:43:08 GMT -5
Ok, I just got a cow that is REALLY overweight. She came from someone that frequents this board, so be nice please. I saw her at the beginning of the summer, and she was not this fat. The people thought they were going to butcher her, so they were feeding accordingly. NOW, how do I slim her down? I would like to breed her so I can milk her. She is 7, had only 1 calf 3 years ago. Her last session with the bull didnt take (3 years ago). I am not sure why... I will be feeding 1st cut timothy/orchard mix with no grain and free choice minerals. I know I may never get her bred, and if I do there may be a whole host of problems. Help me put my cow on a diet?!
|
|
|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 16, 2012 18:45:15 GMT -5
Also, this cow is SO SWEET, I just love her. I really want to give her a chance. She has not been haltered/lead in years, and she took to it like a pro. Lets me touch her all over. Her feet are in good condition.....she just has all the fat deposits everywhere. See the hump on her back? That is fat. YIKES
|
|
|
Post by rezzfullacres on Nov 16, 2012 19:16:18 GMT -5
Based on the pictures she is not "morbidly overweight". She is slightly overweight but that is easily fixed. What were they feeding her? start there and reduce by 50% every 3 weeks or so until there is no supplement...just plain old pasture and hay.....Leave her with a bull 24/7 and see what happens.... Good luck to you, she really doesn't look that bad, I would not have hesitated....
|
|
|
Post by dexterfarm on Nov 16, 2012 19:55:52 GMT -5
I dont think she looks that bad either. Do You know how long they left her with the bull? Or why they quit trying?
|
|
|
Post by lakeportfarms on Nov 16, 2012 20:13:17 GMT -5
When did my wife sell you our Rosie? Alicia, we have one that was just like her a couple of years ago. It seems to take a long time for them to lose the weight, but what you plan to do is exactly what we did. It took our bull nearly a year to get her bred though. I hope it goes a bit faster for you. By the way, now that Rosie calved in June, she's been slimming down a lot faster now.
|
|
|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 16, 2012 22:39:49 GMT -5
Well, I got the tape on her....she is over 1100 lbs. she is "about"46/47" tall....yes, she is long than my Fran who is 44", but her fat pockets are atrocious. She has copious amounts of fat behind her udder.....and no brisket to speak of. I will post pics of the 2 side by side...maybe that will help for comparison. All the "lumps" you see....they are fat deposits, not swirly hair (like I thought at first). Ok, Fran's brisket area...normal to me. New cow. See....it is about 12" wide, at least. Here you can see the lumps pretty good.
|
|
|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 16, 2012 22:43:50 GMT -5
If you guys dont think she is that bad, then I wont worry so much. They only have about 1 acre right now, but it is winter lot time. There is a pretty steep hill they go down to eat hay, and they come back up to lay in barn so she is getting some exercise there. LOL. I feel bad, all she wants to do is lay next to Fran and the baby, and Fran just keeps pushing her away. I know it will take a while, but I still feel bad.
|
|
|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 16, 2012 22:46:04 GMT -5
I dont think she looks that bad either. Do You know how long they left her with the bull? Or why they quit trying? I think they sent her for breeding and got her back assuming she was bred. they "only" wanted a calf for milk, and she wasn't the only milk animal so I think it wasn't pressing enough to send her again. So, should I wait on breeding or try soon? I am confused.
|
|
|
Post by Olga on Nov 17, 2012 0:27:26 GMT -5
Our friend who was a dairy farmer all his life advised that when a cow is too fat to breed, to put her on a starvation diet. You have to make sure that she has to travel from food to water. And cut down supplements down to nothing and dry lot if necessary, and just feed small amounts of hay - not sure on the amount. Basically, you need to feed her enough to keep her rumen running. And it will take a few months for her to loose the weight. And yes, preferably keep her 24/7 with the bull.
|
|
|
Post by lakeportfarms on Nov 17, 2012 7:27:44 GMT -5
The problem with the starvation diet is that unless you're going to keep her all by herself you'll be starving the other cows and your bull too. The only way is to move her in and out of the winter lot while you're feeding the others, which is pretty time consuming.
If she's been fed grain (a lot of it) to get her to this weight, going down to a first cutting grass and mineral only diet will slowly reduce the lbs. If you have another place to move her to on her own, figure out the days she's cycling, and then you'll move her in and out every 20 or so days to be with the bull, and you can cut her feed intake below what she would normally eat. I still wouldn't expect her to get bred for a while though. Be prepared for a false breeding, our Rosie was bred a couple of times before it took for good, she seemed to be more likely to lose the fetus at 2-3 months at the higher weight.
If we get a normal winter (unlike last year) she'll probably get in condition a little faster than our Rosie, who was still pretty fat when she finally calved in June. We got a little bull calf out of her, and she produces a lot of milk, so we're going to leave him on a little longer than 7 months to pull her weight down even further. She settled quickly this year, so we're looking at an April calf for her. The pounds she lost between when we got her and when she calved made a big difference.
|
|
|
Post by lakeportfarms on Nov 17, 2012 7:31:35 GMT -5
Just a quick question off topic... Are you using corral panels all around because of all the rocks in the soil?
|
|
|
Post by dexterfarm on Nov 17, 2012 7:56:44 GMT -5
I would feed as rezzfull acres suggest above. Burning fat to fast is very hard on an animal and can cause a chemical imbalance. I would leave her with the bull 24*7. Being in with the bull can stimulate them to come into heat. I would not be surprised either way whether she breeds right away or it takes a while.
|
|
|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 17, 2012 10:40:27 GMT -5
Just a quick question off topic... Are you using corral panels all around because of all the rocks in the soil? For my winter paddocks, yes....the soil is VERY rocky and ledge everywhere. A real pain. BUT, summer pasture, we electro-net the the rotational stuff and use 3 strand electric on the big pastures. I do not own the bull.....my friend in the same town does. I can send her there for a while, but that is sort of a pain too (since I am trying to work with her, getting her used to being handled). I think I will wait a month, just feed her the 1st cut hay and minerals. My other cow, I milk her so she gets grain when separate from everyone else so that wont be an issue with graining. Hay is in a different spot, (and at the bottom of a hill) than the water....so that will help a little. I think taking it slow, and certainly not starvation....will do the trick. Personally, I know I like my feedbag a little too much, I wouldn't want someone slapping a piece of duct tape on my mouth. LOL
|
|
|
Post by rezzfullacres on Nov 17, 2012 10:43:24 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by laughingllama75 on Nov 17, 2012 10:48:40 GMT -5
Also, I think just moving around with the herd is making her exercise more. if Fran gets up, she does too. Fran is always coming up to the barn if I am there (she loves to be milked, and her carrot treats). Fran also pushes her around quiet a bit, so she is constantly on the move.
|
|