Should I keep Milking

[bobhorkay]

I've lurked the forums for a while and am new to Dexter's ( or cows in general !)

This spring I got a nice cow / calf pair and have been enjoying fresh milk for some time.  Went through all the fun of training her, as she is 7 and was never milked before, but I'm more stubborn than her and eventually we were enjoying almost a gallon a day.  Calf was born in April and she appears to be completely weaned now.

BUT her milk production this past week has dropped off to about a little less than a quart a day.  She does not appear to be holding anything back, and even that little bit has a nice cream line and her utter is empty.  I've gone back to separating the calf to make sure she was weaned and no change, she appears to by drying up on her own.

Should I continue milking her or just stop ?

I do not plan to breed her until next September due to her age, no bull, and want her to rest after being too lean when I got her in may.

Any advice ?

thanks

Bob

[RedRidge]

My opinion, for what it's worth. Yes I would quit milking her for two reasons. First because many Dexters simply are not genetically predisposed to produce much milk for a long lactation. Duration is simply not in their dna. Second, and more importantly, you mentioned her being thin and needing to get back in shape. Milking requires a higher plane of nutrition than being open or even being bred. So drying her off will make it much easier to improve her condition.
Also, not that you asked, so forgive me, but leaving one open for any length of time can actually be much harder on them than being bred. Combine that with the timing of the seasons and next sept (if you are in the US) means you'd have a midsummer calf. While we end up with a midsummer calf periodically, for many reasons calving in the spring and fall is our preference. If you feel she needs a break I might give her 90 days or so but then breed her for a fall calf next year. Again, just my opinion. We'll see what the more experienced folks in the group have to say.
Congrats on training an older milker, btw. Not an easy undertaking. ;-)

[bobhorkay]

That's what I figured as well. I haven't figured out adding a bull to my little Dexter family yet, I was planning on that in the spring. I'll milk a few more days to enjoy it and then let her enjoy the fall ! Though she seems to look forward to it and meets me every day at the pasture gate, she took to being milked quite well for an untrained older cow, though it took a good month, every day of talking to her, petting, scratching, bribing, then she'd give me a little, but not let down, eventually she gave in and it was great, i'll miss it. I will have to find a way to stagger two cows so that one is freshened every spring and fall, so i'll always have milk.

Any Dexter bulls near Kansas city, i'll gladly feed him for the winter !

Thanks.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Hi bobhorkay, you might make that offer to feed a bull for the winter in the Auction Barn. Someone just might take you up on it!

I think Sheri's advice on the milking is spot on. On another forum I'm a member of, several people milk Dexters and have commented that theirs seem to dry themselves off when the calves are weaned. I don't personally have enough experience to know one way or the other, but it sounds like there's no point in fighting nature. I can't speak to the breeding schedule, not enough experience.

I trained my first milk cow that we raised from birth, and it was a wonderful experience. But hats off to you for being able to train a 7 year old cow that was new to you! That's a real achievement!