Once a day milking

[Stinker]

There were studies done a few years back oad'ing holsteins. Dutch i think, didnt end well.

If they are bred for more and your feeding and milking them for less you go straight into energy deficiency and then a few months later you get the problems.
A cow bred and raised for oad would thrive, whereas that animal would not like to be milked 2x at all.

They are 2 different animals, that's my (hopefully less blunt than beefys) take on it anyway.

I'm not planning to feed them less energy than they need. There are other studies with holstein that show the opposite when cows are fed correctly

 

[Kingofgrass]

I have been thinking about once a day milking for years but never had the balls to do it.

Reasons I think it might be a good idea:

Can't keep staff.
We can grow lots of grass.
We can graze about 300 acres but have access to 500 if we went once a day.
Already milk low yielders once a day in the autumn.


Reasons not to do it:

Currently milk holsteins and don't know if they would adapt.
Doubt I could keep cows out any more than 7 months due to a very wet farm.
Milk buyer wants winter milk for A quota for spring.

So I'm thinking I could calve late March onwards and hope they would still be milking enough until Christmas to give me some a quota for spring. Is this a crazy idea?

So the only reason I can see is you can't keep staff,why? Low wages ?

 

[Stinker]

Surely if milking once a day you've got to get the right cow for the system?

I think they might be the right kind of cow. Not all holsteins are the same. Mine are not extreme show ponies

 

[buffalo_soldier]

I'm not planning to feed them less energy than they need. There are other studies with holstein that show the opposite when cows are fed correctly

Would you be able to link them to here, dont think ive seen one.

By my admittedly limited understanding, if a cow is capable of 50+ and your feeding for 30ish your underfeeding as she will try and produce up to her potential.

 

[Stinker]

So the only reason I can see is you can't keep staff,why? Low wages ?

Staff have been an issue but not currently. I just like the simplicity of it. Cost savings are massive compared to a similar yield with lower yielding cows and it would give us access to more acres of grazing. It's just an experiment currently. Like I have said if we thought it wasn't working we would stop straight away.

 

[thewalrus]

Sure just get a robot

 

[Stinker]

Would you be able to link them to here, dont think ive seen one.

By my admittedly limited understanding, if a cow is capable of 50+ and your feeding for 30ish your underfeeding as she will try and produce up to her potential.

Not true. cows being milked once a day give less milk so you only need to feed them for how much milk they are giving on once a day not how much they might give on twice a day

 

[multi power]

So we made a small experimental once a day group. A few thin low yielders and about 20 fresh cows with 20 or so to add during the next few days. Early signs are good. No mastitis and cows seem relaxed. Fresh cows yielding about 25-30 litres. 1 doing 36 litres this morning.

Will be interesting to see milk solids and if they maintain yield going forward.

I have in previous years had a lame cow group, once a day, they often went up in milk once put into that group, much less distance to walk and no waiting in collecting yard

 

[supercow]

I agree with you @Stinker a cow will only do what u ask her to do, last year for the first year I can remember we didn't feed a blend in the tmr,I thought we were going to have crazy problems no getting in calve, mastitis, feet. But it was the polar opposite, we didn't have a lame cow for most of the winter, effectively no mastitis and the cows got in calve like iv never seen before. And saved a fortune on feeding, makes me think lose a couple litres and save a fortune on feeding when the milk price is respectable, bedding and environment would need to be tip top for once a day tho

 

[Stinker]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22444923

This is the only study I have to hand but others have shown the same thing over shorter time scales at the start of lactation. It is miking frequency the drives milk production as much as anything. It is also milking frequency that makes it more likely a cow will be in negative energy balance.

 

[Stinker]

I agree with you @Stinker a cow will only do what u ask her to do, last year for the first year I can remember we didn't feed a blend in the tmr,I thought we were going to have crazy problems no getting in calve, mastitis, feet. But it was the polar opposite, we didn't have a lame cow for most of the winter, effectively no mastitis and the cows got in calve like iv never seen before. And saved a fortune on feeding, makes me think lose a couple litres and save a fortune on feeding when the milk price is respectable, bedding and environment would need to be tip top for once a day tho

Yes I agree. Would only be milking stale cows indoors. 15 litres or less by then I would think.

 

[bigw]

Out of interest......imagine a sound herd of H/F @8500lts. What would be the quickest / most cost efficient route to get to once a day milking?......Is it better to just sell them in one hit + then buy another herd over night.
Any other food for thought ideas?

A few years ago we had an Australian farmer visit who was forced into OAD due to drought and he was a 10k herd, he said his cows adapted very quickly and had to cull surprisingly few. I wish I had taken his contact details as he was a really interesting guy.

 

[Clay52]

I'm not sure why people think that Holsteins would lose weight on once a day. It will cut their production down a fair bit and more likely they would gain weight.

 

[Stinker]

I'm not sure why people think that Holsteins would lose weight on once a day. It will cut their production down a fair bit and more likely they would gain weight.

For some reason people think holsteins will give 10000 litres if you feed them or not. We used to do 11000 litres now we do a lot less. Cows are the same and are in no worse or better condition. It's all about managing the diet to the output.

 

[Stinker]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ggeMAE&usg=AFQjCNFIF0fHqNCXOdy5mQ6ZZ9wI8OggSA

I posted the wrong link earlier

 

[Clay52]

For some reason people think holsteins will give 10000 litres if you feed them or not. We used to do 11000 litres now we do a lot less. Cows are the same and are in no worse or better condition. It's all about managing the diet to the output.

Exactly. I'm aways amused at those comments. Holstein's don't just produce themselves down to skin and bone no matter what. You have to feed them to get the production.

 

[buffalo_soldier]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ggeMAE&usg=AFQjCNFIF0fHqNCXOdy5mQ6ZZ9wI8OggSA

I posted the wrong link earlier

Interesting read and the best of luck with it.

Was my mistake, i asummed a higher yield going by your earlier posts.
7k ish as in the study would be well suited.

 

[easy farming]

What would you normally expect out of fresh cows.

We have been milking OAD now for 6 years. Jersey x friesian usually do 4000 litres at 9% solids. Typical Spring calving mid Feb start finished by end of April dry late November. Try to avoid feeding anything other than grass and silage. LIC run an OAD discussion group.

 

[jendan]

We have been milking OAD now for 6 years. Jersey x friesian usually do 4000 litres at 9% solids. Typical Spring calving mid Feb start finished by end of April dry late November. Try to avoid feeding anything other than grass and silage. LIC run an OAD discussion group.

Who buys your milk? and do they not complain you have none in Dec,Jan,and half of Feb.

 

[easy farming]

Who buys your milk? and do they not complain you have none in Dec,Jan,and half of Feb.

Arla. No there are a few hundred in the UK doing the same Spring calving I know of about 30 plus milking OAD. Never heard of any supplying liquid dairies as all will be high solid milk. Seasonality can hurt though.