Re: Question about grass fed milk cows.

[Guest guest]

My cows are grass only, and that means grass only. My cows don't know

what grain is. My disclaimer is that not all cows are able to produce

without grain, so it isn't just that you stop feeding your cows grain.

I try to have something different in the manger at milking so that the

cows want to come in. Usually this is 2nd cutting hay. Cows will

come in out of habit as long as they get some kind of reward at least

part of the time.

>

> Do those of you that have milk cows and raise them on grass only,

give grain

> at milking? If yes, is it organic and if not, how do you all get

them to come

> in for milking?

>

> Samqantha </HTML>

>

[Guest guest]

It depends on your goal. If you want to be all grass fed then you

wouldn't want to, but I agree with Phil. Go slow on removing grain if

they have been getting some. It takes better management without grain,

but can be done. Organic is expensive, but far better if you're going

to feed some grain. Also, consider sprouted grain and small grains.

I feed nothing in the barn. We do have to go out and round them up,

but that's no big deal. Only takes a couple of minutes. We have no

problems getting them in the barn or their stalls.

This time of year cows like a little dry hay so that will work.

Cheyenne

>

> OK. I was doing exactly that and I had a few people get upset that

I was

> feeding grass to them....So I dropped them. What's your opinion on

feeding

> organic grain at the milk barn?

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I don't feed grain for several reasons, cow health, economics, the

politics of growing grains to feed ruminants, etc... There are well

meaning people on both sides of these arguments so I don't want to

start a big debate about it.

My personal bottom line is that I want to eat meat, milk, and milk

products from cows that are 100% grass fed.

>

> OK. I was doing exactly that and I had a few people get upset that

I was

> feeding grass to them....So I dropped them. What's your opinion on

feeding

> organic grain at the milk barn?

>

>

>

>

> > My cows are grass only, and that means grass only. My cows don't know

> > what grain is. My disclaimer is that not all cows are able to produce

> > without grain, so it isn't just that you stop feeding your cows

grain.

> >

> > I try to have something different in the manger at milking so that the

> > cows want to come in. Usually this is 2nd cutting hay. Cows will

> > come in out of habit as long as they get some kind of reward at least

> > part of the time.

> >

>

> </HTML>

>

[Guest guest]

We may use some organic grain periodically. But once a dairy cow gets into a routine of coming in to milk they are usually waiting for you if you are two minutes late.Good hay works just as well for snacks while milking.Do those of you that have milk cows and raise them on grass only, give grain at milking?  If yes, is it organic and if not, how do you all get them to come in for milking? Samqantha

[Guest guest]

We give grain during milking but are looking into chopping up hay and

lacing it with some molasses.

Belinda

>

> Do those of you that have milk cows and raise them on grass only,

give grain

> at milking? If yes, is it organic and if not, how do you all get

them to come

> in for milking?

>

> Samqantha </HTML>

>

[Guest guest]

Grass only, organically managed. Once I had them trained to the

stanchion they'd come right in and go to their spot. But now I'm milking

on pasture and they just stand to be milked. Its part training and part

disposition.

Pete

FourtsRanch05@... wrote:

>

> Do those of you that have milk cows and raise them on grass only, give

> grain at milking? If yes, is it organic and if not, how do you all

> get them to come in for milking?

>

> Samqantha

>

>

[Guest guest]

I really wonder if it is true that not all cows can produce without

grain. I guess a qualifier would be what do you mean by produce: produce

milk period and rebreed or produce at x lbs/day milk?

Now I don't think that you can just stop feeding grain with all of them,

though with some you can.

Phil Lang wrote:

>

> My disclaimer is that not all cows are able to produce

> without grain, so it isn't just that you stop feeding your cows grain.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

"Grass fed" is a term that includes dry grass (hay) as well as green

grass. Most people mean "grass and hay" when using the term. Whether

the term also includes fermented grass (silage) is probably more

subject to debate, but I know of no one who objects to hay feeding.

[Guest guest]

This is what I thought until I had a doctor call asking about my milk shares and when I told him she (our Jersey) was on hay right now due to letting the pasture grow up again, he said it wasn't the same as green grass. Yet he did not know what one benefited over the other. I had another gal call that said she wanted milk from 'green grass fed cows' only. Last summer when our cows were dried up prior to calving, we were getting milk from a guy down the road and his cow was on pasture and her milk was very thin and tasted almost bitter. He had her checked for mastitis but the vet said she was clear? He does separate it but we do too and we've never had the 'clear' milk or the bitterness. Any one else?

"Grass fed" is a term that includes dry grass (hay) as well as green

grass. Most people mean "grass and hay" when using the term. Whether

the term also includes fermented grass (silage) is probably more

subject to debate, but I know of no one who objects to hay feeding.

[Guest guest]

Cows fed hay need more vitamin supp because they diminish really quickly in it but sometimes you just cannot help it.

Thin milk like that would probably point to undernourished animals IMO>

Debbie ChikouskyManitoba, Canada"A successful man is one who can build a firm

foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.”

-- Brinkley--

Re: Re: Question about grass fed milk cows.

This is what I thought until I had a doctor call asking about my milk shares and when I told him she (our Jersey) was on hay right now due to letting the pasture grow up again, he said it wasn't the same as green grass. Yet he did not know what one benefited over the other. I had another gal call that said she wanted milk from 'green grass fed cows' only. Last summer when our cows were dried up prior to calving, we were getting milk from a guy down the road and his cow was on pasture and her milk was very thin and tasted almost bitter. He had her checked for mastitis but the vet said she was clear? He does separate it but we do too and we've never had the 'clear' milk or the bitterness. Any one else?

"Grass fed" is a term that includes dry grass (hay) as well as green grass. Most people mean "grass and hay" when using the term. Whether the term also includes fermented grass (silage) is probably more subject to debate, but I know of no one who objects to hay feeding.

[Guest guest]

There's no doubt the best milk comes from good green grass, but that

isn't always possible. The next thing would be dry grass. You may want

to feed a little hay regularly to extend the grass so there is always

possibly some available. Any way to break up the grazing area so it

can be rotated?

I can still produce some very rich, very tasty milk in the winter on

hay and baleage. It is hay baled with some moisture and wrapped in

plastic to seal out the air. The milk is definitely more yellow

colored when on grass, but the butterfat is actually higher on

hay/baleage.

Taste could be from what the cows are eating or cleanliness of

equipment or slow cooling of milk.

We have noticed different flavor once when they were on rye and this

year for, the first time, when they were getting some turnips that

were planted in the spring with the oats for grazing.

Cheyenne

>

> This is what I thought until I had a doctor call asking about my

milk shares

> and when I told him she (our Jersey) was on hay right now due to

letting the

> pasture grow up again, he said it wasn't the same as green grass.

Yet he did

> not know what one benefited over the other. I had another gal call

that said

> she wanted milk from 'green grass fed cows' only. Last summer when

our cows

> were dried up prior to calving, we were getting milk from a guy down

the road

> and his cow was on pasture and her milk was very thin and tasted

almost bitter.

> He had her checked for mastitis but the vet said she was clear? He

does

> separate it but we do too and we've never had the 'clear' milk or

the bitterness.

> Any one else?

>

>