AgTalk Home
AgTalk Home
Search Forums | Classifieds | Skins | Language
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Riddle me this: milk fat percentage
View previous thread :: View next thread
   Forums List -> Stock TalkMessage format
 
Brown Cow
Posted 11/30/2020 08:23 (#8634653)
Subject: Riddle me this: milk fat percentage


SW Wisconsin
My test on November 23rd was 6.05% fat, on the 25th was 6.95%. I know what changed, the question is what part of it was important, or is that just natural variation?

Production was 22.26 lbs/ cow/ day at 6.05F 4.48P 5.27OS on the 23rd, 21.40 lbs/ cow/ day at 6.95F 4.57P 6.23OS on the 25th. Monthly average is 23.4 lbs (trending down) at 6.44F 4.51P 5.27OS.

Ration is about 34 lbs of corn silage (limit fed), 18 lbs alfalfa grass mix hay (free choice, trending down), and 3 lbs of coarser grassy hay (free choice, trending up).

The change is grain: I thought I had been feeding about 10.5 lbs/ head/ day of a standard dairy mix from the local mill, split into two feedings. Turns out because I was measuring by volume and test weight is higher I was feeding about 12 lbs, so on the 22nd I ran out. The evening of the 22nd I fed about 2 lbs of grain in the parlor, the morning of the 23rd I was out of that, so I grabbed a couple bags of calf grower and fed about 2 lbs per head of that. After that I got a delivery of grain and went back to 6 lbs/ milking and now I've cut that back to 5 lbs (10/day). The calf grower is medicated with monensin.

So random fluke? Less grain? Monensin? Something else?

Pictures of silage, good hay, and coarser hay. The two hay types don't look drastically different once the bales are broken down, but the cows treat it differently. All 3 rings were filled about 17 hours before I took the last picture, the closest 2 with 800 lb square bales, the far ring with a 625 lb round bale.

Edited by Brown Cow 11/30/2020 08:26




(20201130_073123 (full).jpg)



(20201130_072912 (full).jpg)



(20201130_073012 (full).jpg)



(20201130_073234 (full).jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments 20201130_073123 (full).jpg (155KB - 54 downloads)
Attachments 20201130_072912 (full).jpg (158KB - 61 downloads)
Attachments 20201130_073012 (full).jpg (104KB - 58 downloads)
Attachments 20201130_073234 (full).jpg (109KB - 45 downloads)
Top of the page Bottom of the page


Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete cookies)