# Dairy cow losing weight



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We have a Jersey cow that calved back in December. She was a tad thin when she calved, more so than I would have liked, but now she is continuing to drop weight despite all the feed she gets. She is an older cow. 9 or 10 if I remember right. We are going to worm her.
Any other ideas? I'm starting to worry as she doesn't look good at all. Any feed that we can give her to help her put back on fat?
Thanks


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I don't have any experience with cows, but I would think that she might have some kind of worms.


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## mistletoad (Apr 17, 2003)

What are you feeding her now? Calf Manna is good for adding weight.


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## commonsense (Jun 1, 2008)

What, how much, and how often are you feeding her? 

We have a jersey who has just completed her first lactation and is due to calve again in May. She is in excellent condition and is only fed grass hay, second/third cutting. She doesn't like alfalfa, and I dont' like feeding grain, but the vet who was recently out to AI two of our heifers commented on her great condition...so it's possible to keep milking cows on just hay. 

We feed it very generously, to the point of refusal. We recently picked up another jersey who was VERY thin, lacking both bodyfat and muscle, and she is picking up weight very nicely on just grass hay.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Well, she does get grain as we were going to milk her, but with weight loss, that's been put off. She's still getting a co-op cattle sweet feed. She gets free choice grass hay. (there is no second and third cuttings here, it's just a once a year deal). She gets alfalfa pellets in her grain mix. She gets over half of a 5 gallon bucket of grain twice a day. We'll try the calf manna. She was looking awesome up until the birth of this calf. She's been at a friends house since fall and he's been taking care of her, but we're bringing her home this weekend so we can more closely monitor her condition and work on getting her to gain.

On horses you can use beat pulp to help add weight. Will this work on cows?


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

Is her poo firm or real loose?
Many times they can be Johne's carriers but it rears it's head after the stress of calving. Typical pattern actually. Talk to your vet about getting her tested.
Please google Johne's disease in cattle.


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

6e said:


> Well, she does get grain as we were going to milk her, but with weight loss, that's been put off. She's still getting a co-op cattle sweet feed. She gets free choice grass hay. (there is no second and third cuttings here, it's just a once a year deal). She gets alfalfa pellets in her grain mix. She gets over half of a 5 gallon bucket of grain twice a day. We'll try the calf manna. She was looking awesome up until the birth of this calf. She's been at a friends house since fall and he's been taking care of her, but we're bringing her home this weekend so we can more closely monitor her condition and work on getting her to gain.
> 
> On horses you can use beat pulp to help add weight. Will this work on cows?


So you say what she's been eating, but you're not sure if you're friend has been feeding her properly? I would also wonder about your friend. Maybe he's not as interested in her as you are.

Are you saying she is only making milk for a calf and you haven't milked her? If she isn't making much milk (calories out), then it shouldn't take alot of feed to keep her in condition. Then you'd think of problems like the Johnnes Cliff mentioned.

She's either not getting enough calories for the calories she's putting out, or there's a health problem, which could be alot of things.

Hard to compare milk cows to horses. Doesn't take much feed to make a horse fat if they aren't losing lots of calories into the milk as a cow does.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

There's also the possilbily that she's simply a cow that is virtually impossible to keep weight on. I've got one jersey that's not a heavy producer at all and stays paper thin no matter what or how much she eats. She was fine as a young heifer and bred heifer. But as soon as she had her first calf she started showing too much rib for my liking. I've had the vet pull blood on her and test her for all sorts of things and the results have all came back negative. She's just not an easy keeper. 

To start with though, I'd suggest worming her. (make sure you read the labeling info on the wormer for milk withdraw time incase you want to keep the milk in the future.) I prefer ivomec injectable at dry-off time. Then, I'd find some feed that's pretty heavy on fat content. (5-6%) and about 16% protein. I'd feed her twice per day what she could clean up in about ten minutes. Do this when she's dry if possible. You will have to be careful to not overfeed because the calf in her will do most of it's growing at the later end of gestation and could cause it to be a big calf. (especially if it's not a full jersey calf but rather a beef cross)
If she's in milk, sometimes it's near impossible to put weight on them. 

Also, how's her hair coat? Is it smooth and shiny or rough and dull? Sometimes you can get some forsight about possible parasite problems by looking at the coat.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Thank you for the responses. I don't think it is Johnnes. She was just tested for everything last year and had a clean bill of health and hasn't been exposed to anything else. 
I trust our friend, but sometimes he does seem "animal ignorant" and that's why we're bringing her here where I can keep a closer eye on her and adjust her diet as necessary. 
Francismilker: What can I add to her feed to up the fat? I'm pretty much limited to what the local co-op carries and they don't carry a lot. They have a cattle feed, but it's only about 12% or so. Our friend has been feeding her a co-op diet that we had made that is 16% protein, but I have no idea what the fat content is. I haven't bought any calf manna yet. That's one of the reasons I was asking about beet pulp. It's supposed to add weight to horses and was wondering if it works that way for cattle also. If it does, I'll add that to her diet as well. She looked really good last year and she was in milk and was milking 3 calves besides. Now this year, 1 calf and she looks horrid and with the condition she's in, I'm sure not going to breed her back right now. I was really hoping to get a heifer calf, but I may just have to buy one and retire cow.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

6e said:


> Thank you for the responses. I don't think it is Johnnes. She was just tested for everything last year and had a clean bill of health and hasn't been exposed to anything else.
> I trust our friend, but sometimes he does seem "animal ignorant" and that's why we're bringing her here where I can keep a closer eye on her and adjust her diet as necessary.
> Francismilker: What can I add to her feed to up the fat? I'm pretty much limited to what the local co-op carries and they don't carry a lot. They have a cattle feed, but it's only about 12% or so. Our friend has been feeding her a co-op diet that we had made that is 16% protein, but I have no idea what the fat content is. I haven't bought any calf manna yet. That's one of the reasons I was asking about beet pulp. It's supposed to add weight to horses and was wondering if it works that way for cattle also. If it does, I'll add that to her diet as well. She looked really good last year and she was in milk and was milking 3 calves besides. Now this year, 1 calf and she looks horrid and with the condition she's in, I'm sure not going to breed her back right now. I was really hoping to get a heifer calf, but I may just have to buy one and retire cow.


Could she have been exposed to johne's at the friends place? It lives in the soil for a very long time. Has the vet tested since she came home specifically for johne's with blood and fecal cultures? 
It just sounds so much like what you are describing. Btw did you mention the poo consistency? I may have missed it. Does she have manure on her tail and legs and does it shoot rather than plop out?
Unfortunately I've had a lot of experience with Johne's over the years and am always suspicious of it. It tends to show up at calving time due to the stress of calving.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Cliff said:


> Could she have been exposed to johne's at the friends place? It lives in the soil for a very long time. Has the vet tested since she came home specifically for johne's with blood and fecal cultures?
> It just sounds so much like what you are describing. Btw did you mention the poo consistency? I may have missed it. Does she have manure on her tail and legs and does it shoot rather than plop out?
> Unfortunately I've had a lot of experience with Johne's over the years and am always suspicious of it. It tends to show up at calving time due to the stress of calving.


I don't think so, as he's never had cows there. Only goats.

Her poo is normal. In all ways she's normal other than the just not gaining weight. When I bring her back here, if I can't get her to start putting on weight, I'll have her tested.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

How's her teeth?


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

I haven't had much success with beet pulp putting weight on horses, and I do equine rescue.
I would try calf manna and rice bran, if you can get it.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Have you looked at a picture of a jersey in good condition? they can look pretty bony.


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## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

Allen W said:


> How's her teeth?


I don't know. Good question. I'll look. 



> I haven't had much success with beet pulp putting weight on horses, and I do equine rescue.
> I would try calf manna and rice bran, if you can get it.


Thank you. I'll see if I can find it.


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

6e said:


> I don't think so, as he's never had cows there. Only goats.
> 
> Her poo is normal. In all ways she's normal other than the just not gaining weight. When I bring her back here, if I can't get her to start putting on weight, I'll have her tested.


Goats, deer, buffalo, camels, and most ruminants also carry and spread Johnes.


The first thing I would do is worm her. She may just be one of those girls that but it all into the bucket and put nothing on their backs. Jerseys are well known for being thin when lactating.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Very hard to diagnose condition of cows without a picture, I hate giving advise long distance. I know some of my cows get rather thin once and awhile. I just feed them heavier, and I feed a ground corn and oat mix, a little wheat germ oil, vegtable oil,soybean meal,anything higher in fat should help put some weight on your cow. And grass hay is not enough for an older cow in the winter, when she`s milking. Thanks Marc


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