Cow's milk is a tasty and healthy food product, absolutely indispensable for the child's body. Many cannot imagine their life without fresh milk, but not everyone knows when to start drinking it after calving. And what needs to be done if the burenka gives little milk or does not give it at all. Let's take a closer look at all these issues and find out how to properly produce cow breeding.
When should milk appear?
The process of lactation of each cow occurs individually, depending on the breed, age, conditions of detention and other factors. Usually a few days before calving a thick yellowish colostrum begins to stand out.
Although in some animals it appears after the birth of the calf. During colostrum, the udder of the cow looks already enlarged, but still not full by touch.
Did you know? In the old days, ordinary frogs lowered into a container with a product helped to preserve milk as long as possible. It's all about frog skin, which produces certain substances that have antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
In addition to density, colostrum is characterized by increased fat content and high protein content. Its special composition helps to strengthen the calf’s body, launch its intestines and colonize it with microflora, which is necessary for good animal immunity. Normal milk appears later, 7–10 days after calving.
When can I drink milk after calving?
After the birth of the calf, the cow appears colostrum. It can be used as food for humans, but in its raw form, many do not like its taste and aroma. Therefore, most often colostrum is baked in the oven with the addition of eggs and sugar. The result is a very tasty and nutritious dessert.
For the first time, a cow is crushed with colostrum 1.5–2 hours after calving in order to prevent stagnation in the udder. Colostrum continues to be excreted for another 7–10 days, after which the cow begins to produce ordinary mature milk that can be drunk by people without any fear.
How to properly conduct cow breeding
Proper coughing is extremely important because it allows you to ensure its high milk productivity. Preparation for it begins in advance with an increase in the amount of feed immediately after mating. Such enhanced nutrition allows the animal to accumulate the necessary valuable trace elements and prepare for calving.
Crushing lasts three months after the appearance of the calf and consists in enhanced feeding, massage of the udder and regular milking.
At first, sometimes up to a month, the number of milks should be 4–5 times a day. The udder of a cow is quite sensitive, so it should be massaged gently. This will help establish lactation, and special ointments will protect the skin from microtraumas.
Important! To distinguish colostrum from mature milk will allow its heating at high temperature. At the same time, colostrum will necessarily coagulate, but fresh milk will not.
Particular attention is given to "primiparas" young animals, unaccustomed to the milking process. With such individuals should be careful and patient.
The amount of milk from one cow after birth
There are several factors that determine cow productivity. This food, care, conditions, breed, age and even time of year. So, in winter, lactation is usually lower, therefore, cattle pregnancy is planned mainly for the winter.
Specialists note that the primiparous gives about 7–9 liters of milk. And the cow reaches its maximum productivity by 4–5 lactation. During this period, it produces an average of 12 liters of milk per day, moreover, it is a high-quality product with a high content of proteins and fats.
Representatives in productivity are considered to be representatives of the Holstein and Yaroslavl breeds, which are capable of delivering up to 40 liters of product per day.
Did you know? According to the observations of experienced breeders, a cow will produce more milk if she includes calm, melodic and not very loud music. An audio recording of the sound of the sea or classical melodies also works well.
In order to increase milk yield, the following methods should be used:
- provide animals with a high-quality and nutritious diet, as larger individuals usually produce more milk;
- if necessary, introduce additional vitamins and mineral supplements into the diet;
- maintain the optimum temperature in the barn, in a room too cold (below +5 ° C) or too hot (above +20 ° C); the milk yield significantly decreases;
- to provide relative silence in the room, because loud noise, for example, of mechanisms, reduces productivity;
- dehydrate animals, which will reduce selenium deficiency by the growth of horns, improve the general condition of the body and increase productivity;
- take good care of animals and provide them with regular walking.
Possible problems
Cows are not always lactating “like clockwork”, sometimes some difficulties arise. The most common of these are low milk production, a complete lack of milk and swelling of the udder of the animal.
Small milk yield
Hypogalactia or low milk yield is usually caused by improper milking or malfunctioning of the animal.
In this case, the following rules will help increase milk yield:
- strict adherence to the milking schedule will allow the cows to enter the rhythm;
- massage of the udder of the cow before each milking;
- compliance with sanitary rules during milking and in the barn itself;
- the introduction of lactation-stimulating feed into the diet (2 hours before milking).
If compliance with these rules does not increase the amount of milk, then perhaps the reason is in the animal’s state of health. In this case, you need to consult a veterinarian.
Lack of milk
More complicated is the situation when the burenka has calved, and lactation has not yet begun. This phenomenon is called agalactia. Its causes can be inflammatory diseases, a disturbed reflex of milk loss or malnutrition.
The fact is that during and after pregnancy, many complex physiological processes occur in the animal’s body that weaken the body and make it vulnerable. And some health problems appear in this period.
Important! If the reason for the lack of milk is in the animal’s state of health, then only a qualified specialist will help here, who will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary preparations.
The solution to the problem of lack of lactation can be the organization of good nutrition and improving the conditions of the animal. Burenka is given more succulent feeds, vitamin and mineral supplements and drugs to enhance lactation. Also, the animal should be protected from stress as much as possible.
Edema of the udder
Sometimes in the udder of a cow, blood and lymph circulation is disturbed, resulting in edema. The root cause of this may be the predominance of succulent and acidic feed in the diet of the cows, as well as low locomotor activity. In cows, alternation of half edema is often found.
Due to squeezing of tissues and blood vessels with edematous fluid, inflammation of the udder may occur, as well as its compaction as a possible complication of mastitis.
If the edema of the udder does not go away within a week after calving, you should contact your veterinarian for the appointment of appropriate treatment.
It is now known that milk can be drunk about a week after calving. And its amount depends on the diet, conditions, breed, age and health of the animal. Be attentive to your cows, and they will certainly please you with wonderful milk yields.
