3X milking for 20 days

[NCND]

I read something some time ago that suggested that roughly 80% of the production gain that comes from milking 3X a day can be had by milking 3X a day for the first 20 or so days of the lactation and then switching back to 2X a day milking.

We have a seasonal herd and I'm thinking of trying this for the first third to half of the herd that calves this spring. Once the numbers becomes cumbersome to milk 3X a day I would switch back to just 2X. Anyone ever tried this, and does it really even make sense for a herd of lower producing cross bred cows? I'm sure the original research I saw was geared towards Holsteins.

[bmvf]

We recently went 3x earlier this year. We have Jersey Holsteins as well as full blooded Holsteins. What I found with DHIA reports was that the Holsteins went up over 10 lbs/day. The HoJo's only increased about 6-8 lbs/day.

I don't know what will happen if we went back to 2x after the first 30 days of a lactation, but I think it's worth a try for your herd. I prefer 3x because I get my evenings off. I would recommend that you get extra help if you are the only milker for 3x.

[Matt]

Milking fresh cows 3 or 4 times a day was a big thing around here 5 years ago. The current thinking is that "rest" is better for the cow.

[GAdairy]

That does sound like a good strategy. Best to milk more often early and remove pressure from mammary gland. Then there is a lag benefit from the 3x milking that will remain. The cows will drop significantly when you go to 2x, but then come back up (but not to the 3x level). Schedule change? Who knows, but around "here" many people milk 3x during cool part of year and then back to 2x in summer to reduce time in holding pen.

[bmvf]

Who knows, but around "here" many people milk 3x during cool part of year and then back to 2x in summer to reduce time in holding pen.

I agree but kinda dispute that claim. 2x has less hours per day in the holding pen, but more hours per milking. Also for usual milking times (excluding more than 14 hours of milking a day) the cows are only in the holding pen once during the heat of the day.

[hey farmer]

We went 3X in the mid 90's, it was beneficial not just for the increase of milk but also for udder heath. This last year with the milk price being so low we tried something different to save on labor cost. We did 10 hour shifts....... it honestly works just as well. The only problem is you never have a set schedule so it's hard to plan to do anything very far in the future , unless your help is all hired.