milk urea?

whelan1

please explain and what should it be?

lefthooker

I got that text tonight too. Something else to scratch the head over

stanflt

i think it tells you if the cows are getting 2much or 2little energy and protein in diet which will affect fertility

mf240

If a cow is fed excessive protien she has to get rid of it and converts in into urea.

There was a good about it on the old BFF.

lefthooker

Kinda explained here http://research.vet.upenn.edu/DairyPoultrySwine/DairyCattle/MUN/MilkUreaNitrogen/tabid/1596/Default.aspx
10-14 seems to be the range

Timmaay

Yeh I remember reading up about it afew weeks ago, part of the bulk tank screening tests isn't it?, as the lads said more there to help you feed the cow better, rather than another scc/tbc etc quality test (thank fook!)

IPFree

Anyone any better idea of what Glanbia Milk Urea level is ideal? I read lefthooker's link above and it said 10-14 They think is ideal but one neighbor had 28 & 32 and his milk manager said 25-35 is optimum.
My own was 17? Different test specs or?
Twould confuse Confucius.

delaval

IPFree wrote: »

Anyone any better idea of what Glanbia Milk Urea level is ideal? I read lefthooker's link above and it said 10-14 They think is ideal but one neighbor had 28 & 32 and his milk manager said 25-35 is optimum.
My own was 17? Different test specs or?
Twould confuse Confucius.

Milk urea is a measurement designed to show how a cow is being fed. I measures rumen digesible protein. Cows on lush grass would read 30. They recon this could be a problem as excess protein gets converted to urea and excreated as urine leading to loss of Bcs.At breedin ideally should have it at 22-25 so as cows are not losing condition.
if a cow is under fed she will be <20
Over use of protein >25
Ideal would be between 20-25

I have no doubt that they have a nut to solve it if one was to get concerned.
It is in no way a measurment of milk quality

whelan1

my last 3 where 17,21 and 25

Hugh 2

I was wondering what that Glanbia text meant - it would be no harm if Glanbia would have given some info on what this new test ( new to me )
They gave me a 30 with no indication whether it was good or bad - and no information on their website ( so far no reference to milk urea at all - the result seemed to be delivered text only but saying that the March milk statement arrived by post before it appeared online )

Bactidiaryl

Does this test take long and is it costly or cumbersome?

Timmaay

Got a 27 and 28 here for two collections over the weekend, I only had a load of 16% P nuts blown in yesterday, to replace the 18% that were being previously used. Will be interesting to see that has any noticeable difference.

Viewtodiefor

IPFree wrote: »

Anyone any better idea of what Glanbia Milk Urea level is ideal? I read lefthooker's link above and it said 10-14 They think is ideal but one neighbor had 28 & 32 and his milk manager said 25-35 is optimum.
My own was 17? Different test specs or?
Twould confuse Confucius.

Mine is 17 also up from 15 protein ****e at 3. Not enough grass?

Timmaay

What's your silage like, unless its about the 80dmd mark the milk quality will suffer against when they are on grass? Many loosing condition?

whelan1

Timmaay wrote: »

Got a 27 and 28 here for two collections over the weekend, I only had a load of 16% P nuts blown in yesterday, to replace the 18% that were being previously used. Will be interesting to see that has any noticeable difference.

are your cows in or out?

delaval

Timmaay wrote: »

What's your silage like, unless its about the 80dmd mark the milk quality will suffer against when they are on grass? Many loosing condition?

Tim this is not a quality measurement merely an aid as to how cows are doing nutritionally. Excess protein ingested by the cow and not digested will be expelled as urea in urine and this test is to let us know.

They should have put more effort into informing us as there is massive confusion.

We have a meeting tonight with two board members will try to get e explanatory letter posted

Viewtodiefor

Timmaay wrote: »

What's your silage like, unless its about the 80dmd mark the milk quality will suffer against when they are on grass? Many loosing condition?

Silage is tested at 65dmd. Cows in at night getting 5kg 0f 18% .97ulf milk nut. Cows are not losing condition far as I can see. Keeping as much silage and grass to them as I can

delaval

Timmaay wrote: »

What's your silage like, unless its about the 80dmd mark the milk quality will suffer against when they are on grass? Many loosing condition?

Are you not supposed to be studying ??

RobertKK

lefthooker wrote: »

Kinda explained here http://research.vet.upenn.edu/DairyPoultrySwine/DairyCattle/MUN/MilkUreaNitrogen/tabid/1596/Default.aspx
10-14 seems to be the range

Yeah I looked it up the other night when I got the urea reading and also saw this site where it says

what should urea values be? MUN values in cows fed and at optimal dry matter intake typically fall in the majority range of 10-14 mg/dl. The range of MUN concentration for individual cows consuming the same diet is +6 or - 6 from the mean of the group. That is if a group of cows averaged 12 MUN mg/dl, 95% of the group would fall between the values of 6 -18 mg/dl MUN. How many cows should I sample? Given the variation of milk urea, 8 cows at least need to measured within a group of cows to have interpretable results. Testing under 8 cows will not result in a meaningful average value of milk urea and cannot be interpreted. Eight cows or more need to be tested to estimate the mean urea value of a group. In addition, the cows that are tested need to be cows that have free access to feed and are healthy.
If mean values of milk urea should to be 10-14 mg/dl, why is my herd at 16 mg/dl and should I be concerned about it. The fact that the mean milk urea nitrogen concentration of 16 mg/dl is found in your herd means that there is some inefficiency in protein feeding occurring within your herd.

I think Glanbia should tell what we should be aiming for and how to get it right.

Johnboyy36

whelan1 wrote: »

please explain and what should it be?

I got a text saying mine was 32! But look up the gain website and it confusing

delaval

delaval wrote: »

Tim this is not a quality measurement merely an aid as to how cows are doing nutritionally. Excess protein ingested by the cow and not digested will be expelled as urea in urine and this test is to let us know.

They should have put more effort into informing us as there is massive confusion.

We have a meeting tonight with two board members will try to get e explanatory letter posted

Letter to arrive nevt week. It would have been better last week though

Timmaay

Got this in an email off the teagasc advisor.

whelan1

Timmaay wrote: »

Got this in an email off the teagasc advisor.

thanks makes a bit more sense now, my latest one was 32

Hugh 2

Timmaay wrote: »

Got this in an email off the teagasc advisor.

Thanks -That is what i was looking for .:D

Grass is still scarce :eek: real scarce :mad:

lefthooker

MU has taken a big jump here from 19 and 21 a fortnight ago to 34 and 36 for the week gone out.
In that time the cows are out again full time and gone from 18% nut to 16%HE, cut from 4kgs to 2kgs, 3kgs for the strong milkers.

Timmaay

Mine jumped from 30 to 20 over 2 consecutive collections last , I don't recall any big difference in the cows diet over those few days, so I'm assuming there is quite a bit of variability in the urea measurement.

royalmeath

Mine is at 41, my protein is 3.34 bf is 3.65. Cows are eating about 6 kgs of 18% high energy nut with grass ad lib. Cows are milking well
so I am struggling to understand where any energy deficit is coming from. One thing I do note is cows are not coming on heat which is a bit of a worry

whelan1

royalmeath wrote: »

Mine is at 41, my protein is 3.34 bf is 3.65. Cows are eating about 6 kgs of 18% high energy nut with grass ad lib. Cows are milking well
so I am struggling to understand where any energy deficit is coming from. One thing I do note is cows are not coming on heat which is a bit of a worry

my cows are still in at night, on 4kg of 16% nut and 1.5kg of 21% coarse ration ans silage and straw, they are having really strong heats, milk urea at 32

mf240

royalmeath wrote: »

Mine is at 41, my protein is 3.34 bf is 3.65. Cows are eating about 6 kgs of 18% high energy nut with grass ad lib. Cows are milking well
so I am struggling to understand where any energy deficit is coming from. One thing I do note is cows are not coming on heat which is a bit of a worry

I think you have enough energy but to much protien in diet.
Someone correct me if this wrong.

Timmaay

At a guess, that 18% nut is too high for use with grass. 6kg not alot also if they are on adlib grass? Are the cows losing condition? Now that I have mine out on grass full time, I've cut alot of cows back to 2kg a day on a 16% nut (would have gone with 14% other than the mill only had the 16% yet), and am only feeding more to the cows giving more than 30L/day. I put afew thin cows that don't seem to be cycling on OAD also, still feed them about 6kg of nuts.

whelan1

my latest milk urea was 30, hows everyone else doing?

delaval

whelan1 wrote: »

my latest milk urea was 30, hows everyone else doing?

Latest 44 did have one of 55 during heavy growth

TEAT SQUEEZER

last two in the forties........ skipped a few paddocks so their going into topped paddock or bales aftergrass.

Viewtodiefor

Should I be worried here lads? Mine is
24
Pr 3.38
Bf 3.95
Yield 20ltr

30% heifers

royalmeath

Viewtodiefor wrote: »

Should I be worried here lads? Mine is
24
Pr 3.38
Bf 3.95
Yield 20ltr

30% heifers

I wouldnt give it a second thought unless your having trouble getting cows to come on. Mine was 29 a week ago and 45 on the last test off old stemmy grass.

delaval

Viewtodiefor wrote: »

Should I be worried here lads? Mine is
24
Pr 3.38
Bf 3.95
Yield 20ltr

30% heifers

Nothing to worry about its only a reading to give ammunition to a sales man to sell a nut!!!

Viewtodiefor

delaval wrote: »

Nothing to worry about its only a reading to give ammunition to a sales man to sell a nut!!!

Tanks for d replies lads ill ignore it for the present I think!

whelan1

milk urea crashed a week or so ago down to 15:eek: back to 25 now... whats every one elses?

lefthooker

Last 4 readings,
15/7- 29
20/7- 26
27/7- 27
29/7- 25

delaval

Dipped to 18 on 27/7 back up to 32 now
Grass was stressed and with no growth urea not rising in the plant, should return to high numbers as growth improves.

slippy wicket

Last three tests over the last week and a half.

23
23
52

Should I be concerned about the increase.
Cows are on 6 lbs meal (only imperial measure I use, strange hangover) and strip grazing good quality fresh regrowth on paddocks.

delaval

slippy wicket wrote: »

Last three tests over the last week and a half.

23
23
52

Should I be concerned about the increase.
Cows are on 6 lbs meal (only imperial measure I use, strange hangover) and strip grazing good quality fresh regrowth on paddocks.

13kgs are they milking 40 litres?

slippy wicket

delaval wrote: »

13kgs are they milking 40 litres?

I wish.
I make it 2.7 kg. I think you have your conversion app set wrong way round.

They've been on 16% High Energy from red mills for the last few months. Same levels fed for last few as well.

delaval

slippy wicket wrote: »

I wish.
I make it 2.7 kg. I think you have your conversion app set wrong way round.

They've been on 16% High Energy from red mills for the last few months. Same levels fed for last few as well.

Sorry your spot on got it arse ways

Viewtodiefor

whelan1 wrote: »

milk urea crashed a week or so ago down to 15:eek: back to 25 now... whats every one elses?

Crashed to 15 here also back up at 30 now, grass was very stressed

whelan1

40 latest test

whelan1

whats yours now, mine was 44 on the text tonight

jersey101

58 saturday.
All the lush grass id say

whelan1

mine went down to 12 last week:eek: back to 18 now

Viewtodiefor

whelan1 wrote: »

mine went down to 12 last week:eek: back to 18 now

Last few results. 45 52 45 37 don't know why so high, used to avg in mid 20's to 30's

lefthooker

What are current levels running at? Last few results here were 17, 22, 18, 16.
Anything to be concerned with there?