when's calving starting??

jersey101

20th Jan here.. Also when are you hoping to start grazing. First week of Feb here hopefully. Grass going rotten

case 956

18th jan here but had one prematurely last night

linebacker52

Last week of Jan here.

Just looking over the ditch at grass they will be going out as soon we have enough to justify putting them out.

manjou

9th feb and out the door as soon as ground will hold them up.

delaval

First cow due 7 Feb. They will start a week earlier I'm sure. Out the door with the while lot of them as they calve, some paddocks of 12-1300+ waiting for them

biddy2013

20th january, enjoying the break of having none calving

Timmaay

biddy2013 wrote: »

20th january, enjoying the break of having none calving

Thought I had most of jan off, but scanning showed two up mid jan who the bull got to. Real fun starts on end of jan. Still alot milking now, and some very decent growth rates over the winter, would be nice to have the cows on off grazing from feb 1st again.

Sharpshooter82

Come on people get calving i need replacements

Timmaay

Sharpshooter82 wrote: »

Come on people get calving i need replacements

I've 5 fr bulls ready to go once they get the bvd clear, need them swiftly gone ha!

Sharpshooter82

Timmaay wrote: »

I've 5 fr bulls ready to go once they get the bvd clear, need them swiftly gone ha!

tempting but my preferance is for AA or HE

jersey101

Sharpshooter82 wrote: »

tempting but my preferance is for AA or HE

You may wait till April so.

Sharpshooter82

jersey101 wrote: »

You may wait till April so.

yeah i know was hoping to get some earlier if i could at all

Noccy_Mondy

Already have 3 here, unexpected, 10 days or more before time, either that or we fúcked up the dates...

Timmaay

jersey101 wrote: »

You may wait till April so.

I'll have plenty of AAs from heifers over the next 3months! But anyways, just counted up the calving list, 60 calves born, 36 were fr, and 15 of them heifers, but 5 deaths (most born dead) , with 2 of them fr heifers, so only coming out with 13 replacements. Not really great 2bh, I bought in 8 very nice xbreds, but they were calved down already. That reminds me I need to go order sexed straws asap!

dzer2

Started already will be finished by mid feb. Really have shortened the time this yr but have 8 heifers for the bull this yr so will syncro them.

TEAT SQUEEZER

dzer2 wrote: »

Started already will be finished by mid feb. Really have shortened the time this yr but have 8 heifers for the bull this yr so will syncro them.

me thinks you read sevring cows while op said calving

TEAT SQUEEZER

starting feb 1st .. dont see any value in supplying in jan no early bonus

dzer2

TEAT SQUEEZER wrote: »

me thinks you read sevring cows while op said calving

Ah no have being calving half the yr up to last yr and couldnt get them tightened up.

jersey101

Timmaay wrote: »

I'll have plenty of AAs from heifers over the next 3months! But anyways, just counted up the calving list, 60 calves born, 36 were fr, and 15 of them heifers, but 5 deaths (most born dead) , with 2 of them fr heifers, so only coming out with 13 replacements. Not really great 2bh, I bought in 8 very nice xbreds, but they were calved down already. That reminds me I need to go order sexed straws asap!

And I can't get my father to use AA on April calvers

biddy2013

Timmaay wrote: »

I'll have plenty of AAs from heifers over the next 3months! But anyways, just counted up the calving list, 60 calves born, 36 were fr, and 15 of them heifers, but 5 deaths (most born dead) , with 2 of them fr heifers, so only coming out with 13 replacements. Not really great 2bh, I bought in 8 very nice xbreds, but they were calved down already. That reminds me I need to go order sexed straws asap!

did you stop the aa bull from breaking out?

awaywithyou

Should be starting here the 1st January... Walking thru them a few mins ago and a good few of them are getting close... Should have a right whack of them calved by end of jan... Unfortunately will get very scattered after that....

case 956

awaywithyou wrote: »

Should be starting here the 1st January... Walking thru them a few mins ago and a good few of them are getting close... Should have a right whack of them calved by end of jan... Unfortunately will get very scattered after that....

you dairying??? why calve so early?

biddy2013

case 956 wrote: »

18th jan here but had one prematurely last night

what bull was that and is calf ok?

Timmaay

biddy2013 wrote: »

did you stop the aa bull from breaking out?

Yeh, he must have started to get a shock, he came out once or twice more but jumped each time! Had a bloody heifer out under it today tho, and straightup on the silage pit, punching plenty of holes in the plastic! Always something! I think part of the problem is I'm using an old galvanized round feeder to hold the electric fence in place, and they seem very hard to insulate properly. I ended up putting tires under all of the feeder to insulate the shock better!

mahoney_j

First calves very late jan and off to grass full whack on feb first.lookin forward to things kicking off again.off skiing in 2 weeks time though first to recharge the batteries

case 956

biddy2013 wrote: »

what bull was that and is calf ok?

lhz, ye small heifer calf, in good form but 3 weeks too early nothing til 18th jan or there abouts, be staying on cow till then so should get a good start, wont be cranking parlour up for just one

awaywithyou

case 956 wrote: »

you dairying??? why calve so early?

We always calve from jan 1st on... Two calved already... Herd has a lot of Holstein blood in it... So we'd be a touch afraid of calving dragging on too much if we left it another month.. What's that teagasc say bout missed heats... 250 euro for a missed heat??

Timmaay

jersey101 wrote: »

And I can't get my father to use AA on April calvers

Come next July, tell your dad about this fantastic new dairybull called KYA (who is progressives main AA bull), and that he should use on all the cows from then on, drop the bombshell that you made a mistake afew months later once they have all held :P But nay, anyways 2bh late calving dairy replacements arent the end of the world at all, there is a very good market for them in the UK, and it leaves things flexible for youown herd, if you have a poor run of replacements you can keep on some of the late calving heifers instead, even if you calf down a heifer in say April for her 1st lactation, you have a decent chance of pulling her back. Obviously the likes of this should be more of an exception than the norm, but in your case of wanting to grow the herd, definitely keep it as an option! And finally, 2bh AAs don't make a whole lot of money as calves anyways, their main trait is they are easy calving!

awaywithyou

case 956 wrote: »

lhz, ye small heifer calf, in good form but 3 weeks too early nothing til 18th jan or there abouts, be staying on cow till then so should get a good start, wont be cranking parlour up for just one

We had a cow calve a month early last yr... And the calf was only hanging on for the first few days and weeks... But we minded him something serious and by god he has turned into some weanling bull!!

case 956

awaywithyou wrote: »

We always calve from jan 1st on... Two calved already... Herd has a lot of Holstein blood in it... So we'd be a touch afraid of calving dragging on too much if we left it another month.. What's that teagasc say bout missed heats... 250 euro for a missed heat??

well I be starting around the 18th with a few I bought in but icbf say my own not until 28th jan, see who be right, I have 10 from 60 due in april but 30 bulling hifers with 50 cows and hope to milk around 64, 70 in 15 so hopefully I will pull fertility back

Gillespy

First week in February. They'll go out whenever weather and conditions allow, obviously.

jersey101

When lads going out full time. I all be out of silage mid feb ...

mahoney_j

jersey101 wrote: »

When lads going out full time. I all be out of silage mid feb ...

From feb first weather dependant.cows will be offered high dmd wraps though if weather is cold and wet.whats the plan from mid feb if no silage??

grazeaway

I'd say any day soon. Was looking at a few of them over the last few days and their udders are filling up.

Timmaay

jersey101 wrote: »

When lads going out full time. I all be out of silage mid feb ...

Jesus cutting it fine!! Whats the plan B if we get another spring like last yr? I'm not too hot on silage either in comparison to normal yrs, but would get by till about paddys day if needed be. However I'd probably keep the silage just for the heifers etc, and cut the silage out of the milkers diet totally and buy in soya hulls/beet etc instead.

jersey101

mahoney_j wrote: »

From feb first weather dependant.cows will be offered high dmd wraps though if weather is cold and wet.whats the plan from mid feb if no silage??

Buy silage I hope and get some soya hulls and barley. The only thing I'll have in come mid Feb is dry cows I hope. Heifers going to new reseeds.

Any other ideas I could have to save buying a heap of silage?

Gillespy

Silage should be much easier to source this time though and it was made in better weather too.

grazeaway

jersey101 wrote: »

When lads going out full time. I all be out of silage mid feb ...

That's fair tight, fall out from last spring? Between the long autumn, and good summer my beet, straw and silage will see well into spring.

biddy2013

is february not forecasted very bad

Sharpshooter82

biddy2013 wrote: »

is february not forecasted very bad

not going to have another one are we

jersey101

biddy2013 wrote: »

is february not forecasted very bad

Ah don't do that to me please.....

jersey101

grazeaway wrote: »

That's fair tight, fall out from last spring? Between the long autumn, and good summer my beet, straw and silage will see well into spring.

Yep unreal we had to feed silage with the forage crops because the cows weren't milking off them

Bodacious

Just sucklers here and 3rd week of January are the earliest -and I can't wait !

Nice cottage Devon yellow bull calf to start be nice !!

Timmaay

Grazeaway, its probably more a fallout from the drought! Almost zero 2nd or 3rd cuts for any of us here in the south east! Jersey you'd do well to buy in much silage 2bh, I doubt if there will be much at all to spare in wexford, buying in silage is a pure lottery at the best of times in terms of quality etc, and the utterly last thing you want to do is feed the cows crap silage, because they will milk rubbish off it, and lose BSC very quick! I'd be buying in maize/barley/soya hulls etc well before silage!

jersey101

Timmaay wrote: »

Grazeaway, its probably more a fallout from the drought! Almost zero 2nd or 3rd cuts for any of us here in the south east! Jersey you'd do well to buy in much silage 2bh, I doubt if there will be much at all to spare in wexford, buying in silage is a pure lottery at the best of times in terms of quality etc, and the utterly last thing you want to do is feed the cows crap silage, because they will milk rubbish off it, and lose BSC very quick! I'd be buying in maize/barley/soya hulls etc well before silage!

Possibly right there. Was thinking giving milkers soya hulls and a kg or two of barley

case 956

jerus jersey I be taking immediate action by feeding straw and meal to dry cows at least and hulls now as well

jersey101

case 956 wrote: »

jerus jersey I be taking immediate action by feeding straw and meal to dry cows at least and hulls now as well

Am feeding straw and meal.and silage 60 dry cows eating 2 bales a day and couple more to dry

keep going

Calving first week in feb, moved foward a week on last few years as I amtight on quota and used always try and minimise ration and according to scanning could be busy but I always those figures with a pinch of salt.beet finished since christmas eve so on silage only now with25% of the cows on turnips. Heifers are getting a kg a day in the palour just to train them

KatyMac

First is due 23rd Jan and if she stays true to form she will calve on the 23rd! When I get a few calved I have an awful hankering to buy in some and bucket feed. OH thinks I've lost my mind, but I like hand rearing calves. Haven't done it for two years now and am missing it badly, the first real sign of madness!

delaval

keep going wrote: »

Calving first week in feb, moved foward a week on last few years as I amtight on quota and used always try and minimise ration and according to scanning could be busy but I always those figures with a pinch of salt.beet finished since christmas eve so on silage only now with25% of the cows on turnips. Heifers are getting a kg a day in the palour just to train them

Turnips?

Are you supplementing ?

How many cows per ha without turning the place to lava?

When did you sow and after what crop?

I'm sure I'll have more questions. We used to use kale but I found managing the fence a nightmare because of the height. We lost the crop in the heavy weather in 2010. Thankfully didn't need it since.

Would turnips be suitable for weanlings heifers?

delaval

Will shift heifers home in next fortnight and mix with dry cows to get used to mixing. We will also feed in the parlour a few times