Farming Chit Chat sticks it to six.

patsy_mccabe

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Why do yous milk cows at 6.30 a.m as well.
Good on yous.;):D

No I'm up at 6:45. Have to get the work done before I start my other job at 8AM.

Reggie.

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

No I'm up at 6:45. Have to get the work done before I start my other job at 8AM.

Snap but have to be up at 0450am

pedigree 6

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

No I'm up at 6:45. Have to get the work done before I start my other job at 8AM.

Probably being a bit cheeky here. Why do you still farm is it for the money or is it a break/therapy from your other job and you just have that deep connection to the land.

Nearly impossible to have a part time job in dairying without performance and the farm as well as yourself slipping. My father used to work part time and it was only for my mother otherwise wouldn't have been able to milk cows on the farm.

Don't have to answer if you don't want to.

patsy_mccabe

I'm in suckling not dairying. Sheds are scarce here so with cows calving now things are up in the air until they hit the grass. But sure 90% are part time farming anyway. No big deal.

davidk1394

Just sold a few of the pet lambs on DD. it's a great website in all fairness. Selling the slates off all the old houses and all. The mother said if someone stood still long enough I'd have them sold

Muckit

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

. But sure 90% are part time farming anyway. No big deal.

And you know what with the farm income coming more than likely into the high tax bracket, are probably contributing 90% of agri revenue to the economy.

ganmo

I was sitting down at dinner and I spotted 3 young rabbits out in the field playing.

Bullocks

ganmo wrote: »

I was sitting down at dinner and I spotted 3 young rabbits out in the field playing.

Hope to jaysus thats a sign that spring is going to kick off now

ganmo

with snow still hanging on from fri I'll wait for another week before saying spring is sprung

weatherbyfoxer

How do ye manage watching ewes and cows at night lads?..lambing started with a bang here..waiting on my 7th ewe to drop a set of twins since 6am today..going to be a long ass night!..will probly check at 12 tonite and back at 6am tomorow...

patsy_mccabe

Muckit wrote: »

And you know what with the farm income coming more than likely into the high tax bracket, are probably contributing 90% of agri revenue to the economy.

Ya, I know. Someone has to pay for their free water.:(

Muckit

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Ya, I know. Someone has to pay for their free water.:(

Stop stop. Don't get me started on that one!

To put a positive spin on it, it does show the power of protest in numbers.

Would it not have been a bit more logical to have scrapped the property tax and kept Irish water?!

They'll have to set up 'Irish water 2' to deal with all the free water people dont want!! (floods)

Kovu

Jesus H Christ.
Went down to poll a calf and register him etc for a fella. It was like a fecking comedy. After one job he just kept asking ''Do have time to look at another wee thing I can't do''.

So I did the calf. Went and had tea, grand, thought I'd get away quick. But no!
I've a heifer for the mart Sat, can you tell me if she's fit? Grand stuff, no problem. But arse, she's missing a tag. So had to get her out and divide her. He neglected to mention she's in a fully closed shed and the yard to divide her out is a deathtrap of wire/tires/a broken creep feeder/buckets and she has to walk down a passage with three tractors rusting away. Not easy when she's prancing round the yard with her head up like a stallion smelling a mare and him roaring and yelling :pac:

Job done, back in with all the animals. Next question....I've also a cow to do for the mart as well. So next shed, which has about 15 gates instead of proper dividers and needs a map to navigate a cow out. Grand quiet cow so easy done. Cow moves just as I go to click tag, one side falls on the ground and lad lets the cow out before I can roar that I only dropped half instead of tagged her. Redivide her. Get rope and halter her. Grand. Put her back in.

''Oh back in the other shed, there's a cow not looking herself.''

*Kovu facepalm*

Let mad yokes out again. Cow is (imo) bad with fluke as her eye was off and she let rip a dose of stuff from her that a hose would be proud of. So back to house (for the third time, we had two trips for the tags as well) for a bit of bimectin plus. Then a search for a clean syringe and needle. Go through rigmarole of dividing again.
By this stage I'm looking for any escape route and cursing the fact I left my phone at home so I can't pretend I'm needed elsewhere.

''One last thing.....the filly in that yard there has a bit of scour. I've the stuff here from the vet to give her but I need someone to hold her''



I'll surely be rewarded in heaven!!!!!!!

Bullocks

Kovu wrote: »

Jesus H Christ.
Went down to poll a calf and register him etc for a fella. It was like a fecking comedy. After one job he just kept asking ''Do have time to look at another wee thing I can't do''.

So I did the calf. Went and had tea, grand, thought I'd get away quick. But no!
I've a heifer for the mart Sat, can you tell me if she's fit? Grand stuff, no problem. But arse, she's missing a tag. So had to get her out and divide her. He neglected to mention she's in a fully closed shed and the yard to divide her out is a deathtrap of wire/tires/a broken creep feeder/buckets and she has to walk down a passage with three tractors rusting away. Not easy when she's prancing round the yard with her head up like a stallion smelling a mare and him roaring and yelling :pac:

Job done, back in with all the animals. Next question....I've also a cow to do for the mart as well. So next shed, which has about 15 gates instead of proper dividers and needs a map to navigate a cow out. Grand quiet cow so easy done. Cow moves just as I go to click tag, one side falls on the ground and lad lets the cow out before I can roar that I only dropped half instead of tagged her. Redivide her. Get rope and halter her. Grand. Put her back in.

''Oh back in the other shed, there's a cow not looking herself.''

*Kovu facepalm*

Let mad yokes out again. Cow is (imo) bad with fluke as her eye was off and she let rip a dose of stuff from her that a hose would be proud of. So back to house (for the third time, we had two trips for the tags as well) for a bit of bimectin plus. Then a search for a clean syringe and needle. Go through rigmarole of dividing again.
By this stage I'm looking for any escape route and cursing the fact I left my phone at home so I can't pretend I'm needed elsewhere.

''One last thing.....the filly in that yard there has a bit of scour. I've the stuff here from the vet to give her but I need someone to hold her''



I'll surely be rewarded in heaven!!!!!!!

I have that t shirt , I dont think there is any thanks not to mind heavenly reward.

Isn't it amazing all the farmers out there that can't do run of the mill jobs on the farm , like tagging , skulling , dosing everything really . My father would be a dinger at pulling awkward calves but he is pushing on now so rings me to give a hand , the amount of lads that would call in the middle of the night without giving a damn that I have work , kids and our own farm jobs to do is damning , and they would hardly thank you going out the gate . Alot of them are told to ring vet anymore

Base price

Kovu wrote: »

Jesus H Christ.
Went down to poll a calf and register him etc for a fella. It was like a fecking comedy. After one job he just kept asking ''Do have time to look at another wee thing I can't do''.

So I did the calf. Went and had tea, grand, thought I'd get away quick. But no!
I've a heifer for the mart Sat, can you tell me if she's fit? Grand stuff, no problem. But arse, she's missing a tag. So had to get her out and divide her. He neglected to mention she's in a fully closed shed and the yard to divide her out is a deathtrap of wire/tires/a broken creep feeder/buckets and she has to walk down a passage with three tractors rusting away. Not easy when she's prancing round the yard with her head up like a stallion smelling a mare and him roaring and yelling :pac:

Job done, back in with all the animals. Next question....I've also a cow to do for the mart as well. So next shed, which has about 15 gates instead of proper dividers and needs a map to navigate a cow out. Grand quiet cow so easy done. Cow moves just as I go to click tag, one side falls on the ground and lad lets the cow out before I can roar that I only dropped half instead of tagged her. Redivide her. Get rope and halter her. Grand. Put her back in.

''Oh back in the other shed, there's a cow not looking herself.''

*Kovu facepalm*

Let mad yokes out again. Cow is (imo) bad with fluke as her eye was off and she let rip a dose of stuff from her that a hose would be proud of. So back to house (for the third time, we had two trips for the tags as well) for a bit of bimectin plus. Then a search for a clean syringe and needle. Go through rigmarole of dividing again.
By this stage I'm looking for any escape route and cursing the fact I left my phone at home so I can't pretend I'm needed elsewhere.

''One last thing.....the filly in that yard there has a bit of scour. I've the stuff here from the vet to give her but I need someone to hold her''



I'll surely be rewarded in heaven!!!!!!!

I always remember when I was a young one, my Grandad showing me dung with "eyes" in it that a cow had dunged. He told me that when you see those "eyes" she has the fluke.

Limestone Cowboy

Bullocks wrote: »

I have that t shirt , I dont think there is any thanks not to mind heavenly reward.

Isn't it amazing all the farmers out there that can't do run of the mill jobs on the farm , like tagging , skulling , dosing everything really . My father would be a dinger at pulling awkward calves but he is pushing on now so rings me to give a hand , the amount of lads that would call in the middle of the night without giving a damn that I have work , kids and our own farm jobs to do is damning , and they would hardly thank you going out the gate . Alot of them are told to ring vet anymore

I get a lot of them jobs aswell. Stomach tubing calves that can't sit up not to mind stand and calves fellas are afraid to pull themselves. Easy blame me then when they die :rolleyes:

Kovu

Heh. That's one thing I've not learned (stomach tubing) as I'd be up at all hours doing them for lads around here. It's bad enough that I do the dehorning and tagging etc! Which has now upgraded to picking bulls for this new scheme too!

I had to laugh at that lad earlier when he pointed out two calves I'd 'dehorned wrong'. Eh lad, I may be an eejit at times but I know the difference between a calf done badly and one not shown to me at all!!

@baseprice Did he use the term 'dropsy' or something as well. My grandfather used to say that if a cow was bad with fluke she'd have a dropsy head or jaw on her. I still have no idea what he meant tbh

Bullocks

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

I get a lot of them jobs aswell. Stomach tubing calves that can't sit up not to mind stand and calves fellas are afraid to pull themselves. Easy blame me then when they die :rolleyes:

Let them blame away , might leave you being asked less if you're lucky !

Nekarsulm

Kovu wrote: »

@baseprice Did he use the term 'dropsy' or something as well. My grandfather used to say that if a cow was bad with fluke she'd have a dropsy head or jaw on her. I still have no idea what he meant tbh

The father would tell of the times before fluke drenches, and the cows dewlap would become enlarged, a sure sign of a fluke infestation. I wonder if this is what your Grandfather ment?

Kovu

Nekarsulm wrote: »

The father would tell of the times before fluke drenches, and the cows dewlap would become enlarged, a sure sign of a fluke infestation. I wonder if this is what your Grandfather ment?

Quite possibly. If you google it the definition of dropsy is ''old-fashioned or less technical term for oedema.'' which is in itself ''a condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body.''

So I'm none the wiser but I've learned a couple of definitions!

Base price

Kovu wrote: »

Heh. That's one thing I've not learned (stomach tubing) as I'd be up at all hours doing them for lads around here. It's bad enough that I do the dehorning and tagging etc! Which has now upgraded to picking bulls for this new scheme too!

I had to laugh at that lad earlier when he pointed out two calves I'd 'dehorned wrong'. Eh lad, I may be an eejit at times but I know the difference between a calf done badly and one not shown to me at all!!

@baseprice Did he use the term 'dropsy' or something as well. My grandfather used to say that if a cow was bad with fluke she'd have a dropsy head or jaw on her. I still have no idea what he meant tbh

Feck ye Kovu - I do remember hearing the term "dropsy" but haven't the foggiest what it means. I will ask OH and get back to ye.
I should have also added that it is a term that I only heard as a child.

Nekarsulm

Seems like a dream to me, but I read or heard somewhere of a child with Dropsey. Characterized by a grossly swollen head?

Kovu

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Seems like a dream to me, but I read or heard somewhere of a child with Dropsey. Characterized by a grossly swollen head?

Dropsy of the brain maybe? It'd be similar to the definition of oedema.

Reggie.

So frazzledhome has left the building

MF290

Reggie. wrote: »

So frazzledhome has left the building

Saw that, it's an awful pity really

pedigree 6

Watching eco eye on rte1 now. Dairy farmer had cows wading through the blackwater river to get from one side to another. They were up to their bellies in the water. And I thought getting my cows in for milking was awkward.

kowtow

pedigree 6 wrote:

Watching eco eye on rte1 now. Dairy farmer had cows wading through the blackwater river to get from one side to another. They were up to their bellies in the water. And I thought getting my cows in for milking was awkward.

Pre-dipping?

blue5000

Kovu wrote: »

Quite possibly. If you google it the definition of dropsy is ''old-fashioned or less technical term for oedema.'' which is in itself ''a condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body.''

So I'm none the wiser but I've learned a couple of definitions!

It is a soft swelling under the jaw when they have fluke. Don't know what actually causes it though, maybe the liver is shagged and the lymph builds up?

pedigree 6

kowtow wrote: »

Pre-dipping?

Yea. Wouldn't do his cell count any good though.

Tis a pity about frazz. I'm sure he'll be back.

greysides

blue5000 wrote: »

It is a soft swelling under the jaw when they have fluke. Don't know what actually causes it though, maybe the liver is shagged and the lymph builds up?

Ever wonder why the watery content stays in the blood vessels and doesn't leak out?

It's kept in there by osmotic pressure attracting it to the proteins (globulins) in blood. The liver produces these proteins so when it's 'shagged' there's not enough in the blood to retain the water and it seeps out.
Same thing happens with protein loss through diarrhoea (Johne's Disease) or the kidneys (Nephrotic Syndrome).

The oedema from fluke is often known as 'Bottlejaw'.