Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

Timmaay

whelan2 wrote: »

what will you do with them? This heifer didnt go in calf last winter and was scanned in calf during the summer, I am thinking first mart after christmas

Might have 8/10 for the mart in Jan. Usually sell 3 or 4 a time to a local dealer, but might well be worth the trip with a decent few numbers.

trixi2011

Milked out wrote: »

Have to dry off march calvers here yet, may leave it till new year depending on form tomorrow and wed. Balls of a job alrite but grand milking a row or a few rows less.

Have one group of heifers left to teat seal cant see them been done this side of xmass . 20 minutes should milk whats left in the morning be great

Milked out

trixi2011 wrote: »

Have one group of heifers left to teat seal cant see them been done this side of xmass . 20 minutes should milk whats left in the morning be great

Incalf heifers? Would it be common over there to teat seal heifers? Much improvement in heifers calving down with high scc / mastitis since beginning teat sealing heifers?

trixi2011

Milked out wrote: »

Incalf heifers? Would it be common over there to teat seal heifers? Much improvement in heifers calving down with high scc / mastitis since beginning teat sealing heifers?

Yip incalf heifers , very few doing it over here but it very common in nz. Has made a huge difference to mastitis rates in heifers very had very few cases of mastitis last year. Accomatation wouldnt be the best here All our heifers are on straw beds or slats at the moment so more of a risk of mastitis than if tey were on cubicals

darragh_haven

trixi2011 wrote: »

Only 2 rows of cows left to dry off tomorrow great feeling but boy its a hatefull job

You have to think "is the juice worth the squeeze" it is when you can put the feet up for a few weeks

Milked out

trixi2011 wrote: »

Yip incalf heifers , very few doing it over here but it very common in nz. Has made a huge difference to mastitis rates in heifers very had very few cases of mastitis last year. Accomatation wouldnt be the best here All our heifers are on straw beds or slats at the moment so more of a risk of mastitis than if tey were on cubicals

Better you than me, one job I would not like to do anyway

Greengrass1

How do you manage to not get bet to death trix?

jaymla627

Milked out wrote: »

Better you than me, one job I would not like to do anyway

if you had a obliging hoof pairer lad with the special crate you'd be sorted, wouldnt fancy trying to do it in the parlour

trixi2011

Greengrass1 wrote: »

How do you manage to not get bet to death trix?

Not to bad really 3 of us at it . As long as you stay nice at calm and have a good man on the tail its pretty stressfree. We done them in a raised crush rather than the parlour over 3 days . Only got kicked once

blackdog1

whelan2 wrote: »

Had to get vet out today, springing heifer with mastitis, weanling with pneumonia. Ended up we cut the spin off , it was completely covered in warts, also got him to handle a heifer I suspected wasnt in calf, she's not.

Had 3 in the last 3 weeks bloody annoying. Very good post dip and I'm disinfecting cublicle once a week and limed twice daily. Think I'm gonna get a better disinfectant. Anyone know where you can get this tester kits for mastitis for finding out what type it is?.

whelan2

blackdog1 wrote: »

Had 3 in the last 3 weeks bloody annoying. Very good post dip and I'm disinfecting cublicle once a week and limed twice daily. Think I'm gonna get a better disinfectant. Anyone know where you can get this tester kits for mastitis for finding out what type it is?.

What are you using on the mats? I am using actisan

blackdog1

whelan2 wrote: »

What are you using on the mats? I am using actisan

Sorgene 5 . Thinking of using something different.

Milked out

Using 10% hydrated lime here, known as hical or mastercal depending on where you get it I think. Changed from agrical only had 2 cases of mastitis since switching and one was from a fresh calver and the other girl got it when the cows spent a few hours in the yard as we dosed and rejigged the cattle in the sheds. Other things I did differently this year is that I reduced stocking rate on cubicals and all bar 2 autumn calvers calved outside and so had less fresh cows going on to cubicles leaving discharge etc. I'm also leaving a longer period between morning and evening g milking so less cows would be dropping milk before morning milking. Hoping it makes a diference anyway. Scc currently 180

mahoney_j

1395 euro dairy aid money processed on ag food for me this am

C0N0R

Solids going down here, litres going up. Butterfat went from 4.05 to 3.90 and protein from 3.18 to 3.10. Nothing changed in diet but a few cows were dried off. Cows averaging 28 litres, mostly fresh cows now.

C0N0R

I've seen a few things mentioned about eid tags here, have they been available long?? What's the additional cost? Am I right to assume that going forward parkour manufactures will be offering eid readers for automation and removing the need for collars?

frazzledhome

C0N0R wrote: »

I've seen a few things mentioned about eid tags here, have they been available long?? What's the additional cost? Am I right to assume that going forward parkour manufactures will be offering eid readers for automation and removing the need for collars?

€1 extra per tag. You can order half or what ever portion you require

C0N0R

frazzledhome wrote: »

€1 extra per tag. You can order half or what ever portion you require

Thanks, something to consider

Greengrass1

8 days at AI today. 60% served.
I reckon there's going to be a shortage of autumn calving heifers over next few yrs, if the price is right it might be worth using all dairy ai here

C0N0R

Greengrass1 wrote: »

8 days at AI today. 60% served.
I reckon there's going to be a shortage of autumn calving heifers over next few yrs, if the price is right it might be worth using all dairy ai here

I've far from a shortage of autumn heifers, have my total replacements for the year already with another five in calf to sexed semen. What do you do with excess autumn heifers? Sell them or bull them to calve in spring knowing their calving at 26/28 months instead of 24

Greengrass1

C0N0R wrote: »

I've far from a shortage of autumn heifers, have my total replacements for the year already with another five in calf to sexed semen. What do you do with excess autumn heifers? Sell them or bull them to calve in spring knowing their calving at 26/28 months instead of 24

Not bulling any heifers thus yr for autumn - have enough autumn calvers but not enough spring calvers, just a 1 yr thing.
Next yr ill continue on as normal.
Ai man telling me though he has a good few bulling all cows to beef bulls

whelan2

C0N0R wrote: »

Solids going down here, litres going up. Butterfat went from 4.05 to 3.90 and protein from 3.18 to 3.10. Nothing changed in diet but a few cows were dried off. Cows averaging 28 litres, mostly fresh cows now.

what are they eating, mine are around 4.2bf and 3.35 pr. got a milk urea of 56 yesterday has been around 30 all winter

Timmaay

Seems to be always a shortage of beef calves in the autumn, they always make very good money. I think most people are mad to try breed any fr heifers in the autumn, unless they are a large way in liquid milk, it's an extra group of animals to rear also. Not that I can speak, bloody ended up with 3 of them this year haha, they'll definitely get pushed around to calf down as 2 1/2 yr old in spring 2018.

Dawggone

Went out with 40kgs/acre of Urea on paddocks this morning (closing date 24th) and 12t/acre fym.

alps

Dawggone wrote: »

Went out with 40kgs/acre of Urea on paddocks this morning (closing date 24th) and 12t/acre fym.

Rub it in....

Dawggone

alps wrote: »

Rub it in....

Ok. It's 17.5 degrees today with nice sunshine...with a light breeze.

Greengrass1

Dawggone wrote: »

Ok. It's 17.5 degrees today with nice sunshine...with a light breeze.

Well it waa 16 degrees here last week

Milked out

C0N0R wrote: »

I've far from a shortage of autumn heifers, have my total replacements for the year already with another five in calf to sexed semen. What do you do with excess autumn heifers? Sell them or bull them to calve in spring knowing their calving at 26/28 months instead of 24

If you want to keep them and maintain or grow numbers id bull the heifers to calve in autumn, rolling a heifer over will have no milk sales and still the cost of feeding her whereas if you have enough in heifers and a number of cows rolling excess autumn cow over will still give you milk sales as it's only a few months not a year. You could sell heifers calved down too in autumn or if you don't have the space sell as calves

Timmaay

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Well it waa 16 degrees here last week

If I spread fertiliser here at the second it probably be washed into the Irish Sea before it even got down into the soil.

C0N0R

whelan2 wrote: »

what are they eating, mine are around 4.2bf and 3.35 pr. got a milk urea of 56 yesterday has been around 30 all winter

Grass silage and fed to yield in the parlour. Don't think I've ever seen bf of 4.2.....! Don't get milk urea tests either. What's your percentage of Autumn Calvers?