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

Timmaay

Milked out wrote: »

Down at 3.4 here, was at 3.6 last year for early May. Tighter on grass this year so more meal going in however I have also culled all rollovers and have 10 less autumn calvers milking so that could be it. Took a while to recover from being housed in early and mid april as well

The opposite here, less carryovers, but protein running about 0.06 above last May! About 27% heifers and plenty of genetic gains, alongside completely pulling silage from the diet sooner (despite war with my dad over that, him lobbing in bales in the feed passage during milkin and me changing the holding yard back to outside off the slatts then ha)

stretch film

Many using liquid magnesium for tetany/mins cover. Would be using the 5 gallon drum dispenser option if doing it. Would need up to 50 litres per day so would that amount be easily dispensed.
Water throughs of varying sizes etc.

Will keep some meal for wet day etc. A one size fits all, nut is wasteful

Timmaay

stretch film wrote: »

What price you actually paying for the 25 kg bag tim

Priced both up proper today, 25kg bags of calf blend, which is an 18% ration coming in at something like 430/ton, ton bags of an 18% wean to build nut 265! So I'm obviously switching to that!

stretch film

Timmaay wrote: »

The opposite here, less carryovers, but protein running about 0.06 above last May! About 27% heifers and plenty of genetic gains, alongside completely pulling silage from the diet sooner (despite war with my dad over that, him lobbing in bales in the feed passage during milkin and me changing the holding yard back to outside off the slatts then ha)

Used to suffer that nonsense here aswell . Putting in 2 grabs for a half dozen dry cows and spreading it along the feedrail that the cow's happened to pass on way to collecting yard..takes about a week for the sulk to wear off.
Same man will tell you your short of silage . "They'll be eating their tails "was his latest

mahoney_j

Timmaay wrote: »

Priced both up proper today, 25kg bags of calf blend, which is an 18% ration coming in at something like 430/ton, ton bags of an 18% wean to build nut 265! So I'm obviously switching to that!

Using a real top of the mill calf pellet called suckler mate from Arrabawn /doc .its 18% and costing 310 blown into bin

trixi2011

keep going wrote: »

Proteins seem ti be very good this year, running plus 3.6 and its not just me

opposite here protein and solids down a lot from last year hoping with grass growth coming now the situation will improve a lot.

degetme

stretch film wrote: »

Many using liquid magnesium for tetany/mins cover. Would be using the 5 gallon drum dispenser option if doing it. Would need up to 50 litres per day so would that amount be easily dispensed.
Water throughs of varying sizes etc.

Will keep some meal for wet day etc. A one size fits all, nut is wasteful

Was pricing up liquid minerals and mag . Will have to dispense over 25l a day. Never done this before so it's a learning curve. Feeding 2.5kg to cover minerals and mag at moment but want to cut this out in setteled weather. Why does trough size matter? Can vitimans be fed through water?

briangriffin

Timmaay wrote: »

Priced both up proper today, 25kg bags of calf blend, which is an 18% ration coming in at something like 430/ton, ton bags of an 18% wean to build nut 265! So I'm obviously switching to that!

Is that a glanbia wean n build nut thought that was only 16 % protein
. In the same boat here looking to buy a nut for 20 replacements as chearly as possible so will ring around tomorrow.

pedigree 6

I was using the goldgrain nut but the calves were a bit scoury on it.
Using calf rearer nut now and cleaned up and really thriving now.
E320/t bulk bring own plastic bin and fill up at bin in store.
Cooney furlong supposed to be selling good meal too and priced well.

mahoney_j

Timmaay wrote: »

Priced both up proper today, 25kg bags of calf blend, which is an 18% ration coming in at something like 430/ton, ton bags of an 18% wean to build nut 265! So I'm obviously switching to that!

430 is extortionate no matter what ingridents are in it but I'd check what's in that wean and build .im betting lots of fillers like wheat feed maby Palm k and the likes of rapeseed ,gluten etc .you could end up having to feed 3 kg of a cheaper mix to get same hit as 1 kg of a quality blend with the likes of maize meal ,barley,soya etc .cheapest ain't always best

briangriffin

pedigree 6 wrote: »

I was using the goldgrain nut but the calves were a bit scoury on it.
Using calf rearer nut now and cleaned up and really thriving now.
E320/t bulk bring own plastic bin and fill up at bin in store.
Cooney furlong supposed to be selling good meal too and priced well.

Bagged 25kg the gold grain is 401euro per ton
Bagged 25kg calf rearer is 368 a ton both 18 percent protein and presumably if I get the calf reared in bulk it will work out cheaper than the bag

pedigree 6

briangriffin wrote: »

Bagged 25kg the gold grain is 401euro per ton
Bagged 25kg calf rearer is 368 a ton both 18 percent protein and presumably if I get the calf reared in bulk it will work out cheaper than the bag

Yea you're paying for the small bags.
I have the jfc plastic bin and put it on flat trailer and bring to store. It cost 330 though but can hold meal in field with the calves.
Edit: the gain calf rearer was e320 bulk collected. But shop around.

Timmaay

briangriffin wrote: »

Is that a glanbia wean n build nut thought that was only 16 % protein
. In the same boat here looking to buy a nut for 20 replacements as chearly as possible so will ring around tomorrow.

Yes, Glanbia, is it normally a 16%?? I was fairly sure they said 18%. Gardiners had a decent 18% for 270 also, but as MJ said it needs to be a good nut I'll happily pay over 300 if needs be, at least I know now the 25kg bags are silly money

Timmaay

HE bull for heifers? Yay or Nay? Anyway of checking up on a stock bulls calving easy? Other than the seller "guaranteeing" ya easy calving ha??

mahoney_j

Timmaay wrote: »

HE bull for heifers? Yay or Nay? Anyway of checking up on a stock bulls calving easy? Other than the seller "guaranteeing" ya easy calving ha??

Punch his tag no into bull search on herd plus tim,another thing to watch out for is a big thick fat head ,you don't want that .have one here for last 3 years ,a 3 star bull ,nothing fancy but very easy calving on cows and heifers

Timmaay

mahoney_j wrote: »

Punch his tag no into bull search on herd plus tim,another thing to watch out for is a big thick fat head ,you don't want that .have one here for last 3 years ,a 3 star bull ,nothing fancy but very easy calving on cows and heifers

I noticed that with the AI bred HEs last year, head often stuck. Calves often made 300e+ though. Most of the heifers this year calved to our own AA bull, and I had to jack far too many of them (thankfully all recovered and are back cycling now), but I think it doesn't matter what bull I use I'm going to have to be alot more careful when feeding them at 7 months incalf next winter.

whelan2

What about a friesian bull. Could use him on cows also. I bought a high ebi fr bull in 2014. Ran him with heifers and he cleaned up cows last summer. As a result I only have 1 left to calve now. Pity he had to go to factory.

Dawggone

Timmaay wrote: »

Yes, Glanbia, is it normally a 16%?? I was fairly sure they said 18%. Gardiners had a decent 18% for 270 also, but as MJ said it needs to be a good nut I'll happily pay over 300 if needs be, at least I know now the 25kg bags are silly money

Why not feed a little soya. €280/ton.
That's all I feed and ~420kg at bulling and calving down at 21/22mts.

Jeez ye love supporting your merchants.
Ever see a merchant driving a shyte car...

mahoney_j

Dawggone wrote: »

Why not feed a little soya. €280/ton.
That's all I feed and ~420kg at bulling and calving down at 21/22mts.

Jeez ye love supporting your merchants.
Ever see a merchant driving a shyte car...

That's a fair point dwag and serious weights at bulling but tbf you've a lot more going for u in ur kneck of the woods ,weather and lots of sun for. Start and ability to grow bumper crops of maize ,cereals ,soya etc .im sure your heifers get a lot more than soya and grass to reach those weights

Dawggone

mahoney_j wrote: »

That's a fair point dwag and serious weights at bulling but tbf you've a lot more going for u in ur kneck of the woods ,weather and lots of sun for. Start and ability to grow bumper crops of maize ,cereals ,soya etc .im sure your heifers get a lot more than soya and grass to reach those weights

They never get maize forage or grain.
Atm they're getting 200gms of soya to train them to come when called.
When drought hits they get good hay and 750gms soya.
I think they grow faster here because they never spend a day with their ass to a ditch...

mahoney_j

Dawggone wrote: »

They never get maize forage or grain.
Atm they're getting 200gms of soya to train them to come when called.
When drought hits they get good hay and 750gms soya.
I think they grow faster here because they never spend a day with their ass to a ditch...

So no grain or forage maize from birth to parlour bar grass soya and hay ,not criticising by way .any issue with palstibity of straight soya ..hard to argue with ur last point

kowtow

Dawggone wrote:

Jeez ye love supporting your merchants. Ever see a merchant driving a shyte car...

Is the dependence on merchants here tied to mechanical parlour feeders? Without a huge herd I'd say nuts are a difficult system to give up, especially if you need to keep them in the parlour. Is there any feeder which will deal with h9me mix or straights?

Brown Podzol

kowtow wrote: »

Is the dependence on merchants here tied to mechanical parlour feeders? Without a huge herd I'd say nuts are a difficult system to give up, especially if you need to keep them in the parlour. Is there any feeder which will deal with h9me mix or straights?

I have put straights through electrically operated Cashman feeders and the only issues were dust and a Spanish beet pulp nut clogging the little auger dispensing the feed. Nut was big and hard and blew the fuses.

atlantic mist

whats every one being chargered for tb testing got our bill today 4.40 with no bloods this year, seemed on the high side

cow after eating a weed or something after milk plunging from 32 litre to 12, eyes sunken in head, anyone have any home made tonics for clearing cows system, shes like this with two weeks no pick up vets cant figure out whats up with her wreaken she ate something, she wouldnt eat any meal but is still rambling away with rest of herd

merchants do like hearing us ring, id be first to admit we probable over feed at certain periods of lactation although milk urea is normally between 20-26 , we try to keep system as simple as possible, grass/baled silage and nuts in parlor, we have considered feeding straights on top to boost at shoulders but always felt the additional labour out weighted the benefit of chasing liters by feeding additional straights

Dawggone

mahoney_j wrote: »

So no grain or forage maize from birth to parlour bar grass soya and hay ,not criticising by way .any issue with palstibity of straight soya ..hard to argue with ur last point

Grass only when they're trained to come when called.
Drought = good hay + 0.75kg soya.
Housed = clover silage 20% and good hay 80%. (By weight not dm).

Maize silage 15 days before calving.

Soya must be the most palatable feed I know. Way better than crunch.

One worm dose before housing. Never liver fluke.

It still costs me €1550/hd to get them to the parlor when you include wages....

Dawggone

atlantic mist wrote: »

cow after eating a weed or something after milk plunging from 32 litre to 12, eyes sunken in head, anyone have any home made tonics for clearing cows system, shes like this with two weeks no pick up vets cant figure out whats up with her wreaken she ate something, she wouldnt eat any meal but is still rambling away with rest of herd

Try putting a magnet back her throat and 3-5days of an antibiotic.

Dawggone

kowtow wrote: »

Is the dependence on merchants here tied to mechanical parlour feeders? Without a huge herd I'd say nuts are a difficult system to give up, especially if you need to keep them in the parlour. Is there any feeder which will deal with h9me mix or straights?

Addicts need dealers and visa versa.

Milked out

atlantic mist wrote: »

whats every one being chargered for tb testing got our bill today 4.40 with no bloods this year, seemed on the high side

cow after eating a weed or something after milk plunging from 32 litre to 12, eyes sunken in head, anyone have any home made tonics for clearing cows system, shes like this with two weeks no pick up vets cant figure out whats up with her wreaken she ate something, she wouldnt eat any meal but is still rambling away with rest of herd

merchants do like hearing us ring, id be first to admit we probable over feed at certain periods of lactation although milk urea is normally between 20-26 , we try to keep system as simple as possible, grass/baled silage and nuts in parlor, we have considered feeding straights on top to boost at shoulders but always felt the additional labour out weighted the benefit of chasing liters by feeding additional straights

Had a cow with a displacement here last week first in a while. Agree with dawg if in doubt magnet could help if she ingested something.

Milked out

atlantic mist wrote: »

whats every one being chargered for tb testing got our bill today 4.40 with no bloods this year, seemed on the high side

cow after eating a weed or something after milk plunging from 32 litre to 12, eyes sunken in head, anyone have any home made tonics for clearing cows system, shes like this with two weeks no pick up vets cant figure out whats up with her wreaken she ate something, she wouldnt eat any meal but is still rambling away with rest of herd

merchants do like hearing us ring, id be first to admit we probable over feed at certain periods of lactation although milk urea is normally between 20-26 , we try to keep system as simple as possible, grass/baled silage and nuts in parlor, we have considered feeding straights on top to boost at shoulders but always felt the additional labour out weighted the benefit of chasing liters by feeding additional straights

Had a cow with a displacement here last week first in a while. Agree with dawg if in doubt magnet could help if she ingested something.

freedominacup

Milked out wrote: »

Had a cow with a displacement here last week first in a while. Agree with dawg if in doubt magnet could help if she ingested something.

Will a magnet move a wire that's embedded or causing a peritonitis?