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

whelan2

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Fe*Ken cow sh*t in me eye this evening when milking.
It was made worse by the fact I was wearing glasses and it came down and filled up between my eye and the specs.

So I'm thinking that if a bird does it to you it's good luck so if a cow does it to you by reasoning of the sheer volume that I should win the lotto tonight.

I feel your pain have an infection on my eyelids and got cow crap on one of them during the week, fairly sore. Doctor reckons its from rubbing my eyes when I have milking gloves on!

Mooooo

The sound of weaning is bellowing in the wind this evening. Amazing how far sound travels some days. Took off in the car one day thinking my own were after breaking out but they were fine so kept going twas cattle roaring about 3 miles away

Water John

Tell the neighbours to get some Quiet Wean nose flaps I see mentioned on another thread.

whelan2

Cow calved there to ATG (belgian blue) served 26th November. Nice sized calf,would definitely be an option for beef ai on dairy cows/heifers

Keepgrowing

Can some one please explain to me, why dairy cows are calving at this time of the year? There's no scheme I'm aware of that pays a premium for this milk.

Answers in €€€€'s if there is one.

jaymla627

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Can some one please explain to me, why dairy cows are calving at this time of the year? There's no scheme I'm aware of that pays a premium for this milk.

Answers in €€€€'s if there is one.

It didn't pay to calve them down this spring either, but you don't see teagasc coming out with headline figures of what spring calving producers are losing per head our their breakeven price, is it 40 plus cent they reckon winter milk lads need to "survive"

Timmaay

jaymla627 wrote: »

It didn't pay to calve them down this spring either, but you don't see teagasc coming out with headline figures of what spring calving producers are losing per head our their breakeven price, is it 40 plus cent they reckon winter milk lads need to "survive"

55c/l I read somewhere...

whelan2

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Can some one please explain to me, why dairy cows are calving at this time of the year? There's no scheme I'm aware of that pays a premium for this milk.

Answers in €€€€'s if there is one.

It suits my system. Calving outside. Each to their own. Have lost too many calves here other years. I do what works for me. Alot less labour needed also. Edited to say Teagasc man had your view too. Was here for a few hours and when he was leaving said I was dead right

Dawggone

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Can some one please explain to me, why dairy cows are calving at this time of the year? There's no scheme I'm aware of that pays a premium for this milk.

Answers in €€€€'s if there is one.

Makes no odds to me. Production increases also.
Staff prefer cows inside as hours are more industrial.
Downside...four cows lost so far to broken limbs etc from bulling on concrete. The heat doesn't help either and this year is hot. Usually have grass by now but not a drop of rain in sight...


If harvest 2020 production targets are reached surely Coops will need a flatter supply curve?

freedominacup

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Can some one please explain to me, why dairy cows are calving at this time of the year? There's no scheme I'm aware of that pays a premium for this milk.

Answers in €€€€'s if there is one.

They've had decades to figure it out at this stage. I calved around 10 in Apr this year and it was handy out. Check around 9.30 in your house shoes, no calving boxes to be cleaned. Why haven't they developed a system that generates a decent return with calving from Paddys day on until the 1st of June. Life would be so much handier. Springers in a paddock at the back of the house. Calves reared outdoors. Huge reduction in mullocking around in rain and ****e, but no, start calving just as the winter is really getting it's teeth into it. Struggling to get cows on and off paddocks without ploughing them. Calf numbers building indoors and disease levels with it. Up in the dark and if you get finished "early" any evening its still dark. They have no regard for our physical or mental well being obviously is the only conclusion that can be drawn.

Dawggone

freedominacup wrote: »

They've had decades to figure it out at this stage. I calved around 10 in Apr this year and it was handy out. Check around 9.30 in your house shoes, no calving boxes to be cleaned. Why haven't they developed a system that generates a decent return with calving from Paddys day on until the 1st of June. Life would be so much handier. Springers in a paddock at the back of the house. Calves reared outdoors. Huge reduction in mullocking around in rain and ****e, but no, start calving just as the winter is really getting it's teeth into it. Struggling to get cows on and off paddocks without ploughing them. Calf numbers building indoors and disease levels with it. Up in the dark and if you get finished "early" any evening its still dark. They have no regard for our physical or mental well being obviously is the only conclusion that can be drawn.

Lol !!! :):)
Nearly coughed out a mouthful of coffee reading that!

Off now to milk at 33* and feeling better for it. Thanks.

Keepgrowing

Answers in €€€€'s anyone???

Neighbour here calving flat out to supply masses of cheap milk in the winter

whelan2

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Answers in €€€€'s anyone???

Neighbour here calving flat out to supply masses of cheap milk in the winter

Only liquid quota will be supplied here in December /January. Tbh I am very glad of the calf sales at the minute for cash flow . Scanning went too well and I wont have as many culls to off load

Mooooo

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Answers in 's anyone???

Neighbour here calving flat out to supply masses of cheap milk in the winter

Dont know aside from personal circumstances, some may prefer to have calving done early and breeding done before Jan maybe.? If in very wet ground maybe save more silage while cows are dry as cows may be housed earlier anyway and building a wedge that can't be used in autumn is pointless? Calving from.mid Oct to mid Nov here. Reduced aut calvers with extra spring calvers hope to.front load winter contact in Nov early Dec get higher solids base price and supply minimum required in Jan and feb

Brown Podzol

Got a taste of winter milk production here this year when we had to house the cows full time at end of March beginning of April. Maybe we're not setup for it housing wise,but I'm cured of any thoughts I ever had of winter milk production. The cost of feed, injuries from bulling, mastitis etc. a nightmare. Even though we had maize silage avalaible and a premix which we mixed on the slab with tractor and loader along with 5kg in the parlour we couldent get p% up. Milking a stale cow inside is a complete different kettle of fish from milking a fresh calver indoors. Answer in €'s. Has to be a big minus from me anyway over spring,giving up too many litres to pay feed and vet.

Dawggone

Big thanks to Trixi on whose advice I cured the thermoduyric problem...and the flies in the parlor, and all for less that 80c/day!

whelan2

Dawggone wrote: »

Big thanks to Trixi on whose advice I cured the thermoduyric problem...and the flies in the parlor, and all for less that 80c/day!

What was it? was bulk tank here got a thermo of 3460! Back to 240 the other day when tank was fixed

Timmaay

Brown Podzol wrote: »

Got a taste of winter milk production here this year when we had to house the cows full time at end of March beginning of April. Maybe we're not setup for it housing wise,but I'm cured of any thoughts I ever had of winter milk production. The cost of feed, injuries from bulling, mastitis etc. a nightmare. Even though we had maize silage avalaible and a premix which we mixed on the slab with tractor and loader along with 5kg in the parlour we couldent get p% up. Milking a stale cow inside is a complete different kettle of fish from milking a fresh calver indoors. Answer in €'s. Has to be a big minus from me anyway over spring,giving up too many litres to pay feed and vet.

Calving down about 8 carryovers last autumn, instead of selling them was prb the biggest mistake I made last year, I'm nearly sure every single one of them got mastitis at least once during the winter, all dropped body condition and milked like crap, and to top it all off I oversupply the liquid/winter bonuses by 30kl from mid Nov to Feb, so basically every single litre across the winter from thoses cows were produced without a bonus. All in all a shed load of work for absolutely zero return.

Dawggone

whelan2 wrote: »

What was it? was bulk tank here got a thermo of 3460! Back to 240 the other day when tank was fixed

5% peracetic acid solution sprayed on before cups on. The fumes from the acid have the added benefit of fly repellence. If you really want rid of flies spray 20% solution on parlor before cows enter...

Edit. Spray on solution until runoff and don't wipe or wash off. Won't burn teats.

blackdog1

Brown Podzol wrote:

Got a taste of winter milk production here this year when we had to house the cows full time at end of March beginning of April. Maybe we're not setup for it housing wise,but I'm cured of any thoughts I ever had of winter milk production. The cost of feed, injuries from bulling, mastitis etc. a nightmare. Even though we had maize silage avalaible and a premix which we mixed on the slab with tractor and loader along with 5kg in the parlour we couldent get p% up. Milking a stale cow inside is a complete different kettle of fish from milking a fresh calver indoors. Answer in €'s. Has to be a big minus from me anyway over spring,giving up too many litres to pay feed and vet.

You needed soya bean meal in your diet. I guarantee it was low in protein. Averaged 3.4 p for winter. Mastitis is a problem. You have to spray your cubicles once a week and make sure your using a good teat dip. Also you wouldn't want to be carrying any crazy high scc cows. Winter milking is not that much harder if everything goes smooth but it's a nightmare when things go wrong.

Dawggone

blackdog1 wrote: »

You needed soya bean meal in your diet. I guarantee it was low in protein. Averaged 3.4 p for winter. Mastitis is a problem. You have to spray your cubicles once a week and make sure your using a good teat dip. Also you wouldn't want to be carrying any crazy high scc cows. Winter milking is not that much harder if everything goes smooth but it's a nightmare when things go wrong.

What could possibly go wrong?

Mastitis should not be a problem. Cows housed here atm and 40 degree heat with no mastitis. Cubicles limed twice a week. Scc circa 150 and many millionaires in the herd also.
Pr 3.3 and bf 4.1. (Which is good for my girls!)
34.4litres.
Forage maize, clover wraps and lucerne. No grains whatsoever.

Waffletraktor

Dawggone wrote: »

What could possibly go wrong?

Mastitis should not be a problem. Cows housed here atm and 40 degree heat with no mastitis. Cubicles limed twice a week. Scc circa 150 and many millionaires in the herd also.
Pr 3.3 and bf 4.1. (Which is good for my girls!)
34.4litres.
Forage maize, clover wraps and lucerne. No grains whatsoever.

Getting the decent yielding maize and protein crops, what would be things that bump up your cost of production? (outside of repayments etc say)

Dawggone

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Getting the decent yielding maize and protein crops, what would be things that bump up your cost of production? (outside of repayments etc say)

Wages.
Basic minimum costs me €19.06/hr.

blackdog1

blackdog1 wrote:

You needed soya bean meal in your diet. I guarantee it was low in protein. Averaged 3.4 p for winter. Mastitis is a problem. You have to spray your cubicles once a week and make sure your using a good teat dip. Also you wouldn't want to be carrying any crazy high scc cows. Winter milking is not that much harder if everything goes smooth but it's a nightmare when things go wrong.

Dawggone wrote:

What could possibly go wrong?

Dawggone wrote:

Mastitis should not be a problem. Cows housed here atm and 40 degree heat with no mastitis. Cubicles limed twice a week. Scc circa 150 and many millionaires in the herd also. Pr 3.3 and bf 4.1. (Which is good for my girls!) 34.4litres. Forage maize, clover wraps and lucerne. No grains whatsoever.

The one thing I learned if your winter milking is have plenty of replacements. If a cow I'd crocked just get rid of her. Saves your back and sanity. In fairness dawg you have the quality forage and experience in diets. Fair play.

On another note thinking of buffer feeding 8-10kg of whole crop from Tuesday on. Grass is growing but tight enough.... Should stretch it out big time.

Waffletraktor

Dawggone wrote: »

Wages.
Basic minimum costs me €19.06/hr.

Ahhh, casual is 10.50£/hr + accomodation here upto 100/wk then bed
Fulltime salaried to 2.5k/hrs/yr +perks

Dawggone

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Ahhh, casual is 10.50£/hr + accomodation here upto 100/wk then bed
Fulltime salaried to 2.5k/hrs/yr +perks

If a worker does over 35hrs in a week I've to give them a day off the following week, with pay. Nice isn't it...

mf240

I find the best time to calve cows is in the morning.

Dawggone

mf240 wrote: »

I find the best time to calve cows is in the morning.

Went out this morning to the maternity paddock and four calves...could only find three that had calved...scanner man must have missed one with twins.

Don't know when we last used the jack. Just go out before milking and gather fresh calvers. Don't have a stomach tube either...

mf240

Jaysus dawg, don't jinx it

Buford T. Justice XIX

I came across this and thought a few might be interested:)

The Core and Seasonal Microbiota of Raw Bovine Milk in Tanker Trucks and the Impact of Transfer to a Milk Processing Facility





http://mbio.asm.org/content/7/4/e00836-16.full