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

Deepsouthwest

browned wrote: »

Looks very good actually. Felt the teagasc conference had gone done hill in the last couple of years. Will be interesting to see how the workshops go

Just had a quick look at both and the Teagasc one looks particularly impressive, esp these break-out sessions(which I haven't heard before) where u can pick whichever topic appeals to u the most.
Might try and squeeze in a visit to that one, and a little pre Christmas session in Kilkenny might be enjoyable as well!

jaymla627

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Quick question, guys and gals, seeing as I now have a beef herd for the next few months, when would you squeeze the bull calves or should I squeeze at all?

The strong maiden heifers are by themselves buy the later/weaker ones are in a mixed group of 30 bulls and heifers getting ration by themselves and I would hope to keep them out till the turn of the year at the earliest.

The plan would be to sell them in march if I can manage to keep them till then or as soon as a clear test if not.

I haven't had any beef here with 20 years so a steep learning curve is about to begin:o

if their x-bred heifers I would separate, have some late may heifers/bulls together and the biggest of the two where having great craic going at it last week, got caught before with heifers going incalf at 6 months when the suckler farmers bull weanlings paid a visit unknown to us and the suckler lad in question hadn't the decency to let us know

jaymla627

Timmaay wrote: »

Tried to stupidly wheelbarrow a calf up the field once last yr (quad was outa action, and didn't want to plough up the field with the tractor). Little sh1t kept standing up, tipping it over, and landing in the muck ha. Calved everything in a Paddock beside the parlour this yr, finished up last week, happy days. If I can pick up a few heifers, and scanning of the late spring cows goes very well I might just be tempted to flog on any empty and be done with autumn calving for good ha!

On a related note about calving the wrong time of the yr, really seeing the downside to April/may calvers at the second, some of them well back in yield with the poor weather, and I really need them to milk on until end of Jan. Hopefully they'll improve once housed.

What kind of meal have you going into the april/may ladies, feeding 4-7kgs to them here fty and their averaging 24 litres still you really need to keep them feed with grass dm on the floor our their going to fall pretty quick in yield this time of year

Milked out

Timmaay wrote: »

Tried to stupidly wheelbarrow a calf up the field once last yr (quad was outa action, and didn't want to plough up the field with the tractor). Little sh1t kept standing up, tipping it over, and landing in the muck ha. Calved everything in a Paddock beside the parlour this yr, finished up last week, happy days. If I can pick up a few heifers, and scanning of the late spring cows goes very well I might just be tempted to flog on any empty and be done with autumn calving for good ha!

On a related note about calving the wrong time of the yr, really seeing the downside to April/may calvers at the second, some of them well back in yield with the poor weather, and I really need them to milk on until end of Jan. Hopefully they'll improve once housed.

Ha yeah that's when the loader backfires alright if ground gets v wet, it's helpless as well as ending up tracking the field been lucky with a few, cows and calf walked away a good 500m back to yard. Most born lively enough so far. Had two jump out of the basket on me.. Would u fill your liquid quota without aut calvers? If you could it would be the job. Lactose could be an issue tho esp if a prolonged wet autumn

Timmaay

jaymla627 wrote: »

What kind of meal have you going into the april/may ladies, feeding 4-7kgs to them here fty and their averaging 24 litres still you really need to keep them feed with grass dm on the floor our their going to fall pretty quick in yield this time of year

Batch feeders only in the new parlour, and the target is spring only with 90% calved in 6wks, so very unlikely to go down the fty route. All the spring calvers only on 2kg in the parlour, but about 4kg high dmd silage and 4kg maize. I've a full row (14cows) of autumn/lame/thin cows on 4kg of nuts in the parlour, and are kept separate to the rest of the herd. It might make sense to have another full row of late calving cows with theses, I would certainly have 14 late spring calving cows, I'll have to look and see if I'd consider enough to be milky enough to justify giving the extra nuts to. As is I've loads of maize and silage and don't want to be substituting any of this with expensive nuts, unless I'm definitely get a return in milk.

jack o shea

lads do any of ye how much or where one could buy them feeding trailors? They are like the ring feeders only on wheels and rectangle shaped.

frazzledhome

jack o shea wrote: »

lads do any of ye how much or where one could buy them feeding trailors? They are like the ring feeders only on wheels and rectangle shaped.

Dooley trailers in KK used to make them. We've 2 here really handy

Deepsouthwest

jack o shea wrote: »

lads do any of ye how much or where one could buy them feeding trailors? They are like the ring feeders only on wheels and rectangle shaped.

Two here as well, one bought new from hourihanes skibbereen around 10 yrs ago, still as good as new. The second was bought second hand and it's being held together by the grace of God and baler twine at this stage!

kevthegaff

Have two great job especially with bales, drop in the field and take home the other one

Timmaay

Rough price of them? And how many cows can you feed with one?

mf240

Great yoke. But some of them are a bit narrow for bales.

If i was getting one made id go 7ft wide.

Deepsouthwest

mf240 wrote: »

Great yoke. But some of them are a bit narrow for bales.

If i was getting one made id go 7ft wide.

If they're too wide the cattle can't finish them out, although admittedly less waste with the wider one.

Deepsouthwest

Timmaay wrote: »

Rough price of them? And how many cows can you feed with one?

Think I paid around €1600, but that was nearly ten yrs ago.

Deepsouthwest

30 cows split from the milkers this morning, and onto a hungry field for the day, mostly first calvers and a few voluntary older girls who just dry up themselves, ready for tubes and sealers in the morning.(sh1t job!)
Begiinning of the yr winding down.

whelan2

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

30 cows split from the milkers this morning, and onto a hungry field for the day, mostly first calvers and a few voluntary older girls who just dry up themselves, ready for tubes and sealers in the morning.(sh1t job!)
Begiinning of the yr winding down.

got rid of 6 culls yesterday evening and will start drying off next week

Milked out

Will dry off the 16 or so calving in Jan next week, a couple more prob go with em.when I'm pulling em out. Will dry off feb calvers end of nov and march calvers before Xmas and any late calvers will be dried off end of Jan. Have one or two paddocks I could chance the next batch on after drying off but anything later will be heading for a straw bed for a week to soak up. Must just fix up a feed barrier in the shed for em.

Greengrass1

Milk recorded last night and this am. Winter milkers only av 17.5 l. Still have spring calvers doing an easy 20l.
We just can't get the yeilds of if them in the shed. There getting 4 kg meal and 78 dmd paddock bales. I'm fcuked if im giving another 2 kg like the bloody meal rep wants us to do.
If they were spring milkers they would prob be at 27l for same stage of lactation

Cow Porter

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Milk recorded last night and this am. Winter milkers only av 17.5 l. Still have spring calvers doing an easy 20l.
We just can't get the yeilds of if them in the shed. There getting 4 kg meal and 78 dmd paddock bales. I'm fcuked if im giving another 2 kg like the bloody meal rep wants us to do.
If they were spring milkers they would prob be at 27l for same stage of lactation

What's in the meal and what protein is it.

Greengrass1

Cow Porter wrote: »

What's in the meal and what protein is it.

16% don't really change it during the yr.
Decent nut with barley maize beet pulp and soya bean meal first on list

Milked out

Greengrass1 wrote: »

16% don't really change it during the yr.
Decent nut with barley maize beet pulp and soya bean meal first on list

What p and me is your silage gg? Could up your meal to 18p and if your using the feeder get a load of beet pulp to put in with silage.

yosemitesam1

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Milk recorded last night and this am. Winter milkers only av 17.5 l. Still have spring calvers doing an easy 20l.
We just can't get the yeilds of if them in the shed. There getting 4 kg meal and 78 dmd paddock bales. I'm fcuked if im giving another 2 kg like the bloody meal rep wants us to do.
If they were spring milkers they would prob be at 27l for same stage of lactation

What do you want them yielding, fat protein + litres??

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Milk recorded last night and this am. Winter milkers only av 17.5 l. Still have spring calvers doing an easy 20l.
We just can't get the yeilds of if them in the shed. There getting 4 kg meal and 78 dmd paddock bales. I'm fcuked if im giving another 2 kg like the bloody meal rep wants us to do.
If they were spring milkers they would prob be at 27l for same stage of lactation

How long calved??.yield sounds low and would signal low energy content in diet .at 78 Dmd and 4 kg meal I'd be expecting a bit more .up p content of meal to 18% and 2 kg more meal .winter milk a high cost game wether price good or bad

Greengrass1

Milked out wrote: »

what p and me is your silage gg? Could up your meal to 18p and if your using the feeder get a load of beet pulp to put in with silage.

P 14.6
Me 10.8
Don't want to be feeding 18% to spring milkers.
I have 2 cows doing 32 l and in excellent condition how can they do that and others not?

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

P 14.6
Me 10.8
Don't want to be feeding 18% to spring milkers.
I have 2 cows doing 32 l and in excellent condition how can they do that and others not?

Genetics ,14.6 p and 78 Dmd should do more .iirc you've no feeders in parlour and bucket meal ,could you get some loose or bagged 18% nut.keep Autumn calvers till last or milk them first and feed them that??

keep going

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

30 cows split from the milkers this morning, and onto a hungry field for the day, mostly first calvers and a few voluntary older girls who just dry up themselves, ready for tubes and sealers in the morning.(sh1t job!)
Begiinning of the yr winding down.

yeah pulling out aline of heifers today and probaly do a line every forthnightor so from now on until christmas should make the job more tolerable

Timmaay

Greengrass1 wrote: »

P 14.6
Me 10.8
Don't want to be feeding 18% to spring milkers.
I have 2 cows doing 32 l and in excellent condition how can they do that and others not?

You feed them manually still don't ya? Get a ton bag of a good 18/19% nut (likes of p&v super red, gain drive), and use that for the autumn milkers? But Yeh feel your pain, mine aren't doing much better.

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

Genetics ,14.6 p and 78 Dmd should do more .iirc you've no feeders in parlour and bucket meal ,could you get some loose or bagged 18% nut.keep Autumn calvers till last or milk them first and feed them that??

Autumn calvers are seperate. Mate told me the other day meal in bag was 9.50 for 25kg. That's bloody dear

whelan2

Greengrass what's your milk urea like ? Agree with the others good 18% nut. You want these ready for action heat wise soon

Timmaay

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Autumn calvers are seperate. Mate told me the other day meal in bag was 9.50 for 25kg. That's bloody dear

Ton bag defo shouldn't be that. And it was 9.30 ha.

Milked out

Greengrass1 wrote: »

P 14.6
Me 10.8
Don't want to be feeding 18% to spring milkers.
I have 2 cows doing 32 l and in excellent condition how can they do that and others not?

Whats total diet of both herds? If spring girls are getting silage at night 18% p won't do em any harm condition wise gg as it won't raise total diet p a massive amount. But would help the autumn girls. Seeing as u have em seperate could give the autumn girls something extra on top of silage. Energy energy energy for em.