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

Milked out

mahoney_j wrote: »

I have 4 in calf to him for spring ,all 3 lactation plus with low milk kg and index .must keep an eye on them but big framey br Friesan hol x cows so should be ok

Should be fine on mature cows alrite hopefully. They are nice calves mainly black. Hopefully his milk kgs will hold up as I used him in similar cows. I guess any bull without a calving survey at time of Ai should be given that extra look in come calving time.

kowtow

Need to put a slurry channel at the end of a scraped passage and thinking of covering it with slats - would sideways or lengthways be better and what sort of area is needed to empty the scraper?

Anyone have a similar setup?

Brown Podzol

kowtow wrote: »

Need to put a slurry channel at the end of a scraped passage and thinking of covering it with slats - would sideways or lengthways be better and what sort of area is needed to empty the scraper?

Anyone have a similar setup?

I have them both ways, both work. The longer the scraper travels over the slats the better. Couple of systems here, can even take care of a calf scraped to the end.


http://www.dairypower.com/accessories/

Dawggone

Morning scrum.
Week olds in training.

kowtow

Brown Podzol wrote: »

I have them both ways, both work. The longer the scraper travels over the slats the better. Couple of systems here, can even take care of a calf scraped to the end.


http://www.dairypower.com/accessories/

Ah.. yes .. was thinking of something like that but couldn't remember who made them.

In the picture they have a special scraper slat I think with a fan pattern.. I'm sure that would be the perfect answer but I have a few old gangs available and wondering whether it's worth trying them first. I suppose I could always change for one of the specialised slates or the scraper slat later.

Don't need to drive over this part of the channel very often and in any case the slat would be supported along both sides.. was thinking of setting the slat itself in a "dip" of a few inches to try and retain any slurry which didn't make it down on the first scrape? Not sure if that would help...

Edit: I see from their site that the ratchet track can be recessed instead of sitting proud of the passage. I know our track is dairypower (because I bought it there) and am pretty sure that the original scraper saddle is although neither it nor the control box have any markings left.

Can all the ratchet scrapers be recessed? Are there any problems with setting up the track that way?

Brown Podzol

kowtow wrote: »

Ah.. yes .. was thinking of something like that but couldn't remember who made them.

In the picture they have a special scraper slat I think with a fan pattern.. I'm sure that would be the perfect answer but I have a few old gangs available and wondering whether it's worth trying them first. I suppose I could always change for one of the specialised slates or the scraper slat later.

Don't need to drive over this part of the channel very often and in any case the slat would be supported along both sides.. was thinking of setting the slat itself in a "dip" of a few inches to try and retain any slurry which didn't make it down on the first scrape? Not sure if that would help...

Edit: I see from their site that the ratchet track can be recessed instead of sitting proud of the passage. I know our track is dairypower (because I bought it there) and am pretty sure that the original scraper saddle is although neither it nor the control box have any markings left.

Can all the ratchet scrapers be recessed? Are there any problems with setting up the track that way?

I can't see why the fan fitting wouldn't work with an ordinary gang slat.
I wouldn't see any need to recess the slat. Is it at the end of a feed passage?. Will there be cow traffic regularly? If so they will work the slurry through the slat. Is it close to the milking parlour? You could use the wash down hose to wash the slurry through the slats or use a squeegee to push the slurry around to work through the slat. The lifting slat will let in silage which could block the flow channel and wil also not help the survival prospects of a calf if he should find himself born in the passage.

A recessed rail would present problems during dry periods or if dung is dry or if silage were to get into the groove. Also you would need to modify the scraper with longer chisel to catch the notches.

kowtow

Brown Podzol wrote: »

I can't see why the fan fitting wouldn't work with an ordinary gang slat.
I wouldn't see any need to recess the slat. Is it at the end of a feed passage?. Will there be cow traffic regularly? If so they will work the slurry through the slat. Is it close to the milking parlour? You could use the wash down hose to wash the slurry through the slats or use a squeegee to push the slurry around to work through the slat. The lifting slat will let in silage which could block the flow channel and wil also not help the survival prospects of a calf if he should find himself born in the passage.

A recessed rail would present problems during dry periods or if dung is dry or if silage were to get into the groove. Also you would need to modify the scraper with longer chisel to catch the notches.

It's a new shed & passage so just deciding where to position the slat now. It would be the less trafficked end of the passage & shed so some cow traffic but not a lot - agree about the opening slat, something will find a way to fall through it (probably me)...

Just looked at the scraper and I see what you mean about the chisels, if they were longer it would work alright but as far as i can see there would be no "guidance" from the rail other than contact with the chisels. At the moment the housing containing the chisels "wraps" around the rail - loosely - and it wouldn't be able to do that if the rail was in a recess. Might use the existing scraper for the feed passage and do the cubicle passage with a rope / chain which is designed to be recessed.

Brown Podzol

kowtow wrote: »

It's a new shed & passage so just deciding where to position the slat now. It would be the less trafficked end of the passage & shed so some cow traffic but not a lot - agree about the opening slat, something will find a way to fall through it (probably me)...

Just looked at the scraper and I see what you mean about the chisels, if they were longer it would work alright but as far as i can see there would be no "guidance" from the rail other than contact with the chisels. At the moment the housing containing the chisels "wraps" around the rail - loosely - and it wouldn't be able to do that if the rail was in a recess. Might use the existing scraper for the feed passage and do the cubicle passage with a rope / chain which is designed to be recessed.

I don't know anything about the rope but those chains will break your heart. Why do you not want a rail in the passage.have them here and they don't cause any problem and they are working successfully in thousands of passages around the country.

kowtow

Brown Podzol wrote: »

I don't know anything about the rope but those chains will break your heart. Why do you not want a rail in the passage.have them here and they don't cause any problem and they are working successfully in thousands of passages around the country.

I haven't got any strong views on it, but since we are pouring a new passage anyway I thought I might go for neat surfaces! .. also easier to drive over with the loader when need be...

alps

. Might use the existing scraper for the feed passage and do the cubicle passage with a rope / chain which is designed to be recessed.[/QUOTE]

Don't know how rope scrapers compare in price and dependability but I would definitely give them serious consideration.
The recent 2 cold winters were difficult, and through procedures we reduced the problems associated with most items around the farm like draining milking parlour, keeping water troughs flowing, etc but the one issue we could not offset was the scrapers. The dung would freeze onto the notches and the tongue under the scraper would have to be thawed out with boiling water. We got yhe scrapers to run twice a day but each time it took the best part of 2 hours to do all buildings. It was the one issue that caused serious difficulty during the freeze.
I see northern European farms use rope scrapers with the motor mechanisms inside the buildings for this purpose..

Brown Podzol

kowtow wrote: »

I haven't got any strong views on it, but since we are pouring a new passage anyway I thought I might go for neat surfaces! .. also easier to drive over with the loader when need be...

If the loader has problems with the rail I suggest you get a new loader.:D

Brown Podzol

kowtow wrote: »

I haven't got any strong views on it, but since we are pouring a new passage anyway I thought I might go for neat surfaces! .. also easier to drive over with the loader when need be...

Just looking at the rope system, will you need two parallel passages as it seems the rope has to go round, be wound and unwound, scraping one passage and returning the scraper in the other and visa versa on the next run.

stretch film

kowtow wrote: »

I haven't got any strong views on it, but since we are pouring a new passage anyway I thought I might go for neat surfaces! .. also easier to drive over with the loader when need be...

You will regret recessing the rail in periods of dry weather no doubt.
Missing out on being spattered as a cows hoof slips off the rail would leave anyones bucket list incomplete

Dawggone

Drilled third of Oct. and
thinking of grazing milkers on it next week.

Dawggone

Anyone know the active ingredient of Bloateze?

Greengrass1

Dawggone wrote: »

Drilled third of Oct. and
thinking of grazing milkers on it next week.

Is that a full reseed Dawg?
We sowed clover in reseeds here this yr and none of it came up as of yet any way

Dawggone

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Is that a full reseed Dawg?
We sowed clover in reseeds here this yr and none of it came up as of yet any way

Not at all Gg.
That's next years first cut.
Crimson clover @ 12kg/ha and Italian ryegrass @ 2kg/ha.

Have you ever noticed that clover strikes best around the gap...your ground may not have been firm enough...?

yosemitesam1

Dawggone wrote: »

Anyone know the active ingredient of Bloateze?

The nz or Canadian one?

kowtow

stretch film wrote: »

You will regret recessing the rail in periods of dry weather no doubt.
Missing out on being spattered as a cows hoof slips off the rail would leave anyones bucket list incomplete

Have been caught that way a few times with the old scraper and it beggars belief the force that slurry flies with...

But on reflection I think you guys are right about the dry weather and the channel.. probably better to concentrate on cleaning the passage properly and clearing at the slat at the end than on whether the rail is recessed, have enough to be getting on with as it is.

If we get the slurry channels and the slats right driving across won't be such an issue any more anyway - the last time this scraper was running it had to cross a pile of broken up concrete where the old parlour drain had failed and it was really too fragile to operate properly, not to mind driving over it.

For the feed passage we're 3.5m wide in total and going to put a step of 800m or so on the barrier side so they've plenty of room to avoid the rail anyway, 3m passage in between the cubicle beds..

Dawggone

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

The nz or Canadian one?

I don't actually know.

I remember putting it through the water supply years ago (or am I dreaming?).

I thought that it could be sprayed on before grazing? Dreaming again?

Clover like that can be dangerous...

C0N0R

Dawggone wrote: »

I don't actually know.

I remember putting it through the water supply years ago (or am I dreaming?).

I thought that it could be sprayed on before grazing? Dreaming again?

Clover like that can be dangerous...

Defo put it through water before and have been told you can spray it on either. Not allowing them access to a full days feed and giving them more mid morning say might work, less chance of gorging. More labour intensive but less labour intensive than having to take cows off or stab cows.

Dawggone

C0N0R wrote: »

Defo put it through water before and have been told you can spray it on either. Not allowing them access to a full days feed and giving them more mid morning say might work, less chance of gorging. More labour intensive but less labour intensive than having to take cows off or stab cows.

Asked the vet about it yesterday and he was looking at me 'like a goat looking at lightening'.
He just told me to graze them for 2hrs the first day and slowly increase afterwards.

I do like the thought of spraying something on before grazing.

yosemitesam1

Dawggone wrote: »

Asked the vet about it yesterday and he was looking at me 'like a goat looking at lightening'.
He just told me to graze them for 2hrs the first day and slowly increase afterwards.

I do like the thought of spraying something on before grazing.

That sounds like it,

RightTurnClyde

Dawggone wrote: »

Asked the vet about it yesterday and he was looking at me 'like a goat looking at lightening'.
He just told me to graze them for 2hrs the first day and slowly increase afterwards.

I do like the thought of spraying something on before grazing.

Keep some Fairy liquid in the water troughs???? The father was big into clover years ago, I remember the kitchen sink getting raided regularly as a young lad

Here's some interesting info on bloat
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id186/id186.pdf

C0N0R

Dawggone wrote: »

Asked the vet about it yesterday and he was looking at me 'like a goat looking at lightening'.
He just told me to graze them for 2hrs the first day and slowly increase afterwards.

I do like the thought of spraying something on before grazing.

Your cows won't be hitting it hungry either though will they?? We had a problem with it on Lucerne but only lost one cow. Seem to remember pre mowing didn't do any harm, less selection to gorge on just clover I suppose.

Also milk is meant to be good for a cow with bloat, but I prefair to stab them and be done with it.

Dawggone

C0N0R wrote: »

Your cows won't be hitting it hungry either though will they?? We had a problem with it on Lucerne but only lost one cow. Seem to remember pre mowing didn't do any harm, less selection to gorge on just clover I suppose.

Also milk is meant to be good for a cow with bloat, but I prefair to stab them and be done with it.

Changing diet this morning. Putting them on clover wraps and will increase the amount over five days. Then next weekend they can go into lucerne which is not as lush iykwim.


Lucerne this morning

Greengrass1

I'm wondering have cows here got a touch of acidosis in the winter milkers?
A good few scouring and a heifer went completely off her feed on Saturday. Still not 100%.

Buford T. Justice XIX

1200 cow unit on 1000 acres getting started in Tipp.


http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/planned-1200-dairy-farm-in-tipperary-to-cost-e6-5m/

Greengrass1

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

1200 cow unit on 1000 acres getting started in Tipp.


http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/planned-1200-dairy-farm-in-tipperary-to-cost-e6-5m/

Are they going to be winter milk then with milk starting to be produced in second half of next yr?

mahoney_j

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

1200 cow unit on 1000 acres getting started in Tipp.


http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/planned-1200-dairy-farm-in-tipperary-to-cost-e6-5m/

36 cent /ltre budgeted .....won't last long.