Dairy chit chat II

Say my name

Just back from Johnstown castle farm spring walk.
Really good to compare your own farm with a top class well run facility and get your eye back in on grass covers.
Take home message I need to get more roadways in and going by my own covers get the cows out.
Main point be flexible.
Also keep the paddocks square and have no racecourses.

Gawddawggonnit

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Would the fact that some EU countries were putting stock into intervention after we had stopped be more to do with differing tactics.
The majority of our markets are bargain basement stuff that any of them could presumably have sold into had they wanted but instead did they opt to try and dry up their own markets a bit to protect higher value products?

Probably correct, but moot now.

Gawddawggonnit

Keepgrowing wrote: »

We are well aware of what's happening and what can happen.

I wonder.
Just a quick recap...

Last summer the noises coming from the Commission was that they were contemplating slowly offloading the intervention stocks for animal feed etc. Fair enough.
Autumn/winter the Dutch get their derogation. Grand.
The Irish get their derogation. Grand.

Then the Dutch slurry scandal breaks...not good. As the scale and depth of the fraud comes to light the mood music coming from the Commission changes rapidly. Not good.

Somewhere along the line the savants in the Commission have decided that it’s the high milk price that caused the fraudulent slurry scandal and dairy explosion...now they want to use the intervention stocks to depress milk price and control dairy numbers (production).

Belgium and Ireland are now in the sights. Big Phil comes out with a statement about Irish dairy and nobody from the Irish Ag establishment sees it even worthy of a response.


Fyi, as a convicted polluter and an Irishman, I take it in the face, every, single, fcukin, day.

God willing I hope and pray that we kick seven colors of shyte out of them in Paris Sat evening....

whelan2

How's calving going? 25% calved here. All good so far.

Say my name

whelan2 wrote: »

How's calving going? 25% calved here. All good so far.

21% here. Going well too.

Oh and Happy the 1st of Februdairy everybody!

Just heard of a good one from Pat o Toole.
When the beet industry was let go in Ireland. The eu was telling us that it had to go as it wasn't economical here and it had to be produced in more favourable areas of the eu.
When it comes to the reverse and now milk in the Eu they will break their backs to make sure it continues to be produced in the uneconimical areas (i.e. their own doorstep and voters).

Poor auld Ireland again.

5 wheel drive

Has anybody used the ambic mastitis detectors?? They seem a good idea. What are your views on them?
http://ambic.co.uk/livestockhealth/mastitis-detection/

Mooooo

Calving slow here, cows lost to tb and a feck up with a Second hand ai flask with the heifers means things are stretched out. 6 calved another prob tonight, that said the first one was due Feb 3.

alps

5 wheel drive wrote: »

Has anybody used the ambic mastitis detectors?? They seem a good idea. What are your views on them?
http://ambic.co.uk/livestockhealth/mastitis-detection/

Will they get all blocked up with stuff that would normally collect in your milk filter?

kowtow

Nothing due here until 6th February and even then they had better keep their legs crossed as we haven't poured the new floors in the parlour yet.

I can see a bit of crush milking in my near future.

Water John

Ah, you never used the three legged stool. That would be an experience for you.
I think this happened in Fota in the 70s. First cows calved about six weeks before the parlour was up. They just left the calf with the cow and seemed to get away with it. Doubt that would work with todays ladies.

Base price

whelan2 wrote: »

How's calving going? 25% calved here. All good so far.

How is the bull/heifer ratio going?
I was talking to a friend on the phone earlier today. He has had a run of bull calves and isn't a happy camper although I reminded him that this time last year he only had a handful of bull calves from 20 odd calvings.
I presume over the years the male/female ratio balances presuming your not using pre-sexed semen.

Base price

Water John wrote: »

Ah, you never used the three legged stool. That would be an experience for you.
I think this happened in Fota in the 70s. First cows calved about six weeks before the parlour was up. They just left the calf with the cow and seemed to get away with it. Doubt that would work with todays ladies.

Just thinking, where would you get your hands on a three legged stool nowdays.

Mooooo

Base price wrote: »

How is the bull/heifer ratio going?
I was talking to a friend on the phone earlier today. He has had a run of bull calves and isn't a happy camper although I reminded him that this time last year he only had a handful of bull calves from 20 odd calvings.
I presume over the years the male/female ratio balances presuming your not using pre-sexed semen.

2 bulls 4 heifers here one is an aa tho. Theyll average out in the same year, nearly always either side of 50/50 here, some lads forget to count the beef heifers in the last few weeks

Mooooo

kowtow wrote: »

Nothing due here until 6th February and even then they had better keep their legs crossed as we haven't poured the new floors in the parlour yet.

I can see a bit of crush milking in my near future.

Could get a single milker see them for sale in dd regular enuv

yewtree

Mooooo wrote: »

Could get a single milker see them for sale in dd regular enuv

crush milking is one soul destroying job...

Keepgrowing

Mooooo wrote: »

Calving slow here, cows lost to tb and a feck up with a Second hand ai flask with the heifers means things are stretched out. 6 calved another prob tonight, that said the first one was due Feb 3.

No cow calved here yet. Will get rolling on or after weekend. Straw sheds filling and cows very close. Still on a 35 minute milking.

freedominacup

yewtree wrote: »

crush milking is one soul destroying job...

A neighbour was up to 40 crush milking a couple of weeks ago. Got messed around by a subby finishing construction of new parlour. Some introduction to milking for a new entrant.

kowtow

Mooooo wrote:

Could get a single milker see them for sale in dd regular enuv

I left the vacuum and the regulator in so if it comes to it i should be able to rig a dump bucket with a single pulsator...

whelan2

Mooooo wrote: »

Calving slow here, cows lost to tb and a feck up with a Second hand ai flask with the heifers means things are stretched out. 6 calved another prob tonight, that said the first one was due Feb 3.

One calved here this morning due on tenth of February. Good run of heifers so far. Lost one heifer calf last week that the cow sat on was so annoyed over it. Absolutely wrecked, on antibiotics, oh has pneumonia, in waiting room in doctors with daughter. Eldest lads doing his mocks and cows calving....

Base price

whelan2 wrote: »

One calved here this morning due on tenth of February. Good run of heifers so far. Lost one heifer calf last week that the cow sat on was so annoyed over it. Absolutely wrecked, on antibiotics, oh has pneumonia, in waiting room in doctors with daughter. Eldest lads doing his mocks and cows calving....

Can you get someone in to give you a dig out. Sorry to hear that illness has struck the house.

GrasstoMilk

Only a handful calved here so far but I reckon when they start it's going to be fairly manic.

Springers pen is getting more and more added to it every day. Drafted out cows last night and will have to draft some more out today again

Mooooo

Neighbour up to 40 calved now within 7 days, had 10 yday. First year with part time as opposed to fulltime help in a while. The lad that works with both of us is with me today but went over there before coming here off his own bat to get the newborns fed for him

Say my name

That's my milkers gone out to grass this morning.
Bit of a relief seeing them out munching.
I don't like what they're saying about the weather on the weather forum though.
Hopefully it doesn't happen. Just have to manage whatever happens.

Buford T. Justice XIX

First two calved here lat night, heifer with a small poly bull and a cow with a FR4021 heifer calf. On the money so far:)

leg wax

will have 50% calved by monday i would say ,all going well,,, ah for the small little herd

Timmaay

Say my name wrote: »

That's my milkers gone out to grass this morning.
Bit of a relief seeing them out munching.
I don't like what they're saying about the weather on the weather forum though.
Hopefully it doesn't happen. Just have to manage whatever happens.

What are they saying? Yr forecast showing nothing but 4 and 5 degrees next week or so, uera in the yard here but will leave it there for the sec. Milkers out also, hugely took the pressure off the sheds here, lacking feed space, alongside calving boxes, and in any case heifers not cubicle trained.

einn32

alps wrote: »

Will they get all blocked up with stuff that would normally collect in your milk filter?

They're a good job alright especially with large numbers. They do get blocked but just pull out and a quick wash. Training yourself to look at them is key.

Say my name

Timmaay wrote: »

What are they saying? Yr forecast showing nothing but 4 and 5 degrees next week or so, uera in the yard here but will leave it there for the sec. Milkers out also, hugely took the pressure off the sheds here, lacking feed space, alongside calving boxes, and in any case heifers not cubicle trained.

They're saying there's snow on the way.
I'm not really taking much interest in the weather lately but looking at a few charts it looks to be all weather from the northwest. If this was 15 years ago it'd mean nothing only rain but lately we're getting snow from the northwest during the winter. Hopefully in the best case scenario it'll mean cool and dry for the southeast.

Reggie.

Say my name wrote: »

They're saying there's snow on the way.
I'm not really taking much interest in the weather lately but looking at a few charts it looks to be all weather from the northwest. If this was 15 years ago it'd mean nothing only rain but lately we're getting snow from the northwest during the winter. Hopefully in the best case scenario it'll mean cool and dry for the southeast.

A lot of moisture held in snow tho

Keepgrowing

The majority of cows are springing or so it appears. I'm sitting here wishing they'd just bloody get on with it and also in dread of what's around the corner. I'd say Sun/Mon the seal will break.

Will start off with 5/6 a day and reach 24/30 in the absolute peak. Its handling the calves that takes the real effort, the cows are the easier bit.

Calf sheds updated with a new she'd just finished. Slurry pipes coming in the morning, last big job, well not really as they don't need any input from us bar where to go. Cows out then with fert next when soil hits 8 and rising

Bring it on.