Dairy chit chat II

Waffletraktor

wrangler wrote: »

Some new tanks have pipes pumping air through the slurry all the time leaving them ready to spread anytime, have you seen this

Called a 'Slurry Bubbler'

Mooooo

Aeration system good when it stays working. Key is have water in tank before any stock go on and leave it running all year. If left idle silt can block the pipes. Have a house for compressor and control box. No good in shallow tanks, need to be 7ft plus to work properly and any shallow ones it will only blow **** up thru slats.

straight

My cows are back in off grass for the last week and protein has dropped below 3. The silage bales are overgrown and must be bad quality. Yields are holding up ok. On 5 kg of a good dairy nut. I had a similar issue in the autumn when milking off silage. Is there anything I can give the cows to help them milk off silage at the shoulders of the year. Would beet be good?

mahoney_j

straight wrote: »

My cows are back in off grass for the last week and protein has dropped below 3. The silage bales are overgrown and must be bad quality. Yields are holding up ok. On 5 kg of a good dairy nut. I had a similar issue in the autumn when milking off silage. Is there anything I can give the cows to help them milk off silage at the shoulders of the year. Would beet be good?

Protein under 3 is lack of grass but more crucially lack of energy .are u feeding a high p nut ??thatll drive milk but will strip condition off cows

straight

mahoney_j wrote: »

Protein under 3 is lack of grass but more crucially lack of energy .are u feeding a high p nut ??thatll drive milk but will strip condition off cows

18% protein.

freedominacup

straight wrote: »

18% protein.

Get some ground maize. 2kg as a midday feed while they're indoors on top if silage if you have headspace would help. Better quality meal would help also. Silage quality you seem to be well aware of. That's totally in your own hands to change for coming years.

Neddyusa

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Not really. Soil is slow to warm up and slow to cool down. You need air temps at a good 10 degrees to get soil over 6 after a cold spell

Exactly,

It needs to be above 6 on average for a week before growth really kicks off.

You will get some growth and small response to fert N when it is reaching 6 degrees in the middle of the day - but only very very little growth.

It has only just gone above 6 here the past three days since the freeze last week.

Mooooo

A lot of beet on the road down here. Hit the back wall of silage pit this week, still a few ton on the ramp and a few bales left along with some maize silage. If it dries up next week should do but if not a neighbour has offered grass silage. Only out one day this week p holding at 3.6 but scc all over the shop. Feeding 8kgs of ration also

Reggie.

Neddyusa wrote: »

Exactly,

It needs to be above 6 on average for a week before growth really kicks off.

You will get some growth and small response to fert N when it is reaching 6 degrees in the middle of the day - but only very very little growth.

It has only just gone above 6 here the past three days since the freeze last week.

That graph only shows the temp at that location. It can't be used as a measure for the whole country

Growth is growth. I'll take any amount of it that comes.

Rather a small bit each day than none at all

blue5000

https://www.met.ie/latest/yesterday.asp

Yesterday's weather on met eireann will give you a good idea, Knock sensor must have got a belt from a passing plane, or else it's really cold there.

kevthegaff

Putting in sprayers in the next week, do they get entangled with cluster removers or are the one single one along the ground better?

Coolfresian

kevthegaff wrote: »

Putting in sprayers in the next week, do they get entangled with cluster removers or are the one single one along the ground better?

I changed from several spray points to one along the ground when I put in the new parlour and practically I find the one along the ground a better job. Quicker to dip as I have a 20 unit and easy to keep tidy once used to it. Just start dipping at one end and hang up at the other, then start from the other side on next row and work back up.

whelan2

Threw out the sprayer system. Use little hand sprayers from dealz. 2 for €1.50.

Timmaay

whelan2 wrote: »

Threw out the sprayer system. Use little hand sprayers from dealz. 2 for €1.50.

Been using a 5l garden sprayer here, they work perfect at the start but all are too cheap and flimsy, can only get 2months outa one. I'd happily pay 50/100e for a properly build one that would last and be reliable, anyone know where I'd get a good one?

whelan2

Timmaay wrote: »

Been using a 5l garden sprayer here, they work perfect at the start but all are too cheap and flimsy, can only get 2months outa one. I'd happily pay 50/100e for a properly build one that would last and be reliable, anyone know where I'd get a good one?

I was using a drum of spray a week with the sprayer system. Now use a drum a month. Teat spray isnt cheap

K.G.

One spray gun for 14 ,make sure you can hang it up.tend to spray half let out take clusters off and spray the last half of a line of cows

kevthegaff

I just see with the drop down hoses they get in the way, do they break if one along the ground?

Coolfresian

kevthegaff wrote: »

I just see with the drop down hoses they get in the way, do they break if one along the ground?

Have a strong hose along the ground. In a few months now, no issues yet. Very happy with it. Our machine fitters recommended it over drop down hoses as they can get in the way.

simx

whelan2 wrote: »

Threw out the sprayer system. Use little hand sprayers from dealz. 2 for €1.50.

Was going to get spraying system but bought 3 bottles 6 jubilee clips and 3 bits of bungee ropes instead, cheap version of hang down system

kowtow

alps wrote:

What be the lowest it went to, say during the cold spell? At 3 ft deep, does the heat come from above of below? Am I right in thinking a cave could hold 12c year round..

Between 8 and 12 I would say, with solid humidity. Great for cheese.

Keepgrowing

Dear "my buddy"

I understand from "your buddy" that you are concerned about the welfare of cows on Irish dairy farms.

I'm posting these pics to support your view. These pics are representative of the majority of dairy farms. I'll freely admit there are farms where conditions may be worse and some that will be better but on the whole these about get the average.

These cows are stocked at 4/ha and as you say overstocking is a big problem.
They've been through Ophellia, the beast from the east etc and their condition is showing it too.

It's clearly an animal welfare time bomb on Irish dairy farms due to as you put it over stocking etc.

Kindest regards

KG

PS. I forgot to draw your attention to the cows being caked in shyte as is typical across the industry

charolais0153

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Dear "my buddy"

I understand from "your buddy" that you are concerned about the welfare of cows on Irish dairy farms.

I'm posting these pics to support your view. These pics are representative of the majority of dairy farms. I'll freely admit there are farms where conditions may be worse and some that will be better but on the whole these about get the average.

These cows are stocked at 4/ha and as you say overstocking is a big problem.
They've been through Ophellia, the beast from the east etc and their condition is showing it too.

It's clearly an animal welfare time bomb on Irish dairy farms due to as you put it over stocking etc.

Kindest regards

KG

PS. I forgot to draw your attention to the cows being caked in shyte as is typical across the industry

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Lol.

Interesting read on a Sunday morning.

Indoor or outdoor doesn’t really matter a damn.
Post photos of ye’r cows people. I’ve only seen one photo posted of cows not caked in shyte this winter, and that’s Keepgrowing. Doesn’t he have OCs?

Any other photos of cows they may as well have them on slats....

He has said that they arent caked in shyte... And has said yours are the only cows hes seen that are clean so i dont know what youre getting at kg

Mooooo

Pics from jan

Mooooo

Didn't come up

Keepgrowing

Mooooo wrote: »

Didn't come up

Jaysus Mooo you should be shut down, clear welfare problems in that yard

Water John

Nice to see clean, cosy cows. Top marks. A pleasure for beast and man/woman.

whelan2

Anyone bring culls to the mart/factory recently?

kevthegaff

I have a few high scc cows, was gona bring to the mart around 560 kgs, what will they make?

Mooooo

Fcuk sake couple of cows bulling today and in comes a cow with front teat cut to bits

RedPeppers

kevthegaff wrote: »

I have a few high scc cows, was gona bring to the mart around 560 kgs, what will they make?

Sold a good few culls in Mart lately with bit of flesh on them straight from parlour made between 1.25 and 1.50/kg