Dairy chit chat II

whelan2

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

I think this year is out to get me.

Had 2 cows bulling last night and separated them out into a straw bedded shed. Left them off this morning and one of them was down on the road when I went to feed. It looks like her left leg is broken at the femur.

That's 5 broken legs this winter as against 1 cow in the last 20+ years with a broken leg.

FFS:(

Was it you who had a problem with the knackery not taking an animal off the system?

Buford T. Justice XIX

Waffletraktor wrote: »

With that many could there have been a change in mineral regime causing a lack of calcium /phosphorus being re-laid down in bones once cows gets past peak ?demand?

We do a mineral analysis 4 times a year and nothing showing up on the last one. There may be an issue with selenium but we're waiting on results for that but the macros are all good. Exact same results for the last year. Spring milk only as well.

whelan2 wrote: »

Was it you who had a problem with the knackery not taking an animal off the system?

Yeah, finally got it sorted. Whoever was typing in the numbers inputted her tag number incorrectly so the system wouldn't take her off. No apologies either for the threatening letters sent out to me despite doing everything I needed to do.

Reggie.

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

I think this year is out to get me.

Had 2 cows bulling last night and separated them out into a straw bedded shed. Left them off this morning and one of them was down on the road when I went to feed. It looks like her left leg is broken at the femur.

That's 5 broken legs this winter as against 1 cow in the last 20+ years with a broken leg.

FFS:(

Jaysus

whelan2

I got in trouble for getting a cow with a broken leg put down between testing and reading the test. What are you supposed to do leave the cow in pain for 2 days .....

blackdog1

Nice to see one of our esteemed board members highlighted in a nice article on agriland. Nice to read, pity there weren't more pictures of your setup!.

kevthegaff

blackdog1 wrote:

Nice to see one of our esteemed board members highlighted in a nice article on agriland. Nice to read, pity there weren't more pictures of your setup!.

I met him in jumpnjims today! Good article I read after coming back from a few jars last night.

mahoney_j

blackdog1 wrote: »

Nice to see one of our esteemed board members highlighted in a nice article on agriland. Nice to read, pity there weren't more pictures of your setup!.

Rumor has it he’s meant to be a miserable auld fooker ......

Water John

Is that the only rumour, you have heard???

Base price

whelan2 wrote: »

I got in trouble for getting a cow with a broken leg put down between testing and reading the test. What are you supposed to do leave the cow in pain for 2 days .....

Get your Vet to approve immediate slaughter due to welfare legislation?

Water John

I suppose it might have been different if you gave the vet a callout to carry out the euthenasia?

Dakota Dan

whelan2 wrote: »

I got in trouble for getting a cow with a broken leg put down between testing and reading the test. What are you supposed to do leave the cow in pain for 2 days .....

I had a cow last year that died between testing and reading, the vet didn't seem to know what to do about her but she said send her off to the knackery and I heard no more about it. Surely they should have enough cop on to know these things can happen.

Dakota Dan

Water John wrote: »

I suppose it might have been different if you gave the vet a callout to carry out the euthenasia?

My vet put down a cow that ruptured her womb calving except he made a hames of it, aimed too low on her head and fooked off and cow still half alive.

Base price

Dakota Dan wrote: »

I had a cow last year that died between testing and reading, the vet didn't seem to know what to do about her but she said send her off to the knackery and I heard no more about it. Surely they should have enough cop on to know these things can happen.

A few years ago we had a weanling that died during the annual herd test. We phoned the practice to let them know and that the knackery lorry was on the way to collect the carcass. Our Vet dealt with whatever requirements with DAFM and we never heard more about it.

Reggie.

mahoney_j wrote: »

Rumor has it he’s meant to be a miserable auld fooker ......

That ain't no rumour

straight

Finding it hard to get the cows out to grass in this weather. With 6 month winters and a lack of relief Milkers an indoor system with robots is starting to appeal. Output would be a lot more controllable and consistent. Hi cost i know and i couldn't look at them indoors for 12 months

Mooooo

straight wrote: »

Finding it hard to get the cows out to grass in this weather. With 6 month winters and a lack of relief Milkers an indoor system with robots is starting to appeal. Output would be a lot more controllable and consistent. Hi cost i know and i couldn't look at them indoors for 12 months

Was th8nking myself what I'll do in 5 to 10 years. Will have some debt paid down then and hopefully set up a system to see me out then properly. Milking here and between few cases of mastitis fresh calvers and the in and out tbh I don't look forward to it atm. Put feeders in parlour a few years ago, cows were a way quieter and more pleasant to milk when not being fed in parlour. They're always belting and pucking and every row has a couple that have to stop at every trough on the way out causing the rest to **** then

Base price

straight wrote: »

Finding it hard to get the cows out to grass in this weather. With 6 month winters and a lack of relief Milkers an indoor system with robots is starting to appeal. Output would be a lot more controllable and consistent. Hi cost i know and i couldn't look at them indoors for 12 months

I know feck all about modern dairying but would a zero grazing type scenario help in the immediate term.
Personally I wouldn't be in favour of robotic indoor systems as imo such systems are not conducive to our marketing image of Irish cows grazing in lush fields/Kerrygold etc, iykwim.

Timmaay

Base price wrote: »

I know feck all about modern dairying but would a zero grazing type scenario help in the immediate term.
Personally I wouldn't be in favour of robotic indoor systems as imo such systems are not conducive to our marketing image of Kerrygold, iykwim.

If you're on a 6 month winter anyways, and not putting much emphasis on grass in the diet you could always easily open the gates and let them graze around the parlour during the other 6 months of the year. There are quite afew reasonably priced 2nd hand robots in the uk and the mainland European, chap in the uk called Tim Gibson who deals in them, would be a tidy saving over a new one.

Milking is far from my favourite chore, I did look at the robot option before, however instead I've got on very well with getting in students and other young lads to relief milk here, they are out there if you go looking and keep an open mind, milking suits them due to the decent enough wage and part time hours, just keep the milking a simple predictable routine for them and you should have no problem training in the most inexperienced of lads within afew milkings.

straight

Base price wrote: »

I know feck all about modern dairying but would a zero grazing type scenario help in the immediate term.
Personally I wouldn't be in favour of robotic indoor systems as imo such systems are not conducive to our marketing image of Irish cows grazing in lush fields/Kerrygold etc, iykwim.

I agree re the image but we get paid a world price for our commodity. There's more to life than milking cows. Now having said that I'm happy for the time being. Just thinking about the future

wrangler

straight wrote: »

I agree re the image but we get paid a world price for our commodity. There's more to life than milking cows. Now having said that I'm happy for the time being. Just thinking about the future

If as Base says, that the image is getting markets however bad, It should be encouraged.
We're out on the edge of the markets here and nothing going for us, why would anyone buy our milk if it's produced the same as milk nearer to the market,
World price, bad and all as it is, is better than no market.

whelan2

Scanned Autumn calvers there. 2cows not in calf. All heifers in calf. Sucklers in calf

GrasstoMilk

How many cows does the 500 ml bottle of fil tail paint do? Typically?

trixi2011

Usually get just short of a row here so about 30/35

Gawddawggonnit

Off tonight to E. Europe on my quarterly reminder of the fragility of W. European family farms...

whelan2

What bulls are ye planning on using this year?

GrasstoMilk

Sticking with EBI, have ordered 50 gene Ireland straws aswell.
Fr 2239, 2298, YAB, 2236, 4172 on the cows

Fr 2385
Fr 4018
Fr 2297 on the heifers

Av ebi 274
195kg for milk and 29.5 kg for solids .15%bf .11%p

visatorro

whelan2 wrote: »

Scanned Autumn calvers there. 2cows not in calf. All heifers in calf. Sucklers in calf

Handled a couple of spring calvers not showing signs of springing. Three incalf and two empty. They were scanned incalf last Sept. Up on the trailer this week.

visatorro

whelan2 wrote: »

What bulls are ye planning on using this year?

Aberdeen Angus all the way

alps

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

How many cows does the 500 ml bottle of fil tail paint do? Typically?

One 500ml will easily do 10 cows for the season....

100 cows....10 bottles split in 2 colours...

mahoney_j

whelan2 wrote: »

What bulls are ye planning on using this year?

Fr2298
Fr2239
Fr2314
Fr4513
Fr4532
Fr4510
Fr4337
Fr4482
Lwr