Dairy chit chat II

GrasstoMilk

Mooooo wrote: »

She calved early last year alright. May be best option alright. Would be afraid of mastitis alright. Condition wise she is fine

She probably held to her first serve. I'd a cow that was due in April calve last week. She held to her first serve.
2 heifers calves yesterday that weren't due until 1st week of march.
They must have held to there first serve aswell

Mooooo

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

She probably held to her first serve. I'd a cow that was due in April calve last week. She held to her first serve.
2 heifers calves yesterday that weren't due until 1st week of march.
They must have held to there first serve aswell

Must give the ai man a good giving out to in the mirror later

cjpm

yewtree wrote: »

Are the heifers over fat? Have you stock from the bull previously? It might just be that the bull is producing calves unsuitable for heifers.

Not over fat, but in good shape.

Used the bull on heifers the past 3 years.

Had three heifers calve in the last 12 hours and none needed assistance so maybe I'm overreacting!

whelan2

Mooooo wrote: »

She calved early last year alright. May be best option alright. Would be afraid of mastitis alright. Condition wise she is fine

Maybe she's carrying twins

PMU

degetme wrote: »

Lads 46% of herd calved and 6% went down with milk fever. Never have it so bad. No change in dry cow mineral. There are slightly flesher than other years.
Any of ye with milk fever?
using bottle under skin on any older fleshy cows. The two that went down we're 2012 born with three lactation done.

my vet recomends an injection of vitamin d3 a few hours before calving.

Buford T. Justice XIX

whelan2 wrote: »

Maybe she's carrying twins

I had a cow abort about 2 months early in the cubicle shed the other night. I bagged the cleanings and a small ball about the size of a kitten and stuck the cow in the isolation unit. Rang the vet the following morning and he couldn't come out till the evening.

I went to drive the cow into the crush that evening and the cow was after having a heifer calf, full term but smothered with the bag over her head.

She must have held to the first service and I don't know if she aborted the first or it was non viable.

Sometimes I hate this job:(

Keepgrowing

I note that LIC have abandoned the requirement to sign a contract of buying semen from them. I think the message from ground level was fairly clear that we wouldn't be happy to.

I totally see where they're coming from in trying to protect their intellectual property but they should be in the market for the Bulls if they want that protection. Some of the top EBI Bulls in Ireland have their genetics but I can't see how they can out that gene back in its bottle. They could start buying and testing Bulls but that would be direct competition with their NZ farmer shareholders who want the big bucks for their stock

A bit rich not allowing our off spring be sold and they not prepared to take even first refusal.

Mooooo

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I note that LIC have abandoned the requirement to sign a contract of buying semen from them. I think the message from ground level was fairly clear that we wouldn't be happy to.

I totally see where they're coming from in trying to protect their intellectual property but they should be in the market for the Bulls if they want that protection. Some of the top EBI Bulls in Ireland have their genetics but I can't see how they can out that gene back in its bottle. They could start buying and testing Bulls but that would be direct competition with their NZ farmer shareholders who want the big bucks for their stock

A bit rich not allowing our off spring be sold and they not prepared to take even first refusal.

Did you contact them about it or was it stated somewhere?

freedominacup

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Some of the top EBI Bulls in Ireland have their genetics

All of the top ebi bulls in Ireland have someone else's genetics in them. What's their point? I have serious money invested in the genetics in my herd. If a bull turned up amongst the stock born here with the right credentials which AI company to I stop paying at, on which side of the parentage? Do I kick some money back to the breeder of the original cow in the family in question? Should he be kicking a few quid in royalties back to the AI company that supplied the semen this cow was bred from. Wtf makes the shower of chancers in lic,or any other AI company, believe their small piece of a particular animals genetic makeup is so special?

How far do you think I'd get id I started to dictate to someone buying heifers or any other stock from me what they could do with the offspring. This ip idea was a real invented by committee job. There's only two mm's for this crowd and one of them is fcuk 'em.

whelan2

Mooooo wrote: »

Did you contact them about it or was it stated somewhere?

It was on the farmers journal website yesterday http://www.farmersjournal.ie/lic-backs-down-on-ai-contracts-254933/

Mooooo

Just had the first fleikveih calf there a big heifer a day over time. Colourings are the same as any other calf tho, was expecting a white face black body type colouring. Big calf but cow calved herself. A couple more due in the next few days will see what they're like

freedominacup

whelan2 wrote: »

It was on the farmers journal website yesterday http://www.farmersjournal.ie/lic-backs-down-on-ai-contracts-254933/

After reading that article it's time for the dept to revoke lic's licence to sell in this country. And the customers willing to sign that contract are some fools. Lic should be shown the door to protect dairy farmers interests and to protect us from the fools willing to set a precedent by signing such a ridiculous contract. Google copyright infringements and gm seed to see the reductio ad absurdum lengths seed companies have gone to to "protect" their ip to see where this shower of cnuts are heading. No discussion with icbf. We'll let ye back in after a couple of years but only at bull of the day prices for 5 years as a fine.

Mooooo

Mooooo wrote: »

Just had the first fleikveih calf there a big heifer a day over time. Colourings are the same as any other calf tho, was expecting a white face black body type colouring. Big calf but cow calved herself. A couple more due in the next few days will see what they're like

Just looked at the sire, says he doesn't brand all calves with white heads, will see if it will eff3ct bull calf sale price

Mooooo

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I note that LIC have abandoned the requirement to sign a contract of buying semen from them. I think the message from ground level was fairly clear that we wouldn't be happy to.

I totally see where they're coming from in trying to protect their intellectual property but they should be in the market for the Bulls if they want that protection. Some of the top EBI Bulls in Ireland have their genetics but I can't see how they can out that gene back in its bottle. They could start buying and testing Bulls but that would be direct competition with their NZ farmer shareholders who want the big bucks for their stock

A bit rich not allowing our off spring be sold and they not prepared to take even first refusal.

The article also suggests they won't import their best bulls due to this also, still acting the bollix

Keepgrowing

freedominacup wrote: »

All of the top ebi bulls in Ireland have someone else's genetics in them. What's their point? I have serious money invested in the genetics in my herd. If a bull turned up amongst the stock born here with the right credentials which AI company to I stop paying at, on which side of the parentage? Do I kick some money back to the breeder of the original cow in the family in question? Should he be kicking a few quid in royalties back to the AI company that supplied the semen this cow was bred from. Wtf makes the shower of chancers in lic,or any other AI company, believe their small piece of a particular animals genetic makeup is so special?

How far do you think I'd get id I started to dictate to someone buying heifers or any other stock from me what they could do with the offspring. This ip idea was a real invented by committee job. There's only two mm's for this crowd and one of them is fcuk 'em.

I 100% agree and wasn't prepared to ever sign a contract but am delighted now as they're the only stock I've any interest in using well perhaps I may use another source for 20% of our cows

pedigree 6

Mooooo wrote: »

Just looked at the sire, says he doesn't brand all calves with white heads, will see if it will eff3ct bull calf sale price

It's the opposite here.
I have calves 7/8ths Friesian 1/8th Montbeliarde still coming with the white head.

The way it's looking here my whole herd will be full of white heads.
They won't disappear and they're among the first to calve down.:pac:

pedigree 6

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I 100% agree and wasn't prepared to ever sign a contract but am delighted now as they're the only stock I've any interest in using well perhaps I may use another source for 20% of our cows

But at least PG and Dovea are still in the market if they want to buy the best of your bull calves. Sell to the highest bidder. Not the one that ties your hands behind your back.

It is some farce though. Imagine if Coolmore told all their breeders, your not allowed to sell that colt foal to anyone else but us. The breeders would go mental not to mention Goffs and Tattersalls. It would ruin the industry.

If this is allowed go through, there's no going back.

Mooooo

pedigree 6 wrote: »

It's the opposite here.
I have calves 7/8ths Friesian 1/8th Montbeliarde still coming with the white head.

The way it's looking here my whole herd will be full of white heads.
They won't disappear and they're among the first to calve down.:pac:

How do you find they're temperament? Vet here reckons montys were the worst to do anything with. A while since he has seem them tho

pedigree 6

Mooooo wrote: »

How do you find they're temperament? Vet here reckons montys were the worst to do anything with. A while since he has seem them tho

I found ours same as the rest of the cows.
Maybe it's different bloodlines within the breed and I was lucky.
We started off by buying halfbred heifer calves off the one breeder for two years running and then an odd purebred or halfbred off other breeders.
Give me one of em over a leggy narrow Holstein any day.

Fat and protein % wouldn't be the greatest but can select within breed for that.
But crossbred fertility is very good.

Keepgrowing

Mooooo wrote: »

The article also suggests they won't import their best bulls due to this also, still acting the bollix

"The article suggests" but did LIC say so, I wonder?

Have their catalogue here and all the top kiwis are in it, we'll all the ones I want. We take a hit on EBI but it's a price we don't mind paying. All I want is a 500-520 kg cow doing 500 Kgs Ms

Mooooo

Keepgrowing wrote: »

"The article suggests" but did LIC say so, I wonder?

Have their catalogue here and all the top kiwis are in it, we'll all the ones I want. We take a hit on EBI but it's a price we don't mind paying. All I want is a 500-520 kg cow doing 500 Kgs Ms

Do you go on bw when selecting bulls or ebi or both?

Keepgrowing

Mooooo wrote: »

Do you go on bw when selecting bulls or ebi or both?

We use both but aren't caught up in the EBI race.

Timmaay

Cows out by night, 10th Feb, definitely the earliest they have got out here. Bloody glad to be able to send them out, short on cow spaces with a straw bedded shed back as a calving pen, and freshly calved heifers standing around all night against lying in the cubicles.

alps

Mooooo wrote: »

How do you find they're temperament? Vet here reckons montys were the worst to do anything with. A while since he has seem them tho

Tried monty's back in the early 00's , and the white head is still coming on calves this year 4 generations removed.

You'll get good money for the bull calves, they yielded on par with any other breed, but we stopped using the breed for a number of reasons,

Found it difficult to get to calve down at 24 months..seemed later maturing
Very hard on themselves at calving....regardless of sire the calves were very big
The body weight of the cows was just too high relative to yield.

But for milk, toughness in bad weather, and calf value, they were great..

alps

First milk in yhe tank this morning...thought we'd make it, but the milk level is just short of the agitator..would apprecite knowing what others would do in the situation.

K.G.

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I note that LIC have abandoned the requirement to sign a contract of buying semen from them. I think the message from ground level was fairly clear that we wouldn't be happy to.

I totally see where they're coming from in trying to protect their intellectual property but they should be in the market for the Bulls if they want that protection. Some of the top EBI Bulls in Ireland have their genetics but I can't see how they can out that gene back in its bottle. They could start buying and testing Bulls but that would be direct competition with their NZ farmer shareholders who want the big bucks for their stock


A bit rich not allowing our off spring be sold and they not prepared to take even first refusal.

Good to see,it would have been sad to see 20years of business wiped out and probaly take eurogene with them which i gather was what they were facing.wonder what peter daly would have thought of it

Buford T. Justice XIX

alps wrote: »

First milk in yhe tank this morning...thought we'd make it, but the milk level is just short of the agitator..would apprecite knowing what others would do in the situation.

Switch off the tank till the next milking. The next milk will rise the level to the agitator and any separated fat will be back in the milk again.

pedigree 6

alps wrote: »

Tried monty's back in the early 00's , and the white head is still coming on calves this year 4 generations removed.

You'll get good money for the bull calves, they yielded on par with any other breed, but we stopped using the breed for a number of reasons,

Found it difficult to get to calve down at 24 months..seemed later maturing
Very hard on themselves at calving....regardless of sire the calves were very big
The body weight of the cows was just too high relative to yield.

But for milk, toughness in bad weather, and calf value, they were great..

I was at a montbeliarde farm walk last year and they're after coping on that the big tall leggy montys are not suitable for the Irish spring 365 calving system.

There was an advisor from France over and he was telling of which bulls give the medium sized thick cows suitable for grazing here.

Them are the type of cow that I always look for regardless of breed.

The first cross and purebred you do need to keep pushing them from when they're born to calve down at 2. But you should be doing that with all your replacements anyway regardless of breed.

Lads make the mistake of allowing or breeding too big animals and calving down at 30 months and then these animals can carry too much weight and can loose too much weight after calving too (depending on milk yield) and can be harder to get in calf then.

I'd always prefer a crossbred over a purebred. Although there are some breeders (not many) who breed the mid size butty thick good yielders. Bulls from these are often better and more suitable than what's in ai.

kowtow

alps wrote: »

First milk in yhe tank this morning...thought we'd make it, but the milk level is just short of the agitator..would apprecite knowing what others would do in the situation.

I have seen the occasional pair of vice grips used to extend an agitator paddle.

Imagine, what kind of person has stainless steel vice grips?

Mooooo

pedigree 6 wrote: »

I was at a montbeliarde farm walk last year and they're after coping on that the big tall leggy montys are not suitable for the Irish spring 365 calving system.

There was an advisor from France over and he was telling of which bulls give the medium sized thick cows suitable for grazing here.

Them are the type of cow that I always look for regardless of breed.

The first cross and purebred you do need to keep pushing them from when they're born to calve down at 2. But you should be doing that with all your replacements anyway regardless of breed.

Lads make the mistake of allowing or breeding too big animals and calving down at 30 months and then these animals can carry too much weight and can loose too much weight after calving too (depending on milk yield) and can be harder to get in calf then.

I'd always prefer a crossbred over a purebred. Although there are some breeders (not many) who breed the mid size butty thick good yielders. Bulls from these are often better and more suitable than what's in ai.

The fleikveih bull I used is waldbrand, s1483 ebi down to 20. Has 16k milking daughters apparently. Only 5 or 6 calving down to him only a bit of an experiment really some of the cows would have gotten a bb otherwise. Will see what they turn out like anywho