Dairy Chitchat 3

alps

Mooooo wrote: »

I have 9 acres drained here I was planning to reseed, but with contractors busy at silage late on and me elsewhere missed the chance last week. Was thinking of sowing a catch crop to help condition the soil and sow the grass next spring instead. Has anyone done it or is it a pointless exercise this late in the year? Wouldn't be worried about a grazeable crop as it's near a stream, more one to plough in next spring

Some very interesting info on this site.. Your own supplier will be able to source most of the product, but I find not that well up on advise..

https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/request-catalogue.asp

Siamsa Sessions

Mooooo wrote: »

I have 9 acres drained here I was planning to reseed, but with contractors busy at silage late on and me elsewhere missed the chance last week. Was thinking of sowing a catch crop to help condition the soil and sow the grass next spring instead. Has anyone done it or is it a pointless exercise this late in the year? Wouldn't be worried about a grazeable crop as it's near a stream, more one to plough in next spring

Tis gone late now but then again we set rape 2 weeks ago rather than grass seed with a view to grazing weanlings on it for the winter and improving the soil before setting the grass seed next March/April.

There was plenty trash left on the surface after disking it (mostly mulched rushes) so I'm hoping the rape roots and grazing it in-situ will help break up the sod more ahead of the grass seed.

Only time will tell I guess, but one guy I asked (on Twitter) swore that planting a cover crop no matter how late would always benefit the soil, especially when the seed itself is fairly cheap.

P.S. Just saw post re Cotswold seeds - I forgot to mention them and their website. Very useful info on it and very easy to navigate.

Reggie.

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Tis gone late now but then again we set rape 2 weeks ago rather than grass seed with a view to grazing weanlings on it for the winter and improving the soil before setting the grass seed next March/April.

There was plenty trash left on the surface after disking it (mostly mulched rushes) so I'm hoping the rape roots and grazing it in-situ will help break up the sod more ahead of the grass seed.

Only time will tell I guess, but one guy I asked (on Twitter) swore that planting a cover crop no matter how late would always benefit the soil, especially when the seed itself is fairly cheap.

P.S. Just saw post re Cotswold seeds - I forgot to mention them and their website. Very useful info on it and very easy to navigate.

Yeah the rape is a great crop before a reseed. Levels rough ground it and conditions it. Can save abit of time

Mooooo

There is an open drain and a stream bounding these fields so not suitable for winter grazing forage crops particularly if weather goes wet. Thanks for the info will look into those. Hope to spread dung on the fields so thinking the sowing the catch crop may incorporate it a bit better and prevent any runoff

Timmaay

Mooo I'm only getting around to the grass reseed here on thur. And if luck goes my way with the maize harvest I'd hope to get grass seed in with a single run of the disc harrow nearly the same day I cut it.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Mooooo wrote: »

There is an open drain and a stream bounding these fields so not suitable for winter grazing forage crops particularly if weather goes wet. Thanks for the info will look into those. Hope to spread dung on the fields so thinking the sowing the catch crop may incorporate it a bit better and prevent any runoff

Put something on it anyway, I think it must have a covercrop on it at least or you risk fines over GAEC?

Mooooo

Timmaay wrote: »

Mooo I'm only getting around to the grass reseed here on thur. And if luck goes my way with the maize harvest I'd hope to get grass seed in with a single run of the disc harrow nearly the same day I cut it.

If it was on the drier part of the farm I'd drive on with grass seed when suitable as grazing/ spraying would be more manageable at some stage but with this week a right off down here and in the wetter part of the farm I'd say a cover crop would be best id hope for. Did a late reseed on reclaimed ground before and it ended up being May before I could get into it the following year, with the result that there is prob more weed grasses than ryegrass in the field now.
One advantage at least will be the drains should have settled by spring and I shouldn't have any dips in the fields and hopefully the cover crops will have done something for the ground

yosemitesam1

Mooooo wrote: »

If it was on the drier part of the farm I'd drive on with grass seed when suitable as grazing/ spraying would be more manageable at some stage but with this week a right off down here and in the wetter part of the farm I'd say a cover crop would be best id hope for. Did a late reseed on reclaimed ground before and it ended up being May before I could get into it the following year, with the result that there is prob more weed grasses than ryegrass in the field now.
One advantage at least will be the drains should have settled by spring and I shouldn't have any dips in the fields and hopefully the cover crops will have done something for the ground

Oats might be a good option. Could throw on a bit of feet after Christmas with a view to cutting/zero grazing if it looks a decent stand

Wildsurfer

Why not put winter barley on it and cut as arable silage next year

whelan2

What height are your concrete walls on your feed passage and what gap between wall and feed rail?

visatorro

Are you putting a stub wall and just a bar on top or is it the width of the feed passage your looking for?

whelan2

visatorro wrote: »

Are you putting a stub wall and just a bar on top or is it the width of the feed passage your looking for?

The stub wall

visatorro

whelan2 wrote: »

visatorro wrote: »

Are you putting a stub wall and just a bar on top or is it the width of the feed passage your looking for?

The stub wall

Mine is 50cm high and 20cm wide. Lads told me to put in timbers but went with concrete. Its harder to break!

I just have a straight bar it's 103cm from the bottom of the bar to the ground. Maybe a little low for cows but I have heifer in the shed from time to time. Nothing has gone under it or over it!

I just used the bracket condon has for holding the horizontal pipes to the posts set in concrete for the cubicles and bolted them to the outside of the pillars of the shed iykwim

GrasstoMilk

20 inches measured from slat on the inside, feed barrier rail is 2.5 inches
Were bringing the concrete outside up 4 inches higher that the slat I side so the feeding passage will be up higher, if you get me?

Cows will drag in baled silage with a straight rsil if it's not chopped

Buford T. Justice XIX

If anyone is looking at calf housing in the near future, William Conlon has tied all the recent calf housing articles into one thread.

https://twitter.com/WilliamConlon/status/1176905772376178693?s=19

You'll have to get a subscription or use the code for access to them but theres a nice variety of choices there.

jaymla627

Brother managed to let 10 of the neighbours 24 month old fresian bulls that where roaming the road this morning in with the maiden heifers was fully convinced they where mine asked him ten times was he sure they where heifers, he had another 15 going into same field before I managed to get milking finished and cut them off with quad, gardai arrived then on scence

Wildsurfer

jaymla627 wrote: »

Brother managed to let 10 of the neighbours 24 month old fresian bulls that where roaming the road this morning in with the maiden heifers was fully convinced they where mine asked him ten times was he sure they where heifers, he had another 15 going into same field before I managed to get milking finished and cut them off with quad, gardai arrived then on scence

Why, what did you do to your brother!

Say my name

jaymla627 wrote: »

Brother managed to let 10 of the neighbours 24 month old fresian bulls that where roaming the road this morning in with the maiden heifers was fully convinced they where mine asked him ten times was he sure they where heifers, he had another 15 going into same field before I managed to get milking finished and cut them off with quad, gardai arrived then on scence

Was the ambulance called as well?

Say my name

I kind of had my own mishap with a heifer getting to a bull.
How many days after is the injection supposed to be given?

straight

Say my name wrote: »

Was the ambulance called as well?

Hope your brother gets well soon.

jaymla627

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Why, what did you do to your brother!

Neighbours had them called 3 lawns of nicely manicured houses nicely cut up, managed to get them out of the field handy enough with the quad after gardai came over all snotty about the cattle ready to read the riot act wasn't long turning back around

alps

Lithuania....can only weep at milk price v's costs..

https://www.dairyglobal.net/Milking/Articles/2018/2/Making-good-money-in-dairy-farming-245698E/

whelan2

What are people paying for dairy nuts atm?

Mooooo

Whelan, you prob may have this anyway but in your new set up it may be worth putting in a tank or an area that can scraped to a tank on exiting the parlour/ collecting yard, it's in weather like this it pays to have plenty concrete exiting and entering the yard. They pass a lot of dung here at the minute as I'm holding till after milking to walk them down/ across the road a bit to silage ground

kevthegaff

cow slipped and teat hanging off, whats the best procedure?

atlantic mist

happened to four here last year, our vets advice was to chop of teat and milk on three and cull at end of year, we dnt do that to any of them

the only one still here is the one i managed put dry cow into and gave her a double dose of dry cow and put sudercream on cut for a week, it all depends on where the cut is

you can stitch the teat but unless you dry off and give it a chance to heal it wouldnt work, if shes in any condition id try get her into the factory straight away, they loose some condition in the weeks after

whelan2

Mooooo wrote: »

Whelan, you prob may have this anyway but in your new set up it may be worth putting in a tank or an area that can scraped to a tank on exiting the parlour/ collecting yard, it's in weather like this it pays to have plenty concrete exiting and entering the yard. They pass a lot of dung here at the minute as I'm holding till after milking to walk them down/ across the road a bit to silage ground

I'm just doing the cubicle shed this year. Will do parlour in a year or 2. Finding it hard to get concrete atm so it's slowing work down.

Timmaay

Spent half the day here in the eye and ear hospital in Dublin, chap I have working got some cement dust in his eye while making a mix of concrete. I had no idea how dangerous cement can be, but it most certainly stings like fook and can cause long term damage if not treated quickly and properly. All ended up grand afterwards with him, but something I'll be more cautious of in future definitely.

tanko

Say my name wrote: »

I kind of had my own mishap with a heifer getting to a bull.
How many days after is the injection supposed to be given?

At least 10 days after the event.

straight

Do any of ye use opened salmonella bottles 3 weeks later. I've a full bottle with just 2 doses gone out of it 3 weeks ago.