Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123280372#Comment_123280372

A four foot high, four foot deep nest at the back of the pen would be a big help, we had a calf shed that'd kill a farm of calves if they didnt have a nest to go in to on a cold night and you'd see them lying out in the front of the pen during the heat of the day.

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123282089#Comment_123282089

Calf hutches inside pens

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123282130#Comment_123282130

There's a jfc individual calf tub on that idea for inside a shed. You don't really need a roof when it's in the shed. It's the side draughts. They are costly though. And if one had a forklift to bring the tubs outside for mucking out and powerwashing. Better again.

ginger22

But shure with jackets they don't get cold.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123282335#Comment_123282335

i would hardly buy myself a jacket never mind calves.

ginger22

Jackets are well worth the money

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281671#Comment_123281671

5 cows/ha will definitely be under pressure. You might be under pressure to collect enough slurry to be able to export to your outside blocks. It could leave you with no fertiliser allowance for the platform.

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123280784#Comment_123280784

That's where my head is still at, and if anything I'm trying to breed own that can pay their way with less meal.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281573#Comment_123281573

That's scary levels of meal feeding! BTW why the decimals, is that the average for your herd or something? Surely it would depend on cow live weight, lactation etc?

I always heard 4kg/feed was max.

awaywithyou

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123282839#Comment_123282839

id imagine some of that would be going through a diet feeder… know a guy thats feeding 15kgs… 7kg in the parlour.. 8kg 4way mix in the diet feeder…

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281772#Comment_123281772

Nasal swabs worked here ... the bloods were more patchy which I didn't expect to happen

green daries

@Castlekeeper I was being a bit extreme in my example I have never fed that levels to cows (they wouldn't return on investment). Them figures were from indoor farmers pushing things to the max extreme production and extreme costs.

A cow will easily eat 10 kg of meal on grass without causing any issues. And yes I have fed that level of feed.

BTW 4kgs to what exactly i see lads feeding that to yearling beef breeds this year

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281129#Comment_123281129

He got home yesterday, good to have him home. Jinxed myself had to lift a cow out of cubicle shed yesterday evening, she only went with cows yesterday morning

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283617#Comment_123283617

Great To hear hes home whelan. never seen a year like it with cows doing stupid kamikaze/suicide stuff here myself.

jaymla627

Great news their now, ole chap is selling the outfarm with 10 acres silage slab and sheds, with a house attached that the brother bought when the farm was bought 15 years ago for 35k and has rented ever since , because he's buying a f**k of mansion locally and the house attached to the farm will be alot more valuable if the whole lot is sold together, f**king embrassing the stories that will be going around about us now when it goes up, and not a euro coming my way out of it....

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284123#Comment_123284123

Tis the oldest story in history. If a thing ain't down on paper, it's not real. How many lads have spent their life's working for relations/neighbours and when a change comes they are asked to leave.

Don't let it upset you or cause a falling out with your family. Just learn from it.

You are a young educated man, you can take another route if it pleases you

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284123#Comment_123284123

It's a pain to think people are talking about you, but try not to let local gossips bother you.

And it's no consolation to know every farm family has its own sh*te. I'm under pressure here to catch up with concrete and steel coz nothing was done over the past 20 years while the farm was rented out. And I never saw a cent of that rent.

To be honest, you'd be wondering if taking on more debt is worth it. Especially if you have options outside the farm-gate.

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284339#Comment_123284339

I have 60% of the farm in my name including the yard and all the infrastructure/livestock/maxhinery , will be putting a for sale sign up on it, if the remaining block isn't transferred over before the summer after the above stunt been pulled

whelan2

TThere's Always one in every family, my sister complained of me getting the farm, she's never set foot on the farm, I said you're welcome to it all. You'd think it was a blessing to get the farm rather than a life sentence it feels like

Wildsurfer

Every family get together at a restaurant, the smart comment let him pay for that shur he got the farm. Every one of them with bigger houses, cars and bank balances than me!

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284358#Comment_123284358

After you plough the money in and associated debt you'll get the tagline sure in x amount of years when it's payed off you'll be better off than we ever where, sacrificed 20 years here to turn around a proverbial bombsite and the above line get trotted out

mahoney_j

out the other side of all that **** here I have been supporting my man and dad who passed away few years back financially for 15 years ….last year I bought out the old family home which is on farm and where we live ….wasnt good enough for a greedy bunch …I bought them out but they’ve still insisted I have to pay my mothers rent ….in fooking cash 1000/month ….cant put it through my accounts or claim rent relief ….caused me some serious stress but not one of them give a shite and have me painted as the greedy one locally ….few porkies told too which I wasn’t meant to hear

Like lots hear rest of them got put through college ,help buying houses few bob when married etc ….but sure I still got the farm 🙄🙄…I wish …no one better than family to shaft you …sad to say but I don’t bother with any of them now …whole thing pissed me off no end …..live my own life now and look after them

Siamsa Sessions

Without trying to make things worse, a very astute man made a good point to me recently. He said it’s easier to pass on or divide up a beef farm between siblings compared to a dairy farm, where it’s more likely one son/daughter is working the farm full-time and it has to stay in one lot to remain a viable dairy operation.

whelan2

Got a text today of a payment for dairy beef welfare scheme payment scheme. Forgot we'd applied for that. Nice few euro. You needed to use beef bulls over 3 star on replacement, terminal and dairy beef index

farawaygrass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123285208#Comment_123285208

there was plenty of good sized farms around here in my fathers time, a lot were split up between family with the result that the farms are only small hobby farms now or rented out. I hope here if one of the kids is interested in farming to keep the farm together, and then built up some other assets to pass on to the others. I know it’s easier said than done but I heard a saying recently that farms should never be divided only added to. I think it was Gus C. On TikTok that said it.

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123285455#Comment_123285455

But the one that's interested may be shunned by their siblings going by the posts on here.

Sell the entire and put equal cash in their back pockets.

whelan2

In most cases those complaining have been well looked after already. Some people are never happy.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123285526#Comment_123285526

100% this

Mehaffey1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123285455#Comment_123285455

This is becoming more and more relevant as times get harder for smaller operations. I have only worked on the farms of others in sizable operations and been away from farming for 5 years. As I've got older I've almost become glad of the fact there is no land in the family. Don't work in anything agri-related but definitely happy enough finishing up work whenever I fancy as long as it's gone 5pm, paid to the nearest 15mins. To be fair it's likely kept my enthusiasm and interest in farming going which surprises many who I talk to it who are putting in 60 hour weeks.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123285455#Comment_123285455

It's slightly different with beef and lads working. If a lad has a decent job you can make a nice twist out of 40 or 50 acres if you have any bit of cop.on. I started with no land if my two lads start with 50-60 each there is no reason they cannot buy more if they want to.

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123286091#Comment_123286091

Land sold locally yesterday. Sold for 33/acre I believe. A tillage farmer of thousands of acres spread bought some. And an electrician bought the rest.