Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

mf240 · 19-10-2016 07:12PM

We make bales of stronger grass for dry cows.

Might give them two bales of straw about once a week and when they have that cleared the get silage again.

Had wicked trouble with milk fever a couple of years back and vet recommended magnesium to dry cows. So give them liquid mag in water . Has solved milk fever issue.

They would be in good order at dry off and would remain that way.

I don't like diet feeders or salesmen.

kerry cow · 19-10-2016 07:36PM

What do you mean you tag twin cows .It nice to pick up a few tips as I go along .thanks .

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 08:10PM

kerry cow wrote: »

What do you mean you tag twin cows .It nice to pick up a few tips as I go along .thanks .

We put a blank white all flex into any empty cow and a blank yellow into any cow carrying twins. It just makes it easier to draft them and allows us monitor twin cows for dry off

kerry cow · 19-10-2016 08:18PM

We wrap yellow tail tape half way up all the empty cows tails just to remind us of the empty ladies .

degetme · 19-10-2016 08:20PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Only 2 non negotiable targets here, closing cover and Bcs at drying. Cows see dried for 6 weeks with any cows under conditioned dried earlier. Cows carrying twins are tagged at the scan, dried for 12 weeks with the best quality milking cow silage fed to them for the first 6 weeks dry.

All our dry cow silage is bought in bales or on the shank so quality isn't reliable. We just keep it piled into them. Have hay this year and will fire that in early to free up shed for calves, unless someone wants to buy it.

No minerals of any kind fed to cows. No calving problems beside the usual feet or head down. Nobody sees cows from midnight till 5.30 am during calving and we only lost 2 calves at night this spring.

Down to 6 autumn ladies in waiting and haven't seen 1 calve yet. They're on straw bed and we just check them morning and evening.

How do you get away with out supplementing minerals to dry cows if there on variable bought in silage?

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 08:52PM

degetme wrote: »

How do you get away with out supplementing minerals to dry cows if there on variable bought in silage?

I quiete honestly believe it's all got to do with Bcs.

We do not spare vaccinations though

degetme · 19-10-2016 08:58PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I quiete honestly believe it's all got to do with Bcs.

We do not spare vaccinations though

Neither do I. I couldn't take that chance not offering dry cow minerals. Do you test bloods and forage for minerals? Went with easi trace tablets during breeding season this year and got fantastic results

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 09:03PM

degetme wrote: »

Neither do I. I couldn't take that chance not offering dry cow minerals. Do you test bloods and forage for minerals? Went with easi trace tablets during breeding season this year and got fantastic results

We only blood for disease no min test of silage. How good were your results with bolus and how much better than last year?

degetme · 19-10-2016 09:09PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

We only blood for disease no min test of silage. How good were your results with bolus and how much better than last year?

No bolus. Tablets and liquid mag in water. No meal except for any bad days. 3.5% empty with cow's. All ai. 67day breeding season. I'd have to look up last years but no way as good

Edit . Meal in first 3 wks of ai aswell

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 09:13PM

degetme wrote: »

No bolus. Tablets and liquid mag in water. No meal except for any bad days. 3.5% empty with cow's. All ai. 67day breeding season. I'd have to look up last years but no way as good

Edit . Meal in first 3 wks of ai aswell

Savage results. What you stocked at?

awaywithyou · 19-10-2016 09:17PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

We only blood for disease no min test of silage. How good were your results with bolus and how much better than last year?

I used the boluses on some cows at dry off.. Cows who's calving interval had slipped a bit were the targets..... Worked very well.... Got bagged minerals as well but I cut back how much they got...

What are your average yields...? I have to say I think 6 wks is nowhere near long enough for a cow to be dry..... I would dry at least 60 days before calving... And maybe a few days with it.... Cows deserve a break too....

awaywithyou · 19-10-2016 09:18PM

degetme wrote: »

No bolus. Tablets and liquid mag in water. No meal except for any bad days. 3.5% empty with cow's. All ai. 67day breeding season. I'd have to look up last years but no way as good

Edit . Meal in first 3 wks of ai aswell

Jesus.....

Stocking rate...? Cow type...?

degetme · 19-10-2016 09:22PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Savage results. What you stocked at?

2.94 during ai season minimum on mp. Over all I don't know. Less than 170kgha. On the flip side I've too many incalf for housing. Need to sell sum incalf heifers and not get what I've put into them

kerry cow · 19-10-2016 09:22PM

Would agree at least 60 days dry and more if possible .because the extra milk taken will take more from the cow .any cow with good body score normally thrives trouble free in spring .I think bolus is over rated Imo but sprinkle dry cow over grab silage .works well .bcs is vital

degetme · 19-10-2016 09:31PM

awaywithyou wrote: »

Jesus.....

Stocking rate...? Cow type...?

5500l cows at 3.63p last year average. 10 weeks no milking. I like my dry period☺Cant remember fat. delivered to co-op plus whatever calves drank. Dont milk record. Hofr cow. 500kg meal.

degetme · 19-10-2016 09:33PM

awaywithyou wrote: »

Jesus.....

Stocking rate...? Cow type...?

5500l cows at 3.63p last year average. 10 weeks no milking. I like my dry period☺Cant remember fat. delivered to co-op plus whatever calves drank. Dont milk record. Hofr cow. 500kg meal. Yield can be improved upon.

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 09:34PM

awaywithyou wrote: »

I used the boluses on some cows at dry off.. Cows who's calving interval had slipped a bit were the targets..... Worked very well.... Got bagged minerals as well but I cut back how much they got...

What are your average yields...? I have to say I think 6 wks is nowhere near long enough for a cow to be dry..... I would dry at least 60 days before calving... And maybe a few days with it.... Cows deserve a break too....

5400 litres 480 Kgs sold. As I said any cow not in good condition gets longer so average is longer than 6 weeks

Waffletraktor · 19-10-2016 09:47PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

5400 litres 480 Kgs sold. As I said any cow not in good condition gets longer so average is longer than 6 weeks

Could it be said then ye aim for an EZ Care type cow that is reasonably hardy and low input.

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 10:16PM

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Could it be said then ye aim for an EZ Care type cow that is reasonably hardy and low input.

Yep but medium input I'd call it

GrasstoMilk · 19-10-2016 11:07PM

Straw in dry cow diet? Why?
Your diluting a cows energy intake by putting it in. If you want to stop them getting over fat just make slightly less quality stuff. Instead of reducing her energy intake. 68 dmd with a 8 week dry period is loads. Provided cows are in 3+ of a bcs.
Had this discussion yesterday with siobhan kavanagh. Those were her exact words.

BTW never fed straw to drys here just horse in the silage.

She also said that 8 weeks is minimum she'd give a cow dry which would be our opinion too.
At 8 weeks dry the cow only has 5 weeks to build condition. One week is gone for her drying up - where most lads starve her to dry her up (feed her straw- which drastically reduces energy intake) and then 2 weeks before calving all her energy goes to the calf so shes only at bare maintainance

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 11:15PM

https://twitter.com/irishgrassland/status/788776109840236545

yewtree · 19-10-2016 11:23PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Yep but medium input I'd call it

The reality based on what most farms are going is your high output. I would say you are in the top 10% on milk solids delivered in your coop based on coop performance report

Keepgrowing · 19-10-2016 11:27PM

yewtree wrote: »

The reality based on what most farms are going is your high output. I would say you are in the top 10% on milk solids delivered in your coop based on coop performance report

It's a report I never pay much attention to tbh so I've no idea. Striving for 2000 Kgs per ha on milking block with 750 kg meal

Water John · 19-10-2016 11:31PM

The whole idea around straw etc is to heal the gut and gut function.
Maybe coarser grasses in some bought in bales might achieve the same?

yewtree · 19-10-2016 11:38PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

It's a report I never pay much attention to tbh so I've no idea. Striving for 2000 Kgs per ha on milking block with 750 kg meal

It would be very impressive achievement, based on a current performance thats a stocking rate of over 4lu/ha? to get to the 2000kg/ha your planning to increase SR rather than increased production /cow?

GrasstoMilk · 19-10-2016 11:49PM

Water John wrote: »

The whole idea around straw etc is to heal the gut and gut function.
Maybe coarser grasses in some bought in bales might achieve the same?

Heal the gut? What would straw do for it?

Water John · 19-10-2016 11:51PM

Its roughage. If you gave cows the opp at this time of year they would rather eat the old grasses and weeds off the ditches than watery grass.

Timmaay · 20-10-2016 12:08AM

Water John wrote: »

Its roughage. If you gave cows the opp at this time of year they would rather eat the old grasses and weeds off the ditches than watery grass.

Down this way we have been very lucky to have only had 2days where I'd call grass watery, the cows got extra nuts then days, otherwise I'm perfectly happy with how the cows are doing on grass.

Water John · 20-10-2016 12:15AM

Just Autumn grass in general + nuts to keep producing milk, of course. The dry period is the opportunity to heal the gut.

Signpost · 20-10-2016 12:20AM

degetme wrote: »

5500l cows at 3.63p last year average. 10 weeks no milking. I like my dry period☺Cant remember fat. delivered to co-op plus whatever calves drank. Dont milk record. Hofr cow. 500kg meal. Yield can be improved upon.

How are you planning on improving yield going forward? I'm probably similar enough in the sounds of what you are describing, maybe about 3.8p but yield around the 5000-5500 average, 500-650 meal. Got lost along the way being obsessed with solids (and didn't quite get there but reneging a small bit as I'm not going cross bred) and regretting my yield now. I'm on about 8-10 week dry period too.

Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

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