Dairy chit chat II

K.G. · 13-07-2017 10:27AM

On the whole winter milk thing.you couldnt make me do it fir all the money in the world but this yearthe plan is to milk on to new years eve.i plan to milk half the cows in december combination of later calvers and culls go once a day from christmas eve and dry off new years or so.it wouldnt kill anyone to milk 5rows and the culls should build a nice little bit of condition.let bags sqyeez up and into mart last week in jan.i have heard fellas say though to get the milk out you need a third feed as something besides nuts and silage .any thought winter boys

Mooooo · 13-07-2017 10:32AM

Have u enough high dmd silage for those and the spring? Would nearly do with that if protein was decent also. could get wholecrop but would need to be soon, altho less grain sown locally this year

blackdog1 · 13-07-2017 10:59AM

Mooooo wrote:

Well I guess with liquid milk they get a set price for that amount whereas in the wintermilk scheme in dairygold it is a bonus on top of manufacturing price. So when the base was 30c you'd get the manufacturing price as normal with solids adjustment and the bonus then for the litres in the contract so say 32 cent after solids plus 5.6 so 37.6. Which would be ok but when manufacturing was down at 23cent you may only get29.6 for winter which is too low. Id reckon you would want to be getting 38 cent for winter milk minimum. And that would be supplying just the contract amount so as not to dilute the price. There are other variables obv management is the main one but length of winters access to feed and quality/cost of It, etc Haven't the proper figures to hand I think the ifa say 40c is required for liquid milk. In my case too much needs doing 're infrastructure and it coincided with landpurchase and other things so the capital investment required for efficient winter milk with fresh calved cows would be too much at the minute. Ideally we'd all have perfect housing etc but it's easier to manage dry cows or end of lactation cows than it is a mixture of fresh stale and dry when space is tight etc. May review in the future if things change but not at such a low bonus. Ive a way to go to get on top of things so simplify is my route and hopefully have a period of the year where basic things can be done and that's it., down time so to speak. Rambling now so I am

Infrastructure is a big cost in winter production in my opinion and one ofthe reasons if i was on my own i might consider running a spring herd like mahoney_j . Slightly more work in scrapping and liming cubicles as well. But feeding cows in winter takes as much time as spreading fert and topping. Calving time isn't as stressful or dealing with calves. Think of your set up perfectly for winter milk it's not a huge problem...the big problem is getting the infrastructure to a certain standard.

yewtree · 13-07-2017 11:12AM

Mooooo wrote: »

Well I guess with liquid milk they get a set price for that amount whereas in the wintermilk scheme in dairygold it is a bonus on top of manufacturing price. So when the base was 30c you'd get the manufacturing price as normal with solids adjustment and the bonus then for the litres in the contract so say 32 cent after solids plus 5.6 so 37.6. Which would be ok but when manufacturing was down at 23cent you may only get29.6 for winter which is too low. Id reckon you would want to be getting 38 cent for winter milk minimum. And that would be supplying just the contract amount so as not to dilute the price. There are other variables obv management is the main one but length of winters access to feed and quality/cost of It, etc Haven't the proper figures to hand I think the ifa say 40c is required for liquid milk.
In my case too much needs doing 're infrastructure and it coincided with landpurchase and other things so the capital investment required for efficient winter milk with fresh calved cows would be too much at the minute. Ideally we'd all have perfect housing etc but it's easier to manage dry cows or end of lactation cows than it is a mixture of fresh stale and dry when space is tight etc. May review in the future if things change but not at such a low bonus. Ive a way to go to get on top of things so simplify is my route and hopefully have a period of the year where basic things can be done and that's it., down time so to speak. Rambling now so I am

Sums up the reality of winter milk on most farms, if you cant get a decent contract its not worth the effort for the majority, but some lads with the right set up it can be very profitable

Buford T. Justice XIX · 13-07-2017 12:58PM

I've been looking at lads doing winter milk with a while and I often wonder how they manage with two extra groups of cattle, the winter weanlings and springers.

I think it would do my head in but there's no winter bonus in Kerry and never likely to be either so It'll never be an option here anyway.

It would be a nice way to aid expansion though by splitting calving into two clear blocks so less pressure for the same number of cows.

mahoney_j · 13-07-2017 01:22PM

I'd love to milk through winter with calving from mid September to early December at latest ,providing of course every litre was contracted .stan out lined reasons earlier things like double peak etc from grass

blackdog1 · 13-07-2017 01:39PM

Buford T. Justice V wrote:

I've been looking at lads doing winter milk with a while and I often wonder how they manage with two extra groups of cattle, the winter weanlings and springers.

You need feed to yield for the cows to feed both groups to their potential . I have an out farm I put the in calf autumn calving heifers to in the spring also throw the autumn calves up there in march. I keep the spring calving heifers at home and the spring calves.

kowtow · 13-07-2017 03:06PM

Can any of you guess-the-weight experts give me an idea what culls going straight to the factory might get? Have two like the one in the picture, both Autumn 2014 heifers with horns, the other slightly thinner as she had a calf but little milk. Both tall but I wouldn't describe them as "filled out". The third is a full grown fifth lactation Rotbunt / HO Cross who has been dry since December but not exactly fattened as on old bits and pieces of grass.

Haven't dealt with the factory before but the horns can't go to the Mart - presumably I should expect 20% lower than the lowest price ever paid? What do I need to ask them? Any idea what they are worth?

Mooooo · 13-07-2017 03:20PM

kowtow wrote: »

Can any of you guess-the-weight experts give me an idea what culls going straight to the factory might get? Have two like the one in the picture, both Autumn 2014 heifers with horns, the other slightly thinner as she had a calf but little milk. Both tall but I wouldn't describe them as "filled out". The third is a full grown fifth lactation Rotbunt / HO Cross who has been dry since December but not exactly fattened as on old bits and pieces of grass.

Haven't dealt with the factory before but the horns can't go to the Mart - presumably I should expect 20% lower than the lowest price ever paid? What do I need to ask them? Any idea what they are worth?

The horns won't bother them at all price wise the cow will likely by an o grade if not higher if a first cross and will kill out fine if dry since december. I got 3.15/ kg for p grade cows mix of out of parlour and dry. You should get more for her. The hheifers would prob get 3.70 maybe I dunno altho if that calf was registered to the one that calved you will get cow price for her. Don't talk them down anyway ring em up say what you have a cow and 2 heifers and see what they'll offer you. Mention the horns then when price is agreed. Edit those are carcass weight prices. Low prices would be given for casualty cows or cows with little condition at all., sent one cow with 3 bad feet and only got 1.90/kg for her but she was a cut your losses job

kowtow · 13-07-2017 03:38PM

Mooooo wrote: »

The horns won't bother them at all price wise the cow will likely by an o grade if not higher if a first cross and will kill out fine if dry since december. I got 3.15/ kg for p grade cows mix of out of parlour and dry. You should get more for her. The hheifers would prob get 3.70 maybe I dunno altho if that calf was registered to the one that calved you will get cow price for her. Don't talk them down anyway ring em up say what you have a cow and 2 heifers and see what they'll offer you. Mention the horns then when price is agreed. Edit those are carcass weight prices. Low prices would be given for casualty cows or cows with little condition at all., sent one cow with 3 bad feet and only got 1.90/kg for her but she was a cut your losses job

Would she be 550/600 kg on the hoof I wonder?

Mooooo · 13-07-2017 04:58PM

kowtow wrote: »

Would she be 550/600 kg on the hoof I wonder?

She would be id say, hard to tell but she looks fleshy enough. If I think of it later I'll post the dw of the ones I sent., one was a heifer who calved this spring but never milked

Mooooo · 13-07-2017 07:19PM

Mooooo wrote: »

She would be id say, hard to tell but she looks fleshy enough. If I think of it later I'll post the dw of the ones I sent., one was a heifer who calved this spring but never milked

Heifer was 32 months calved with 3 months May be., killed out at 263kg got no ration just grass., dunno what k/o% would be so maybe she was 600 kg live? P+2=.

stanflt · 14-07-2017 08:45AM

How long does it take for a pregnancy test result thru milk recording

Sample went off yesterday

Have a couple of cows still milking and ready to go to factory- I reckon for 3 cows I should get 3500 straight out of the parlour- they just dropping below 20 litres a day and time to cash in

whelan2 · 14-07-2017 09:03AM

stanflt wrote: »

How long does it take for a pregnancy test result thru milk recording

Sample went off yesterday

Have a couple of cows still milking and ready to go to factory- I reckon for 3 cows I should get 3500 straight out of the parlour- they just dropping below 20 litres a day and time to cash in

Have you done the pregnancy testing before through milk samples before. Have heard mixed results and scanning nearly works out cheaper and a definite result

stanflt · 14-07-2017 09:09AM

whelan2 wrote: »

Have you done the pregnancy testing before through milk samples before. Have heard mixed results and scanning nearly works out cheaper and a definite result

No only did a few cows I wanted to cull

patsy_mccabe · 14-07-2017 09:12AM

Just a bye the way question -
What do people think of Rapid Exit parlours, you know the ones where the whole side of the parlour lifts up to let out the cows?
Do they speed things up that much?

Mooooo · 14-07-2017 09:17AM

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Just a bye the way question -
What do people think of Rapid Exit parlours, you know the ones where the whole side of the parlour lifts up to let out the cows?
Do they speed things up that much?

Haven't seen em in action but for anything over 20 units id imagine they would. Would lime them in s parlour but not at any price. Think dairymaster are showing ones in Kerry and I think mallow this week, I think

the_blue_oval · 14-07-2017 09:38AM

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Just a bye the way question -
What do people think of Rapid Exit parlours, you know the ones where the whole side of the parlour lifts up to let out the cows?
Do they speed things up that much?

Did a few milking's in a 30unit rapid exit, they do speed things up a bit but not enough to justify the price of them in my opinion.. only really save a good bit of time if there's a slow milker up near the top of the row. Non-rapid exit parlour with a straight exit and loads of room at the front for cows and Just leave off cows when you've a few cows left to change over and most of the cows will be gone out by the time you've taken off the cluster off the last cow..

if you get to the size of a herringbone where you need rapid exit youd probably be better off with a rotary i think

mahoney_j · 14-07-2017 10:49AM

stanflt wrote: »

How long does it take for a pregnancy test result thru milk recording

Sample went off yesterday

Have a couple of cows still milking and ready to go to factory- I reckon for 3 cows I should get 3500 straight out of the parlour- they just dropping below 20 litres a day and time to cash in

2/3 days won't pick up below 28 days I'd get scanner if in any way local you'll know straight away then

Mooooo · 14-07-2017 05:24PM

Scorcher of a day down here 12 acres of grass seed gone in. A drop of rain would be mighty now

Water John · 14-07-2017 09:10PM

Moooo, prayed for rain and it came.

blackdog1 · 15-07-2017 10:27AM

Water John wrote:

Moooo, prayed for rain and it came.

Not enough I recon. We're starting to suffer draught here. If rain doesn't come before end of next week I'm putting dry cows and heifers on round bales. Cows should be ok for 2 weeks. .thank god for young grass

Mooooo · 15-07-2017 11:28AM

Crazy heat there now., putting heifers on a hairy paddock for a bit with a kg of ration. Late first cut really squeezing things now

Mooooo · 15-07-2017 11:46AM

Those of ye who had cases of uberis there is stuff called mamyzin which is supposed to be able to treat it dear tho at 68 per cow. IM treatment 5 day milk withdrawal. Gonna try it on a heifer there

Gawddawggonnit · 15-07-2017 04:29PM

OK Guys, question for the experts.

Cows indoor on full tmr of....
11kgdm forage maize (31%dm 39% starch).
3kgdm sorghum silage (25%dm 11.7%pr)
5kgdm grass silage (27%dm 17.1%pr 81dmd).
500g good hay.
3.3kg maize crimp.
3.5kg soya crimp.

Solids 2.9pr (!), 4.3bf, milk urea 33.4.

I just can't figure why protein is so low. I've had two experts in to try and get to the bottom of this but no solutions.

Virtual case of wine to anyone that can solve this riddle.

Gawddawggonnit · 15-07-2017 04:31PM

Water John wrote: »

Moooo, prayed for rain and it came.

Moooo is a rain God?

Moooooove down my way, pleeease!

GrasstoMilk · 15-07-2017 05:04PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

OK Guys, question for the experts.

Cows indoor on full tmr of....
11kgdm forage maize (31%dm 39% starch).
3kgdm sorghum silage (25%dm 11.7%pr)
5kgdm grass silage (27%dm 17.1%pr 81dmd).
500g good hay.
3.3kg maize crimp.
3.5kg soya crimp.

Solids 2.9pr (!), 4.3bf, milk urea 33.4.

I just can't figure why protein is so low. I've had two experts in to try and get to the bottom of this but no solutions.

Virtual case of wine to anyone that can solve this riddle.

A jersey bull and some grazed grass would sort it

yosemitesam1 · 15-07-2017 05:16PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

OK Guys, question for the experts.

Cows indoor on full tmr of....
11kgdm forage maize (31%dm 39% starch).
3kgdm sorghum silage (25%dm 11.7%pr)
5kgdm grass silage (27%dm 17.1%pr 81dmd).
500g good hay.
3.3kg maize crimp.
3.5kg soya crimp.

Solids 2.9pr (!), 4.3bf, milk urea 33.4.

I just can't figure why protein is so low. I've had two experts in to try and get to the bottom of this but no solutions.

Virtual case of wine to anyone that can solve this riddle.

Many litres?

Gawddawggonnit · 15-07-2017 05:16PM

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

A jersey bull and some grazed grass would sort it

Lol.
I was expecting someone to say grass...but jersey bull!!

There's a saying about horses...a good big one is always better than a good small one...
IMO same goes for cows.

Gawddawggonnit · 15-07-2017 05:22PM

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Many litres?

35.9 across the lot.

Dairy chit chat II

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