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When's calving starting 2022

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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dunedin


    First 3 cows calves and two sets of twins so far.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,560 ✭✭✭Hard Knocks


    Have lots of Loki calves, have you penned different cows together recently, had an issue due to a bully cow last year

    No harm bringing calf to lab



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 82 ✭✭Micey.ie


    Same 7 cows in pen since they were housed,Aye I have a bully cow-I took him out of pen today



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 82 ✭✭Micey.ie


    Yeah on minerals since Xmas



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,560 ✭✭✭Hard Knocks


    Have both, prefer now as some cows go to out farm and nice to have incalf before going plus can wean in September and a good calf to sell in October. Sadly with AI missed heats can push out calving dates



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,757 ✭✭✭Grueller


    Had a Mo Salah calf this morning. Out of probably my best cow,saw her calving on the camera, nice handy little calf, delighted with myself. Went out to the pen, lifted the leg, a big dirty swinging ball sack in there. Ah well, the cow is healthy and well.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 32,453 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    I'm using sexed mo salah, so would be very disappointed if they came bulls



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,757 ✭✭✭Grueller




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 32,453 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    On cows. The calf this morning was actually quite big. Other 2 mo salah ones were small



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,757 ✭✭✭Grueller


    What are the conception rates like on cows if you don't mind all the questions whealn?



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 32,453 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    I only use sexed on cows . Just had fr bull and Angus bull with heifers. Conception rates were OK. 60% held to sexed. Used sexed on the first ones served so if they repeated it was OK. Dovea seem to have a good sexed line up for this year. Used fr5860 sexed on autumn calvers, dont think the Conception rates were as good with those



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 5,889 ✭✭✭bogman_bass


    It’s Hips that always caused me problems when using him



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 5,889 ✭✭✭bogman_bass


    Yeah it’s good taco for a week calf

    had one calve in the field on me last year and was able to get it into the calf quickly compared with trying to get beastings in. Gave enough of a boost to get him up And sucking



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 6,906 ✭✭✭straight


    You'd have to wonder what type of breeder would call his bull after a soccer player.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 32,453 ✭✭✭✭whelan2




  • Posts: 1,154 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    A cousin of mine who does split calving had only 4 fr bull calves this back end out of about 60 cows. He was very strict on what got a sexed straw and gave aa to the rest.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,235 ✭✭✭Pussyhands


    Thanks for all the responses!

    I'm trying to work out the best way but I don't have the knowledge but from other things with the old man he'll not give anything else a chance, he'll say the way he's doing it is the best. He has 5 cows with calves in 4 separate pens (small) with straw. One of the calves is 9 weeks old. Far too much manual work, it's pure messin shoving out muck. One of the pens is on one side of a crush and on the other side of the crush is a bay of slats. I said could you not put the cows and calves into the slats and open one of the gates on the crush, tie a bar or stake at the top to stop cows going through, then the calves could come out of the slats into the pen where you'd have straw.

    Then he went on about how you can only fit 6 cows in the bay of slats as they'll all be pucking come feeding time and then he went on about how he didn't want calves in where not in calf cows would be bulling.



  • Posts: 1,743 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    With the price of straw would it not make more sense to set up a bedded area strictly for calves and then put the cows and calves together morning and evening for a drink?

    Calves would be cleaner

    6 cows to a bay sounds like too much room couldn’t a bay fit 8 or 9 even biggish cows.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,293 ✭✭✭Who2


    7 cows max, with calves sucking, for them feeding and all any more than 7 and you’re asking for trouble. Cows after calving on slats need looking after.



  • Posts: 1,743 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I only have around 5 spring calvers, have 40 odd summer calvers. One calved last week and I leave her out to the calf from the slat twice a day.

    I generally leave the spring calvers out as they typically calf in March but this one calved in Jan.

    Its hard to calf cows in Jan especially in this weather



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,235 ✭✭✭Pussyhands


    The graip and barrow is exactly how it's being done. There was 15 barrows taken out. And it's pure scutter again just a day later.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,175 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    I have a young bull here named after a character in the Simpsons. It turned out to be a very apt name as they are similar in character.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,435 ✭✭✭Lime Tree Farm


    When we were calving January, a few days days indoors on straw, cows and calves then outdoors onto a crag. Calves had access to a straw bedded hut sectioned off from cows with el fence. Cows fed on a concrete hard stand.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 32,453 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    Ask him can you try your way for a week, actually don't ask , tell him. Is it you doing the donkey work or him?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,487 ✭✭✭squinn2912


    I’ve seen us forced to move calves out of the calving pens after a day if feet are peeping out of another one. As long as you have plenty of straw down and somewhere for the calf to go he should be ok but I do worry about them on slats. We wind up tying up gates or a bar diagonally across a pen and have 3+3 in there or 2+2. For that to work we need to be able to let lighter cattle out or else use the cowshed. March can be manic swapping about along with the calving. If weather plays ball you can get a few out. Last year they had to be brought back in after about 10 days. Trying.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,487 ✭✭✭squinn2912




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,857 ✭✭✭✭893bet


    Has he tried it before and learned? He is not wrong on what he is saying. Calf’s on slats are increased risk of getting hurt. We have always been lucky but have seen a calf go flying and get knocked with cattle fighting (cow that calved been reintroduced as an example) or bulling. Touch wood.


    But 9 weeks is mental.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 12,157 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    Had the first calf of the year yesterday morning. A heifer had just calved when I went to check her at 7, I had checked her at 4 and she was lying down chewing the cud. She had a heifer calf which is the first by the weanling pbr Shorthorn bull I bought in 2020. The calf was up in 10 or 15 mins, the heifer is fierce quiet (the only reason that I kept her as she had repeated many times to AI) and I just helped the calf find the teat. A nice red roan heifer calf. I'll fire up a pic in the next few days when it's daylight to take one.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 32,453 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    8 calves born now 7 sexed Friesian heifers and 1 not sexed fr bull

    Post edited by whelan2 on


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,857 ✭✭✭✭893bet


    My wife is always a fan of me telling her “I checked her 2 hours ago and she is calved and all now, how come woman make such a big job if it”.


    Really goes down a treat.



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