I don't think anyone was making poking fun about fiver calfs. It's the "dumping" of calves at the mart. And I would like to thank straight for giving his calf a drop of milk. Fellows going on about 8000l cows and they can't afford to give a few litres to the calf.
Mean with the money, mean in the bed
Hard to see the benefit in trying on/off grazing this weather. Cows better of indoors out of the rain. Give them some extra ration.
I'd say you are right. I never went over 5 kg in the parlour. I'll go up to 6 this evening and see what happens...
Got rid of every bull calf on Sunday - lad rang me about shipping sat evening and asked me how many I had and how much
i said if you can take them all on Monday I’m only looking 10 a piece
i was delighted to get rid of them and I could have got more for them but I now have empty pens for the last 20 heifers
Friend is using them and is happy with them
going with again this year
you need Holstein cows though
Had to go to Birr yesterday, got my own question answered about venturing out with a bit of fertilizer, drove past 70 acres of destroyed paddocks with 2 foot deep tracks through the majority of it where a lad had ventured out spreading if he had any sense he'd of parked up after the first field
Not much point spreading It on top of water. I remember lads years ago used to have dual wheels to spread it.
That’s when urea was less than 100 a ton compared to 575 today
Have you it down to 575 now?👏
Yeah and told not to buy anything That your not spreading today- prices dropping daily
bought enough for first round yesterday, including silage ground, no chemical fert spread yet. anything grazed that got slurry seems to have greened up nicely. was abit dearer than 575. bit the bullet anyway.
It's times like this that you really appreciate the value of grass. I'm just grateful I have the slurry storage space and adequate fodder. I'm wondering if I had a maize pit in the yard.... I believe the problem with it is that you have to balance it with something else if you can't get grass. Would the balancing be necessary? Would mixing in something at pitting be the right thing to do?
Generally diet should aim for 16% p total. Maize tends to be 9 to 11 so depending on how much your feeding and if not at grass it'll need to be balance for P. May also need balancing for minerals.
Tbh it would be simpler to target a good quality cut of silage kept for spring tbh and perhaps a few spur roads to help make grazing easier imo. Maize attracts rats badgers crows and is another expense imo. Haven't had Maize since exiting winter milk and the 20k was better spent elsewhere
Get the grass and silage right is number 1 so I guess
Silage is at the mercy of the weather, few wet days at the wrong time and a busy contractor and your silage goes from milking quality leafy stuff to s**te only fit for dry cows, at least with maize if you put it under plastic and go with a early variety at least you should have great quality feed
Maize is a super feed especially for buffering at grass ….-and is also a very good insurance policy against poor spring and to cover summer droughts ….any days I don’t get to grass I just simply feed out 1 kg/head straight soya middle of day o top of maize
Not denying its a great feed but unless your stocked high enough where you're buffering thru the summer or in winter milk just think grass and silage should manage every other scenario as well as anything else
As an aside haven't gone down with tb since we stopped feeding it, could be coincidental but who knows. Hope I haven't jinxed myself now
So silage will be getting tight shortly and without end in sight to the bad weather we want it to stretch as long as possible. Cows are getting 6kgs in the parlour. Was going to introduce soya hulls to the diet. Just wondering what are people's thoughts on them and would they recommend them
Problem at the export lairage in Cherbourg. It's been closed until further notice. Gonna be some back up of calves.
Calves are bad at the moment alright. Boats are great until there's a problem...
Would hulls be just like feeding hay??? Soya bean would be more protein?? Maize meal would be more energy??
Ah feck. I was watching a mart online earlier today and good enough FR bull calves were from €10 to €30 and I was wondering why.
What's the problem in Cherbourg - hopefully not another animal welfare issue.
🫣 Hopefully not.
French strikes I presume.
Hull's are as stated before a low feed value so you need to watch to feed a little extra energy. By going in now your doing the right thing to stretch things you can add a bit of good straw to the diet also to slow them up. Obviously you're still looking at a higher meal feeding rate to keep cows happy
if your getting out to grass give them maize meal. should be bought for around 350 bulk. important to keep condition on cows more so than anything so they go in calf and produce when things turn for the better.
Unfortunately in full time since last Sunday. The maize meal might be a better option so instead of the soya hulls.
Unfortunately it is another calf welfare issue.
The journal always have this kind of stuff free to read
Ya. you really would wonder about it
