Is the parlour ready or are you still using the mobile unit?
Six units of the parlour are working at the moment but I'm walking the heifers in four at a time to keep them squeezed up. Some are angels - walk in themselves, stand while milking, and already giving plenty milk. But there's 3-4 others that are hardly worth bringing in - they try to turn around in the parlour, kick the cluster off, and give no more than 5-6 litres of milk.
I'm still milking once-a-day.
There seemed to be water in the milk pump yesterday evening too so I need to ring the parlour this morning.
What about putting 7 heifers in the 6 spaces?
Some man alright....
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/161WGAxUgu/
Do the ..... at the end of your sentence signify sarcasm...
Everyone needs a bit of a push in the right direction now and again. Have you any friend or neighbour who milks, that could see what you are doing and point out a few things to make your system a bit easier. Now is the time to ask for a bit of help before you get totally pissed off.
I'm still learning after 30 years of milking
I have a head locking system that makes life simpler with heifers, but I have a friend with only a half pipe running along, it built for 16 cows but he often shoved 18 heifers in when they would not stay quiet.
You have the hardest of it done, it's a pity I wasn't near you, and give you a hand for a milking
https://bandon.marteye.ie/
I would not like to buying calves today in bandon.
Thanks a million.
I think I need to get 6 (or 7 as @whelan2 suggested) in at the same time. That'd help a lot. I can manage the kicking off clusters part once they're in the parlour but it's walking them in that's hard.
Put the head down and plough on.you re biggest problem is lack of experience and there s only one to get it now.you ll do fine only don't try too hard to do things right or what this or that fella says you should be doing.heifers are a b#t#h in every yard,part of the joys of it .and the hardest part to do,park all accessment s of how you are doing or whether you did the right things or not until the autumn .one last thing try and balance you re thinking on what you ve got done versus what s left to do. Often people take what they ve achieved for granted and concentrate what the amount that has to be done yet
More like draw your own conclusions.....
This is what I like about sheep shepherd's videos. They have real genuine farmers verses the same NZ BS being rammed down fellas throats for years.
I presume they have as much ration they can eat in the trough in front after that it is a case of jacking up their tale to make them stand not kicking off cluster.
Another trick is catch their nose with tongs and let them know who is boss!
If that fails spancil leg to rail and let them knock themselves out kicking.
If you bought a few sober cows to pack in with heifers might be your only answer. I still have nightmares when a full row of heifers come in to parlour together.
Best of luck.
Long may it last. The wheel took long enough to turn.
Shipping calves seem to be very scarce this year. Mostly beef calves going through marts,
Are you finding it hard to get them into parlour? Have you a few gates set up at parlour entrance to corral them, like a funnel
I find Sudacrem great for heifers a small bit rubbed in.
And like the lad above said, they seem to have too much room coming in, put up a few gates, it's only a few weeks.
You sound like you want to make friends with the heifers, its OK to put a bit of pressure on them, rather than yourself.
Thanks folks for the replies. It gives a lift to read them.
The heifers walk into the entrance of the parlour OK but it's to keep them moving up to the front that's the issue. The parlour man is calling after dinner now (he thinks it's a seal gone in the milk pump) and I'll ask him about putting up the few cashman feeders I have.
Jobber told me I'm the only one in the area who will have fresian bull calves....
sample prices from Carnaross today
Great way of setting up water in paddocks,no more pipes on top of the ground getting damaged
Take them one by one so, make sure she is up tight and tucked in where she should be, then out for the next. Plenty in together. I used to hate when one would get turned in the middle, break your heart.
It gets easier
And cleaner!
That's fine looking land. I did it a few years ago. You couldn't make the pipe big enough. I put in 32mm. It's one inch inside like.. what size pipe have you and for how many cows?
Thanks - there's no shortage of sh*t around anyway!
It's always the one who sh*ts that kicks of the cluster so it falls into the sh*t.
Have you tried a kick bar on them
The glamorous side of farming you never see on YouTube!
Did he say what they would be paying. All dairy calves here. We will know next Saturday if we can start selling again or if we are stuck with them for the year.
Noooo I got nothing like that out of him hes a slippy yoke anyway I'm hearing lads who got 130 for autum bull calves at 3 week old but they would be great sizes of square calves to be fair to the man. didn't hear anything for the spring ones yet. Only what posters say here
A few spring clamps are great too. I find a kick bar I’d no good unless they’re packed tight. Otherwise they just start bucking. we’ve 40heifers calved down now. Most were fine until the the weekend. Starting to kick up now. I had 24 packed into 20 units last night and this morning. Hopefully by the end of the week they’ll have gotten the idea
Kick bar can be handy for holding up cluster too
I was told those clamps are banned. I generally get away with the kick bar. Might have to tie up the leg of the odd one. Patience and a calm head are important imo. They are learning too. But of course some are just kunts. That contraption I see for sale for lifting a cows tail is a disgrace I think.
Just in case it slipped your mind you will need a water quality cert if you are on a private well. (for bord bia)
