They're off.
Left off 15 heifers yesterday. They weight from 365 to 565. Heaviest a Sim, lightest an Frx. They have been gaining about 0.5kgs per day inside on silage and minerals. They went out to a scarfice paddock last Tuesday and ate two bales to yesterday when I left them off to grass. Hope to start feeding them mid April and send them off late May early June. 5 FRx, 2Fr,4HEx, 2AAx, a Chx and a SIx
let these 7 heifers out last Saturday 8th Feb. It was dry going out but even though we didn’t get an awful lot of rain, it’s gotten soft ish already. Just hope I don’t have them back in.
Well fed, they are fine and plump. What's the plan for them.
this fella……..
What part of the world are ye lot living?
The concrete yard is soft around here, bar Friday, I can't remember a dry day. Today was raining 90% all day.
So when will people hope to get out fertilizer? I usually go the start of April but I’m planning on going earlier this year, I have one particular field that I’m going giving it 10 10 20, should I be aiming to get fertilizer out on this as early as possible?
It will be early April before we have anything out here
Spreading at present half bag of urea+S ( only thing in the yard) per acre where ever the ground is good enough to take it. We expect to cover 60-70 acres.
I would not be going out with compounds until late March. Missed a good chance in mid/late January.
Can I ask why you wouldn’t go with compounds till late March?
Phosphorus is the dearest part of compounds, it is easily washed away
1st batch of yearlings out this morning. Next 2 weeks is promised dry so I'll get the rest out that have calved over the next few days. Need to make a trip to the coop for some fencing supplies first.
I'll graze all the silage ground up to the 1st of April, the grazing ground should be lush by then
When will you close for silage and what date to expect to cut?
Will it get slurry after it's grazed?
Trying to get my silage fields in order myself
Dosing and out this morning. Weanlings first then heavier cattle next week.
left out 2 pens of stores and a few autumn sucklers Saturday, great to get them out will certainly help save some silage
What are you dosing with cause I must do that job as well
There should be no reason to dose on turnout if properly doses indoors. You shoukd dose at housing and if you have a fluke issue dose again 4-10 weeks later depending on product used to clean up fluke
wormed in shed in January. Bayticol going out haven’t had red water in years but didn’t get to graze out the place fully last back end so taking no chances
Usually first fine week after the 1st of June
Slurry only as I'm in organics, but it will get a heavy coat if the ground is up to it.
Grazed ground in spring always produces the highest quality silage, but you have to watch that it doesn't get poached, or you'd end up with a late patchy crop.
GGot Up this morning and looked out the window. Nice to see they were all lying down before I went out to take a photo. Nice to have them it like looking at a savings account
Are you whisking milk powder???
If not, I'd recommend it. You wouldn't need much more than a water heater (the one below is €225) and 20 mins morning and evening for 3 months.
https://www.mccabefeeds.com/product/milk-heater-bucket-churn-easyheat
Not calves. Light yearlings heifers bought ok last year. 11 HEX, 5 FRX, 2 SAX, a PIX, a AA,,a two year old HO about 370 kgs now. They cost 430 on average
At least you've grass Bass, f all growing really around here, that wind is drying the place too fast and not really kicking on growth
This place was in Geese and Swan closed since last October 1sr. Getting paid 250/HA on 3 HA but nearly a HA hine in a Fort and a bit of Marsh. Cattle cannot go back into it until April 1st. It got no fertlizer it just grew away itself. Put 21 heifers on it ( it has about 5 small paddocks) it will take until mid May to get the first rotation complete
It amazes me the differences on this small island, driving to Limerick this morning and a lad near Borrisakane has silage cut. Up near Fermanagh last week and last at looking at another few weeks of feeding cattle in their sheds.
Would the silage be any good? It's surely growing since last October/November.
Is the ground wet up in Fermanagh or is the growth slow?
the land around Fermanagh is in general cold heavy ground but there are pockets of good bits.
@Conversations 3 the farm cutting the silage is one of those pristine dairy farms that you drive by where everything is neath & tidy and everything is in its place and you just know by looking at it, it's a farmer that is at the top of their game. Wouldn't be a big lot of sheds or that at it, but fine looking dairy cows and a good looking Hereford bull running with them. So I would say it would be fair good silage, I would guess with this weather it will wilt down into very little though.
When people say land is "cold" why is that? is there such a thing as warm ground?
Ground facing the north doesn't get much sun and is cold.
Reseeding is a good job too,
I don't do much myself but I see my neighbours reseeded fields, there is a big difference
There's a reseed I had done at the end of 23, some difference over the older fields. Great regrowth after it's grazed or cut.
South facing land is always warmer than North facing land. Down in Cork and Kerry it's South west facing land that will do best it gets the warm breeze off the Gulf Stream along with plenty of sunshine. Wet ir lower land will be colder than dry land. Free drawing land on top of rock will be warmer as well and land on sandy or gravely ground is warmer than soil based land they just grow less grass and are more prone to drought
I think I have reached .magic day( the day your farm is growing grass than your stock can eat. Silage paddocks all closed 7-10 days earlier than last year. Farms have bern growing grass all winter this year except for the couple of weeks after the snow. Really amazing winter. Grass is actually flying it at present I put out 20 units of Ureain late February and a bag of 18-6-12 last week on the grazing ground.
SWould have all the cattle out 20 are inside just have not got the time we are at foundations for the daughter houses this week. They were opened Friday, Monday and Tuesday, steel went in today, concrete tomorrow morning, Blocking arriving end of next week.
