Drystock -How often do you herd

Your showing your age there Base😁

If there was one or two outside the wire in a big open field with no intention of going back in I’d bet that wouldn’t be long about changing stress levels .

I used to be asked did the cattle lying down stretch when they got up a vital siqn of a sick animal apart from being on there own if they don't.Very basic.It is great to see as I said earlier proper stockmen commenting on here as to how they check there animals as opposed to a bunch of chanchers who shouldn't be left in charge of a goldfish.

Careful there lad you might fall of your high horse and hurt yourself, you asked a question and you got some answers you like and some you don't. The last time I checked it was OK to have differing opinions would be fair boring if we all were the same.

I didn't ask any question of anybody,I had to listen to a fair bit of rubbish from a couple of fellas who have differing opinions on the care of stock than myself or any right minded individual lad.

With the length that's been spent arguing over this, lads would have half the cows of the parish checked.

The more you walk through cattle and herd them, the easier it is to handle and move them when you have to, but obviously that's not possible for everyone.

A neighbor here who farms full time breeds big SIM / CH cows. He'll walk around through them of an evening with a handful of nuts in his pocket and feed them an odd one out of his hand. They are very quiet, he AI's some of them in a pen with no chute.

I'm convinced some people are just better with animals than others, there are people that animals just don't like.

it’s not rubbish that’s the reality of other peoples lives . The world outside the quiet of the farm is increasingly devouring many peoples time and attention. Be it from demanding employers , demanding children and spouses demanding red tape and paperwork , declining health etc. Good for you that you’re lucky enough that you can justify spending so much time looking at stock. Many others have had to reduce numbers or get out altogether. You might have noticed the tighter supplies of cattle coming on stream at the current time. This is definitely a factor. Time is money. If you’re well off you have plenty of time. The returns on beef farming have been desperate for years. Very few drystock farmers have gotten well off from solely farming drystock. The margin per head was pitiful for the last 10-15 years. Remember it’s only a few years since Beef plan were protesting for a base price of €4 per kilo. Do you think lads could give hours every day looking at stock in fields with prices like that ?? And that was the reality for years. Don’t let the current prices cloud your vision . That most definitely is not the way it was this time last year. The beef industry is paying the price now for years of low prices. A lot of lads have pulled the plug and there’s no one coming after them. In many cases the younger generation are fewer in number and have less than zero interest.

I know a few fulltime guys and the herd number should be taken off them. Substantial losses. Department has restricted numbers that one lad is allowed to keep. Another lad should be prevented from buying calved

Ya if I had an issue with redwater I would look at cattle more often. However redwater managment is possible as well. If buying in cattle leave for a week and then do them with ivomec injection. It will help them to build up immunity.

Hard to believe we are at over double tge beef price if the protests. It was at 3.4 when they started and tge processors were planning to take it to near 3/ kg. Now we have a base of 7.3/7.4. A lad commented last week that 7/ kg looms like the new 5/ kg for a while anyway

why are ye even bothering to reply to that lad/lass.

They haven’t even actually said how often they look at their own only comment (negatively) on others.

Anyways, hope Offaly beat Kildare today.

Life is indeed very easy when from the time one rolls out of the cot to when one falls back into it is 100% theirs.

A dose of Ivomec injection 1 week after been bought/let out is enough to reduce the impact of red water?

No ivomec. A lad that has a redwater issue started it a couple of years ago. Theory being after a week cattle will have ticks in them. The Ivomec then kills the ticks but tge animal will start building immunity. He wat he's them then starting 3 ish weeks after and uses ivomec again a few weeks later.

IIs It not Bayticol to prevent Redwater?

Imizol is more effective for long term protection but there's a serious long withdrawal on it. I'd normally give it to a bull I buy outside the area here, pretty much guaranteed to get redwater here if they aren't immune. They won't get redwater straight away after coming on farm either, takes about 3 weeks. If we are giving imizol and you want long term immunity we normally let them off for a week first and check them then to see if they have ticks picked up they will normally be inside the front legs around the brisket and give them imizol then. Never had one get it after doing it.

I lost a young weanling bull here to Redwater about 6 weeks ago. It seems to be in this one field I have away on it's own. I had a cow get it in the same field a few years ago but she made a full recovery.

Now I stood up that young bull at the time and he did a good stretch. It wasn't till I checked him later that I saw him pass what looked like pure blood. It was dark red. Vet thought it was a hurt he got as he said Redwater was more like Rose Wine. I felt after that he should have got a blood-transfusion.

I bought Bayticol then to treat any animals that go back into that field.