freedominacup wrote: » Any worries about heifers. Forecast not great for weekend.
Greengrass1 wrote: » 5 mil on sat and 3 on Sunday from what I seen this morning. Ocean of grass on out farm too and it'd be old leys
RightTurnClyde wrote: » Do you mean Spring '13?
pedigree 6 wrote: » I fed the yearling freisian heifers this afternoon and put in a bale of silage into the ring feeder. I do it over a gate into the house where the heifers are. The bales usually split off the fork when I'm taking the barrel wrap plastic off it and I can keep the heifers back when it falls off. This bale didn't split and I got back in the tractor and tipped it into the feeder. I went off on the tractor and bedded the other sheds with straw. Then I came back to let out the heifers to a trough with meal outside the shed and there was one heifer with her head caught under the silage. I was able to dig her head out of the silage by hand but it was too late she was dead. She must of smothered. I never saw her stuck in the feeder from the tractor as the rest of the heifers were around her. I was always careful to make sure they are away from the feeder when tipping in the bale but its hard to do it from the tractor and the bale usually splits off the loader when i'm on the ground and can keep them away. I'm mad with myself that I didn't check on them again when I tipped in the bale or got back sooner. I was getting on so well this year and really coasting ahead. A well as long as it wasn't inside the door of the house. But phcuk it anyway.:(
frazzledhome wrote: » We're on/off grazing here. Ground very tender and covers high. Our version is Cows out to break at 8.30 in to cubicles 12 Milk 3.45 and back to new break, gap closed at 4.15 or so. Cows brought back in to cubicles at 7.30pm. Cows on 5kg 12%p nuts with no silage. Cows were kept in on Tues night as was spilling, got a tiny bit if silage. We were feeding limited silage last week and clean out was crap. Vastly improved with silage out of diet. Every time we move the break its a compromise between small enough to clean out and big enough not to plough. I'm doing the break fences morning and evening myself, it's easier than eating the bollix off some one else if it's wrong 10% grazed to date, way behind target. I think the consequence may be a tonne less grown this year. Can't have it all I suppose. Slurry is becoming a right pain, moving drops here and there to get relief. Our official start of calving was Feb 14 for cows and Feb 7 for heifers and we have approx 35% calved to date. Unreal amount of bull calves.
Milked out wrote: » Have you autumn and spring in one group? Do you have a fresh group/ out of tank group inside full time? No space to keep.a fresh/ out of tank group here something I think I'll work on if I can. Any worries with body condition with on off grazing without silage?
blackdog1 wrote: » I had an unreal amount of bulls this year too but that's life still should end up with 30% replacement rate in 2 years time. Nothing grazed yet because I still have a week of soya to use. Half the farm is spread with urea . Probably leave the cows out into land thats going to be used for whole crop first . Doesn't matter too much if they do much damage
frazzledhome wrote: » One thing I should add is Scc is gone to pot. Cmtd whole herd on Monday and all cows released are also tested. Can't find a thing. But feck it, we'll get it sorted. Eldest boys birthday today, he had s difficult time last few yrs with some other boys but thankfully it's sorted this year with a few changes being made. I'm going to celebrate the fact that he's now thriving and enjoying being at school again with Mrs Frazz and the kids. Things do work out.
WheatenBriar wrote: » In westmeath? More like a risk of 25 or 30 mm unfortunately theres going to be a very active cold front stuck over the country all day Saturday and Sunday It will be a few hundred miles wide wiggling a bit north and south and those stuck under it for both days will see floods of rain Its general movement eventually will be to the east To the north and south of it therell be huge temperature contrasts,up to 13c on the south coast and only 5c in the far north Ulster and North Connacht will see least rain and the south coast might clear at times while the rest of us are still wet
Greengrass1 wrote: » Do you pass much faith in yr.no? We'll play it by ear see how it goes. Cows gone out tonight any way. Out from 8 am to 4 today and did minimal marking. Had no bloody water though We have a 2 inch main line here and reduces to 1 inch and then 3/4 inch. Join blew off on 2 inch line right over a headland drain. 75 cows had the 200g through well emptied.
whelan2 wrote: » If wheatenbriar says its going to rain it will, he knows his stuff. Did you use up all the maize?
C0N0R wrote: » All work and no play is making for a dull calving, found out this afternoon we have no college tomorrow so off to Dublin on a spur of the moment to meet up with a few lads from Waterford for a mates birthday and the darts. Back home for dinner tomorrow with a sore head and facing into a weekend of 4 milkings a day, typing this is making me feel foolish!
Timmaay wrote: Nay think it was Feb 2yrs ago we had a really really wet month. Remember all the abuse the greenfield got ha?
Buford T. Justice V wrote: » Milking 2 rows of cows atm and I was out in the yard putting in the second round when the first cow in the first row discovered the gate was open so all off out and clusters off all over the place:mad: I managed to close the gate and kept them in a small yard while I got the second round in and then drove them in. No idea which jars had inhibitors/high scc/fresh calvers so all had to come out:mad::mad: Really cross with myself because I always make sure the gates are closed and the parlour ready for the next milking. No idea how it happened:mad::mad::mad: Just got a call from a neighbour who called in today to look at the ACRs while I wasn't around. He mustn't have closed the gate:mad::mad:. You would imagine a farmer would have enough cop-on to close gates he found closed. Feck sake.
frazzledhome wrote: » Yes autumn calvers in there but very few and ideally should be seperate but less than 5% of total herd so they can lump it or like it. Yes all out of tank cows are seperate in cubicles beside parlour. Milked last and eligible cows tested daily for antibiotics and cell (cut) prior to release for tank. Real time saver when seperate and idiot proof, if anything can be fully idiot proof. They are also marked with yellow tape on tails in case of mix up. Yes Bcs would be a real worry and that's another part of the compromise. This on/off thing can't go on indefinitely as intakes and demand will increase daily. Hope it's short lived. I must graze to have grass back in early April
Mehaffey1 wrote: » 4 heifers empty out of 149, can't believe this!
mahoney_j wrote: » Great going ,how many weeks serving them ??
Buford T. Justice V wrote: » Just reading the editorial in the Journal and Justin McCarthy says Glanbia are at an advanced stage of developing a farm finance model. Anyone have any idea what that might be?
jack o shea wrote: » i have moved expected turn out for cows from 1st march to paddys day to easter sunday and now to the august bank holiday, sickening weather, tuesday really ****ed the whole thing.
