Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

Timmaay · 28-02-2016 10:57AM

Kev ya mind saying how much ya got for them? I've said before its a tempting move for me also, nothing but a grazing block here, and when I know enough very good dairy farmers who are knocking out excess heifers for cheaper than I can produce them myself, especially now that I'll need to go out and get extra land for them. The AA bull got to a good few heifers here, so I've only ended up with 13 fr heifers out of close to 40 born so far, but I'm not at all pushed, 24 maidens here will throw me up to an easy 110 milking next year. Thinking of a very short AI season also, 3wks max, and use the usual few sexed straws on my best cows, it will help cut down on the AI bill this year, plus all the hassle of heat detection.

Timmaay · 28-02-2016 11:08AM

Not a hope I could feed nearly 40 calves without this!

blue5000 · 28-02-2016 12:10PM

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Awful dry out there atm, have PK supplementing both herds and a lot of thought being put into going once a day within the fortnight. Have plentiful hoards of average quality bailage and PK on offer and thinking about feeding bales for nights in the paddock.

My thoughts are since we have surplus supplement then we should feed it. Cows doing 1.4MS/Day and cover is around 780kgDM available/ha. Down from 1000kgDM the week before. Any other thoughts?

Pardon my ignorance, but what is PK?

yosemitesam1 · 28-02-2016 12:11PM

blue5000 wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance, but what is PK?

Palm kernel

Deepsouthwest · 28-02-2016 11:36PM

Base price wrote: »

No dealer worth his salt is going to put the "worst" calves through the ring unless he has already sold the better ones and needs to offload the lesser calves.
There are collection services for JEx bull calves advertised on Donedeal.
BTW you are breaking the law as I'm sure you are aware off.

Yes Garda, but surely it's not a jail able offence!

RightTurnClyde · 28-02-2016 11:46PM

kevthegaff wrote: »

Sold 20 fr heifers yesterday, nice money! I'll be lambasted here all calves out the door. Going with flying herd to see how it goes

So have you maidens and heifer calves gone. I'd say you've sold at a good time. We could see a lot of breeding stock getting dumped on to the market before year end. The end of the year could see you buying some tidy stock for handy money. Best of luck.

Base price · 28-02-2016 11:56PM

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Yes Garda, but surely it's not a jail able offence!

kevthegaff · 29-02-2016 07:34AM

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

So have you maidens and heifer calves gone. I'd say you've sold at a good time. We could see a lot of breeding stock getting dumped on to the market before year end. The end of the year could see you buying some tidy stock for handy money. Best of luck.

Nah I have 45 maidens this year but moving calves atm. I'll prob still end up with 10-15 late heifer calves ill keep but if I can move them off with them. Biggest problem now is sourcing genuine stock next November/december

Mehaffey1 · 29-02-2016 09:15AM

blue5000 wrote: »

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Awful dry out there atm, have PK supplementing both herds and a lot of thought being put into going once a day within the fortnight. Have plentiful hoards of average quality bailage and PK on offer and thinking about feeding bales for nights in the paddock.

My thoughts are since we have surplus supplement then we should feed it. Cows doing 1.4MS/Day and cover is around 780kgDM available/ha. Down from 1000kgDM the week before. Any other thoughts?

Pardon my ignorance, but what is PK?

An awful ignorant cheap feed.

Boss is cranking out the baleage now probably looking at 3 poor quality last year's round bales. Talk of going once a day in a week. Being purely influenced by grass growth not production which is an alright position to be in since we aren't short on supplement.

Had another question and how long what your average dairy wash tub be rated for? Definitely expecting 20 years but ours is showing degredation after 4!?

frazzledhome · 29-02-2016 10:54AM

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

blue5000 wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance, but what is PK?

An awful ignorant cheap feed.

Boss is cranking out the baleage now probably looking at 3 poor quality last year's round bales. Talk of going once a day in a week. Being purely influenced by grass growth not production which is an alright position to be in since we aren't short on supplement.

Had another question and how long what your average dairy wash tub be rated for? Definitely expecting 20 years but ours is showing degredation after 4!?

Wash tubs here are 200 litre blue barrels, will last as long as me

frazzledhome · 29-02-2016 10:58AM

Another pure hoor of a morning here. Back to 3 hrs on/off grazing again today. Toughest Feb we've ever had grazing wise.

Have 38% grazed as of today and 1% ploughed

Milked out · 29-02-2016 11:17AM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Another pure hoor of a morning here. Back to 3 hrs on/off grazing again today. Toughest Feb we've ever had grazing wise.

Have 38% grazed as of today and 1% ploughed

3% grazed

Mehaffey1 · 29-02-2016 11:33AM

That's a crazy difference between 3 and 38.

Got flights home booked today 50% happy and 50% unhappy.

mahoney_j · 29-02-2016 11:49AM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Another pure hoor of a morning here. Back to 3 hrs on/off grazing again today. Toughest Feb we've ever had grazing wise.

Have 38% grazed as of today and 1% ploughed

28% here ,urea out ,slurry out but regrowths slow to poor ,one gao ploughed ,bucket of grass seed and roller sort that .also one of worst February's I can remember .saying nothing bout calves and calving so I won't jinx it but I will say I'm getting a rotten run of bull calves ,hope I've jinxed that!!!!.

alps · 29-02-2016 11:57AM

Up the road yesterday past your country yesterday Frazz, positively gobsmacked at how well guys are doing at grazing. Starting at the H&J onwards up past Rathdowney g u s doing a fabulous job. Certainly ground far drier than the SW at present and the amount of rain that falls in the south is a real difficulty.

Deepsouthwest · 29-02-2016 12:37PM

Super dry sunny day here yesterday, but cows still did wreck in a high dry field, and they were only out for 4 hrs.
Actually left the cows out before milking here this morning at first light in an attempt to get today's allocation of grass into them as I knew there was a washout on the way. When I got back to the yard around 8ish they were all back inside, even the cows are fed up of this on/off/off/off/on/off/off/off/off/off grazing

Timmaay · 29-02-2016 01:06PM

Including what the calves grazed, and 2 failed reseeds that I'll have to do again ugh, sitting at 43% grazed/closed. Ugh. Let things get ahead of me ha. Time to cut back the area abit, dry off some culls and the may calvers, and bump up the maize for the milkers

frazzledhome · 29-02-2016 02:18PM

alps wrote: »

Up the road yesterday past your country yesterday Frazz, positively gobsmacked at how well guys are doing at grazing. Starting at the H&J onwards up past Rathdowney g u s doing a fabulous job. Certainly ground far drier than the SW at present and the amount of rain that falls in the south is a real difficulty.

When we're struggling, lots are in dire straights.

Edit: should've called in for tea. Easy to say that now

frazzledhome · 29-02-2016 02:21PM

Heading to out farm now to bring in weanlings for the 3rd time since Christmas. PIA

Smaller ones will remain out.

kowtow · 29-02-2016 02:35PM

frazzledhome wrote:

Edit: should've called in for tea. Easy to say that now

"If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake...."

Damn have that tune stuck in my head now.

Milked out · 29-02-2016 02:49PM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Heading to out farm now to bring in weanlings for the 3rd time since Christmas. PIA

Smaller ones will remain out.

Have you set stocked or using strip wire with heifers?

visatorro · 29-02-2016 02:54PM

Tbc was 50 last collection, did usual, hot washes, descale. TBC 75 this morning. In serious bother. Tank seems to be washing OK. Cooling a little bit slow maybe. Any other tips or things to check. Glanbia lad was here and said plant wasn't too bad. Will I change liners and tubing??

Also who do lads get to service tanks in the north east area. PM if you like.

frazzledhome · 29-02-2016 03:02PM

Milked out wrote: »

Have you set stocked or using strip wire with heifers?

Set stocked

Milked out · 29-02-2016 03:02PM

visatorro wrote: »

Tbc was 50 last collection, did usual, hot washes, descale. TBC 75 this morning. In serious bother. Tank seems to be washing OK. Cooling a little bit slow maybe. Any other tips or things to check. Glanbia lad was here and said plant wasn't too bad. Will I change liners and tubing??

Also who do lads get to service tanks in the north east area. PM if you like.

Tank could still.be culprit, could you give both a descale and detergent wash after next collection? Last spike I had it came after lorry came during milking and took some of the milk the next days collection came back high

Cow Porter · 29-02-2016 03:05PM

visatorro wrote: »

Tbc was 50 last collection, did usual, hot washes, descale. TBC 75 this morning. In serious bother. Tank seems to be washing OK. Cooling a little bit slow maybe. Any other tips or things to check. Glanbia lad was here and said plant wasn't too bad. Will I change liners and tubing??

Also who do lads get to service tanks in the north east area. PM if you like.

the rise in tbc after washiong may be bacause you gave it a good wash, what alkaline are you on, dont throw the sink at it totally as you'll shag rubbers with too much detergent or acid. how many days collection? have you plate cooler (last thing you want to open but could be a cause) and when last were rubber milk tubes done?

farmersfriend · 29-02-2016 03:06PM

visatorro wrote: »

Tbc was 50 last collection, did usual, hot washes, descale. TBC 75 this morning. In serious bother. Tank seems to be washing OK. Cooling a little bit slow maybe. Any other tips or things to check. Glanbia lad was here and said plant wasn't too bad. Will I change liners and tubing??

Also who do lads get to service tanks in the north east area. PM if you like.

Had a high result here, water cooler was the trouble.

visatorro · 29-02-2016 03:06PM

Milked out wrote: »

Tank could still.be culprit, could you give both a descale and detergent wash after next collection? Last spike I had it came after lorry came during milking and took some of the milk the next days collection came back high

Did that the last collection. Lorry is here at 4:30 am. So let it do its normal Wash then put it washing again with descale. Worse it got!

Buford T. Justice XIX · 29-02-2016 04:30PM

visatorro wrote: »

Did that the last collection. Lorry is here at 4:30 am. So let it do its normal Wash then put it washing again with descale. Worse it got!

Do the descale first. It will dissolve/loosen the limescale and then a caustic wash should knock a lot of the gunk out of the system.

alps · 29-02-2016 04:42PM

Had the serviceman on washing early last year. He said it is NOT ADVISED, but got us to do a descale wash, stopping before the descale is rinsed and go directly to caustic wash without any pre rinses and let the cycle rinse out after that.
I reckon the tank was vibrating, but man you could use the inside as a mirror for shaving afterwards.

jaymla627 · 29-02-2016 05:04PM

visatorro wrote: »

Tbc was 50 last collection, did usual, hot washes, descale. TBC 75 this morning. In serious bother. Tank seems to be washing OK. Cooling a little bit slow maybe. Any other tips or things to check. Glanbia lad was here and said plant wasn't too bad. Will I change liners and tubing??

Also who do lads get to service tanks in the north east area. PM if you like.

When tanks on final rinse fire in 250ml of peracitc acid our a bit more if it's a big tank, likewise when doing final rinse on parlour

Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

Comments