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

Timmaay · 01-03-2016 11:25PM

I shoved back calving from the last week of Jan to 4/5th of Feb this year, and given the brutal Feb grazing conditions we seem to be more frequently getting recently I'm tempted to go out another few days! The SR on the farm here will always be high enough to hit spring rotation targets, but at least later calving will reduce the amount of milk from silage/maize etc. Very little winter surplus bonus here also, so Feb milk becomes very expensive produced from silage and maize. We tend not to get much past mid Nov before we've hit our winter closing cover of 600afc, so the extra week of spring milkers dry wouldn't hugely bother me.

Mehaffey1 · 01-03-2016 11:39PM

Guessing average cover of 580 available/ha. Feed and milk on I say, although motivation might be the deciding factor!

Buford T. Justice XIX · 01-03-2016 11:39PM

Timmaay wrote: »

I shoved back calving from the last week of Jan to 4/5th of Feb this year, and given the brutal Feb grazing conditions we seem to be more frequently getting recently I'm tempted to go out another few days! The SR on the farm here will always be high enough to hit spring rotation targets, but at least later calving will reduce the amount of milk from silage/maize etc. Very little winter surplus bonus here also, so Feb milk becomes very expensive produced from silage and maize. We tend not to get much past mid Nov before we've hit our winter closing cover of 600afc, so the extra week of spring milkers dry wouldn't hugely bother me.

Looking at that myself. Feb 14th used be start date but brought it back to Feb 1st about 10 years ago. It's slipped to Feb 7th now and am seriously looking at 14th again.

Only downside for me is drying off too close to Christmas.

Mehaffey1 · 01-03-2016 11:40PM

Timmaay wrote: »

I shoved back calving from the last week of Jan to 4/5th of Feb this year, and given the brutal Feb grazing conditions we seem to be more frequently getting recently I'm tempted to go out another few days! The SR on the farm here will always be high enough to hit spring rotation targets, but at least later calving will reduce the amount of milk from silage/maize etc. Very little winter surplus bonus here also, so Feb milk becomes very expensive produced from silage and maize. We tend not to get much past mid Nov before we've hit our winter closing cover of 600afc, so the extra week of spring milkers dry wouldn't hugely bother me.

Would most be aiming for a closing cover at 600? Know theres a lot of factors involved

Timmaay · 02-03-2016 12:15AM

Mehaffey1 wrote: »

Would most be aiming for a closing cover at 600? Know theres a lot of factors involved

Right by the sea here, and ground temperatures tend to be less extreme and we'd often get a steady gr of 5/7 over the whole winter. Closing mid Nov does mean an extra 2wks growing again say closing end of Nov. I probably need to try build more of an autumn wedge also 2bh to allow me to graze later, but droughts often utterly scupper them plans.

blackdog1 · 02-03-2016 05:27PM

I was reading today about how a2 milk is preferred to organic in Australia and cost twice as much as a1. To me thinking about all the talk dawg had about going to organic this seems to be just as profitable without the hassle. So far it seems to have only taken off in Australia anyone hear about anyone producing it here and how are they getting on?.

frazzledhome · 02-03-2016 08:01PM

Timmaay wrote: »

I shoved back calving from the last week of Jan to 4/5th of Feb this year, and given the brutal Feb grazing conditions we seem to be more frequently getting recently I'm tempted to go out another few days! The SR on the farm here will always be high enough to hit spring rotation targets, but at least later calving will reduce the amount of milk from silage/maize etc. Very little winter surplus bonus here also, so Feb milk becomes very expensive produced from silage and maize. We tend not to get much past mid Nov before we've hit our winter closing cover of 600afc, so the extra week of spring milkers dry wouldn't hugely bother me.

A dry early farm here, well usually. We start calving 14/2 and will not move for any money. Cows calve quick enough to get through grazing targets.

trixi2011 · 02-03-2016 08:31PM

blackdog1 wrote: »

I was reading today about how a2 milk is preferred to organic in Australia and cost twice as much as a1. To me thinking about all the talk dawg had about going to organic this seems to be just as profitable without the hassle. So far it seems to have only taken off in Australia anyone hear about anyone producing it here and how are they getting on?.

Used manage an a2 herd in nz wasnt getting twice the price of normal milk but was getting a good premium. Alot of cows and bulls are naturaly a2 if you look at an lic bull book they have them listed as a2/a2 bulls. There are over 20 herds in carterbury nz now that are fully a2 afaik. Baby milk powder from a2 milk can be feed to lactose intolernt babies so china is a big market for a2 milk powder as alot of chinenese are lactose intolerent . One nz company is even exporting a2 powder into america

ted_182 · 02-03-2016 09:13PM

frazzledhome wrote:

A dry early farm here, well usually. We start calving 14/2 and will not move for any money. Cows calve quick enough to get through grazing targets.

Would it be the same if you had no winter milk contract?

Mehaffey1 · 03-03-2016 12:21AM

blackdog1 wrote: »

I was reading today about how a2 milk is preferred to organic in Australia and cost twice as much as a1. To me thinking about all the talk dawg had about going to organic this seems to be just as profitable without the hassle. So far it seems to have only taken off in Australia anyone hear about anyone producing it here and how are they getting on?.

Heard some rumblings of going down the A2 Milk route but just seemed a bit complicated.

Mehaffey1 · 03-03-2016 12:24AM

Feeding out the end of last years silage and it is some soggy heavy crap. Sounded like Golidlocks and the 3 bears today but Mehaffey1 and the 3 bales. First bale loaded too close to the rear of the self loader and wouldnt feed. Second bale loaded too close to the front and wouldnt feed. Third was just right

frazzledhome · 03-03-2016 12:58AM

ted_182 wrote: »

Would it be the same if you had no winter milk contract?

Good question and have asked that in the past. It would still be the 14/2. Easy with heifers to have >50% calved by 28/2.

Will always have 15% calving before time so calving starts in fact about 5/6 of Feb. that gives any full time spring guy Christmas off with very little silage being fed in spring. It will be fed at back end but only to cows nearing end of lactation so not a lot expected of it.

What do you think?

whelan2 · 03-03-2016 07:24AM

What are grazing conditions like? Is there much damage being done?

frazzledhome · 03-03-2016 09:06AM

whelan2 wrote: »

What are grazing conditions like? Is there much damage being done?

Deplorable here, land is moving after Monday's and yesterday's rain. All stock housed till Saturday. Moving out then. We've all the home farm grazed, will move to out farm but no cubicles there so will wait a few days. This is a situation that will be addressed this summer. New cubicles and lagoon to be constructed.

We've 38% grazed and the regrowths are excellent so I don't mind holding them in for a few days.

frazzledhome · 03-03-2016 10:24AM

Young lad brings in oad cows and tells me they broke the break again. I said I'd look after it, found problem immediately. You guessed fence not switched back on, ffs couldn't make it up

jaymla627 · 03-03-2016 10:31AM

whelan2 wrote: »

What are grazing conditions like? Is there much damage being done?

Milkers still out here by day, on dryest part of farm and it's holding up very well back fence is being used and minimal damage.....
The money spent on roadways the past two years is really paying of would be impossible to graze without them at the minute

freedominacup · 03-03-2016 10:58AM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Deplorable here, land is moving after Monday's and yesterday's rain. All stock housed till Saturday. Moving out then. We've all the home farm grazed, will move to out farm but no cubicles there so will wait a few days. This is a situation that will be addressed this summer. New cubicles and lagoon to be constructed.

We've 38% grazed and the regrowths are excellent so I don't mind holding them in for a few days.

You may check the weekend forecast again. Put weanlings back in yesterday. I was thinking about reseeding two of the paddocks they were on. I'm not thinking about it any longer. My mind was made up for me. Everything in by night at least for the next four or five days min. Cows will do well to get out every second day. This is where top quality silage comes into play. No yield hit on the days they're housed.

Around 40% of mp grazed just under 30% of overall area. Heifers pushed us over the line.

Milked out · 03-03-2016 11:58AM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Young lad brings in oad cows and tells me they broke the break again. I said I'd look after it, found problem immediately. You guessed fence not switched back on, ffs couldn't make it up

I stick a gate handle as well as the regular plastic handle on the end of the reels saves having to switch off the fence and handy to have the plastic handle if you need to hook it on something that mite otherwise earth it.

visatorro · 03-03-2016 01:52PM

group of fr calves, they seem like they don't have an appetite. will drink maybe half a litre. then stop. I have them on a teat feeder. you have to hold them onto the feeder, even at that they wont stay drinking. but they will nearly run as around pen after me, its like they don't like the milk. warm whole milk and feeder is clean. is there something im doing wrong? is there something to improve appetite ?

also when do I introduce crunch? do you actually put crunch in their mouths to get them to taste it or just leave it infront of them.

first year calf rearing for me so making plenty of mistakes

whelan2 · 03-03-2016 02:27PM

Are the teats too hard or the opening too small. Did you get your tbc problem sorted? They should nibble at crunch themselves. Just a small bit at the beginning. Mine are leaving the crunch to eat their straw bedding

alps · 03-03-2016 02:34PM

frazzledhome wrote: »

Young lad brings in oad cows and tells me they broke the break again. I said I'd look after it, found problem immediately. You guessed fence not switched back on, ffs couldn't make it up

Absolutely does my head in when guys set up a fence and don't check that it's working. In fact "afraid" to check it's working.....Ffs afraid...A big fkucer afraid to check the fence....
Standard first check next time staff being hired is to go to the fence and see if they can check the shock while its plugged in.....

Worse than a gun shy dog....

blackdog1 · 03-03-2016 02:58PM

visatorro wrote: »

group of fr calves, they seem like they don't have an appetite. will drink maybe half a litre. then stop. I have them on a teat feeder. you have to hold them onto the feeder, even at that they wont stay drinking. but they will nearly run as around pen after me, its like they don't like the milk. warm whole milk and feeder is clean. is there something im doing wrong? is there something to improve appetite ?

also when do I introduce crunch? do you actually put crunch in their mouths to get them to taste it or just leave it infront of them.

first year calf rearing for me so making plenty of mistakes

Sounds like Rota virus. I was still getting it even though vaccinated. They overcame it quickly enough but a pain in the arse for 2-3 days

cosatron · 03-03-2016 03:26PM

visatorro wrote: »

group of fr calves, they seem like they don't have an appetite. will drink maybe half a litre. then stop. I have them on a teat feeder. you have to hold them onto the feeder, even at that they wont stay drinking. but they will nearly run as around pen after me, its like they don't like the milk. warm whole milk and feeder is clean. is there something im doing wrong? is there something to improve appetite ?

also when do I introduce crunch? do you actually put crunch in their mouths to get them to taste it or just leave it infront of them.

first year calf rearing for me so making plenty of mistakes

sound like a touch of scour, they should be drinking 2 litres of whole milk for the first 2/3 weeks. I find the best way to get calves going of crunch is mix a bucket of crunch and rolled oats and leave a nibble for them on a through, for example to get ours going I give a kg among six once a day for 4 days and then a kg twice a day nd increase gradually and when they are mad for it and thriving, start pulling the oats. We find this way is the best for there stomachs as we always feed whole milk to calves.

visatorro · 03-03-2016 04:12PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Are the teats too hard or the opening too small. Did you get your tbc problem sorted? They should nibble at crunch themselves. Just a small bit at the beginning. Mine are leaving the crunch to eat their straw bedding

Tank is slow to cool down on first milking so get that right and hopefully , couldn't find much else wrong with plant.

Don't think there's anything wrong with teats. They aren't blocked or anything. Just takes ages to feed the few calves

pedigree 6 · 03-03-2016 04:44PM

visatorro wrote: »

Don't think there's anything wrong with teats. They aren't blocked or anything. Just takes ages to feed the few calves

Are they the milkbar teats (the black inverted teats). If so they're designed to be very slow and calves can get tired sucking on them. Especially if very young.

I changed the teats on my feeders to the black peach pull through teats and much faster and no problems.

visatorro · 03-03-2016 04:48PM

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Are they the milkbar teats (the black inverted teats). If so they're designed to be very slow and calves can get tired sucking on them. Especially if very young.

I don't think they are sucking long enough to get tired. Just keep the fluids into them I suppose

RightTurnClyde · 03-03-2016 05:22PM

visatorro wrote: »

I don't think they are sucking long enough to get tired. Just keep the fluids into them I suppose

Are they milkbar teats, if so be sure they're put in right. If the square at the back of the teat isn't level with the bottom of the feeder, they'll get little or no milk.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 03-03-2016 08:30PM

Finally sold enough of the weanlings to squeeze them into one house and cleaned out the parlour so now I have both sides to milk in:)

And the contractor was in spreading with the umbilical and he spread one ring and emptied the tank so I have about 3 weeks room for slurry now.

Today was a good day:cool:

freedominacup · 03-03-2016 10:35PM

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Finally sold enough of the weanlings to squeeze them into one house and cleaned out the parlour so now I have both sides to milk in:)

And the contractor was in spreading with the umbilical and he spread one ring and emptied the tank so I have about 3 weeks room for slurry now.

Today was a good day:cool:

I think it might be time to reassess the weakling enterprise sherrif. Certainly the element that occupies part of the parlour. What did you get for them. We got something in the order of €375 for March and Apr ho weanlings last Nov. You'd definitely want another €200 to have any few pound for your efforts in keeping them over winter.

Timmaay · 03-03-2016 10:42PM

How many rows were ya up to Buford haha??

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

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