Dairy Chitchat 3

alps wrote: »

Back 18% in solids delivered on October 18. Cows had come through September 18 yielding stronger due to high feeding due to drought. Also fed beet through much of October last year, but felt with milk price this year that the return wasn't in it, as we had good quality grass full time and 3kg of meal.

Just on 1kgms now, nothing dry....would yield lift again if we went with beet, or would it be purely an exercise in buying milk?

Wouldn’t think tit would pay at this stage ,I’m buffering here for about 6 weeks withbrealky good silage and 2 kg maize meal/beet pulp and 4 kg 16% in parlour .they held way better thru October by doing so in full time since last Friday at 17.7 Ltrs and 9.12% solids .grass especially in back end like we’re having is going to do little for cows .seriously considering keeping less calves next year and growing 13 acres of maize

K.G. wrote: »

Any of ye see that underpass on the front page of the focus section of ifj this week .does the under pass go under the shed?

They said it goes under the dairy anyway

mahoney_j wrote: »

Wouldn’t think tit would pay at this stage ,I’m buffering here for about 6 weeks withbrealky good silage and 2 kg maize meal/beet pulp and 4 kg 16% in parlour .they held way better thru October by doing so in full time since last Friday at 17.7 Ltrs and 9.12% solids .grass especially in back end like we’re having is going to do little for cows .seriously considering keeping less calves next year and growing 13 acres of maize

Maize is the ultimate buffer I'd say. Is it very expensive? What about brewers grain? 55 euro a ton.

Maize I basically see as a big part of the winter fodder diet for milkers here, it means I need less silage for the cows, it puts plenty of condition on their back going into the dry period, it drys up their dung, it's alot less hassle than leafy high dmd pancake silage bales, and I usually only need to feed at most 2kg meal from Nov right through to when it runs out around Paddy's day, and cost wise it comes in around the same as 1st cut, 12.5c/kgdmd in the pit, including the land charge. Only big risk is the harvest, defo needs a dry field with good road access, even then expect the odd year for it to end up like a bombsight, like this year. Road sweeper following the trailers kept the neighbours happy tho.

whelan2 wrote: »

Some amount of maize still to be harvested around here

Does it all even have a home ha? Too much planted around here, by lads who were burnt in the drought of 2018, contractors who grew it without a contract for it found it hard to get it sold after.

K.G. wrote: »

Must be mighty stuff.fellas around are shifting it long distances-4 hrs round trip .what's it to grow and harvest.someone said 700 euros a trailer

1000 an acre into the pit is what everyone says. We're buying it by the tonne for 50€ it's great stuff this year. 32 dm 35 starch 9% protein

K.G. wrote: »

Must be mighty stuff.fellas around are shifting it long distances-4 hrs round trip .what's it to grow and harvest.someone said 700 euros a trailer

700e for a 13t trailer, defo not a triple axle 18t trailer.

Timmaay wrote: »

Does it all even have a home ha? Too much planted around here, by lads who were burnt in the drought of 2018, contractors who grew it without a contract for it found it hard to get it sold after.

Maize will always have a home as long as it can be harvested. Maize from north cork going to just north of the border for Digesters. I also know of maize going from Louth and Meath to Co. Derry

13% scanned not in calf after 12 weeks. It's disappointing. That 8 out of 70. I'm fairly sure 2 of them were in calf up to recently. I've 3 2nd calvers not in calf for some reason. One of them cycling every 3 weeks. One of them lost their calf recently I'd say. She's dirty and passing dirt now when lying down. And one just didn't come to dairy until September. I'm short on maiden heifers for next year and I'm contemplating recycling these 3. It's not something I've done before and in not sure it's worth it.

straight wrote: »

13% scanned not in calf after 12 weeks. It's disappointing. That 8 out of 70. I'm fairly sure 2 of them were in calf up to recently. I've 3 2nd calvers not in calf for some reason. One of them cycling every 3 weeks. One of them lost their calf recently I'd say. She's dirty and passing dirt now when lying down. And one just didn't come to dairy until September. I'm short on maiden heifers for next year and I'm contemplating recycling these 3. It's not something I've done before and in not sure it's worth it.

Have done it and they just end up fat lumps and generally dont go back incalf the second time.
I'd buy 3 heifers if it was me

whelan2 wrote: »

Are you just spring calving? I rolled a few of last years late spring calvers over to this autumn. Was glad to have them tbh and I would have been getting feck all for them this time last year

Just spring. That's the thing. They're worth feck all as culls. Probably better off let them go but tempted. Was thinking I could blood test them for neospora, etc.

Does anyone here buy the surgical wipes for cleaning the cows tear ends at dry off in a canister kind of like the way the baby wipes come?

Thanks all for the cow clipper advice. Ordered one from clippers Ireland.ie but they are sold out and won't be delivered till next week. Extra €20 discount though, so might be of use to anyone looking for one. €180 delivered.

we feed oats two weeks before calving with access to mineral licks and buckets for whole of dry period

done wholecrop oats this year as its getting very hard to get good quality oats