Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

straight · 22-09-2020 10:07am

I got my herd health results yesterday and the cows were sky high for Qfever. I never heard of it before and I'm not worried about it. Has anyone here had any experience of it? They were tested for mycoplasma too for the first time.

whelan2 · 22-09-2020 10:13am

straight wrote: »

I had one last year like that. I was around the yard watching him sleepy and just died. Just some underlying condition I put it down to. Could be bad heart or anything

Was a monster calf, had to jack him out. She would never have calved him herself

K.G. · 22-09-2020 10:27am

straight wrote: »

I got my herd health results yesterday and the cows were sky high for Qfever. I never heard of it before and I'm not worried about it. Has anyone here had any experience of it? They were tested for mycoplasma too for the first time.

Same here .dont know much about it. transferrd by ticks,cows get temps and reduce milk but seem to eat away.no treatment as far as i know.seems to a thing that wont kill an animal but would knock the profit out of them

Mooooo · 22-09-2020 6:26pm

Calves fond of the few nuts these days

trixi2011 · 22-09-2020 6:55pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Calves fond of the few nuts these days

Nice looking batch of calves moo

DukeCaboom · 22-09-2020 7:02pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Calves fond of the few nuts these days

There in great order lad.

mahoney_j · 22-09-2020 7:25pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Calves fond of the few nuts these days

Fine looking bunch

raindodger · 22-09-2020 9:02pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Calves fond of the few nuts these days

great calves feels like what am i doing wrong

awaywithyou · 22-09-2020 9:16pm

Nice calves.... who are the sires?

Mooooo · 22-09-2020 10:13pm

Thanks lads, changed tack with calves this year. They used to be on their own block as it's away from the farm and too small for heifers, but years of mainly calves there I reckon was causing too much of a burden on it, so kept them at home in a leader follower system with the heifers. They were off meal for about 7 to 8 weeks in the summer, and were moved when the heifers needed grass so never forced to clean out a paddock unless it was aftergrass. Back on a kilo now since the end of August. There are a few smaller ones there as well in that bunch which I will split out on Thurs to try and push them on a bit.

A couple of years ago I'd know the sires off the top of the head but since the number codes came in not so much, this year's calves are mainly Fr2298, Fr4600, fr2239, fr4530, fr4481

Grueller · 23-09-2020 7:26am

Milk urea here gone to 41 last collection. Feeding 4kg in the parlour, grass getting tight so am in with 77dmd,15.9% protein, 11.6ME bales for an hour after milking. Any simple tips?

Gawddawggonnit · 23-09-2020 7:30am

Grueller wrote: »

Milk urea here gone to 41 last collection. Feeding 4kg in the parlour, grass getting tight so am in with 77dmd,15.9% protein, 11.6ME bales for an hour after milking. Any simple tips?

Cows are in-calf with 5mts?
Be grand. Unlikely to cause damage to pregnant cows at that stage. You could also get a 10pr nut.

Grueller · 23-09-2020 8:11am

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Cows are in-calf with 5mts?
Be grand. Unlikely to cause damage to pregnant cows at that stage. You could also get a 10pr nut.

I thought about less protein in the nuts alright. The bin is unfortunately empty again so that's probably the solution.

Mooooo · 23-09-2020 8:20am

There has been higher growth than normal the last week, and that will likely slow with the weather this coming week. Have you the silage in long? If you'll be buffering with it for the foreseeable it should sort the urea. Keep the nuts at the 14% or 16% wouldn't go getting a full load of lower protein nuts when silage is likely to be in the diet from now on, altho yours is goos stuff. Remember to keep some of the best silage for next spring if you can

Panch18 · 23-09-2020 9:37am

Grueller wrote: »

I thought about less protein in the nuts alright. The bin is unfortunately empty again so that's probably the solution.

I'd be holding off making too many changes based on a urea test

Weather is changing - pretty dramatically

Don't do anything too different i would say

Grueller · 24-09-2020 3:18pm

The sh1t week continues here. I have been training in the nephew in transition year here to do an odd milking. The father needed to go to Dublin for a hospital appt this morning so the nephew, and to be fair he is a right chap, milked.
He rang me there now as he left school to tell me that he made a mistake this morning. He sucked up the wash water instead of the first rinse. He didn't realise until he had let it through to put the last of the milk to the tank.
There is probably a few litres of wash gone into the tank with about 1500 litres of milk. I may let it down the drain when I go home.

Acquiescence · 24-09-2020 3:31pm

Grueller wrote: »

There is probably a few litres of wash gone into the tank with about 1500 litres of milk. I may let it down the drain when I go home.

When is it being collected, with the dilution rate a few litres is hardly going to cause that much harm?

What would it even flag for?

We've all done some variation of the same. I'd be saying nothing to the youngfella either way.

I put an entire first rinse into the tank a few weeks ago.:pac:

Say my name · 24-09-2020 3:50pm

Acquiescence wrote: »

When is it being collected, with the dilution rate a few litres is hardly going to cause that much harm?

What would it even flag for?

We've all done some variation of the same. I'd be saying nothing to the youngfella either way.

I put an entire first rinse into the tank a few weeks ago.:pac:

It's on social media now anyways so definitely be testing for it. :pac:

I guess you're not with Glanbia? They'd be on fairly quick with the water test.

Timmaay · 24-09-2020 3:56pm

1stly he spotted it, and 2ndly he told you! Two big positives in my view. As an employer your 1st questions need to be could you of done anything differently yourself, did you let him on with the milking with not quite enough training, do you have each trough very clearly marked etc.

JeffKenna · 24-09-2020 4:41pm

Grueller wrote: »

The sh1t week continues here. I have been training in the nephew in transition year here to do an odd milking. The father needed to go to Dublin for a hospital appt this morning so the nephew, and to be fair he is a right chap, milked.
He rang me there now as he left school to tell me that he made a mistake this morning. He sucked up the wash water instead of the first rinse. He didn't realise until he had let it through to put the last of the milk to the tank.
There is probably a few litres of wash gone into the tank with about 1500 litres of milk. I may let it down the drain when I go home.

That sounds like an honest mistake. How old is he? 14 or 15, fair play to him for milking a herd of cows before school!

Sacrolyte · 24-09-2020 4:44pm

Contact milk rep.

Grueller · 24-09-2020 4:59pm

Acquiescence wrote: »

When is it being collected, with the dilution rate a few litres is hardly going to cause that much harm?

What would it even flag for?

We've all done some variation of the same. I'd be saying nothing to the youngfella either way.

I put an entire first rinse into the tank a few weeks ago.:pac:

Actually it shouldn't flag for chlorate as I am chlorine free.
TCM maybe?

Grueller · 24-09-2020 5:00pm

JeffKenna wrote: »

That sounds like an honest mistake. How old is he? 14 or 15, fair play to him for milking a herd of cows before school!

16. He is a hard worker to be fair.

Mooooo · 24-09-2020 5:03pm

Late now but a milk sample taken to the lab may determine if anything got in

Buford T. Justice XIX · 24-09-2020 6:46pm

Grueller wrote: »

The sh1t week continues here. I have been training in the nephew in transition year here to do an odd milking. The father needed to go to Dublin for a hospital appt this morning so the nephew, and to be fair he is a right chap, milked.
He rang me there now as he left school to tell me that he made a mistake this morning. He sucked up the wash water instead of the first rinse. He didn't realise until he had let it through to put the last of the milk to the tank.
There is probably a few litres of wash gone into the tank with about 1500 litres of milk. I may let it down the drain when I go home.

I wouldn't be letting it off until I was sure it needed to be let off!

A few litres of wash will be so diluted in 1500l it won't be detectable. 5l in 1500 is just 0.33% and most of that 5l is plain water.

Ring the manager in the morning and explain the story and they should be able to test a sample quickly to give you the all clear.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 24-09-2020 6:51pm

straight wrote: »

I got my herd health results yesterday and the cows were sky high for Qfever. I never heard of it before and I'm not worried about it. Has anyone here had any experience of it? They were tested for mycoplasma too for the first time.

My vet rang this evening when she got the results. Like yourself Q fever showed up and moderate for stomach worms so must do a few dung samples for that.

On the Q fever, she says it's very similar to IBR and vaccinating correctly for IBR gives good control of the Q fever as well. We keep a log of deaths here and there were a few in the last few years we put down to IBR that she now reckons may have been Q fever. Treatment seems to be just standard pneumonia treatment.

straight · 24-09-2020 8:36pm

Buford T. Justice XIX wrote: »

My vet rang this evening when she got the results. Like yourself Q fever showed up and moderate for stomach worms so must do a few dung samples for that.

On the Q fever, she says it's very similar to IBR and vaccinating correctly for IBR gives good control of the Q fever as well. We keep a log of deaths here and there were a few in the last few years we put down to IBR that she now reckons may have been Q fever. Treatment seems to be just standard pneumonia treatment.

I was .8 for stomach worms. I'm just going to ignore that. I do them with albex at dry off. Regarding the Q fever I'm not too worried because my herd seem healthy. I dont vaccinate for IBR.

kevthegaff · 24-09-2020 9:13pm

What's the longest crush people normally go for, I'm thinking of putting a new wall up and have ample room to go far with it. Existing 6 cow crush is collapsing

alps · 24-09-2020 9:19pm

kevthegaff wrote: »

What's the longest crush people normally go for, I'm thinking of putting a new wall up and have ample room to go far with it. Existing 6 cow crush is collapsing

Put in a herringbone crush that can take a full row of cows from the milking parlour. A conventional crush for half a dozen cows with a head gate will then suffice.

The herringbone crush is the business for testing, dosing, tail painting, tail clipping etc

kevthegaff · 25-09-2020 9:05am

alps wrote: »

Put in a herringbone crush that can take a full row of cows from the milking parlour. A conventional crush for half a dozen cows with a head gate will then suffice.

The herringbone crush is the business for testing, dosing, tail painting, tail clipping etc

I'll prob only have the one crush, so would u still go herringbone

Wildsurfer · 25-09-2020 9:29am

kevthegaff wrote: »

I'll prob only have the one crush, so would u still go herringbone

You'll still need a short standard crush for hoof pairing

Mooooo · 25-09-2020 9:38am

If you can design the loading area correctly a short crush may do. Neighbour only fits 4 cows at testing but flies thru it as can load fast.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 25-09-2020 10:01am

kevthegaff wrote: »

What's the longest crush people normally go for, I'm thinking of putting a new wall up and have ample room to go far with it. Existing 6 cow crush is collapsing

We have a 12 cow crush here. Great job for flying through work. We have a set of butterfly backing bars at the end so once they go up, they can't back down.

The first round of cows coming in can be slow but we hold the ones finished with in a yard in front of the crush so the rest come up fairly easily once the first lot are out and they can see them at the top.

Tonynewholland · 25-09-2020 10:02am

It’s hard to beat the control you have with a crush with a good high platform to work from. 12/14 cows if you have the room

kevthegaff · 25-09-2020 11:10am

I have a 20 unit parlour

GrasstoMilk · 25-09-2020 12:24pm

kevthegaff wrote: »

I have a 20 unit parlour

10 cow crush with space to hold the other 10?

If you have the room I'd definitely consider the herringbone crush
I'd love one

alps · 25-09-2020 1:36pm

Your operating space outside of the normal crush can become your herringbone crush if you can get the crush maker to allow you to swing down the top bar of crush when using the herringbone. The panel at the front of the normal crush, which guys usually mount as a hinged gate to allow access to a baled up animal, can be opened across the herringbone to make the front gate of that..

It's very easy to have both..

Grueller · 25-09-2020 3:24pm

Does anybody here know of anyone with good friesian holstein in calf heifers for sale? I would be interested in a batch of 15 or so to calve in February if anyone could recommend any.

thisyear · 28-09-2020 12:17pm

alps wrote: »

Put in a herringbone crush that can take a full row of cows from the milking parlour. A conventional crush for half a dozen cows with a head gate will then suffice.

The herringbone crush is the business for testing, dosing, tail painting, tail clipping etc

Did the same, brilliant investment!

trg · 28-09-2020 9:45pm

What do folks give for bulling maiden heifers say around March time? High EBI holsteins

GrasstoMilk · 29-09-2020 2:03pm

trg wrote: »

What do folks give for bulling maiden heifers say around March time? High EBI holsteins

Sold ours in spring for 850. Was happy with that

Buford T. Justice XIX · 29-09-2020 3:42pm

This might interest some of you.
https://twitter.com/FJDairy/status/1310952222784737291?s=19

Buford T. Justice XIX · 29-09-2020 8:14pm

A few pics in the tweet below of a herringbone crush.
https://twitter.com/WilliamConlon/status/1311021017318535175?s=19

kevthegaff · 29-09-2020 10:09pm

Buford T. Justice XIX wrote: »

A few pics in the tweet below of a herringbone crush.
https://twitter.com/WilliamConlon/status/1311021017318535175?s=19

Thanks B!

straight · 01-10-2020 1:06pm

Grazing in cork

https://youtu.be/JB8ddn51Am0

Siamsa Sessions · 01-10-2020 3:23pm

Rewiring a shed here that *might* have an 8-unit parlour installed next year. Any advice re what type of cable would be required? There’s a few options I think but can’t recall exactly.

The connection would be out from the fuse box at the ESB pole and into a fuse box in the shed.

I’ll be getting an electrician to do it but just wondered if anyone on here had some experience of different cable types or any other dos and don’ts

Thanks

Sugarbowl · 01-10-2020 8:41pm

Grueller wrote: »

The sh1t week continues here. I have been training in the nephew in transition year here to do an odd milking. The father needed to go to Dublin for a hospital appt this morning so the nephew, and to be fair he is a right chap, milked.
He rang me there now as he left school to tell me that he made a mistake this morning. He sucked up the wash water instead of the first rinse. He didn't realise until he had let it through to put the last of the milk to the tank.
There is probably a few litres of wash gone into the tank with about 1500 litres of milk. I may let it down the drain when I go home.

How did this work out for you Grueller? Was the wash water picked up in the test?

Grueller · 01-10-2020 9:17pm

Sugarbowl wrote: »

How did this work out for you Grueller? Was the wash water picked up in the test?

Actually after the advice here I did nothing and got the nephew over. He showed me what he had done that evening. I reckoned that next to nothing went in and chanced it. Never a word about it on the test.
Thanks for the advice all.

Wildsurfer · 01-10-2020 9:24pm

straight wrote: »

Grazing in cork

https://youtu.be/JB8ddn51Am0

Does anyone know what app he is using to show him what paddock he is in? He talks about it on the 8.50 mark on video

einn32 · 01-10-2020 9:36pm

Grueller wrote: »

Actually after the advice here I did nothing and got the nephew over. He showed me what he had done that evening. I reckoned that next to nothing went in and chanced it. Never a word about it on the test.
Thanks for the advice all.

Relief milker did it to me years ago. Never told anyone after leaving the first water flush through after milking in to the tank. We were caught for too much water. It took a while but his employer eventually took the blame and compensated us. Least you nephew was honest and it all ended well!

Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

Comments