Farming Chit Chat

whelan1

would that be the norm in the dairy sector? I thought calves were normally seperated from the cows after the first feeding.[/QUOTE]
sure i am far from normal! it just doesnt work for me taking the calf straight off the cow, think its great for the calf and cow to have the few days togrther

1chippy

I've bought a fair share of calves this year. Mainly off two dairy farmers. The ones left on the cows those few days longer are far superior calves. I bought five off one of them a few months back. He had taken three off the cows and there were two still on them when i was there. He asked if i would leave them with him a few weeks and he would ring when he wanted them collected, so me being so nice and thinking of the saving on milk replacer i did. went back and took the calves that were already off the cows, he hadnt weaned the other two.
The two left on the cows were twice the weight at least of the other ones and thats when i last seen them. i still havent picked them up yet.

The only reason i'm buying calves is that i am trying to gather a good batch of limos of bf. the prices people get for bucket fed yearlings do not justify what is put into them. some lads have said isnt it a great way of holding money together. i reckon if i could find a good source for these heifers reared, i would be at it. Milk replacer and crunch fairly adds up .

just do it

1chippy wrote: »

I've bought a fair share of calves this year. Mainly off two dairy farmers. The ones left on the cows those few days longer are far superior calves. I bought five off one of them a few months back. He had taken three off the cows and there were two still on them when i was there. He asked if i would leave them with him a few weeks and he would ring when he wanted them collected, so me being so nice and thinking of the saving on milk replacer i did. went back and took the calves that were already off the cows, he hadnt weaned the other two.
The two left on the cows were twice the weight at least of the other ones and thats when i last seen them. i still havent picked them up yet.

The only reason i'm buying calves is that i am trying to gather a good batch of limos of bf. the prices people get for bucket fed yearlings do not justify what is put into them. some lads have said isnt it a great way of holding money together. i reckon if i could find a good source for these heifers reared, i would be at it. Milk replacer and crunch fairly adds up .

Is there much work in it Chippy? I'd imagine until they're off the milk replacer there is a fair amount. Did you ever toy with getting a few BF cows to run with them and double or triple suck? I like the idea as well of direct sourcing LMxBF heifers. I rang two local lads who have switched to BF bull in anticipation of quota going in 2015.

1chippy

just do it wrote: »

Is there much work in it Chippy? I'd imagine until they're off the milk replacer there is a fair amount. Did you ever toy with getting a few BF cows to run with them and double or triple suck? I like the idea as well of direct sourcing LMxBF heifers. I rang two local lads who have switched to BF bull in anticipation of quota going in 2015.

we double and triple sucked a long time ago. don't really want to go down that route again. The work load isnt massive i have a reasonable set up
sorted for it. its my first year in a long time wiith calves that arent suckled. i have what i want in regards breeding. weights will be a lot lighter than suckled and i will end up having heifers four to five months longer off the buckets before they will be fit for bulling. They will be on meal for a fair share of the time and i just reckon the costs wont add up. But its pretty hard to find lim x bf bulling heifers. at least this way i see the cows they are off. (no holstein).

Mac Taylor

Christ the weather here is shocking. Blowing a gale and periodically bucketing it It was dark at 9:30. It I had the fire lighting I would think it was November. The weather forecast for the next few days is more of the same. The RTE forecaster was almost sorry giving the forecast. Talking to a few auld guys at the weekend & they reakon this is as bad a summer as they can remember.:(:(

Bodacious

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Christ the weather here is shocking. Blowing a gale and periodically bucketing it It was dark at 9:30. It I had the fire lighting I would think it was November. The weather forecast for the next few days is more of the same. The RTE forecaster was almost sorry giving the forecast. Talking to a few auld guys at the weekend & they reakon this is as bad a summer as they can remember.:(:(

Its absolutely cat weatherwise, rained all day .. got soaked to the skin, land saturated and we have dry land!

Annual herd test tomorrow and its going to be torrential rain down the back of the neck :D:D:D

Birdnuts

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Christ the weather here is shocking. Blowing a gale and periodically bucketing it It was dark at 9:30. It I had the fire lighting I would think it was November. The weather forecast for the next few days is more of the same. The RTE forecaster was almost sorry giving the forecast. Talking to a few auld guys at the weekend & they reakon this is as bad a summer as they can remember.:(:(

You can say that again - glad I got the hay sorted on my place in the West as it looks like this part of the country is set for the worst of it!!

pakalasa

I've also heard a few older people say that it's the worst summer that they can remember too. I managed to get my silage made at the weekend between the heavy showers. What a relief to have it done.

kevthegaff

pakalasa wrote: »

I've also heard a few older people say that it's the worst summer that they can remember too. I managed to get my silage made at the weekend between the heavy showers. What a relief to have it done.

I still have 30 acres to get in(hilly ground) bloody sick of it with no aftergrass for the cows also:(

bbam

pakalasa wrote: »

I've also heard a few older people say that it's the worst summer that they can remember too. I managed to get my silage made at the weekend between the heavy showers. What a relief to have it done.

From my patchy memory the "summer" is similar to 85/86. The major difference in this part of the world is that round bale silage is allowing fodder be saved where back then it was lost wholesale...

reilig

bbam wrote: »

From my patchy memory the "summer" is similar to 85/86. The major difference in this part of the world is that round bale silage is allowing fodder be saved where back then it was lost wholesale...

We made 6 pits of silage in the corners of the fields in 1985 - you just couldn't travel on them. We had a 20 diesel with double wheels and a buckrake for picking the grass up. I remember opening up one particular pit that had been made in partucularly wet weather and the steam rose out of it for days. The smell was the strongest silage smell that you could ever imagine. We were milking 20 cows at the time and they were glad to see the silage that winter. A lot of farmers to the north of us, in mountain land, got no silage of hay that year and it couldn't be bought either. Many suffered severe losses that winter.

whelan1

kevthegaff wrote: »

I still have 30 acres to get in(hilly ground) bloody sick of it with no aftergrass for the cows also:(

that should help your superlevy problems:D

rancher

bbam wrote: »

From my patchy memory the "summer" is similar to 85/86. The major difference in this part of the world is that round bale silage is allowing fodder be saved where back then it was lost wholesale...

I won't forget 85/86, both years wrote off 60 acres wheat and interest rates in the high teens, only sheep now and even though they're not poaching and there's plenty grass, they are not thriving. Had a teagasc adviser one time who used to say '' You wouldn't thrive either if there was a pint of water thrown on your dinner every day''.....how true

vanderbadger

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/machinery/machinery-features/on-test-loader-tractors-still-a-popular-work-horse/45392.article
interesting loader tractor comparison article
features, massey,deutz, kubota and zetor

bbam

reilig wrote: »

We made 6 pits of silage in the corners of the fields in 1985 - you just couldn't travel on them. We had a 20 diesel with double wheels and a buckrake for picking the grass up. I remember opening up one particular pit that had been made in partucularly wet weather and the steam rose out of it for days. The smell was the strongest silage smell that you could ever imagine. We were milking 20 cows at the time and they were glad to see the silage that winter. A lot of farmers to the north of us, in mountain land, got no silage of hay that year and it couldn't be bought either. Many suffered severe losses that winter.

Round us many lads just pushed their "hay" into the backs of ditches after it had turned plack on the fields, cattle were literally given away. We shared silage with a relation who had lost everything they tried to make up. It was a terible time..

Tipp Man

vanderbadger wrote: »

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/machinery/machinery-features/on-test-loader-tractors-still-a-popular-work-horse/45392.article
interesting loader tractor comparison article
features, massey,deutz, kubota and zetor

Would love 1 of those deutz's - they will be on the list next time the tractor is being changed

vanderbadger

Tipp Man wrote: »

Would love 1 of those deutz's - they will be on the list next time the tractor is being changed

was talking to a silage contractor who reckons deutz are the best tractor you can buy..he doesnt have any mind you but that was his opinion, is it true that hurlimann are identical tractor but much cheaper?

Tipp Man

vanderbadger wrote: »

was talking to a silage contractor who reckons deutz are the best tractor you can buy..he doesnt have any mind you but that was his opinion, is it true that hurlimann are identical tractor but much cheaper?

I believe so - I couldn't say for definite if all the parts are exactly the same but certainly a lot of them are

I suppose you'd loose out with the hurlimann when you'd go to trade it again

kevthegaff

whelan1 wrote: »

that should help your superlevy problems:D

thats nice

JohnBoy

Same, deutz, hurlimann and I think lambourghini are all the one company.

some stuff has deutz origins, some same.

not sure how much of hurlimann or lambourghini survive in current models

kevthegaff

JohnBoy wrote: »

Same, deutz, hurlimann and I think lambourghini are all the one company.

some stuff has deutz origins, some same.

not sure how much of hurlimann or lambourghini survive in current models

is it hard getting parts for an older Same or Lambourghini

JohnBoy

not a clue, sorry

reilig

kevthegaff wrote: »

is it hard getting parts for an older Same or Lambourghini

Parts are easy enough to get for them. They can be expensive though. There aren't many spurious manufacturers of parts for them unlike MF and Ford.

Atilathehun

rancher wrote: »

bbam wrote: »

From my patchy memory the "summer" is similar to 85/86. The major difference in this part of the world is that round bale silage is allowing fodder be saved where back then it was lost wholesale...

I won't forget 85/86, both years wrote off 60 acres wheat and interest rates in the high teens, only sheep now and even though they're not poaching and there's plenty grass, they are not thriving. Had a teagasc adviser one time who used to say '' You wouldn't thrive either if there was a pint of water thrown on your dinner every day''.....how true

Well, this evening takes the biscuit!!! After an absolute torrential day yesterday, heavy showers last night, today is sunny but cool. This evening is heavy rain again and quite cold, and getting duskish right now at twenty to eight.
Fertiliser I spread three weeks ago, had had no effect so far!!! Waste of money I think.

whelan1

lovely evening here:o

J DEERE

just do it wrote: »

Is there much work in it Chippy? I'd imagine until they're off the milk replacer there is a fair amount. Did you ever toy with getting a few BF cows to run with them and double or triple suck? I like the idea as well of direct sourcing LMxBF heifers. I rang two local lads who have switched to BF bull in anticipation of quota going in 2015.

Surprised how many suckler farmers are actually going the BFx route with their replacements. We're actually moving away from that for a number of reasons. This all from personal experience, Im not knocking anyones system or plans for the future.

1) The cost of buying the calf, rearing it, wintering it, getting it in calf and then getting it to calving is underestimated. Depending on your system, it could be another 18 months before you sell. Essentially you could be looking at 48 months without anything to show from your purchased calf. 4 years. Simmental heifer calves were making 400 this Spring as were Limousins. Friesian cross heifers are very hit and miss. Out of 10, maybe 6 might be of good quality. Buying in as weanlings or 400kg heifers may be dearer but worth it and better value in the long run

2) Regardless of what the experts say, you will very rarely get a Friesian cross heifer big enough to calf at 2 years old

3) Too much milk can be a bad thing. We've had numerous cows lose tits to mastitis due to having too much milk. Its easy to say multi-suckle these cows but in my opinion that is single-handedly the most time consuming job a farmer can put on himself

4) The studies from Derrypatrick show that the FriesianX offspring is heavier at weanling than the traditional Ch or Lim calf. They don't command the top price in the ring though as they are a much plainer animal. Are there any figures which compared the weights of these animals at 12, 15 and 18 months? Off point but to be honest, from what I've seen at Derrypatrick, its probably the last place a farmer should be setting as a benchmark for a realistic and profitable suckler system.

5) Even though you may have what looks like a Limousin, remember that there is 50% Friesian blood in her. We have found FriesianX cows hard to keep in condition over the winter which results in higher feed costs. The condition of the cow affects everything from fertility to calving

When we started into suckling, we bought in 100 BFX heifer calves at the time. Of these we had 60 calf. In the end, only 20 or 25 of these were worth their salt with regards fertility, quality of offspring and general longevity. However, some of the best cows we have are daughters of these cows crossed with Limousins. If you can pick up second generation BFx cross heifers then take the hand off the man selling them

1chippy

Its a 1chippy trial rather than a derrypatrick copycat. I was nearly all limo out of sim cows. mainly for the reason you get a fairly consistant batch of fairly good calves with a limo bull. I'm currently expanding and doing so with a variety of breeds and instead i'll be throwing at lot to ai. Apersonal favourite of mine is the black limo out of belguim blue but i really dislike the calving, so i kept these to a mi nimum. I have been taken advice for everywhere and to tell you the truth i'm pretty stubborn and have to f*k up for myself.
To tell you the truth j deere i would love to go out and buy a really good batch of bulling heifers and work from there, however ive bought a fair share and at this stage i need to cut my clothe to suit my means. things are too volatile at the moment to invest serious capital in one massive
gamble. The limo out of bf will work outas dear but spread out over a longer period and less risk. I have a shed another pit and more reseeding to do. i'm not just to full capacity and the calves work ok.

Pat the lad

Would love 1 of those deutz's - they will be on the list next time the tractor is being changed[/Quote]


yeah same here. always had a soft spot for Deutz. neighbour used to draw beet with a dx 650- some beast in it's day. always tinkered with getting one for hauling cattle trailer, slurry, silage etc.
Cousin has 2 deutz's at the moment and swears by them?

Juniorhurler

J DEERE wrote: »

Surprised how many suckler farmers are actually going the BFx route with their replacements. We're actually moving away from that for a number of reasons. This all from personal experience, Im not knocking anyones system or plans for the future.

1) The cost of buying the calf, rearing it, wintering it, getting it in calf and then getting it to calving is underestimated. Depending on your system, it could be another 18 months before you sell. Essentially you could be looking at 48 months without anything to show from your purchased calf. 4 years. Simmental heifer calves were making 400 this Spring as were Limousins. Friesian cross heifers are very hit and miss. Out of 10, maybe 6 might be of good quality. Buying in as weanlings or 400kg heifers may be dearer but worth it and better value in the long run

2) Regardless of what the experts say, you will very rarely get a Friesian cross heifer big enough to calf at 2 years old

3) Too much milk can be a bad thing. We've had numerous cows lose tits to mastitis due to having too much milk. Its easy to say multi-suckle these cows but in my opinion that is single-handedly the most time consuming job a farmer can put on himself

4) The studies from Derrypatrick show that the FriesianX offspring is heavier at weanling than the traditional Ch or Lim calf. They don't command the top price in the ring though as they are a much plainer animal. Are there any figures which compared the weights of these animals at 12, 15 and 18 months? Off point but to be honest, from what I've seen at Derrypatrick, its probably the last place a farmer should be setting as a benchmark for a realistic and profitable suckler system.

5) Even though you may have what looks like a Limousin, remember that there is 50% Friesian blood in her. We have found FriesianX cows hard to keep in condition over the winter which results in higher feed costs. The condition of the cow affects everything from fertility to calving

When we started into suckling, we bought in 100 BFX heifer calves at the time. Of these we had 60 calf. In the end, only 20 or 25 of these were worth their salt with regards fertility, quality of offspring and general longevity. However, some of the best cows we have are daughters of these cows crossed with Limousins. If you can pick up second generation BFx cross heifers then take the hand off the man selling them

J Deere, you make a lot of sense. Particularly the last bit. A few of these Br Fr x Lm cows about the place AI'd to breed replacements are the maintenance of your herd.

Juniorhurler

Pat the lad wrote: »

Would love 1 of those deutz's - they will be on the list next time the tractor is being changed

yeah same here. always had a soft spot for Deutz. neighbour used to draw beet with a dx 650- some beast in it's day. always tinkered with getting one for hauling cattle trailer, slurry, silage etc.
Cousin has 2 deutz's at the moment and swears by them?[/QUOTE]

Drove one for a summer. Serious tractor even today.

just do it

J Deere

Great post there. Good to get an account from someone with first hand experience. A bit like 1chippy I'm just checking out the various options for building up the herd. The benefit I see from having a few LMxFR cows is for breeding replacements. Interesting you point this out at the end of the post.

One of the reasons I'm considering trying a batch of calves is I've a few wet acres. Good at growing grass but poach easily. How good are calves to graze out a paddock?

just do it

1chippy wrote: »

To tell you the truth j deere i would love to go out and buy a really good batch of bulling heifers and work from there, however ive bought a fair share and at this stage i need to cut my clothe to suit my means.

Another few weeks of this weather and I think weanlings/ young breeding heifers will become affordable again. I saw one nice weanling heifer go through the ring in Ennis yesterday and sold for €920. Only a few weeks ago I reckon she could have made €1,100. Only the dealers were bidding.

just do it

I'm based in West Clare and am starting out building our future home via direct labour having received planning earlier this year. As I know a good few of you are in Clare I'm looking for PMs with recommendations for someone to do the groundworks at this stage. I've been hanging around on the Construction & Planning forum as well for the last few years but farmers are always a good source of info regarding construction.

Thanks in advance.

J DEERE

1chippy wrote: »

Its a 1chippy trial rather than a derrypatrick copycat. I was nearly all limo out of sim cows. mainly for the reason you get a fairly consistant batch of fairly good calves with a limo bull. I'm currently expanding and doing so with a variety of breeds and instead i'll be throwing at lot to ai. Apersonal favourite of mine is the black limo out of belguim blue but i really dislike the calving, so i kept these to a mi nimum. I have been taken advice for everywhere and to tell you the truth i'm pretty stubborn and have to f*k up for myself.
To tell you the truth j deere i would love to go out and buy a really good batch of bulling heifers and work from there, however ive bought a fair share and at this stage i need to cut my clothe to suit my means. things are too volatile at the moment to invest serious capital in one massive
gamble. The limo out of bf will work outas dear but spread out over a longer period and less risk. I have a shed another pit and more reseeding to do. i'm not just to full capacity and the calves work ok.

I wasn't implying that you're out to replicate the Derrypatrick herd, no offence intended. Just giving my personal experience as I've been down that route. Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely knocking the system. Friesian cross cows make up the core of my Spring calving herd. I wouldn't sell these cows for any money as they breed excellent replacements, I hope for heifers out of them every year. If I was back again though I'd probably do it differently. Remember that these 20 are the only ones remaining out of an initial 100 bought

I know exactly what your saying about building up the herd whilst trying to invest in your land and facilities. In the same boat myself. Its hard done especially when trying to fund it out of any surplus cash that might present itself. Personally though, instead of buying 10 heifer calves for say 4000, I'd prefer to buy maybe 4 or 5 top quality weanling heifers and have them calving a year sooner. As a man I know says "They're only dear the day ya buy them". You'd also have a better idea of the type of animal you will have at just say 400kg. I've tried both ways and just feel that buying as weanlings suits me better

At the end of the day, only you yourself knows what suits ya and what doesnt. What works or doesnt work for me might be the complete opposite for you and vice versa

J DEERE

One of the reasons I'm considering trying a batch of calves is I've a few wet acres. Good at growing grass but poach easily. How good are calves to graze out a paddock?[/QUOTE]

They'll graze it out alright. You'll have to keep the grass leafy and short for them though. Calves are selective grazers, they won't eat just anything. They shouldn't be made either. Move them regular, every 3 or 4 days and they'll thrive very well

bob charles

beautiful night out, you wouldn't believe going on tonight that the weather is so bad.

Im on the graveyard shift as I have to give a B12 vitamin injection to a smashing heifer every 3 hrs to correct here deficiency

reilig

bob charles wrote: »

beautiful night out, you wouldn't believe going on tonight that the weather is so bad.

Im on the graveyard shift as I have to give a B12 vitamin injection to a smashing heifer every 3 hrs to correct here deficiency

I thought the full moon last night was spectacular. In all my years, I have never seen it so bright or appear to be so close to the earth.

I was on the night shift for other reasons - full moon normally means that our baby doesn't sleep too well.

The old generation of people believed that a full moon brings a change in the weather. I hope its so!!

KCTK

bob charles wrote: »

beautiful night out, you wouldn't believe going on tonight that the weather is so bad.

Im on the graveyard shift as I have to give a B12 vitamin injection to a smashing heifer every 3 hrs to correct here deficiency

Bob will giving it every 3 hours do the job? I had a bullock last week with either a B12 deficiency or meningitis, vet gave him few injections and I injected him then for 2 days 12 hour intervals, no good, poor fellow just pined away, would not eat or drink a thing, lost the sight and just walked around in circles and into walls. Ended up putting him out of his suffering on Tuesday as could see no hope for him, was grinding the teeth and everything

bbam

J DEERE wrote: »

One of the reasons I'm considering trying a batch of calves is I've a few wet acres. Good at growing grass but poach easily. How good are calves to graze out a paddock?

They'll graze it out alright. You'll have to keep the grass leafy and short for them though. Calves are selective grazers, they won't eat just anything. They shouldn't be made either. Move them regular, every 3 or 4 days and they'll thrive very well

We find that heifers will clear the ground better than bull calves?? I've no real explanation just what we noticed..

johngalway

Don't tell the Yanks, but I suspect we've stolen their rain:

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012/07/us/drought/index.html?hpt=us_t5

Tipp Man

johngalway wrote: »

Don't tell the Yanks, but I suspect we've stolen their rain:

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012/07/us/drought/index.html?hpt=us_t5

I think we should live up to our reputation as a kind and generous people and we should give a lot of it back to them

Atilathehun

Does anybody have calves out of Dovea Lim Bull CWI?
I have two of them this year, both heifer calves and both well made. I was targeting them to keep as replacements.
One problem though, both as wild as deere:( As soon as you get within ten yards they take off across the field, with tails on their backs.
I have pretty much ALL quiet cows and calves. Anything showing flighty tendenancies over the years, have got the gate, leaving me with grand calm stock.
So in this case, I blame the bull and bull alone for the flighty nature in these two paticular calves:eek:

pakalasa

Atilathehun wrote: »

Does anybody have calves out of Dovea Lim Bull CWI?

You should check the docility figure on www.ICBF.com for the AI bull before using. CWI is only 13% (across breeds) for docility. The simmental bull IS4, for example is 96% with 98% reliability. I have heifers on the ground from IS4 and you can pat them on the head. The quietest I've ever bred.

Atilathehun

pakalasa wrote: »

You should check the docility figure on www.ICBF.com for the AI bull before using. CWI is only 13% (across breeds) for docility. The simmental bull IS4, for example is 96% with 98% reliability. I have heifers on the ground from IS4 and you can pat them on the head. The quietest I've ever bred.

Yes, I know, but I still didn't expect a cross between a gazelle and a hare:o .
Still, when I get them weaned, and in the shed, I make a point of standing into the pen with my replacement heifers, and gradually getting them used to human contact. A small bucket of ration, and you soon get them to like you. Anything that fails that test, will get the auld P45:p
Have a few sim heifer calves also this year. Look good and quiet. Some say, not great in the feet dept , and prone to problems on slats. Time will tell.

just do it

Atilathehun wrote: »

I have pretty much ALL quiet cows and calves. Anything showing flighty tendenancies over the years, have got the gate, leaving me with grand calm stock.
So in this case, I blame the bull and bull alone for the flighty nature in these two paticular calves:eek:

Why let these 2 destroy all your good work? I did something similar but held one replacement from one of the cows I culled as she was a good one. After 2 calves she's going to the factory this autumn. She's squared up to me once or twice and it's just not worth it.

These 2 will sell well as I'm always amazed temperament doesn't seem to affect the price cattle make at the mart. Then buy 2 quiet ones instead.

flat out !!

Just wondering about the tv signals going digital on oct 24. Will a saorview box pick up my calving camera signal. It's one of those that has it's own aerial on the calving shed roof, with line of sight to the aerial on the dwelling house. Any ideas.?

johngalway

http://aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/special_buys3_22973.htm

I got one of the above a few years ago to keep all my lambing stuff in one place. It's got lots of room and is plenty rugged unless you plan on repeatedly driving over it. Handy for small stuff that's easily misplaced.

Mac Taylor

Bodacious wrote: »

Its absolutely cat weatherwise, rained all day .. got soaked to the skin, land saturated and we have dry land!

Annual herd test tomorrow and its going to be torrential rain down the back of the neck :D:D:D

How did things go?

Bizzum

just do it wrote: »

Why let these 2 destroy all your good work? I did something similar but held one replacement from one of the cows I culled as she was a good one. After 2 calves she's going to the factory this autumn. She's squared up to me once or twice and it's just not worth it.

These 2 will sell well as I'm always amazed temperament doesn't seem to affect the price cattle make at the mart. Then buy 2 quiet ones instead.

I've seen it go the other way too. A predominantly quite herd settling down the odd flighty one.
Even flighty weanlings can settle well over their first winter with calmer stock.
I wouldn't panic just yet!

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

flat out !! wrote: »

Just wondering about the tv signals going digital on oct 24. Will a saorview box pick up my calving camera signal. It's one of those that has it's own aerial on the calving shed roof, with line of sight to the aerial on the dwelling house. Any ideas.?

As long as your calving system has its own broadcast aerial ( on the shed) and reciever aerial ( your roof) you should be fine.

The saorview box wont decode the cow channel and display it. You will need to have a wire going directly to the back of the tv just like you have now. Just buy a cheap splitter and put one wire into the saorview box and the other directly into the tv to get the cows.
A scart cable/hdmi cable will then link between your tv and saor view box to display rte channels.

Hope i havent confused you

well at least not as bad as rte are doing :pac: