Farming Chit Chat

Kovu

snowman707 wrote: »

don't know, wasn't here when the vet came, she's is on fairly clean pasture, and definitely no ragwort.

Have you checked her gums to see the colour? Photosensitisisation usually occurs in pink skinned animals. What kind of weeds would she have access to ( ragwort/certain clovers etc)

Kovu

A good cortisone inj for a couple days from the vet should cure it too.

just do it

Kovu Murr wrote: »

I'm back! (For a couple of weeks at least)
I've given enough blood every day to bring the dodo back to life:P

Good to have you back, there must have been something good in that there blood;)

just do it

reilig wrote: »

Bit the bullet today and rented 40 acres of grass. It was that or let the cows in on the grass for the second cut, house some of the others and open this year's silage. Its good grass which hasn't been eaten since April. Ground is as dry as a bone - some comparison with what we have. Lucky to get it i suppose. Its 30 miles away but I pass it on the way to work every day!

Was talking to a guy who works for born na mona today, He recons that they pay a load of money to weather forecasters because their job is so weather dependent. Anyway, their advisors recon that all the signs are in place that we are going to have a good month of september. I hope they are right. Its nice to a glimmer of hope, it raises the spirits a little and if they are wrong, at least we will have someone to blame!!

Needs must reilig, a sensible business move. No point in crying come February when looking back you knew you could have rented it. Even if the weather turns and it's a great Autumn I don't think there will be any issue selling silage this winter. If you've enough fodder you might even pick up some extra stock now that they are affordable again;)

P.S. I hope the Bord Na Mona lad is right, for everyone's sake!!!

just do it

whelan1 wrote: »

good luck with the land... hope the forecasters are right, will probably have to rehouse my cows tomorrow night, disaster

I was thinking of housing my cows by night as well. They'll quickly get used to eating what they need during the 12hrs they're out and I can start giving the nuts to the calves inside. I have the grass but grazing it is the issue!

blue5000

Welcome back Kovu, hope all is ok

just do it

pakalasa wrote: »

I went herding today to find a january born Simm heifer bulling.... at 8 months of age....:eek:.... Big panic then to seperate.

Put a reminder in the phone for 3 weeks time;) and that will tell you whether she needs a shot of estrumate or not;)

just do it

snowman707 wrote: »

had a cow with sunstroke to day, ..

can't ever remember a case before, she's fairly off form,

any body any experience of it?

Put her in a dark shed, even on a dull day there seems to be enough radiation to upset them. It she has it bad be prepared for the skin to peel badly. Have you had the vet to her? (edit - I see in a later post you've had the vet out. Should have read more before replying )

just do it

snowman707 wrote: »

don't know, wasn't here when the vet came, she's is on fairly clean pasture, and definitely no ragwort.

There are a number of different pasture weeds that can help set it off (google should help on that front!). As well as that if the liver is poorly due to fluke infestation an animal can be prone to it. Have you ever had a case of it before? I take it it's the white parts of her skin that are affected.

Bodacious

just do it wrote: »

There are a number of different pasture weeds that can help set it off (google should help on that front!). As well as that if the liver is poorly due to fluke infestation an animal can be prone to it. Have you ever had a case of it before? I take it it's the white parts of her skin that are affected.

saw it 2 years ago.. char stock bull.. his whole skin on back peeled off .. only would venture out to graze at dusk himself.. he killed him when he was healed

Bizzum

snowman707 wrote: »

had a cow with sunstroke to day, ..

can't ever remember a case before, she's fairly off form,

any body any experience of it?

We had acase of it a few years ago. A pale coloured Simx heifer. She was frothing out of the mouth and her skin broke out but the strangest thing was she went crazy in the shed, pure crazy, that real frightened look in her eye. She was normally very quite. We left her on the slats for a few days and fed her hay. She was fine then. We had the vet out to her and he injected her but I cant say now with what as it was probably 4 or 5 year ago.

Bizzum

blue5000 wrote: »

Welcome back Kovu, hope all is ok

Welcome back Karen.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger:)

bob charles

Bizzum wrote: »

We had acase of it a few years ago. A pale coloured Simx heifer. She was frothing out of the mouth and her skin broke out but the strangest thing was she went crazy in the shed, pure crazy, that real frightened look in her eye. She was normally very quite. We left her on the slats for a few days and fed her hay. She was fine then. We had the vet out to her and he injected her but I cant say now with what as it was probably 4 or 5 year ago.

have a few cases every year, usually just stick inside and a course of light antibiotics, for some reason our light land I think influences it.

whelan1

whatdid your man ken ring predict for the weather forecast , was he right in any way shape or form?

pakalasa

Bizzum wrote: »

.... A pale coloured Simx heifer. She was frothing out of the mouth and her skin broke out but the strangest thing was she went crazy in the shed, pure crazy, that real frightened look in her eye. ....

In the case we had, a white cow, she was swinging her head from side to side in pain. I thought she was going to die. Vet told me to put her in a dark shed and let out to graze at night. It cured it, but she got a slight case of it again, but I knew the symptoms and put her in again. She has been fine since. I didn't know about the fluke connection.

kboc

bob charles wrote: »

have a few cases every year, usually just stick inside and a course of light antibiotics, for some reason our light land I think influences it.

ah jaysus bob, have you no bed to go to! that hour of the morning I am comatosed.

snowman707

Kovu Murr wrote: »

Have you checked her gums to see the colour? Photosensitisisation usually occurs in pink skinned animals. What kind of weeds would she have access to ( ragwort/certain clovers etc)

Kovu Murr wrote: »

A good cortisone inj for a couple days from the vet should cure it too.

she is 3 to 4 months in calf

just do it wrote: »

Put her in a dark shed, even on a dull day there seems to be enough radiation to upset them. It she has it bad be prepared for the skin to peel badly. Have you had the vet to her? (edit - I see in a later post you've had the vet out. Should have read more before replying )

bob charles wrote: »

have a few cases every year, usually just stick inside and a course of light antibiotics, for some reason our light land I think influences it.

pakalasa wrote: »

In the case we had, a white cow, she was swinging her head from side to side in pain. I thought she was going to die. Vet told me to put her in a dark shed and let out to graze at night. It cured it, but she got a slight case of it again, but I knew the symptoms and put her in again. She has been fine since. I didn't know about the fluke connection.

her skin hasn't peeled (or at least hasn't started yet) she is a friesian 50/50 black and white , but the white on her is very white (if that's make sense)

she came in humped and obviously in pain

she is fairly lively this am and grubbing, grinding the teeth a bit, was my son that was here when the vet came, and just checked again with he thought the vet said sun burn ,

might ring the vet later


torrential rain here again keeping her in for now

bob charles

kboc wrote: »

ah jaysus bob, have you no bed to go to! that hour of the morning I am comatosed.

its the only time to make a few bob, I presumed everyone gets up around this time

reilig

whelan1 wrote: »

whatdid your man ken ring predict for the weather forecast , was he right in any way shape or form?

They have all had a go:

Ken Ring, New Zealand

Although this will probably be an exceptionally hot summer in Central Europe, says Ring, here in Ireland we should expect a slow start to a mild summer.

The second half of June should be mostly dry with some warm sunshine in the last week. However, real summer temperatures won’t surface until around the last week of July, running into the first week or two of August, when we should have temperatures of between 20 and 25 degrees, though, he emphasises, don’t expect heatwaves. Generally, though, this summer’s sunshine will be a bit below normal. The month to worry about is September which may experience rainfall and some flooding in the beginning and the end of the month. There will be a full moon at the beginning and end of September and a new moon in the middle of the month, which he believes will be linked with high tides, flooding and rain.

Michael Gallagher, Postman, Donegal

As one of Ireland’s best known amateur forecasters, Michael predicts: "Overall I wouldn’t be too happy with the summer. We’ve had a very good winter. March was very warm and there was very little rain over the winter.

"I believe thunder will dominate the summer and I would advise people to make the most of any good weather we get.

"The signs are not good for a warm sunny summer. There was very late growth this year. Flowers that should have been up by the start of April were only coming out at the end of the month. The frogspawn was very plentiful in the middle of flat land, which is a sign that they’re expecting water to come.

"If good weather is coming the frogspawn tends to be located near a stream but not on flat land. I hope I’m wrong."

ALL THIS talk of getting a good summer because the frog-spawn is early or the dolphins are staying north makes Gerald Fleming a bit impatient.

He’s a scientist, so to him, weather forecasting is about science, not about how high up in the trees the birds are nesting.

"I don’t place any credence on the self-styled forecaster — their approach and our approach are fundamentally very different," says the Head of the Forecasting Division at Met Éireann.

"They might go by the berries on the trees, but how do the berries on the trees affect something that’s going to happen in three months or six months? I have to understand cause and effect as a scientist before I make that connection."

Whichever way they get it, the Irish are utterly obsessed with weather forecasts, something which has its roots, he believes, in the farming and fishing which dominated our livelihoods a generation ago.

Today that obsession remains, but our modern, unrelenting desire for barbecue summers is, sadly, more about the triumph of hope over expectation. Face facts, says Fleming, the science says barbecue weather is not an Irish phenomenon and never will be.

"Most Irish summers are unsettled, wet and not particularly warm. We’re living a long way from the equator — 54 degrees north. On top of that, we’re beside a large body of water called the Atlantic Ocean, so cool and damp will always be our predominant weather. "

Dont be daft

We had a young bull go down with that photo thing about 6 months ago.
I'd never seen it before nor had the father.
He was drooling from the mouth so thought was timber tongue but when we got him into the crush it was obvious straightaway that it wasnt. Noticed the day before he was shaking his head just for a moment and thought "thats odd, must keep an eye on him". Nothing else wrong with him at the time so left him be. With hindsight I suppose that was the first sign.

Knew it was out of my league so vet was called and sure enough he had it. Went with cortozone for a few days and in a dark shed but the weight fell of him over the next 10 days. Took him about a month to come right but the skin had peeled very badly around his whole face.

Very close to losing him. Took the pic below about a week ago. You can see the area around his eyes and down his snout that peeled.

Someone posted that they have a few cases every year. I'd say it must be something to do with the land or whats on the land so because we bring in cattle from near and far and have never had a case of it before.

5live

pakalasa wrote: »

Is it photosensitization? I had a cow with it before. Usually caused by eating a plant such as ragwort. UV light then sets off a reaction.

St. Johns Wort i think. Used by some health food folk but stopped for sale a while back

vanderbadger

had vet out today, calf coming backwards and upside down, fair play vet got calf out alive, cow is massive simm..mental..she was locked into gate otherwise she would have killed all round her, after spending half hr there trying to get calf out from her and cant, definitely her last calf before culling..

Conmaicne Mara

"Most Irish summers are unsettled, wet and not particularly warm. We’re living a long way from the equator — 54 degrees north. On top of that, we’re beside a large body of water called the Atlantic Ocean, so cool and damp will always be our predominant weather. "

Asking older people in the area, who would have been involved in farming and sea fishing, they're all agreed our two past Summers (2012/2011) in particular have been abnormally poor.

bbam

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Asking older people in the area, who would have been involved in farming and sea fishing, they're all agreed our two past Summers (2012/2011) in particular have been abnormally poor.

They have indeed been bad summers.. But were they any worse than 85/86 or 02??
The MET lads, deal with "climate" which is a much longer term look at the "weather" that we remember year to year..

We Irish seem to have a strange obsession with the weather and a selective memory too... When I think back to my childhood I remember nothing but long sunny summers without rain.. But then thinking harder I also remember the cocks of hay floating in the meadows..

We farm marginal land (and thats being kind). On a good year we do as much maintenance of weeds and rush as we can... This year we just sit back and watch the rush creep back.. Its a kinda cold war standoff, sometimes we gain and then sometimes they take it back !!

One big change we made was a shift away from cows to lighter stock, much easier on our ground.

reilig

bbam wrote: »

One big change we made was a shift away from cows to lighter stock, much easier on our ground.

or these

whelan1

just back from farm walk, a few of the lads have cows scanned , averaging at 25% empty rate:eek: so the discussion was what to do with the empty cows, one suggestion was sell sttraight away, another was put them incalf in november... another was to milk them once a day over the winter and let them in with next years cows! i think if you have enough replacements, the mart or sell now is the best option, what do ye think. one of the lads reckons they are only worth €500-600 at the minute:eek::eek:

leg wax

whelan1 wrote: »

just back from farm walk, a few of the lads have cows scanned , averaging at 25% empty rate:eek: so the discussion was what to do with the empty cows, one suggestion was sell sttraight away, another was put them incalf in november... another was to milk them once a day over the winter and let them in with next years cows! i think if you have enough replacements, the mart or sell now is the best option, what do ye think. one of the lads reckons they are only worth €500-600 at the minute:eek::eek:

whats wrong with 500-600 ,get used to been back at normal prices,dairy farmers have been spoilt with fantastic prices for culls in the last 12 months or so,the good is gone out of the cow trade as she is too heavy for wet ground and she will have to be finished in the shed and also cows as you know eat a lot and fodder is scarce.

just do it

bbam wrote: »

One big change we made was a shift away from cows to lighter stock, much easier on our ground.

Have you moved away from cows altogether? What are you doing now instead?

bbam

just do it wrote: »

Have you moved away from cows altogether? What are you doing now instead?

Yep cows all gone.. Most were nearing cull anyway.
We had always raised sucks to keep numbers up so we just do that now..
Means your dealing with plainer stock but it makes steady small profit.. Forces us to be real tight with the budget but thats no harm.. this year was tough but they are all leaving a profit before SFP so we're not complaining.

Richk2012

Anyone thinking of going to the Roundhill & Castleview Pedigree Limousin sale in Roscrea on Friday 7th ????
66 Females from both herds on offer ...

just do it

bbam wrote: »

Yep cows all gone.. Most were nearing cull anyway.
We had always raised sucks to keep numbers up so we just do that now..
Means your dealing with plainer stock but it makes steady small profit.. Forces us to be real tight with the budget but thats no harm.. this year was tough but they are all leaving a profit before SFP so we're not complaining.

Do you finish them? I notice a few lads on done deal selling in-calf xFR springers. Sites you ever consider that?

Kovu

just do it wrote: »

Good to have you back, there must have been something good in that there blood;)

It appears that spilling Noromectin pour-on onto myself is not at all good. That's as much as the docs could work out. Yes I know I should wear gloves yadda yadda ya.....

But yea....it's not good for your liver after it seeps in.

pakalasa

I had a container of Noromectin in the booth of the car a while back. I got a really bad rash all over, like big hives. I copped it after a while that the fumes were doing it, after the bottle fell over and leaked a bit. Deadly stuff alright. Glooves and safety glasses to be safe.

Kovu

pakalasa wrote: »

I had a container of Noromectin in the booth of the car a while back. I got a really bad rash all over, like big hives. I copped it after a while that the fumes were doing it, after the bottle fell over and leaked a bit. Deadly stuff alright. Glooves and safety glasses to be safe.

'Cause we have such quiet cattle we carry the bottle in the back of the van. Recently my neighbours horses broke out and were penned into our field so I took the container up to get them. One nice kick later I went back to the van. 300kg worm dose of Noromectin in me. Lesson learned.

bob charles

Kovu Murr wrote: »

'Cause we have such quiet cattle we carry the bottle in the back of the van. Recently my neighbours horses broke out and were penned into our field so I took the container up to get them. One nice kick later I went back to the van. 300kg worm dose of Noromectin in me. Lesson learned.

well 1ml of an ivermectin product treats 50kgs, so it is potent

Kovu

bob charles wrote: »

well 1ml of an ivermectin product treats 50kgs, so it is potent

I'm just touching 70kg so I got quite a bit all over me. (trying to get the oldest bull calf, big black & white fella I photographed earlier on in the year.)
No wonder the docs were baffled at my bloods.

bob charles

Kovu Murr wrote: »

I'm just touching 70kg so I got quite a bit all over me. (trying to get the oldest bull calf, big black & white fella I photographed earlier on in the year.)
No wonder the docs were baffled at my bloods.

you definitely don't have worms or sucking lice anyway:D. speedy recovery to you

Kovu

bob charles wrote: »

you definitely don't have worms or sucking lice anyway:D. speedy recovery to you

Have to go back in 2 weeks for a follow up. Don't think I've any blood left!:rolleyes:

whelan1

i remember there was a pour on a few years ago and i used to get terrrible heartburn from it, its since gone off the market but it was awful

Tommyj1

just do it wrote: »

Do you finish them? I notice a few lads on done deal selling in-calf xFR springers. Sites you ever consider that?

Bought some sucks about 2 years ago. Looked after them very well and got them into calf. Selling them as springers at the minute. Probably the worst time in recent years for selling these types of animals what with grass and fodder shortage. You can't plan for these sort of things.

Kovu

whelan1 wrote: »

i remember there was a pour on a few years ago and i used to get terrrible heartburn from it, its since gone off the market but it was awful

What do ye use now Whelan? Closomectin?

Figerty

vanderbadger wrote: »

had vet out today, calf coming backwards and upside down, fair play vet got calf out alive, cow is massive simm..mental..she was locked into gate otherwise she would have killed all round her, after spending half hr there trying to get calf out from her and cant, definitely her last calf before culling..

I suppose if you had a calf upside down and backwards you mightn't be in the best of form! Locking her in the gate is like trapping her.
I have a charlois due to calf shortly and I know when we put her in the gate she will roar like a spanish bull fighter had stuck his sword in her.. a deep bellow/roar that comes from somewhere. Hope to f**k it won't be complicated this time her.

vanderbadger

Figerty wrote: »

vanderbadger wrote: »

had vet out today, calf coming backwards and upside down, fair play vet got calf out alive, cow is massive simm..mental..she was locked into gate otherwise she would have killed all round her, after spending half hr there trying to get calf out from her and cant, definitely her last calf before culling..

I suppose if you had a calf upside down and backwards you mightn't be in the best of form! Locking her in the gate is like trapping her.
I have a charlois due to calf shortly and I know when we put her in the gate she will roar like a spanish bull fighter had stuck his sword in her.. a deep bellow/roar that comes from somewhere. Hope to f**k it won't be complicated this time her.

To be fair we didn't lock her head till it looked like she would burst out of the little crush type enclosure, there is a skulling gate at the end but i prefer not to use it as cows usually go down when you lock their heads, calf died later on today, disappointing after getting her out alive

Bizzum

vanderbadger wrote: »

To be fair we didn't lock her head till it looked like she would burst out of the little crush type enclosure, there is a skulling gate at the end but i prefer not to use it as cows usually go down when you lock their heads, calf died later on today, disappointing after getting her out alive

Sickener. That's a pity after all the hard work.

Bizzum

I notice a few more departed these fair shores.

Good luck BDee1 Atilathehun and Red menace.

We'll be opening a book on who's next!

Bodacious

vanderbadger wrote: »

To be fair we didn't lock her had till it looked like she would burst out of the little crush type enclosure, there is a skulling gate at the end but i prefer not to use it as cows usually go down when you lock their heads, calf died later on today, disappointing after getting her out alive

#

sorry to hear about your loss Vander, balls after all the good work getting calf out alive

bbam

just do it wrote: »

Do you finish them?

No.. sell them on for stores and replacments...

Funny.. had a lad in the yard and he had a real hard on for four of our Hereford cross heifers yesterday..
They weren't weighed but I'd say he paid over €2/kg for them...

Mac Taylor

Richk2012 wrote: »

Anyone thinking of going to the Roundhill & Castleview Pedigree Limousin sale in Roscrea on Friday 7th ????
66 Females from both herds on offer ...

Hoping to go - work permitting. Got the catelogue at the Tullamore show. On paper alot of nice stock.

Man of Aran

Just wondering if covering the eyes with a temporary blindfold is of any use in 'calming' agitated cattle or sheep at all?
Something I noticed on those Nat Geo shows when they go to capture or relocate wild animals in Africa.

reilig

Bizzum wrote: »

I notice a few more departed these fair shores.

Good luck BDee1 Atilathehun and Red menace.

We'll be opening a book on who's next!

I don't think they have gone all that far. One or 2 of them may be still here under a different guise