Farming Chit Chat

reilig

bbam wrote: »

Anyone see the portable milking machines on DD? €1400 seems very expensive. We had one in the 60's when we farmed first. (of course I don't remember it).
He's selling it as an end to expensive milk replacer. He's obviously never milked with one and carried a bucket of milk from a cow. Mixing milk replacer is a doddle in comparison.
Buy a cow, keep her for the year, buy the machine, milk the feckin cow twice a day. I can mix stuff for 16 calves in less than five minutes for a fraction of the cost and no hassle.

Saw it there allright. We had something similar in the 1970's until we built the parlour. We did milk 4 cows to feed 15 calves for a year after we got out of dairy but it was pure hardship. That mini bucket set up would be a killer altogether.

bbam

reilig wrote: »

Saw it there allright. We had something similar in the 1970's until we built the parlour. We did milk 4 cows to feed 15 calves for a year after we got out of dairy but it was pure hardship. That mini bucket set up would be a killer altogether.

Milking the cows doesn't stack up financially either. Keeping 4 cows will cost €1500-1800 for the year, and you get the "pleasure" of milking them.
15 bags of milk replacer @€;40 a bag is only €600 and allot less work, hell, feed them two bags each and it's still cheaper and easier than keeping a cow and milking them to feed calves. It's just a mad idea.

pakalasa

Well, when we got out of dairying, we kept one cow for the house. I milked her by hand. Now that was hardship. I had muscles like Popeye.

reilig

pakalasa wrote: »

Well, when we got out of dairying, we kept one cow for the house. I milked her by hand. Now that was hardship. I had muscles like Popeye.

Not trying to brag about stories,

We had a neighbour in the 80's who was a couple of spoons, and maybe a knife short of a full set of cutlery. He got sick one time and was in hospital for a week. I was only a young lad and he asked me to look after his 5 cows and he'd pay me £10 per week.

I went the first day and found that he had a house cow that had to be milked by hand, but it didn't end at that. He used to milk the cow by hand, take whatever milk he needed for the house and then bucket feed the rest of the hand milked milk to a calf :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Needless to say I taught a calf to suck that day.

Its not very long ago, but some people never thought about an easy way of doing things in those days. They had lots of time on their hands and all day to get things done.

bbam

This just came into my mind;

Was serviceing a machine one day many years ago. No lid on the small opening on the tank lid. Noticed the cat going round and round in the tank when the agitator would come on.
Refused tea there as the young lassie came down and took a jug of milk from the tank and didn't notice the dead cat . I was just a young fella and didn't like to say anything about it to them.

vanderbadger

i was flicking thru the channels there last night, I just caught the end of something on one of the Uk channels, its was a camera at night time, looked like a slatted shed full of horses,night image type camera. next thing its back to the studio and this reporter is saying how he shot the video in an Irish barn, he was questioning some politician and wanted to know could this Uk politician guarantee that these horses wouldnt end up in the food chain..Like i say i didnt see the rest of it so I dont know what was shown earlier to back it up but was a bit taken aback at the kinda idea of all us Irish lads with our sheds full of horses, that seemed to be the jist of what he was getting at

pakalasa

reilig wrote: »

...Its not very long ago, but some people never thought about an easy way of doing things in those days. They had lots of time on their hands and all day to get things done.

You've to remember that, what seems like hardship to us, was normal everyday work when they were young. We have some land a mile from the house. An old neighbour of mine, still tells me how he remembers my Grandmother milking 2 cows there and carrying the milk back in the buckets across the fields. She was a small light woman and lived to be 93.

hugo29

pakalasa wrote: »

You've to remember that, what seems like hardship to us, was normal everyday work when they were young. We have some land a mile from the house. An old neighbour of mine, still tells me how he remembers my Grandmother milking 2 cows there and carrying the milk back in the buckets across the fields. She was a small light woman and lived to be 93.

remember father telling me stories of when he was young, walking cattle 20 mile to the nearest fair:eek:, selling prob 75% of them grandfather (his father) drinking a skinful of pints and then trying to walk remainder of cattle home in the dark,

sometimes the cattle were abondoned in a field until the next day, wonder how that would go down with the department and animal rights:D

hugo29

stuck at work here, looking out at sun, thinking of all jobs i could be at home doing

bbam

hugo29 wrote: »

stuck at work here, looking out at sun, thinking of all jobs i could be at home doing

Snap!

But then I'd be stuck if I didn't have it so I don't want to complain.

reilig

vanderbadger wrote: »

i was flicking thru the channels there last night, I just caught the end of something on one of the Uk channels, its was a camera at night time, looked like a slatted shed full of horses,night image type camera. next thing its back to the studio and this reporter is saying how he shot the video in an Irish barn, he was questioning some politician and wanted to know could this Uk politician guarantee that these horses wouldnt end up in the food chain..Like i say i didnt see the rest of it so I dont know what was shown earlier to back it up but was a bit taken aback at the kinda idea of all us Irish lads with our sheds full of horses, that seemed to be the jist of what he was getting at

That was channel 4. It was called the Horse Meat Scandal ( I Think).
A lot of it was filmed in Ireland. Part of it was filmed at the ISPCA Horse Rescue Centre in kenagh in County Longford where they interviewed the lady who set it up. She didn't do the beef industry many favours. She identified a horse that she had rescued. It was chipped and when she sent the chip info to the Dep of Ag they told her that the horse was recorded as being slaughtered. She declared that her horse's passport had obviously been swapped with a fatter horse which was slaughtered in its place - no traceability.

The programme also did untold damage to the beef market in Britain. They really played on the concept of of horses passports being switched and no traceability. They had a big section about how horse medicines can be poisonous to humans and without traceability, meat from houses treated with certain medicines is almost certainly in the food chain.

They also had a big section on animal cruelty - especially horses. They showed horses being hit with a stick while being loaded into a chute at an abatoir.

The only good thing that they did was show that the horse meat did not only come from ireland - they identified almost every country in Europe as having a link to it in some form or another.

It was a typical trashy Channel 4 programme. It took all the bad points of the story and sensationalised them.

simx

hugo29 wrote: »

remember father telling me stories of when he was young, walking cattle 20 mile to the nearest fair:eek:, selling prob 75% of them grandfather (his father) drinking a skinful of pints and then trying to walk remainder of cattle home in the dark,

sometimes the cattle were abondoned in a field until the next day, wonder how that would go down with the department and animal rights:D

heard stories about fairs years ago was one in town about 5 miles away, lads would bring their cattle there, maybe leave the young lad to mind them and go into the pub with the neighbours skull a good few then arrive back out to sell fairly full, then our local cattle dealer at the time would swoop in and take advantage of this situation with the seller not being in a sober state and not quite capable of walking the cattle home

Askim

Program on 3e tonight at 10 Irelands abandoned horses, the straight after it at 11, program called bobs burgers !!!!

A

GERMAN ROCKS

those of you with urea or any fert for that matter out, have ye seen any response from it yet? was thinking of going out with a half bag of urea tomorrow. the whole place has a nice green cover put not a whole pile there after. how long should you wait before spreading urea after slurry- a week?

blue5000

bbam wrote: »

This just came into my mind;

Was serviceing a machine one day many years ago. No lid on the small opening on the tank lid. Noticed the cat going round and round in the tank when the agitator would come on.
Refused tea there as the young lassie came down and took a jug of milk from the tank and didn't notice the dead cat . I was just a young fella and didn't like to say anything about it to them.

Have to fess up and say it happened here too:o
Milkman found it when he lifted the lid to collect the milk, and no, before anyone asks he did NOT collect the milk that day. Blasterd cat had an expensive funeral.

vanderbadger

blue5000 wrote: »

Have to fess up and say it happened here too:o
Milkman found it when he lifted the lid to collect the milk, and no, before anyone asks he did NOT collect the milk that day. Blasterd cat had an expensive funeral.

redzerologhlen

Lovely morning again here, long may it last

vanderbadger

redzerologhlen wrote: »

Lovely morning again here, long may it last

yep, i cant remember the last when there was 3 days without a drop of rain, makes life alot easier

redzerologhlen

vanderbadger wrote: »

yep, i cant remember the last when there was 3 days without a drop of rain, makes life alot easier

Have to go down to your neighbour now shortly for 2 loads of bales, bit of a fodder shortage around here at the moment.

moy83

blue5000 wrote: »

Have to fess up and say it happened here too:o
Milkman found it when he lifted the lid to collect the milk, and no, before anyone asks he did NOT collect the milk that day. Blasterd cat had an expensive funeral.

The father said his cousin had a magpie drowned into one of the ten gallon cans that were left out for collecting years ago. The poor ba###ard he said while he held him over the can for the last few drops to drain back into the can before he threw him away ! (He is out of milk for a long time now )

lakill Farm

bob charles wrote: »

is it coming in a liquid form or what? sure its just noraml CTC powder mixed with milk. AFAIK only powder or granules licensed in the Republic

Sorry its the powder that the lad gave me. He is a farmer and swears by it. I mix with the milk.

whelan1

well i have to eat my words, eurotags mullinahone have gotten their act together, got through first time this morning, website is updated with contact numbers etc, maybe they do read what we write on here:D(eventually)

blue5000

Hey ho it's off to slurry we go:D

lakill Farm

bob charles wrote: »

Cant think of the horse gambler that done the same in the early ninties or late eighties, he was involved in a number of betting coups. think he got away with his raffle for his mansion

Its a nice place that mansion. Its called middleton house hotel, in castletown, outside mullingar co westmeath. I was there at a posh wedding over christmas.

bob charles

lakill Farm wrote: »

Its a nice place that mansion. Its called middleton house hotel, in castletown, outside mullingar co westmeath. I was there at a posh wedding over christmas.

Its great to get to rub shoulders with high society on here

td5man

whelan1 wrote: »

well i have to eat my words, eurotags mullinahone have gotten their act together, got through first time this morning, website is updated with contact numbers etc, maybe they do read what we write on here:D(eventually)

Thats only because every farmer in the country is busy.

lakill Farm

bob charles wrote: »

Its great to get to rub shoulders with high society on here

I was down the back in the corner. Serious grub

td5man

moy83 wrote: »

The father said his cousin had a magpie drowned into one of the ten gallon cans that were left out for collecting years ago. The poor ba###ard he said while he held him over the can for the last few drops to drain back into the can before he threw him away ! (He is out of milk for a long time now )

My grandfather was helping a neighbour (when neighbours werent begrudging f***ers) dinner time arrived and the farmers son was sent for milk, he was seen taking a rat out of the jug and squeezing the milk out of the rat back into the jug. :eek:
The same house had a calf with a scour in the corner of the kitchen.

lakill Farm

Can you castrate a male pig at 4/5 months old if you just want to fatten him for meal?

Stereomaniac

Holy God. Were they just desensitized to rats in that place or something, and was it back when the world was filmed in black and white? That's ****in shocking. I must say though, I like the notion of indoor cattle. Seemingly there's a pub near Tramore with a calf in the bar area.

pakalasa

lakill Farm wrote: »

Can you castrate a male pig at 4/5 months old if you just want to fatten him for meal?

Well if you do, you can't say you ate the whole pig.:D

reilig

lakill Farm wrote: »

Can you castrate a male pig at 4/5 months old if you just want to fatten him for meal?

My Grandfather used to say "if you can hold the pig you can cut him". Holding him will be a harder job than the actual castration

td5man

Stereomaniac wrote: »

Holy God. Were they just desensitized to rats in that place or something, and was it back when the world was filmed in black and white? That's ****in shocking. I must say though, I like the notion of indoor cattle. Seemingly there's a pub near Tramore with a calf in the bar area.

Not sure when it was but i'd say it was late 40's early 50's, my grandfathers brother would always have an excuse to go home for his dinner rather than eat in that house.

Timmaay

Jesus christ lads, I always thought my dad was being over the top whenever he'd moan about me not putting the cover straight away back on the tank after taking the pipe out, incase of cats (I'd usually leave it 2/3mins, while I'm sending the cold water through the parlour), I haven't asked him if it ever happened to him ha, If I were him I'd probably deny it ha, but from reading here he did have a fair point!

Tipp Man

Did anybody read the farming indo yesterday? apparently there was an article about a large farm sold in south Tipp which Coolmore bought

Have checked the indo on line but can't find the story - anybody have a link to it?

vanderbadger

Tipp Man wrote: »

Did anybody read the farming indo yesterday? apparently there was an article about a large farm sold in south Tipp which Coolmore bought

Have checked the indo on line but can't find the story - anybody have a link to it?

is this it
http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/large-holdings-whet-appetite-as-thurles-farm-goes-on-market-29078920.html
oops just read it, i guess thats not it

vanderbadger

Tipp Man wrote: »

Did anybody read the farming indo yesterday? apparently there was an article about a large farm sold in south Tipp which Coolmore bought

Have checked the indo on line but can't find the story - anybody have a link to it?

this is it

http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/10mplus-payout-by-coolmore-for-tipp-farm-29078925.html

whelan1

Timmaay wrote: »

Jesus christ lads, I always thought my dad was being over the top whenever he'd moan about me not putting the cover straight away back on the tank after taking the pipe out, incase of cats (I'd usually leave it 2/3mins, while I'm sending the cold water through the parlour), I haven't asked him if it ever happened to him ha, If I were him I'd probably deny it ha, but from reading here he did have a fair point!

used to relief milk in a farm, we nicknamed it beruit:D he would just knock off the machine in the evening after last cow went out- no washing- washings lasted a week as he was only washing once a day. there was straw wrapped round the agitator in the milk tank, dont know how long it was there but it took we about half an hour to cut it off, no wash down pump , just hand scraper and a few buckets of water, dry cows running with milkers, how he passed his quality tests i will never know

Tipp Man

vanderbadger wrote: »

this is it

http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/10mplus-payout-by-coolmore-for-tipp-farm-29078925.html

Yep thats the 1, thanks Vander

hugo29

jacked a serious BB Bull calf off a charlaois cross cow this am, usual swollen head, swollen tongue assoc with hard pull, spent a hour trying to get calf to suck, milked cow into bottle, milked cow into calf mouth, no go, put the calf under lamp in corner and hour later he was up sucking himself, who said nature does not know best

was harder trying to explain to work why i was 2 hours late:D

pakalasa

Tipp Man wrote: »

Did anybody read the farming indo yesterday? apparently there was an article about a large farm sold in south Tipp which Coolmore bought

Have checked the indo on line but can't find the story - anybody have a link to it?

It was mentioned in the farmers Journal last week too. 500acres for €7million - I think. I wasn't in the normal property section though. I'll check for you later.

Tipp Man

pakalasa wrote: »

It was mentioned in the farmers Journal last week too. 500acres for €7million - I think. I wasn't in the normal property section though. I'll check for you later.

Yeah i saw the journal - 600 acres for 7m they said - the area is roughly correct but not sure on the price. 2 blocks of 300 acres with fantastic roadways through both and not a ditch to be seen. Both would have made amazing green field sites for Dairy

Loads of different numbers on price floating around here so was wondering was anything mentioned in the Indo - unsurprisingly it wasn't

rancher

Tipp Man wrote: »

Yeah i saw the journal - 600 acres for 7m they said - the area is roughly correct but not sure on the price. 2 blocks of 300 acres with fantastic roadways through both and not a ditch to be seen. Both would have made amazing green field sites for Dairy

Loads of different numbers on price floating around here so was wondering was anything mentioned in the Indo - unsurprisingly it wasn't

Page 2 in the farming indo says €10m+. You probably know the seller..... he also has 1000 ac in Poland

Tipp Man

rancher wrote: »

Page 2 in the farming indo says €10m+. You probably know the seller..... he also has 1000 ac in Poland

So it does - should have read the article more carefully

Most certainly do know the seller - both farms would be local enough to me

parth88

Is it possible that the young farmers of today will end up like the young builders of 7-8 years ago, in the sense that big loans will be taken out to buy land in the hope that the ag sector will continue to grow and leave a big enough margin to make repayments. it leaves the young expanding farmers of today in a very vulnerable position.

coolshannagh28

lakill Farm wrote: »

Its a nice place that mansion. Its called middleton house hotel, in castletown, outside mullingar co westmeath. I was there at a posh wedding over christmas.

Barney Curley was the renowned gambler ex owner

td5man

parth88 wrote: »

Is it possible that the young farmers of today will end up like the young builders of 7-8 years ago, in the sense that big loans will be taken out to buy land in the hope that the ag sector will continue to grow and leave a big enough margin to make repayments. it leaves the young expanding farmers of today in a very vulnerable position.

Wouldnt thinks so the banks arent to quick to approve loans without a lot of information being provided. Established viable businesses are getting it hard to get finance.

whelan1

eldest lad is making his confirmation tomorrow, so i had to get my haircut- normally only out of neccesity- so had a shower this morning;) before i went i decided to take the cleanings from a cow but there was a hole in the glove, so could smell the smell... hoofcare man came and i was talking to him, he was using the grinder and a load of puss flew up into my face:eek: i washed about 4 times before i went to hairdressers and could still smell it .... nothing worse than those smells

whelan1

WONDER IF THESE ARE A RELATION OF MINE:D http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dairycattle/4607910

Dupont

whelan1 wrote: »

WONDER IF THESE ARE A RELATION OF MINE:D http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dairycattle/4607910

I was going to say something but better not