Farming Chit Chat

johngalway

5live wrote: »

I cant see us getting the full range of benefits either. Sick pay? Dental? Dole? I can see the 50% increase in cost but not even 20% increase in benefits:mad:.

Any of your contacts 'in the know', John?:pac:

Contacts? :pac: I'll get Charrrrrrrrrrrrrlieeeeeeeee Birrrrrrrrrrrd right on it

I'm practising the ancient oriental discipline of ostrichigami, basically sticking my head in the sand until everyone lives happily ever after.

Working so far :cool:

stanflt

reilig wrote: »

I was out for a cycle early on sunday morning and passed by a field that had silage cut off it. I met the owner a few hundred yards further up the road and he told me that it was a pasture field that had gone too strong. Its too wet to carry cows yet and its across a main road from his yard and it would bring too much muck onto the road to let the cows across to it twice daily. it was easier for him to go in with the conditioner every second day, bale it up and land it to the cows heads.

Surely has to be a record for early cutting? I have seen pictures on the journal in the past of people cutting silage in february or march, but it was always a meadow which remained uncut from the previous year. This was grass that had grown since November.

this is called zero grazing around here- works very well but expensie

johngalway

I'm going to put up some bat boxes on my little corner of Connemara this year. Been meaning to do it for a while now, but with this Schmallenberg thing on the loose may as well do it soon. I do realise it'll probably have as much impact as pissing in the ocean but, it'll make me feel better.

Anyways, who doesn't like killing midges. Apparently bats can eat something like 3,000 of the little buggers a night.

Got an old cattle crush that I don't particularly use. I'll rob the six poles out of it and use them to raise up the boxes.

snowman707

stanflt wrote: »

this is called zero grazing around here- works very well but expensie

2 zero grazers in this area met one drawing a load about mid january ,

moy83

johngalway wrote: »

I'm going to put up some bat boxes on my little corner of Connemara this year. Been meaning to do it for a while now, but with this Schmallenberg thing on the loose may as well do it soon. I do realise it'll probably have as much impact as pissing in the ocean but, it'll make me feel better.

Anyways, who doesn't like killing midges. Apparently bats can eat something like 3,000 of the little buggers a night.

Got an old cattle crush that I don't particularly use. I'll rob the six poles out of it and use them to raise up the boxes.

We have a good few of them nesting in old canvas bags that the grandfather had hanging over rafters years ago in an old hay shed . They might eat midges but dont expect to notice a dent in their population as i still get ate alive on the odd summers evening
Will they just come once you have the boxes up for them or will you have to get a few somewhere to get them started ?

whelan1

loads of midges around yesterday, decided to take up running and got a mouthful of them yesterday:cool:

johngalway

moy83 wrote: »

We have a good few of them nesting in old canvas bags that the grandfather had hanging over rafters years ago in an old hay shed . They might eat midges but dont expect to notice a dent in their population as i still get ate alive on the odd summers evening
Will they just come once you have the boxes up for them or will you have to get a few somewhere to get them started ?

Lol, not expecting a dent at all, but I'll be happier knowing a few of them will be meeting their end because of me

I'm not sure really, just been looking at box plans. I'll have to do some more investigating. I know there are bats in and around the village, and I have seen one little fells crawl out from behind a rafter in a shed once when we were sheltering from a bad shower waiting on a fox.

Get ate myself, there's a wood with a stream through it on my border, often have had to leave off DIY projects in the yard because of them.

johngalway

whelan1 wrote: »

loads of midges around yesterday, decided to take up running and got a mouthful of them yesterday:cool:

We'll have to start calling you Nora Batty then W :pac:

moy83

I think there is a crowd that rehome bats . You could check it out they might be looking for somewhere to place a few .

JohnBoy

5live wrote: »

I cant see us getting the full range of benefits either. Sick pay? Dental? Dole? I can see the 50% increase in cost but not even 20% increase in benefits:mad:.

Dont worry, by the time it's implemented there wont be any benefits left, they're cutting them hard and fast.

you'll just pay more taxes

The_Conductor

JohnBoy wrote: »

Dont worry, by the time it's implemented there wont be any benefits left, they're cutting them hard and fast.

you'll just pay more taxes

Yes- sickpay is gone- businesses have to pay it- not Social welfare- I think that was one of the items in the last budget. As for dental- it pays for an annual checkup, and possibly a descaling- thats it, full stop. Dole- well, you have to be actively seeking employment- and if you refuse to take any offer they give (and keep in mind the architects working in McDonalds we heard about on Radio 1 etc) you get cut......

What is the benefit of PRSI? It certainly isn't what it used be....... It really sounds like it might be a case of the grass being greener on the other side.........

whelan1

nice surprise this morning, a set of friesian heifer twins... hope the rest of the day goes as well we are scanning the autumn calvers in an hour:rolleyes:

Muckit

whelan1 wrote: »

nice surprise this morning, a set of friesian heifer twins... hope the rest of the day goes as well we are scanning the autumn calvers in an hour:rolleyes:

Well that's a great start to the morning! If your luck holds up there'I be very few empties;)

whelan1

scanned 70 between cows, heifers and sucklers, 8 not in calf, happy enough as most of the 8 where not long calved when i took bull out

just do it

whelan1 wrote: »

scanned 70 between cows, heifers and sucklers, 8 not in calf, happy enough as most of the 8 where not long calved when i took bull out

88.5% conception rate. Good result considering you've decided to stick to a tight calving pattern i.e. a number not calved when you took the bull out. Costly the first year you stick to the cut off date but not so costly in future years;).

What number would you have been happy with before the scanning was done?

whelan1

this is the first year i am sticking to 2 blocks ,started serving 11/11 and took bull out 24/1 ... dont plan to start serving again til 1/4 .... was all over the place up to now... getting my arse in gear again now ... have alot more time now that kids are a bit older to get it all in order:rolleyes: was very happy with the result...

lakill Farm

does 8 cows were probably just ugly.
all the sexie cows were bulled

Muckit

Got a call from the oul lad this morning to say a PB charolais cow had a little bit of blood showing behind. She wasn't due til April.

Fearing a miscarriage I got him to call Vet. She ended up calving prematurely. Turns out she carrying twins.

Heifer calf stillborne. Bull calf small, no hair and bauling. Reckons he won't make it....

Boll**ks

whelan1

hate when they do that bawling, usually means they are not going to make it... give it some biestings and you will know then if its ok inside to take it iykwim... good luck with it

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

Got a call from the oul lad this morning to say a PB charolais cow had a little bit of blood showing behind. She wasn't due til April.

Fearing a miscarriage I got him to call Vet. She ended up calving prematurely. Turns out she carrying twins.

Heifer calf stillborne. Bull calf small, no hair and bauling. Reckons he won't make it....

Boll**ks

feck thats disappointing, stomach tube the calf, he might come round

lakill Farm

February 29th.

The only day that a man doesn't want to see a woman on her knees in front of him.

Kovu

lakill Farm wrote: »

February 29th.

The only day that a man doesn't want to see a woman on her knees in front of him.

:rolleyes:

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

feck thats disappointing, stomach tube the calf, he might come round

He smigged it too. The vet took blood sample from cow so hopefully that might tell a story. She was in a pen on her own so definitely not a puck

Bodacious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1o_brY4kY4&feature=email

vanderbadger

Muckit wrote: »

He smigged it too. The vet took blood sample from cow so hopefully that might tell a story. She was in a pen on her own so definitely not a puck

bummer, will you keep her on and put her i calf again?

Muckit

vanderbadger wrote: »

bummer, will you keep her on and put her i calf again?

Damn right. We'I dust ourselves off and try again. Lovely and quite and well bred. She's the makings of two cows the size of her.

whelan1

one of my fr heifer twins that was born during the week went missing this morning:o i took the cow out from them to milk her and the calf was gone when i brought the cow back... 10 minutes the cow was away... an hour it took me to find the calf , about 10 metres away from the shed in a bush asleep:rolleyes: only for the yellow tags i would still be looking

blue5000

First calf from the new aubrac bull born today, a heifer. Nice calf, heifer had no problems calving. Looking forward to a few more now:)

whelan1

hurt a nerve in my back, never had pain like it, got an injection about an hour ago and now i can walk again:D

Bizzum

Muckit wrote: »

Got a call from the oul lad this morning to say a PB charolais cow had a little bit of blood showing behind. She wasn't due til April.

Fearing a miscarriage I got him to call Vet. She ended up calving prematurely. Turns out she carrying twins.

Heifer calf stillborne. Bull calf small, no hair and bauling. Reckons he won't make it....

Boll**ks

Sickener alright. It's shocking easy to lose twins, and throw premature into the equation too, the odds would be stacked against a positive outcome. You still have a healthy cow though! Was she scanned at all?

Bizzum

whelan1 wrote: »

hurt a nerve in my back

At work or play?:)

whelan1

Bizzum wrote: »

At work or play?:)

very funny, lifting a trailer off the back of my dads jeep, jockey pulley was broke on trailer:(

Bizzum

whelan1 wrote: »

very funny, lifting a trailer off the back of my dads jeep, jockey pulley was broke on trailer:(

Be careful of it anyway, particurarly if you're gonna be doing a bit of running!

whelan1

dont think i will be running for a few days:D, have difene and diazapam(sp) now for it, would you believe after all my exercise running and walking 5 days out of the 7 i was up 3 lbs last night and got a sore back to boot

Bizzum

whelan1 wrote: »

dont think i will be running for a few days:D, have difene and diazapam(sp) now for it, would you believe after all my exercise running and walking 5 days out of the 7 i was up 3 lbs last night and got a sore back to boot

3 lb of solid muscle!

whelan1

was a bit annoyed that the lads who where out drinking friday, saturday and sunday had 5 or 6 lbs each off and me being a saint was up 3:o

Bizzum

whelan1 wrote: »

was a bit annoyed that the lads who where out drinking friday, saturday and sunday had 5 or 6 lbs each off and me being a saint was up 3:o

I do think when you lose some weight and then start a bit of training that it's common to gain a bit.
If I stay out of the gym for a while I'll lose a bit of weight, but once I get back at it I gain it back.
Keep at it.

lakill Farm

i must be the laziest 28 year old going. I have never been in a gym in my life. Where do ye find time

whelan1

lakill Farm wrote: »

i must be the laziest 28 year old going. I have never been in a gym in my life. Where do ye find time

theres always time, i walk the farm , takes me an hour... i run at night on a track

Kovu

Get a tooth out! Lost half a stone on that diet:p

(may not be a long term solution)

pakalasa

whelan1 wrote: »

was a bit annoyed that the lads who where out drinking friday, saturday and sunday had 5 or 6 lbs each off and me being a saint was up 3:o

Try a big bowl of porridge first thing every morning. Slow releasing energy. Nothing like it.;)

Muckit

Bizzum wrote: »

You still have a healthy cow though! Was she scanned at all?

Ya she looks as if nothing happened! No she wasn't scanned. If I knew she was carrying twins, what could/should have done differently? She was/is in good fit not fat condition.

She must have been lacking in something though perhaps coming towards the final end. I hope it's nothing more than this. No results yet

leg wax

blue5000 wrote: »

First calf from the new aubrac bull born today, a heifer. Nice calf, heifer had no problems calving. Looking forward to a few more now:)

get the pic up blue ,have to have a look:rolleyes:.

Kovu

Muckit wrote: »

Ya she looks as if nothing happened! No she wasn't scanned. If I knew she was carrying twins, what could/should have done differently? She was/is in good fit not fat condition.

She must have been lacking in something though perhaps coming towards the final end. I hope it's nothing more than this. No results yet

A lad else I work had this happen yesterday morning too, he just mentioned he'd had a bad morning as a cow meant to calve late April had dead twins that morning.
I thought it was you for a minute!:eek: Until he said they were friesian.

Kovu

AH FFS. Another section today:mad:

bbam

What a day!
Stuck in the office looking out the window like a caged animal in the zoo

whelan1

i blame the magpies, i would love to shoot the lone magpie that has been in my yard this last few days, i wish he would fook off somewhere else

leg wax

Karen112 wrote: »

AH FFS. Another section today:mad:

sorry to hear that,i had my 6th calf born backwards on monday:( and said to vet take him out side door,bull calf but cow died yesterday ffs what a fooking day i put in. tractor stopped with diesel trouble on the road,then she stalled while pushing scrub that was cut off a ditch,battery was fooked and had to walk home 15 mins away get jeep go for new bat go back to field to realise the bonnet would not go up because loader was down,off again and get jump leads start tractor,bring tractor home ,run back for jeep and off to the bus stop for kids.another cow then desides she is to posh to push and when i help the head keeps on going down ,got him out and hes fine,arms are now out in a rash from the stress i suppose.my mother always said the worst thing you ever did was pay the vet,as soon as you do hes straight back in the door,12 more to calve and my heart is in my mouth.

Muckit

leg wax wrote: »

arms are now out in a rash from the stress i suppose.

Did you wear gloves when handling the cow? A friend of mine comes out in a rash too if he doesn't. He's allergic to the slim the doctor told him

Kovu

leg wax wrote: »

sorry to hear that,i had my 6th calf born backwards on monday:( and said to vet take him out side door,bull calf but cow died yesterday ffs what a fooking day i put in. tractor stopped with diesel trouble on the road,then she stalled while pushing scrub that was cut off a ditch,battery was fooked and had to walk home 15 mins away get jeep go for new bat go back to field to realise the bonnet would not go up because loader was down,off again and get jump leads start tractor,bring tractor home ,run back for jeep and off to the bus stop for kids.another cow then desides she is to posh to push and when i help the head keeps on going down ,got him out and hes fine,arms are now out in a rash from the stress i suppose.my mother always said the worst thing you ever did was pay the vet,as soon as you do hes straight back in the door,12 more to calve and my heart is in my mouth.

I'm not going to complain looking at that list:eek:

I'll get a couple of pics up at the weekend. He's a monster. Westside Bob is throwing them big for us this year.......5 more are incalf to him too.....:(