Farming Chit Chat

Rovi

Karen112 wrote: »

Sorry, I did ask Mods and got no reply.

reilig wrote: »

You didn't ask me?

Me neither


Well done on the work so far.

If I may make an observation, some of the images at the top of the pages look distorted.

As Grecco suggests, there's a lot of good advice and help to be got over in the Software and Web Development > Website Reviews forum.
I don't know that a site for a livestock mart needs to be on the cutting edge of web design; it'd be very cool if it was though.

just do it

Bodacious wrote: »

I'm sorry for your loss, I read your earlier post and when I saw 306 and FL25 I thought you'd have bother he hard enough calved.

Yeah I know, I'd been watching her like a hawk! She's been on restricted feed though but 3 weeks overdue and FL25 bull calf didn't help!

Head rope ? For holding the cow is it? Excuse my ignorance if it's for pulling the calf

The head rope is for around the calves head. It's like a lasso that goes around the back of the ears and the knot tightens in the mouth above the tongue. Have you noticed your calving jack has three hooks on it for holding ropes? The third one is for the head rope. Attach it here with a little less pressure than on the legs. It keeps the head coming with the legs. But before pulling the head out make sure the shoulders coming behind it aren't too wide to come out. I like someone else's suggestion by the journal vet to only loop the rope around the back of the calf's head and pull the two ends, but you'd really want 2 lads then to calf the cow. The head rope is only really to keep the head coming with the legs, rather than "pulling" the head - if you catch my drift.

At this stage of course you're in the grey area where maybe you should be considering a C section, so it's really only for the more confident guys at calving cows. I lost the gamble on this occassion:(.

Hindsight of course is a great thing, and I did make a big mistake. The cow kept going down in the sitting position when I'd apply some pressure. This of course is a disaster so let off the jack, let her get up and about the 3rd time she went to go down I got her over on her side. But I didn't get the lower back leg out from under her. I should have had her completely over on her side. I put a rope on that leg and did give a bit of a pull, but I should have made sure to get that leg right out from under her. (I hope the OH doesn't read the next bit). My first born was a borderline C section due to his size and space available to come out. OH has expressly stated natural delivery unless absolutely necessary so consultant obliged. She was prep'ed in the operating theatre and ready for C section before the consultant tried to pull. He explained that he would give one pull to get a feel of the lie of the land. Then he would give a second pull, if nothing was happening on the second pull it was straight to C section. He later credited a mid-wife for the natural delivery as she had said if my OH's pelvis was tilted just a bit more in a certain direction the baby would come - and so it did! (Jeez I shouldn't be telling you all this). But my point is presentation at the time of delivery is v. important when it is a difficult delivery.

Anyway, I'm posting this in the hope it helps someone else. I love calving cows and never fail to enjoy a healthy newborn hitting the ground. Conversely I take it a bit too much to heart when it goes wrong, and I'm glad to say that is rarely.

just do it

whelan1 wrote: »

sorry for the loss, a neighbour lost their 8 year old son on monday, i was talking to someone this morning and they where saying, we are always giving out about loosing calves etc but when you see what other people have to deal with you just move on, could be worse

I agree completely whelan1 and I wouldn't have posted except I'd already highlighted I was watching her. Jeez I know there are alot worse things going on and once it's outside the door it's not so bad. I hope it didn't come across as giving out as that wasn't the intention, I was just relaying an event as it happened. I had hoped to be posting a picture of my brand new fantastic calf! I have no doubt as to who is responsible for the loss of the calf - me. It's only human that I'd mull over it and look for the lessons to learn from it. If I can, don't want it to happen again!

just do it

pakalasa wrote: »

On the head rope - the Vet that writes for Journal was saying that he uses an ordinary rope just going back over the head, behind the ears, with both ends loose. He just pulls then on both ends together.

Agree that not that much pressure should be put on the head, but he must also have someone on the jack as well? Maybe not.

Just wondering how did you do the CPR? I revived a calf 2 wks ago by blowing up a nostril with the mouth held close and the other nostril covered. Inflate the lungs then and allow to deflate with slight pressure on the side. I got a heartbeat first and then one breath. I was just chancing my arm really, but it worked. I know there are risks etc with Lepto and all that.

I wasn't that optimistic to be honest as the eye looked poor if you know what I mean. For humans it's 15 chest compressions followed by 2 deep breaths if doing it by yourself, so that's what I did. I closed the mouth, blocked one nostril and blew in the other nostril - same as what you did. You can see the chest inflate and then deflate. I've had one before come back after 5-10 minutes but I was never too optimistic about this one.

whelan1

do you ever hang the calf over a gate? i appreciate the weight of the calf can be a factor, but i have done it a few times before and it got rid of alot of that fluid that they get caught up with, also a piece of straw up the nose or water in the ear can help

just do it

Karen112 wrote: »

No reply from Mods, I've my new website up and running www.mayosligomart.com

I'd appreciate any feedback on what farmers would like to see on a website from a mart.

Fair duece Karen, you're taking the critical feedback on the chin!;). First can I say it's very good - is this your first attempt at putting together a website?

Alot of good points already so just to add my thoughts! Who are you targeting with this website? Not your regulars as they'll keep coming, so new or infrequent buyers/ sellers that use other marts. What do they want when they visit it? I don't know your mart so a few things spring to mind for me - do you sell only beef or do you sell dairy stock as well? Do you sell cows? How does your booking system work? Add in a picture of the digital display you have over the selling pen (I'm sure you have one;)). I like the way you've the map on the bottom - good touch.

Best of luck with it!

just do it

whelan1 wrote: »

do you ever hang the calf over a gate? i appreciate the weight of the calf can be a factor, but i have done it a few times before and it got rid of alot of that fluid that they get caught up with, also a piece of straw up the nose or water in the ear can help

Yeah those things help and have done them. This calf was dead on arrival though, not just failing to take a breath. I did get him so he's head was lower than his body but not hanging on the gate. That in particular I think is helpful. I just got going with the CPR and when I felt the heart responding to it I kept going at what I was at.

You win some, you lose some!

1chippy

has anyone heard of turning a cow on her back when in difficulty calving? it was an old woman who told me who knows stock pretty well.

Kovu

just do it wrote: »

Fair duece Karen, you're taking the critical feedback on the chin!;). First can I say it's very good - is this your first attempt at putting together a website?

Alot of good points already so just to add my thoughts! Who are you targeting with this website? Not your regulars as they'll keep coming, so new or infrequent buyers/ sellers that use other marts. What do they want when they visit it? I don't know your mart so a few things spring to mind for me - do you sell only beef or do you sell dairy stock as well? Do you sell cows? How does your booking system work? Add in a picture of the digital display you have over the selling pen (I'm sure you have one;)). I like the way you've the map on the bottom - good touch.

Best of luck with it!

Very first attempt!:o It's more so for the adverts that we put in the journal etc so I can see why it would be a good idea to put numbers of stock in etc. Problem is that our sales are Monday & Tuesday so numbers wouldn't be high then.
We do a mixture of all stock, had a Dairy sale there recently and some made over 2k. Booking system is a strange one, I've to fix that yet...
I've a Bull Sale Saturday so loads more stuff will be added in. As I've said, it's just new up. I'm thinking about pics like this on the sides- http://www.agriimages.co.uk/blog/
as it would take out the blank spaces. Better than no website for the moment to be honest!

1chippy

KAREN
you should organise a boards day down there with special discounts on all stock:D

johngalway

Timing is important.

Last night myself and a friend spent a cold evening perched on the side of a hill watching over a foxes den. I had missed the fox the previous evening as she was coming for another of the neighbours lambs.

I happened to look over my shoulder and was horrified. I could see all of my farm pretty much plan view. Bloody fox could step out of the den and see when I'd have had lambs. Ding, ding, ding, dinner!

Just as the light was going I heard Pssshtwop! Pssshtwop! Pssshtwop! Friend had seen the fox and shot her three times. I missed all the action.

This morning I see one of my ewes has a ewe lamb, so yeah, timing is important

pakalasa

1chippy wrote: »

has anyone heard of turning a cow on her back when in difficulty calving? it was an old woman who told me who knows stock pretty well.

I heard that too from an old neighbour.

I found this site before. It describes how to 'walk out' the shoulders of the calf through the pelvic cavity, one shoulder at a time. It makes sense when you think about it.
It also shows how to rotate the calf to allow the hips to get through. The pelvic opening is wider sideways than across, left to right. i tried to rotate the calf before, not easy in practice.

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ilm/proinfo/calving/notes/abnormalcalving.htm

Bodacious

just do it wrote: »

Bodacious wrote: »

I'm sorry for your loss, I read your earlier post and when I saw 306 and FL25 I thought you'd have bother he hard enough calved.

Yeah I know, I'd been watching her like a hawk! She's been on restricted feed though but 3 weeks overdue and FL25 bull calf didn't help!

Head rope ? For holding the cow is it? Excuse my ignorance if it's for pulling the calf

The head rope is for around the calves head. It's like a lasso that goes around the back of the ears and the knot tightens in the mouth above the tongue. Have you noticed your calving jack has three hooks on it for holding ropes? The third one is for the head rope. Attach it here with a little less pressure than on the legs. It keeps the head coming with the legs. But before pulling the head out make sure the shoulders coming behind it aren't too wide to come out. I like someone else's suggestion by the journal vet to only loop the rope around the back of the calf's head and pull the two ends, but you'd really want 2 lads then to calf the cow. The head rope is only really to keep the head coming with the legs, rather than "pulling" the head - if you catch my drift.

At this stage of course you're in the grey area where maybe you should be considering a C section, so it's really only for the more confident guys at calving cows. I lost the gamble on this occassion:(.

Hindsight of course is a great thing, and I did make a big mistake. The cow kept going down in the sitting position when I'd apply some pressure. This of course is a disaster so let off the jack, let her get up and about the 3rd time she went to go down I got her over on her side. But I didn't get the lower back leg out from under her. I should have had her completely over on her side. I put a rope on that leg and did give a bit of a pull, but I should have made sure to get that leg right out from under her. (I hope the OH doesn't read the next bit). My first born was a borderline C section due to his size and space available to come out. OH has expressly stated natural delivery unless absolutely necessary so consultant obliged. She was prep'ed in the operating theatre and ready for C section before the consultant tried to pull. He explained that he would give one pull to get a feel of the lie of the land. Then he would give a second pull, if nothing was happening on the second pull it was straight to C section. He later credited a mid-wife for the natural delivery as she had said if my OH's pelvis was tilted just a bit more in a certain direction the baby would come - and so it did! (Jeez I shouldn't be telling you all this). But my point is presentation at the time of delivery is v. important when it is a difficult delivery.

Anyway, I'm posting this in the hope it helps someone else. I love calving cows and never fail to enjoy a healthy newborn hitting the ground. Conversely I take it a bit too much to heart when it goes wrong, and I'm glad to say that is rarely.

Many thanks

We are all the same I hate to lose anything I lose the plot entirely.. It's not the money it's the should have/could haves and blaming myself

whelan1

vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

leg wax

whelan1 wrote: »

vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

leave it on for a couple of days as sure you take off today they will hit their head off something and off they start again

Kovu

whelan1 wrote: »

vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

Is it just us in the west that call it polling cattle??
Make sure when you are taking the string off to silver/blue spray them again. Especially if you are letting them off to grass.

Kovu

1chippy wrote: »

KAREN
you should organise a boards day down there with special discounts on all stock:D

Yup, plan for the future alright!;) I will need lots of lovely boxes of Ivomec and Roundup for the auld lad though.

Bodacious

whelan1 wrote: »

vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

What age were they Whelan?

If they young heifers 12-24mts with re growth left in them that you are keeping for cows you'll be glad he/she kept in close with the wire especially if he put a nice triangle shape on the butt towards the middle of the head.

I often do that with young breeding stock put hay string on and cable tie to front to put pressure on the arteries/veins while cutting then keep to the string as close as you can and tidy up with hot iron, a little blood now is better than dehorning again as 2nd calvers !!

I've seen vets as well as farmers keep back an 1 " from the base of the head and have to re do them in less than a year again to go through the mart

whelan1

on one of them she left about an inch of horn on both sides:mad: bloody useless- excuse the pun- my dad said just aswell you wheren't doing 22:D they are around 15 months old

Bodacious

whelan1 wrote: »

on one of them she left about an inch of horn on both sides:mad: bloody useless- excuse the pun- my dad said just aswell you wheren't doing 22:D they are around 15 months old

I don't blame you for being mad ... Good summer at grass and that horn will thicken and double as she is young , bigger hole in head then too... I wouldn't have minded the strings coming off at all as long as she kept in close and cauterised the veins with the dehorner before leaving

whelan1

Bodacious wrote: »

I don't blame you for being mad ... Good summer at grass and that horn will thicken and double as she is young , bigger hole in head then too... I wouldn't have minded the strings coming off at all as long as she kept in close and cauterised the veins with the dehorner before leaving

she also expected the dehorning iron to be hot straight away, the fact that the blood was quenching the flame on the iron didnt help either... if anyone had of seen the state of us yesterday they would have thought we where in a war:o

Kovu

whelan1 wrote: »

she also expected the dehorning iron to be hot straight away, the fact that the blood was quenching the flame on the iron didnt help either... if anyone had of seen the state of us yesterday they would have thought we where in a war:o

Was this a vet that expected the iron to be hot instantly?

BeeDI

pakalasa wrote: »

I heard that too from an old neighbour.

I found this site before. It describes how to 'walk out' the shoulders of the calf through the pelvic cavity, one shoulder at a time. It makes sense when you think about it.
It also shows how to rotate the calf to allow the hips to get through. The pelvic opening is wider sideways than across, left to right. i tried to rotate the calf before, not easy in practice.

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ilm/proinfo/calving/notes/abnormalcalving.htm

Interesting stuff. However, rotating the calf and using a calving jack at the same time, wouldn't seem possible?? Am I right? Cue different design head for the jack!!!

whelan1

Karen112 wrote: »

Was this a vet that expected the iron to be hot instantly?

yup, seriously, thank god we only had 2 to be done

JohnBoy

the one positive about having to work today is that most of our clients are shut so the phones are dead.

johngalway

200% increase in lambs today.

Gone from 1 to 3 :pac:

For a nice change the % is in favour of ewe lambs!

Muckit

Spent the day driving fencing stakes and laying water pipe for more troughs. Wrecked now, but it's a nice kind of wrecked. More of same tomorrow. Pics to follow;)

Great to be out in the fresh air all day for a change!

Kovu

JohnBoy wrote: »

the one positive about having to work today is that most of our clients are shut so the phones are dead.

The one unpositive thing about no work today is that I have work tomorrow:mad:

1chippy

Karen112 wrote: »

Yup, plan for the future alright!;) I will need lots of lovely boxes of Ivomec and Roundup for the auld lad though.

Has he worms or are you trying to kill him:D

Kovu

1chippy wrote: »

Has he worms or are you trying to kill him:D

I think I need a new laptop after all the tea that just hit it:rolleyes:

whelan1

the crows are back:eek:

johngalway

Scouting part of Dads land to set a couple of fox snares I came across a ewe down. As big as a house and panned out with her chin on the ground and the nose running. Had to rush miles to my own farm and get the "vets" bag Kicking myself I didn't have it in the car with me.

Calciject is great stuff, unfortunately I only had a 5 syringe so she was a bit of a pin cushion but she got up and I managed to walk her to the old house and put her in. Got some Glycerine and long acting Alamycin I think it was into her to cover all bases.

Fingers crossed now she'll make it through until tomorrow then she should be flying it again. Just pure luck I happened to be there, if it had been Dad doing the rounds tomorrow she'd have been dead as a dodo.

whelan1

remember years ago when i was young:rolleyes: my dad was away for the night went to check cows and there was a cow down, couldnt use the flutter valve so i gave her 2x400ml bottles of calciject with a 20ml syringe:o did the job, she was up the next morning but was like a pin cushion too

Conflats

whelan1 wrote: »

vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

Did the vet not take out the veins are arteries with a tweezers and kinda tie them?

whelan1

yup she had taken them out...our place is the worst place for bleeders ever:rolleyes:

johngalway

whelan1 wrote: »

remember years ago when i was young:rolleyes: my dad was away for the night went to check cows and there was a cow down, couldnt use the flutter valve so i gave her 2x400ml bottles of calciject with a 20ml syringe:o did the job, she was up the next morning but was like a pin cushion too

Better to have a live pincushion than a dead body :D

whelan1

johngalway wrote: »

Better to have a live pincushion than a dead body :D

ye, had my sister refilling the syringe each time, real er stuff:rolleyes:

foxylock

Happy Easter lads, hope the easter bunnies dont eat all your good grass. Had three lambs born last night and expecting another blast today.

Richk2012

foxylock wrote: »

Happy Easter lads, hope the easter bunnies dont eat all your good grass. Had three lambs born last night and expecting another blast today.

Hope they are all well and everything going smoothly .
Just had a ewe after lambing triplets and after realising she has only one spin :mad: .
Lambing is just about over with 9 ewes left , with 8 twins and a triplet . No adoption cases on the horizon so ..
A great strong 4 year old ewe wit 3 super lambs .
I checked all the ewes closely twice last autumn for mastitis when culling ............obviously not that close ?

bbam

We got cattle out yesterday...
Had to treat some for ringworm on the way out... Great to see them out kicking their heels up as they go

bbam

Was flicking through the Journal earlier, I don't get it every week, just when the notion takes me...

Under the MARTWATCH section there was an article on "Demand for calves Increases"..
Had a scan through as I'd be interested in calves but think they are over priced at the moment..

They quoted that HEX Heifers were sold from €209-€306..
Presuming the €306 were the pick on offer at some magical mart... Can anyone direct me to a mart where I'd pick up good HEX Heifers at €300 ?? Over in the Calf Price thread they seem to be making €400+

Maybe down south, I presume this is where dealers and the lads on DD source calves from...??

PS:
If anyone has nice HEX Heifers going for €300 I'd be interested in them..

whelan1

was at ardee mart last week, prices for calves are crazy, i had assumed when quota year ended there would be a glut of claves and price would go down, price has gone up... crazy:eek:

bbam

whelan1 wrote: »

i had assumed when quota year ended there would be a glut of claves and price would go down

That's what we had been hoping for but no sign of it ending...

Don't get me wrong I'm glad to see strong prices, it's good for the industry as a whole..
However.. Some guys are buying calves just to keep numbers up rather than their being any profit in them unless we see significant further increases in cattle prices..

keep going

whelan1 wrote: »

remember years ago when i was young:rolleyes: my dad was away for the night went to check cows and there was a cow down, couldnt use the flutter valve so i gave her 2x400ml bottles of calciject with a 20ml syringe:o did the job, she was up the next morning but was like a pin cushion too

did that once myself except used 2 needles-one in the cow another in the bottle

Richk2012

Got the first few cows and calves out to grass yesterday after a clear test
037.jpg

034.jpg

043.jpg

bbam

whelan1 wrote: »

was at ardee mart last week, prices for calves are crazy, i had assumed when quota year ended there would be a glut of claves and price would go down, price has gone up... crazy:eek:

Do you think that maybe they will hit the Market once weaned on meal and at grass?

leg wax

Richk2012 wrote: »

Got the first few cows and calves out to grass yesterday after a clear test
037.jpg

034.jpg

043.jpg

great stock

Suckler

leg wax wrote: »

great stock

+1 - Iwas gonna stick up a few snaps of a few our own lot but I think I'll hold off now!

porter shark

nice stuff rich. whats the breeding?

johnpawl

Richk2012 wrote: »

Got the first few cows and calves out to grass yesterday after a clear test

Quality stock there. What age are the calves?