Recycle cows or not

RightTurnClyde

Just back from Thurles Mart. Good trade in culls, and they were very scarce.
I brought 13 ranging from 595kgs to 760kgs, their prices ranged from €710 to €970. They were very storey, were out in a sacrifice paddock since drying off (1nov) and got nothing but pit silage. Average €885

Eg prices
756kgs 950 (big cows with 6 weeks to finish)
640kgs 970 ( big cows won't be finished till June)
593kgs 710 ( smaller cow, will need June to finish)
665 kgs 900 ( smaller cow, 6 weeks to finish )

visatorro

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

Just back from Thurles Mart. Good trade in culls, and they were very scarce.
I brought 13 ranging from 595kgs to 760kgs, their prices ranged from €710 to €970. They were very storey, were out in a sacrifice paddock since drying off (1nov) and got nothing but pit silage. Average €885

Eg prices
756kgs 950 (big cows with 6 weeks to finish)
640kgs 970 ( big cows won't be finished till June)
593kgs 710 ( smaller cow, will need June to finish)
665 kgs 900 ( smaller cow, 6 weeks to finish )

nothing wrong with a cheque like that coming in.

simx

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

Just back from Thurles Mart. Good trade in culls, and they were very scarce.
I brought 13 ranging from 595kgs to 760kgs, their prices ranged from €710 to €970. They were very storey, were out in a sacrifice paddock since drying off (1nov) and got nothing but pit silage. Average €885

Eg prices
756kgs 950 (big cows with 6 weeks to finish)
640kgs 970 ( big cows won't be finished till June)
593kgs 710 ( smaller cow, will need June to finish)
665 kgs 900 ( smaller cow, 6 weeks to finish )

Them cows that need 6 weeks could be hanging within the week, seen cows with middling flesh sent on the lorry before, could feed another 5/6 weeks, how many was in it?

Farmer Pudsey

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

Just back from Thurles Mart. Good trade in culls, and they were very scarce.
I brought 13 ranging from 595kgs to 760kgs, their prices ranged from €710 to €970. They were very storey, were out in a sacrifice paddock since drying off (1nov) and got nothing but pit silage. Average €885

Eg prices
756kgs 950 (big cows with 6 weeks to finish)
640kgs 970 ( big cows won't be finished till June)
593kgs 710 ( smaller cow, will need June to finish)
665 kgs 900 ( smaller cow, 6 weeks to finish )

First cows would have made more in the factory ( at least 100 more) last cow as much if not a tad more.

RightTurnClyde

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

First cows would have made more in the factory ( at least 100 more) last cow as much if not a tad more.

Probably could have done better in the factory with a few of them but Beef isn't really my thing, if I had them all well covered I probably would have factoried them, but half of them were no where near fit so it was just simpler to mart the lot.

RightTurnClyde

simx wrote: »

Them cows that need 6 weeks could be hanging within the week, seen cows with middling flesh sent on the lorry before, could feed another 5/6 weeks, how many was in it?

They could well be, if it was just those I would have sent them to the factory myself , but when there was the lighter ones it was off to the mart with the lot
About 40-50 cows altogether

keep going

Decision tobe made here soon whether to pull bulls out.situation is we took on more milking ground so need to push numbers.probaly have enough on hands provided I let bulls in for another month but the thought of keeping girls dry for months with no prospect of improving calving pattern is sickening.so do I pull the bulls now and milk around and do a big tidy up on calving pattern or leave them in..my preference is to avoid going to the market as im broke but a close eye would be kept on tbe market..I know a fell thatmilks culls around and then finishs them on grass and says he does well on them so there is an option if calved girls are cheap.the other problem is from a milk price point of view, its not the best year to do it.

jaymla627

keep going wrote: »

Decision tobe made here soon whether to pull bulls out.situation is we took on more milking ground so need to push numbers.probaly have enough on hands provided I let bulls in for another month but the thought of keeping girls dry for months with no prospect of improving calving pattern is sickening.so do I pull the bulls now and milk around and do a big tidy up on calving pattern or leave them in..my preference is to avoid going to the market as im broke but a close eye would be kept on tbe market..I know a fell thatmilks culls around and then finishs them on grass and says he does well on them so there is an option if calved girls are cheap.the other problem is from a milk price point of view, its not the best year to do it.

What's the condition score of your cows and likely culls, the majority of ladies here if not in calf will easily clear a 1000 euro in the back - end if beef stays up which would buy back @ in-calf heifer give our take a few euro....
Going to scan here the end of the month, any ladies not in calf that are in good order will be put on 5kgs of meal in the parlour and moved on around the middle of october

Deepsouthwest

keep going wrote: »

Decision tobe made here soon whether to pull bulls out.situation is we took on more milking ground so need to push numbers.probaly have enough on hands provided I let bulls in for another month but the thought of keeping girls dry for months with no prospect of improving calving pattern is sickening.so do I pull the bulls now and milk around and do a big tidy up on calving pattern or leave them in..my preference is to avoid going to the market as im broke but a close eye would be kept on tbe market..I know a fell thatmilks culls around and then finishs them on grass and says he does well on them so there is an option if calved girls are cheap.the other problem is from a milk price point of view, its not the best year to do it.

Dairy stock will prob be bought for little more than the value of a handy dry nxt spring similar situation here last ur as u know, and I bought in stock, but a lot of them just didn't gel with my own herd. Sorry, but a real on the fence answer there!

Farmer Pudsey

keep going wrote: »

Decision tobe made here soon whether to pull bulls out.situation is we took on more milking ground so need to push numbers.probaly have enough on hands provided I let bulls in for another month but the thought of keeping girls dry for months with no prospect of improving calving pattern is sickening.so do I pull the bulls now and milk around and do a big tidy up on calving pattern or leave them in..my preference is to avoid going to the market as im broke but a close eye would be kept on tbe market..I know a fell thatmilks culls around and then finishs them on grass and says he does well on them so there is an option if calved girls are cheap.the other problem is from a milk price point of view, its not the best year to do it.

Cows bulled now will only calf in April. Calves will be only 4 weeks as you hit busy period with silage etc. April calves will be hard to calf down early in 2018. It all depends on how many you have not in calf. If the percentage is high I would consider keeping the bull in.

Another factor is a cow calving in mid late april will not peak. If you cull at the end of the year and they make 800-1000 a replacment bought that calves in late Feb early March may well milk in excess of 300 euro of milk over the year at a low cost off grass as opposed to a late calving cow.

Risk is you are breeding off a cow whoes calving date has slipped, you are calvinh down a late calf that has a 50% chance of being a bull, the risk attached to buying are unknown breeding to a certain extent. However next year some farmers may be likly to drop numbers if milk perice is poor or they may sell young well bred heifers.

Milked out

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Dairy stock will prob be bought for little more than the value of a handy dry nxt spring similar situation here last ur as u know, and I bought in stock, but a lot of them just didn't gel with my own herd. Sorry, but a real on the fence answer there!

Did u buy calved or incalf? Any thinking as to why they didn't gel? U reckon buying incalf and allowing them.to become accustomed to thE place prior to calving make them any better?

Timmaay

Milked out wrote: »

Did u buy calved or incalf? Any thinking as to why they didn't gel? U reckon buying incalf and allowing them.to become accustomed to thE place prior to calving make them any better?

Yeh I'd find it strange also. We've bought in a few over the years and never found any issues with getting them to gel. All were calved down, but did get pampered for the 1st week or so, kept separate and only brought in the end of milking. The late calving heifer is a much bigger issue I find, she will be at the very bottom of the social ladder all year, usually takes until 1/2 way though the 2nd lactation before she is in in earlier rows, and not trailing the rest of the herd out to paddocks.

Deepsouthwest

Milked out wrote: »

Did u buy calved or incalf? Any thinking as to why they didn't gel? U reckon buying incalf and allowing them.to become accustomed to thE place prior to calving make them any better?

Incalf and most of them calved within a month. I'd put it down to simply having different immunity to different issues in my herd. There isn't any wk passes that one of them is off form, not sick enough to bring a vet, but way back in milk and luck lustre, normally passes after 4/5 days and returns to milk normally. Anyone any idea what could cause this? The heifers were 100% genuine, and I had the pick of what I wanted when buying.

Farmer Pudsey

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Incalf and most of them calved within a month. I'd put it down to simply having different immunity to different issues in my herd. There isn't any wk passes that one of them is off form, not sick enough to bring a vet, but way back in milk and luck lustre, normally passes after 4/5 days and returns to milk normally. Anyone any idea what could cause this? The heifers were 100% genuine, and I had the pick of what I wanted when buying.

It a bit like when your first child goes to school. He/She picks up every virus, head cold stomach bug etc that is going. What will not kill you makes you stronger.

Deepsouthwest

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

It a bit like when your first child goes to school. He/She picks up every virus, head cold stomach bug etc that is going. What will not kill you makes you stronger.

Wife is a primary school teacher here, so hopefully she'll have brought all those things home already!!

keep going

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Incalf and most of them calved within a month. I'd put it down to simply having different immunity to different issues in my herd. There isn't any wk passes that one of them is off form, not sick enough to bring a vet, but way back in milk and luck lustre, normally passes after 4/5 days and returns to milk normally. Anyone any idea what could cause this? The heifers were 100% genuine, and I had the pick of what I wanted when buying.

This happens all the time, reckon it happened me with a bull last year.didnt think he was active enough last year whereas this year he seems to be flying it.i just think there is alot virus living in our herd but it an issue as they are immune but if you mix herd they pick up each others bugs.i intend milking up to christmas so it only anextra 4 weeks miolking and there s no cash there for a building so wont be doing anywork like.lucky enough I fixed some of my milk so that gives me a cent extra nearly over the whole of my milk

kevthegaff

I always found buying maidens was the best route, accustoming to the hills, stock, immunity.Brother bought a bunch of cows 5 years ago, got an outbreak of ibr shortly afterwards.