Dairy Chitchat 3

whelan2

They died over the summer so not rotavirus. Would have been around 6 months of age

Mooooo

Maybe overkill here but I'll vaccinate all cow's with rotavec. Had bad years here with calves due to being locked up bad weather and split calving. Only lost one calf born alive this year and that was due to his mother standing on him. Had 3 stillborn and one backwards with the legs down I couldn't get out on time. I think going all spring helped as calves the sheds a chance as well as the rotavec.
With regard to losing 8 of 30 it would depend on when they landed on farm. If they landed weaned and healthy there would be something wrong on the rearing farm I'd think

kevthegaff

no vaccinations here except blackleg, and ibr to cows. Has worked well the last 5 years

whelan2

older by the day wrote: »

Got Rota here too for the first time, I'm some man on the stomach tube now tho. Still slow to vaccinate, as I think the silage was only middling and maybe feed at pre-calving better to improve colostrum. If they got something bad like Rota and wasn't on top of things, you could lose 8 alright

Once rotavirus is there it's hard to get rid of it . The vaccination is cheap when you've lost calves with it. It's normally late on in the calving season when it hits and too late to vaccinate then. I also think the rotavec helps to keep crypto away too. Always do them here

kevthegaff

maybe I'm a bit too sceptical but vaccinations really took off when brucellosis testing ceased

straight

Be sure to head to the national dairy show in millstreet on Saturday. A day out for ye

Buford T. Justice XIX

straight wrote: »

Be sure to head to the national dairy show in millstreet on Saturday. A day out for ye

Hoping to get there, kids matches permitting.

Wildsurfer

straight wrote: »

Be sure to head to the national dairy show in millstreet on Saturday. A day out for ye

What about the rugby?

Say my name

I wonder what calving interval you need for 100%?

The icbf report came in the post and the herd has a calving interval of 355 and it's in the 99% bracket.
Pain in the arse they couldn't give 100%.
Balls it anyway. :rolleyes:

whelan2

Say my name wrote: »

I wonder what calving interval you need for 100%?

The icbf report came in the post and the herd has a calving interval of 355 and it's in the 99% bracket.
Pain in the arse they couldn't give 100%.
Balls it anyway. :rolleyes:

Must try harder

Say my name

whelan2 wrote: »

Must try harder

Lazy bull.

Mooooo

Say my name wrote: »

Lazy bull.

What's the calving spread? Well done

atlantic mist

was talking to a lad who has one of top bulls in ai station this year, was asking how he managed to push up his ebi each year, original line came from us so we were wondering what we were doing wrong, he put her in calf once she started bulling (21 after calving)

took to 1st serve, he was drying her off at 230 days:eek::eek: i was asking if it was profitable to be doing that to the whole herd.....it is if your getting over 10k for bull calves:eek::eek:

anyone use only international sires, worried about irish ebi system now seems a bit flawed, have a 16 yr old cow with 14 lactation and over 550kg avg and she has an ebi of 60 and top bulls in country are coming from cows that didnt even finish a full lactation???

straight

Wildsurfer wrote: »

What about the rugby?

Cows come before rugby. Besides the all blacks will not be beaten this time

jaymla627

atlantic mist wrote: »

was talking to a lad who has one of top bulls in ai station this year, was asking how he managed to push up his ebi each year, original line came from us so we were wondering what we were doing wrong, he put her in calf once she started bulling (21 after calving)

took to 1st serve, he was drying her off at 230 days:eek::eek: i was asking if it was profitable to be doing that to the whole herd.....it is if your getting over 10k for bull calves:eek::eek:

anyone use only international sires, worried about irish ebi system now seems a bit flawed, have a 16 yr old cow with 14 lactation and over 550kg avg and she has an ebi of 60 and top bulls in country are coming from cows that didnt even finish a full lactation???

Mostly Canadian/American/Dutch bulls used here, never had any faith in ebi system and it no way correlates to the cow I need to breed to work in my system.....
When you see the criteria and money spent by international ai companies selecting bulls and compare it to the Irish ebi computer says yes/no lucky dip I reckon the icbf and the likes of progressive cant believe they can get 20 odd euro a shot for semen of the latest and greatest hotshot high ebi bulls year in year out

Buford T. Justice XIX

Say my name wrote: »

I wonder what calving interval you need for 100%?

The icbf report came in the post and the herd has a calving interval of 355 and it's in the 99% bracket.
Pain in the arse they couldn't give 100%.
Balls it anyway. :rolleyes:

The few cows going over the 365 knocked you back, I'd say.

'Must do better' is a bit harsh, though:pac:

whelan2

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

The few cows going over the 365 knocked you back, I'd say.

'Must do better' is a bit harsh, though:pac:

it's a bit like the kids getting 19 out of 20 in their spelling test and instead of saying well done, you ask what 1 did you get wrong.

Say my name

Mooooo wrote: »

What's the calving spread? Well done

Not enough to blow about.

3 stars.

Siamsa Sessions

whelan2 wrote: »

it's a bit like the kids getting 19 out of 20 in their spelling test and instead of saying well done, you ask what 1 did you get wrong.

They'll remember the one they got wrong more than the rest they got right!

It's human nature to remember the bad stuff more than the good stuff. I could tell you everything about a calf we lost to coccidiosis earlier this year but very little about the others who are hale and hearty. The mind is a funny old thing.

Buford T. Justice XIX

There's a reduction in heifer numbers and cow numbers across much of Europe.

https://www.milkbusiness.com/article/rapid-expansion-of-european-milk-production-has-ended?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0RkaE9HRTFNMlptTURBMSIsInQiOiJSaE8zUEwxVkRybmVKcmhzdnZpRDdVRjIwUzY4NFQwaTA1eHF6TUk2XC91aXRKQXdZdGdTWXZueXQxN3hWRk1FQ1NEdXFXMUJKclwvYVg1d09EYVEzdFNHeXMwTlRDV01UTTA2ZnRpblhKNWVNMjVXRWRXNG5lMDdmSXpQdTdhZ0FzIn0%3D

Castlekeeper

straight wrote: »

Cows come before rugby. Besides the all blacks will not be beaten this time

Not a fan of the Angus, or New Zealand either for that matter, whichever you're referring to.

Gawddawggonnit

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

There's a reduction in heifer numbers and cow numbers across much of Europe.

https://www.milkbusiness.com/article/rapid-expansion-of-european-milk-production-has-ended?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0RkaE9HRTFNMlptTURBMSIsInQiOiJSaE8zUEwxVkRybmVKcmhzdnZpRDdVRjIwUzY4NFQwaTA1eHF6TUk2XC91aXRKQXdZdGdTWXZueXQxN3hWRk1FQ1NEdXFXMUJKclwvYVg1d09EYVEzdFNHeXMwTlRDV01UTTA2ZnRpblhKNWVNMjVXRWRXNG5lMDdmSXpQdTdhZ0FzIn0%3D

I signaled this over a year ago.
Dawg has to rear his own again...feck!

straight

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

I signaled this over a year ago.
Dawg has to rear his own again...feck!

I thought you were an advocate of the flying herd. That's grand until cull cow value plummets and replacement prices rise. Not to mention disease. I think we all need to be more self sufficient in every way we can

Gawddawggonnit

straight wrote: »

I thought you were an advocate of the flying herd. That's grand until cull cow value plummets and replacement prices rise. Not to mention disease. I think we all need to be more self sufficient in every way we can

I was an advocate of the flying herd...until breeders copped on.
I was able to buy freshly calved heifers for €800/900 a head and it was costing me €1500 to produce my own.
There’s an old saying in the horsey circles...”fools breed, for clever men to buy”.

I am self sufficient in all forages and feed.

Siamsa Sessions

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

There’s an old saying in the horsey circles...”fools breed, for clever men to buy”.

I've a cousin in the horsey business and he always maintained that the only men who make money in that game are the ones who never lay a hand on the horse.

straight

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

I was an advocate of the flying herd...until breeders copped on.
I was able to buy freshly calved heifers for €800/900 a head and it was costing me €1500 to produce my own.
There’s an old saying in the horsey circles...”fools breed, for clever men to buy”.

I am self sufficient in all forages and feed.

I breed my own and do them as good as I can. Then I pick out the worst of them to sell to the likes of you. I wouldn't say it pays any better than your system though. Plenty work in replacements.

Gawddawggonnit

straight wrote: »

I breed my own and do them as good as I can. Then I pick out the worst of them to sell to the likes of you. I wouldn't say it pays any better than your system though. Plenty work in replacements.

Too much work in replacements...!

I wouldn’t even go and see a bunch of heifers for sale unless I get to pick. Likewise if there’s a whole herd for sale, and if I’m not the first to choose, I won’t bother going to look.
Castoffs are a waste of time.

Castlekeeper

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Too much work in replacements...!

I wouldn’t even go and see a bunch of heifers for sale unless I get to pick. Likewise if there’s a whole herd for sale, and if I’m not the first to choose, I won’t bother going to look.
Castoffs are a waste of time.

Maybe it's a numbers game as I never reared more than 30 replacements, but I always find them so little work and so easy and enjoyable, almost like being a beef father only with the prospect of mone. Check them every second or third day, open a wire to move them, handle them once or twice when they're out during the summer. Plenty good grass and silage and but of meal in the house and they'll be on target. I get great job satisfaction in breeding good stock for myself, and blame the AI companies for the duds!

Gawddawggonnit

Castlekeeper wrote: »

Maybe it's a numbers game as I never reared more than 30 replacements, but I always find them so little work and so easy and enjoyable, almost like being a beef father only with the prospect of mone. Check them every second or third day, open a wire to move them, handle them once or twice when they're out during the summer. Plenty good grass and silage and but of meal in the house and they'll be on target. I get great job satisfaction in breeding good stock for myself, and blame the AI companies for the duds!

Ayr calving makes a bollix of it. Several different bunches of different ages...pita!

Buford T. Justice XIX

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Ayr calving makes a bollix of it. Several different bunches of different ages...pita!

Could you get away with 2 or 3 different calving periods? 6-8 weeks calving 2 or 3 times a year?

straight

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Too much work in replacements...!

I wouldn’t even go and see a bunch of heifers for sale unless I get to pick. Likewise if there’s a whole herd for sale, and if I’m not the first to choose, I won’t bother going to look.
Castoffs are a waste of time.

People call here to "pick" too but I make sure to have my best few taken away.

straight

Started buffer feeding the cows with round bales a few days ago. They are some pain now, roaring, unsettled, poorer clean outs. Nearly sorry for giving them anything.

Timmaay

straight wrote: »

Started buffer feeding the cows with round bales a few days ago. They are some pain now, roaring, unsettled, poorer clean outs. Nearly sorry for giving them anything.

Same, if this rain doesn't hit Sat I might just pull the plug on silage and let them fly through last round then house early Nov. Poor clean outs and loads of standing at the gap isn't gonna help anything.

Mooooo

Would ye get on better if ye went out by day and in by night?

mahoney_j

straight wrote: »

Started buffer feeding the cows with round bales a few days ago. They are some pain now, roaring, unsettled, poorer clean outs. Nearly sorry for giving them anything.

At itva few weeks here no such issue,but I don’t have big massive covers of grass grazed no higher than 1800 currently 1500 out day/night in before pm milking for silage 2.5 kg dm ,and buffer 2 kg maize beet pulp mix .1.83!kgms

greenfield21

Ours going out today after been in for nearly three weeks now, weather looks decent here for next few days, north east.

Gawddawggonnit

straight wrote: »

People call here to "pick" too but I make sure to have my best few taken away.

LLLOOLL!!

That one sentence sums up exactly the difference between Irish and European farmers!!

Gawddawggonnit

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

Could you get away with 2 or 3 different calving periods? 6-8 weeks calving 2 or 3 times a year?

Tried it and failed...

There’s a difference between your system and mine. I treat the dairy like a factory...pump as much milk as possible with the feed and forages available, and the cow goes back in calf when she’s able. When you touch 10k litres average across the herd, fertility is tricky, as is longevity.

straight

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

LLLOOLL!!

That one sentence sums up exactly the difference between Irish and European farmers!!

Are u going protesting with the Dutch?

Gawddawggonnit

straight wrote: »

Are u going protesting with the Dutch?

Why?

The French farmers were (half heartedly) protesting a week before the Dutch and one of the lads took a tractor to Nantes.

Btw, they’re protesting against ‘agribashing’.
Agribashing is the constant blaming of agriculture for climate change, pollution, obesity etc etc.
The Dutch don’t have much grounds...

straight

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Why?

The French farmers were (half heartedly) protesting a week before the Dutch and one of the lads took a tractor to Nantes.

Btw, they’re protesting against ‘agribashing’.
Agribashing is the constant blaming of agriculture for climate change, pollution, obesity etc etc.
The Dutch don’t have much grounds...

The news said the French and Belgians were joining them in protest.

straight

mahoney_j wrote: »

At itva few weeks here no such issue,but I don’t have big massive covers of grass grazed no higher than 1800 currently 1500 out day/night in before pm milking for silage 2.5 kg dm ,and buffer 2 kg maize beet pulp mix .1.83!kgms

Mine seem happier today. Just going to take a few days for them to adjust maybe. At least they are moving faster in and out to milking now. I've a couple of cnuts here that love roaring and being a nuisance. They don't seem to be great milkers either and like to just fatten up instead. My cull list is coming along nicely. Have 24% heifers coming in so there is a lot of bitches on thin ice now. Just looking for an excuse to get rid of them.

whelan2

straight wrote: »

Mine seem happier today. Just going to take a few days for them to adjust maybe. At least they are moving faster in and out to milking now. I've a couple of cnuts here that love roaring and being a nuisance. They don't seem to be great milkers either and like to just fatten up instead. My cull list is coming along nicely. Have 24% heifers coming in so there is a lot of bitches on thin ice now. Just looking for an excuse to get rid of them.

Any idea of cull prices atm? My tolerance level is diminishing by the day

tanko

whelan2 wrote: »

Any idea of cull prices atm? My tolerance level is diminishing by the day

Some Friesians sold in Ballyjamesduff on Tuesday
2014 610kgs €590
15 710 650
08. 660. 600
10. 700. 575
10. 570. 360
13. 660. 600

straight

tanko wrote: »

Some Friesians sold in Ballyjamesduff on Tuesday
2014 610kgs €590
15 710 650
08. 660. 600
10. 700. 575
10. 570. 360
13. 660. 600

Heavy cows not even making their weight

Timmaay

No sorry get off, this isn't a self feeding pit!!

Water John

Interesting to note that the dairy pic being used by IFJ for their Dairy Day, on the back of the paper this week, has lovely reds and friesians. Similarily the farm to be visited during the Macra rally are a large herd of Norwegian Red crosses, page 6 pic.

Mooooo

Just had my highest protein % at 4.24, bf at 4.74 have had higher other years but bf has dropped for me the last 2 years I think. Still doing 1.6kg solids at 4kg meal and grass, will be going in in the next few days as I've prob done too much damage to ground the last 48 hours and am out of good ground on the farm. The amount of rain falling in prolonged showers is unreal. The sun shining in between would make you think it's not too bad till you see the water in the fields

Buford T. Justice XIX

https://twitter.com/TeagascKyLk/status/1185116681384931328?s=19

GrasstoMilk

Hot our maize tested today.
In the pit 2 weeks
32% dm
34% starch
9% protein
3.8 ph

Its good stuff. Feeding 4 kg per hd to cows atm

Best of my silage is 2nd cut bales at 78 dmd and 18% protein, should have enough good fodder to feed between the maize and that silage when cows arent at grass for the last few weeks before dry off and any days they wont be grazing in the spring.
Pit of Dry cow silage tested at 70 dmd and 28% dm