Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

Toetohand

Did anyone use the Limousine bull ZAG as a beef cross this year. He was available through Munster Bovine, other companies had him too I assume. I’d just like to know was he hard to calve down and what your thoughts on calves were. Thanks.

Grueller

Toetohand wrote: »

Did anyone use the Limousine bull ZAG as a beef cross this year. He was available through Munster Bovine, other companies had him too I assume. I’d just like to know was he hard to calve down and what your thoughts on calves were. Thanks.

Very easy calving on beef cows anyway

Gillespy

Stopped using ZAG as a good few came very big and had a close call with one. Went with OEO instead and he's been fine. Added bonus is he's polled too. Neither would be suited to smaller or younger cows I think.

GrasstoMilk

jaymla627 wrote: »

If you have iron and molybdenum issues all bets are off, cows get done here every six months with colesicure, along with adlib access to calsea blocks year round that they go through like smarties,

Theyre a good block but they do tend to hop off them due to the salt content in them

oxjkqg

Toetohand wrote: »

Did anyone use the Limousine bull ZAG as a beef cross this year. He was available through Munster Bovine, other companies had him too I assume. I’d just like to know was he hard to calve down and what your thoughts on calves were. Thanks.

Ya we used him, absolutly no problems calving him but obviously the right frame cow for a Lim straw in the first place and on mature cows.
Found the calves a touch soft for the first 2 days, not the same vigour. Nice calves when they get going.

jaymla627

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Theyre a good block but they do tend to hop off them due to the salt content in them

I find after they get the cosecure bolus they calm down alot on intakes of blocks, for about 6 weeks so obviously when they are lacking in minerals intakes are higher, switched cows last year with the calsea powder minerals and had a disaster of a year, they simply weren't getting enough minerals at 150grams a day to counteract high molybdenum in the silage

GrasstoMilk

Anyone ever blood tested freemartin heifers to check there viability?

straight

Alot of my cows seem to barely have 3 litres colostrum lately despite having big springings. Quality is 25-30 on the refractometer. It gives me no chance to harvest some to keep in the fridge. Heifer calved there now but it would probably be a battle to get her into the parlour on her own. I'll leave the calf with her for the night and hope for the best. Ncbc requested me to test a bull calf today. EBI OF 264 and off of Ballygown Albert.

RedPeppers

Grueller wrote: »

Last two heifers that calved here have mastitis. Can't figure it as none of the second calvers have had it and they're housed together. Cubicles swept clean and limed twice a day. If it was environmental I would imagine that the second calvers would have it unless I did a top notch job of sealing them.

Got absolutely tortured here last year with heifers calving down with mastitis, never had it before. Few of them lost quarters. Like that I am meticulous with keeping pens and cubicles clean but some were running milk before calving and hadn’t been sealed. There will never be a heifer calve down here again without been sealed.

RedPeppers

Toetohand wrote: »

Did anyone use the Limousine bull ZAG as a beef cross this year. He was available through Munster Bovine, other companies had him too I assume. I’d just like to know was he hard to calve down and what your thoughts on calves were. Thanks.

Have used this bull extensively over the years on dairy cows, probably calved up to 100 of these. and never had a problem. Got out of using him as cows we’re carrying over too many days

Say my name

straight wrote: »

Alot of my cows seem to barely have 3 litres colostrum lately despite having big springings. Quality is 25-30 on the refractometer. It gives me no chance to harvest some to keep in the fridge. Heifer calved there now but it would probably be a battle to get her into the parlour on her own. I'll leave the calf with her for the night and hope for the best.

I think it's down to energy intake and what's been discussed here before..minerals. I've a sneaky suspicion nitrogen has more of a negative role as well as potassium in the forage.
Really just borderline milk fever.
Just to show my rooting side. I had a calf born but was unsure of the mother. Brought a yet to calve cow in by mistake to the parlour. She gave nothing. Just the lining of the bottom of the jar. Got her fill of meal. She calved that afternoon. Brought her in again that evening. Oxytocin kicked in and she gave eight litres.

I had a montbeliarde cow years ago. As fat as a fat thing calving down. Full bag but not letting it down. I had to give an oxytocin injection to her for a few milkings before she'd milk herself.
Probably today that'd be doctored as milk fever caused by being too fat and their silage and interfering with their own natural oxytocin production.

kevthegaff

Anyone try ahi boluses for mastitis?

orm0nd

kevthegaff wrote: »

Anyone try ahi boluses for mastitis?

agh feck anyway I was going to post a witty comment but greysides editied the post b4 I got a chance

mixed results Kev, need to use at the very first sign of infection , when they work they work well I found about 50% success rate

Reggie.

orm0nd wrote: »

agh feck anyway I was going to post a witty comment but greysides editied the post b4 I got a chance

mixed results Kev, need to use at the very first sign of infection , when they work they work well I found about 50% success rate

That greysides is such a buzz kill

mickey1985

Is there anyway of checking if your bvd tags have arrived at the lab?

tanko

mickey1985 wrote: »

Is there anyway of checking if your bvd tags have arrived at the lab?

If you ring them they'll tell you.
If you're on ICBF the results show up there before you get the text.
Enfer have some kind of online system for tracking samples i think but i don't use them.

whelan2

tanko wrote: »

If you ring them they'll tell you.
If you're on ICBF the results show up there before you get the text.
Enfer have some kind of online system for tracking samples i think but i don't use them.

Enfer have a customer portal but it's not really up to date. You can ring them and they'll say if they've received them

liosnagceann75

mickey1985 wrote: »

Is there anyway of checking if your bvd tags have arrived at the lab?

I don't take a chance with the normal post. I register my samples as its a lot of hassle if they don't make it to the lab. Post seems to be a bit erratic lately

greysides

Reggie. wrote: »

That greysides is such a buzz kill

Buzz saw, Reggie, buzz saw. And don't you forget it!

Reggie.

greysides wrote: »

Buzz saw, Reggie, buzz saw. And don't you forget it!

Ya auld wet blanket ya

trixi2011

Much grazing going on with all.this wet wether

C4d78

trixi2011 wrote: »

Much grazing going on with all.this wet wether

Not a lot.Grab a few hours here and there. Probably 3 hours max a day. Can’t see cows out tomorrow thou.

Mooooo

Feckall here, warning for rain for next 16 hours as well I think. Have about 3 acres grazed only so far

Reggie.

Mooooo wrote: »

Feckall here, warning for rain for next 16 hours as well I think. Have about 3 acres grazed only so far

Giving a shocking day here tomorrow

whelan2

Mooooo wrote: »

Feckall here, warning for rain for next 16 hours as well I think. Have about 3 acres grazed only so far

What is the aim that teagasc have to have grazed by the end of February

C4d78

whelan2 wrote: »

What is the aim that teagasc have to have grazed by the end of February

1/3

jaymla627

whelan2 wrote: »

What is the aim that teagasc have to have grazed by the end of February

Is it grazed our ploughed, their will be a serious push on to get the ‘second round of fert out too’

whelan2

Nothing grazed here, no fertiliser out. Bit of slurry out with pipes. Cows milking well.

Timmaay

C4d78 wrote: »

1/3

I'd sometimes hit 40% in a good feb, and often have the maidens out good part of the winter. At maybe 10% now and if the rain that is forecast comes its game over for rest of feb. Decent amount of maize and leafy bales left, I'll have to straw bed some milkers moving forward. Putting up a roof over 15ft of the back of an empty silage pit using old sheet's to take calves, that will take the pressure off. Lack of straw my biggest worry.

awaywithyou

jaymla627 wrote: »

Is it grazed our ploughed, their will be a serious push on to get the ‘second round of fert out too’

some of the suggestions by aidan brennan in todays Journal to make a few hours grazing possible are gas.... why would anyone bother is beyond me... way handier to put a mountain of silage at feed barrier to do for a couple days... lads arent short of a job at this time of year besides going around in the dark with a reel and pigtails looking for a dry knob to get cows out for 3hrs before bringing them in to stand in the collecting yard til evening milking....