Farming Youtubers

Yea I’ve been watching a few of them this week also. Quite entertaining

It's gone controversial now. The farm where Fiona the ewe was supposed to go to Dalscone Farm in Drumfries has been picketed by a animal rights group - fcuking vegans. From what I'm reading on social media the animal rights crowd are pissed off that they didn't get to rescue the ewe. Dalscone Farm is an open farm for families to go visit and see different animals at bit like Newbridge House in NCD. Dalscone farm is closed for visitior for the Winter and it would have been an ideal place to bring the ewe to settle. It looks like she will not be moving there due to the intimidating presence of the shower of feckers.

I'm not going to react cause I'd be banned off F&F/Boards if I posted. Cnuts.

That latest video of farmer Phils would leave you scratching your head, this years calves are very shook to put it mildly

Either he's starving them, our theirs a nasty strain of mycoplasma bovis was really unusual the amount of lame and hunched up calves in the groups...

Buying in 250kg runners of fr bulls now is what they should be at, has to be a better option then the messing that goes on rearing calves their year in year out

The wet year and the failure of the dose looks to have had a big effect on his calves this year. Was one of them doing 0.2kg/day?

I hope they kick on for him in the shed, but a bad start is difficult to put out of a calf. Hopefully he puts up the figures when he gets around to doing it.

Are those types of calves though not really proof of a problem in the dairy industry where they are of secondary concern to the milk men. If he is getting them at little or no money then does that not indicate that there is also an issue further up the tree? He is taking in calves that the rest of us could/would not work with. It only works for him because of volume/quantity.

The older cattle looked fine (for the type of cattle they are) and will do well for him. I don't like the horns on them though - I think it worsens the look of them tbh.

We have been around this chat last year with him and I think he said that the money in the bank shows that the system works.

I've read some stuff on other forms about this video and tbh, dehorn them and get them a bit cleaner (easier said then done - would brushes work) and there would be little or no talk about it.

Them calves are very shook nd tbh even the bulls at 370kg are not hectic either. I say he is overstocking for the grass. Them bulls in shed should be at least 450kg to be 600 kg for slaughter in Jan/Feb time. I don’t no the ins and outs of his system but something wrong with them weights. Less might be more in this case. There no excuse it the same every year with weighting the cattle lighter than they should b. A bb calve at 90kgs wtf like that less than weaning weight at 100kg. I not picking but he needs to look at his system. Too many irons in the fire comes to mind.

As I lie here in bed struggling to sleep after spending the last while talking to Liv about what more could we have done the year. I came here not for sympathy nor support but to get a bit off my chest so that I might manage to sleep and I know this forum is relatively tame in comparison to others

the hardest part of this all and the only thing that ever gets to me is calling in to question my animal husbandry. Maybe because most of my content is machinery related it seems like I spend all my time at that and none on cattle. I know we have more than our fair share of problems but there’s nothing we haven’t or aren’t trying to over come. My favourite is how people pick up on the smallest weights like phoniex our 370kg bull who spent 3 weeks down after injuring his back according to our vet who we drew buckets of water and meal to for 3 weeks before we finally managed to get him back on his feet or our lightest calf who we call lucky for surviving a bad bout or 2 of pneumonia. Maybe I’m wrong but cattle always look they’re worst the 1st 2 weeks after they’ve come in. In hindsight I should’ve pretended they didn’t exist and put my rose coloured glasses on but I didn’t I don’t believe in hiding my misfortunes or mistakes to make me look any better than I am. We deal in cattle few people want and it’s not as glamorous as a golden bullock but if it wasn’t working we’d of hardly kept it going for 7 years and if we were as god awful with cattle as some would have you believe we’d of been shut down by now and rightly so

im only venting at this point. I know my life is online for all to see it’s what I’ve signed up for it’s the trade off for the reward but it doesn’t get any easier

anways hope ye enjoy the next weighing video on the bulls on the slats and the rest of the calves coming in off grass

the bollocks with the camera

Fair play Phil. We rear a good share of our own calves yearly and this year was particularly challenging mostly due to weather and one minor health issue.

Weighed them last week and was disappointed with some. Was talking to a neighbour who fed 50% more nuts to his calves this year due to the low Dry Matter of the grass for the most of the summer and autumn.

I regret not doing the same TBH.

Phil I really don’t want to be coming across as over critical or putting you down. Very much enjoy your videos and how much you’ve done to improve the farm in the last few years and how you show the good the bad and the ugly

I suppose we all feel like we can pass comment on stuff when it’s posted online

I just feel with the a lot weanlings being underweight last year and this year you’re pulling money from your pocket. The bullocks are great and you do a super job on the stock when they’re in the yard for the winter

it just needs to be replicated on the grazing.

I had a shocking bad bunch of 60 heifer calves this time last year with my contract rearer. Cost a fortune to get them up to weight. They should have been 220-230 kgs on oct 1st and a lot were 160-180 kgs. It’s definitely affected their fertility performance with only 50% going incalf to first serve and having 7.5% empty from the bunch

I made it my business that he changed this this year on how they were managed at grass and this year we only had a handful under 220 kgs on October 1st

my point being that you having those weanlings up nearer target weight all the time is going to leave you with heavier animals getting killed and more money in your pocket at the end of the day

The Farming Forum has a YouTube thread similar to this one and harsh comments like the above also in there. Would love to see the setup in a representative group of dairy beef finishers across the country and them to post a video of their cattle weights like Phil’s. We all know it wouldn’t be too dissimilar to what Phil has posted. Some would be better, some would be worse. But all would have problems as at the end of the day these calves are the ‘Bobby’ calf products of Ireland’s dairy machine.

21 days after castration they can still fire live rounds.

It's another joy of farming to be aware of.

5% drop on a herd that size is probably north of 60k lost income, at 4.80kgms, is he still I'm alright jack at current milk prices like he was bragging about in the summer

Hurlers on the ditch - as they say. It was an awful year here for cattle thrive. Too dry for all the month of July and never stopped raining for the rest.

Phil, I farm low lying land too with the water table just below the surface for most of the year. I got the soil tested as part of the voluntary programme and my soil came back low in Copper. I have always injected here for copper, even though my neighbours reckoned there was no need. It might be worth considering.

Also, I've had older cows with persistent scours on this land and Zanil for stomach fluke seemed to clear it up. I guess what I'm saying is, not all poor thrive is down to worms.

A good approach might be to pick a few calves from each grazing batch and try different approaches with them, to see if it improves things.