All things Dairy

[som farmer]

So your fresh cows get that twice a day? 10kg. How many litres will they be doing? And still feed 5kg just before dry off?

the simpler the system, and the lower the 'borrowing', the margin over purchased feed, becomes less important, or less critical. The dairy farmers, running a simple system, big bales, cake in parlour, old parlour, and existing buildings, are making good money with smaller herds. The rest of us are still on the treadmill.

 

[LTH]

So your fresh cows get that twice a day? 10kg. How many litres will they be doing? And still feed 5kg just before dry off?

New calved cows will get about 10kg of cake a day by dry off they’ll get about 5, half a bucket either milking, 10 day’s before they’re dried off they go on once a day milking then it’s a gradual change for them. Bad to say how much because we don’t have meters and don’t milk record although we’re going to start after lambing. New calved cows will do 30l ish just based on how much they give in the dump bucket, heifers a bit less. Herd average will be around 6500 majority calve in summer. Quality at the moment is get decent milk quality bf been towards 5 all winter and protein 3.5. Last one was 4.92 and 3.63 but not giving loads be averaging 20l most are mid to late lactation.

 

[LTH]

New calved cows will get about 10kg of cake a day by dry off they’ll get about 5, half a bucket either milking, 10 day’s before they’re dried off they go on once a day milking then it’s a gradual change for them. Bad to say how much because we don’t have meters and don’t milk record although we’re going to start after lambing. New calved cows will do 30l ish heifers a bit less. Herd average will be around 6500. Quality at the moment is get decent milk quality bf been towards 5 all winter and protein 3.5. Last one was 4.92 and 3.63 but not giving loads be averaging 20l most are mid to late lactation.

Don’t want to do them down or play them up to much because I’m not 100% sure, be better when we start recording to see what they can do. Store sales and suckler replacements and cast cows add quite a bit to them

 

[Sid]

New calved cows will get about 10kg of cake a day by dry off they’ll get about 5, half a bucket either milking, 10 day’s before they’re dried off they go on once a day milking then it’s a gradual change for them. Bad to say how much because we don’t have meters and don’t milk record although we’re going to start after lambing. New calved cows will do 30l ish heifers a bit less. Herd average will be around 6500 majority calve in summer. Quality at the moment is get decent milk quality bf been towards 5 all winter and protein 3.5. Last one was 4.92 and 3.63 but not giving loads be averaging 20l most are mid to late lactation.

10kgs of conc, lucky to get 7 here!
When pd+ concentrate cut right back and month before drying off they will be on 0.5kg depending on BCS

Working on 10kg down to 5 kg I would say your feeding over 2 t of conc for 6500l?
Would that be right? How do you feel that sounds?

 

[Beef farmer]

We feed too much cake. Rather have lower fixed cost and higher feed costs than use tmr and be the opposite

 

[LTH]

10kgs of conc, lucky to get 7 here!
When pd+ concentrate cut right back and month before drying off they will be on 0.5kg depending on BCS

Working on 10kg down to 5 kg I would say your feeding over 2 t of conc for 6500l?
Would that be right? How do you feel that sounds?

well we use a 5l calf bucket and if a cow gives a lot of milk gets a full bucket and just get a bit less over time, by time there on there way towards dry be half a bucket. They don’t get out else some will give more than 6500 I might be being hard on them with that but I don’t know exactly. just get grass or bale, probably are over feeding some with cake but you have to give them something to milk, get in calf and grow a calf.

 

[som farmer]

10kgs of conc, lucky to get 7 here!
When pd+ concentrate cut right back and month before drying off they will be on 0.5kg depending on BCS

Working on 10kg down to 5 kg I would say your feeding over 2 t of conc for 6500l?
Would that be right? How do you feel that sounds?

but you have robots to 'pay for', and those give you the ability to individually set cake amount, which is very important to you, but not to the 'simple' system, although i agree it's a lot of cake.

 

[Farmer Keith]

the simpler the system, and the lower the 'borrowing', the margin over purchased feed, becomes less important, or less critical. The dairy farmers, running a simple system, big bales, cake in parlour, old parlour, and existing buildings, are making good money with smaller herds. The rest of us are still on the treadmill.

This is so true and as machinery prices have rocketed the equipment that makes it possible to cut feed costs is almost at that point where it’s not worth having, if it’s not already past it.

 

[Barmyfarmer]

Anything getting 10kg will need to be 50 litres plus here, and 4-5kg for 30 litres

 

[LTH]

Anything getting 10kg will need to be 50 litres plus here, and 4-5kg for 30 litres

What else are you feeding them though

 

[dinderleat]

the simpler the system, and the lower the 'borrowing', the margin over purchased feed, becomes less important, or less critical. The dairy farmers, running a simple system, big bales, cake in parlour, old parlour, and existing buildings, are making good money with smaller herds. The rest of us are still on the treadmill.

That’s a very sweeping statement . Running old units is fine until a point but they will not be here in the future unless you invest nothing lasts for ever.

 

[LTH]

Some probably do get too much when you start looking at home many kilos are in the bucket, we’ll see how much they’re giving when we start recording and be able to play around with it a bit to see how much we can cut it down as long as I’ve known that’s been the system. Making bale silage keeps going up as the contractor puts the price up for doing the same job.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Perhaps those of us aiming for lower yields, ought to be using milk minus bulls, and concentrate on constituents, longevity and health.

Er... some of us do, because we don't want 12,000 litre cows because we know we can't manage them effectively on our system where we can't get good constituents and high yields. We never select for yield in our pedigree Holsteins, our criteria are constituents, fertility, SCC, stature (low) plus a general look at PLI (as in 'why is that PLI so high or low) and an inbreeding limit. That doesn't mean bulls are negative for milk but sometimes they are. Very happy with the constituents at present!

 

[pine_guy]

We feed too much cake. Rather have lower fixed cost and higher feed costs than use tmr and be the opposite

Second hand mixer, £900, reline £600 ( after a winter use), shaft repair when first got it £200, tractor on front about £5500. Just get enough in it for 130 cows twice a day. How much was the extra concrete to make a big enough pad to self feed? But I totally get where you are coming from. I needed something to put silage into an existing trough in a shed anyway. Extra concrete is great, but I have the tennant farmer issue to consider as well.

 

[lazy farmer]

Er... some of us do, because we don't want 12,000 litre cows because we know we can't manage them effectively on our system where we can't get good constituents and high yields. We never select for yield in our pedigree Holsteins, our criteria are constituents, fertility, SCC, stature (low) plus a general look at PLI (as in 'why is that PLI so high or low) and an inbreeding limit. That doesn't mean bulls are negative for milk but sometimes they are. Very happy with the constituents at present!View attachment 948656

What are those extra criteria on your results ? Apologies for my ignorance.

 

[pine_guy]

@Beef farmer, promised you a picture after use, this was this morning before their daily scrape out. Skimping a little on bedding last couple of days as running a bit tight before next delivery.

started calving this week

one breach and one a little tug to finish the job as calf was half out but brown suggesting stress. All have the same Dad, a BBxLim

 

[Plantpotfarmer]

well we use a 5l calf bucket and if a cow gives a lot of milk gets a full bucket and just get a bit less over time, by time there on there way towards dry be half a bucket. They don’t get out else some will give more than 6500 I might be being hard on them with that but I don’t know exactly. just get grass or bale, probably are over feeding some with cake but you have to give them something to milk, get in calf and grow a calf.

Would a 5l calf bucket actually weigh 5kg?

 

[LTH]

Would a 5l calf bucket actually weigh 5kg?

I don’t know I’ve not actually weighed can’t seeing it being that far away might have a weigh up to see what they’re actually getting

 

[Beef farmer]

Second hand mixer, £900, reline £600 ( after a winter use), shaft repair when first got it £200, tractor on front about £5500. Just get enough in it for 130 cows twice a day. How much was the extra concrete to make a big enough pad to self feed? But I totally get where you are coming from. I needed something to put silage into an existing trough in a shed anyway. Extra concrete is great, but I have the tennant farmer issue to consider as well.

That set up do 8 loads a day? And drive 20 miles?

 

[Whitewalker]

I don’t know I’ve not actually weighed can’t seeing it being that far away might have a weigh up to see what they’re actually getting

Old money a 25 kg meal bag was about 3 yellow bucket. 3 1/2 gallons I think