All things Dairy

[happycows]

Does anyone struggle with cows behaving like a herd of stampeding elephants to get in the parlour?
It’s got to the point for first 4 rows someone has to stand at the back of the parlour to try and slow them down

 

[Beef farmer]

View attachment 1121968
First year nearly completed on oad milking, milk output has dropped 31% bf&p very little difference, cake fed dropped from 900kg to 220kg cow, currently running at 3890l per cow sold, hopefully get over 4k by dry off end of the month

You'd hope to do 110l per cows in 28 days?

 

[Headless chicken]

Does anyone struggle with cows behaving like a herd of stampeding elephants to get in the parlour?
It’s got to the point for first 4 rows someone has to stand at the back of the parlour to try and slow them down

Yes. It’s worse if someone under allocates. My theory is you need a the pit and rails longer than units you have to give you a few cows lined up sensible ready to enter. I could be totstlly wrong

 

[Jdunn55]

Served my favourite cow today classified EX91 (ex94 rump and dairy capacity) out of an ex90, she's granddam to one of my bulls on test with cogent, did north of 10,000 last year with me last year. Love her dearly

 

[Martyn]

You must be pretty happy with those figures. What do you feed as your winter ration?

With labour, electric and cake savings, plus less stress, are you happy with a full year OAD?

Yes happy & long term planning is to increase herd & probably operate on two sites, on OAD.

Due to our reduction in milk output in the last twelve months and the introduction of core litres milk prices look incredibley in our favour for the next 6 months with plus on litres production above last year. We have geared up heifer numbers coming through and taken on extra land going forward.

Purely for economic reasons we are revetting back to twice a day this autumn until the spring and will drop back to OAD with the long term intentions to stay OAD then going forward. Very hard decision, but it will give us the opportunity to pay of debt that long term will allow expansion, pay of some mortgage. First time in my milk career things are looking very positive so want to make the most of it, as we all know markets will change.

Doing twelve months of OAD has allowed me to step back a bit, get some jobs done that have been well overdue & some off farm business sorted out,that I wouldn't have had the time/energy to do otherwise.

Mentally & from family health/balance point of view it's been brilliant, and we have gone from thinking we will exit the milk industry over the next few years to really looking to drive forward.

 

[Martyn]

You'd hope to do 110l per cows in 28 days?

Have started drying off a few that have gone lazy this morning, about 45 to dry by 21st of July, then the rest by first week in August..

 

[DairyNerd]

Yes happy & long term planning is to increase herd & probably operate on two sites, on OAD.

Due to our reduction in milk output in the last twelve months and the introduction of core litres milk prices look incredibley in our favour for the next 6 months with plus on litres production above last year. We have geared up heifer numbers coming through and taken on extra land going forward.

Purely for economic reasons we are revetting back to twice a day this autumn until the spring and will drop back to OAD with the long term intentions to stay OAD then going forward. Very hard decision, but it will give us the opportunity to pay of debt that long term will allow expansion, pay of some mortgage. First time in my milk career things are looking very positive so want to make the most of it, as we all know markets will change.

Doing twelve months of OAD has allowed me to step back a bit, get some jobs done that have been well overdue & some off farm business sorted out,that I wouldn't have had the time/energy to do otherwise.

Mentally & from family health/balance point of view it's been brilliant, and we have gone from thinking we will exit the milk industry over the next few years to really looking to drive forward.

Do you think you will actually make more profit to pay off the debt on TAD. 700kg extra cake on organic cake prices needs a fair few extra litres or kg solids to pay for especially when you factor in extra electric, possible reduction in fertility, lameness..... i can understand the logic but just be sure that you are not chasing turnover.

 

[Martyn]

Do you think you will actually make more profit to pay off the debt on TAD. 700kg extra cake on organic cake prices needs a fair few extra litres or kg solids to pay for especially when you factor in extra electric, possible reduction in fertility, lameness..... i can understand the logic but just be sure that you are not chasing turnover.

Additional litres if markets don't move will be starting with a 6, with extra heifers coming in and cows lifting in yield it's a golden opportunity, working on historical data we will look to sell over 60% above last year's production.Yes to extra electric, labour will be me & a relief and family surport knowing it's only until early spring.

 

[DairyNerd]

Additional litres if markets don't move will be starting with a 6, with extra heifers coming in and cows lifting in yield it's a golden opportunity, working on historical data we will look to sell over 60% above last year's production.Yes to extra electric, labour will be me & a relief and family surport knowing it's only until early spring.

Sounds good

 

[Gulli]

Yes happy & long term planning is to increase herd & probably operate on two sites, on OAD.

Due to our reduction in milk output in the last twelve months and the introduction of core litres milk prices look incredibley in our favour for the next 6 months with plus on litres production above last year. We have geared up heifer numbers coming through and taken on extra land going forward.

Purely for economic reasons we are revetting back to twice a day this autumn until the spring and will drop back to OAD with the long term intentions to stay OAD then going forward. Very hard decision, but it will give us the opportunity to pay of debt that long term will allow expansion, pay of some mortgage. First time in my milk career things are looking very positive so want to make the most of it, as we all know markets will change.

Doing twelve months of OAD has allowed me to step back a bit, get some jobs done that have been well overdue & some off farm business sorted out,that I wouldn't have had the time/energy to do otherwise.

Mentally & from family health/balance point of view it's been brilliant, and we have gone from thinking we will exit the milk industry over the next few years to really looking to drive forward.

It's not often you read a post as positive as this on the forum.

Good for you

 

[PREES]

@Martyn - so you have OAD milking in an Autumn calving herd? Do you house them over winter? If so for how long and what and how do you feed them over winter on a OAD system?

 

[Martyn]

@Martyn - so you have OAD milking in an Autumn calving herd? Do you house them over winter? If so for how long and what and how do you feed them over winter on a OAD system?

Herd starts calving from 7th of September (hopefully not earlier) 10-12 week block, graze upto as long as weather permits (hopefully upto mid November) by day, in by nights. Out again as early as land allows, even just for few hours a day (yes trashed some feilds this spring)

Cows fed grass silage (75%) maize & wholecrop(25%). 1kg a day of cake while inside, then 0.5kg back out at spring then dropped to 0.25kg once we hit April/May. If you fed more cake I think you would get more milk wasted on cubicles.

Heifers would be really poor performance but, only one heifer not going into second lactation and that due to been unsafe to milk/handle.

 

[Grassman247]

2 barons to market today from the autumn herd 712kg @£1267 and 598 @1028

certainly no time to be carrying passengers

 

[coomoo]

2 barons to market today from the autumn herd 712kg @£1267 and 598 @1028

certainly no time to be carrying passengers

Agree daughter has two out of four to go next to her tonight.

 

[sidjon]

2 barons to market today from the autumn herd 712kg @£1267 and 598 @1028

certainly no time to be carrying passengers

Loading up 5 in the morning to go, 3 good cows and 2 high johnes (not worth a lot) all costing more than their producing.

 

[Stuckingeneva]

Loading up 5 in the morning to go, 3 good cows and 2 high johnes (not worth a lot) all costing more than their producing.

What litreage do you put that figure at?

 

[sidjon]

What litreage do you put that figure at?

Ours currently doing 17 litres @5 bf and 3.95 protein (1/3 of herd are pure jersey heifers) , put on meter on them and they won't do 17 litres between them

 

[Sid]

2 barons to market today from the autumn herd 712kg @£1267 and 598 @1028

certainly no time to be carrying passengers

Loading up 5 in the morning to go, 3 good cows and 2 high johnes (not worth a lot) all costing more than their producing.

I'll take your 5 and raise you 5.

Loaded 10 this morning.

 

[Happy hillbily]

Two cows one calf ! Should be 2 cows and 2 calf's.

Brought 80 down 1 field from the hill yesterday as no 19 had pinched a calf again, went back to find 48 calving, waited for the calf, all good so left her to lick the calf. Went up at 4pm today to get both cows in before milking, got 48 and her calf through to 18 in the field below. I've just spent two hrs looking for 18's calf can't find the little 5h1t, it's only a bloody 9 acre field ! Bloomin limos

 

[Jdunn55]

Two cows one calf ! Should be 2 cows and 2 calf's.View attachment 1122358
Brought 80 down 1 field from the hill yesterday as no 19 had pinched a calf again, went back to find 48 calving, waited for the calf, all good so left her to lick the calf. Went up at 4pm today to get both cows in before milking, got 48 and her calf through to 18 in the field below. I've just spent two hrs looking for 18's calf can't find the little 5h1t, it's only a bloody 9 acre field ! Bloomin limos View attachment 1122361View attachment 1122362

That second cow is very nice