All things Dairy

[Martyn]

I'm putting eco in at 10 metres and at 20 meters with a beefy one ever 100 meters besides the hedge with 2mm wire.

That block of 35 acres I did last summer, 2 strands of barb, we run groups of 50-60 large fat cattle there over the summer, and there is a main road other-side of the hedge , extra 2-3k in materials is nothing verse the comfort I know they can’t get out! 600-650 limi big difference to a dairy heifer

 

[Martyn]

Happy Christmas All!

 

[Jdunn55]

Are you working closely with your vet and regular routines to get on top of things ?
improving your fertility will improve your milk production per year wether you’re Ayr or block.

Yeah i am, I moved vets and am on fortnightly fertility visits now. Its great because you can get them to look at anything that's not 100% whilst they're here.

I'm not exactly sure on conception but I know I've gone from a low of only 2 calving in February to, 14 in march, 15 in April, 16 in May, 17 in June and 12 in July (less because theres no heifers as they were all in calf!)

The real test will be to see if my fresh cows are getting incalf how I am hoping they will but won't really know that until end of January if not February.

The only thing I'm not convinced on is the post natal checks...

 

[Jdunn55]

Happy christmas!

 

[Cowabunga]

My crossbreds are the same. They need extra protein with higher components. The computer programs are based on holsteins.

The computer program i used to use , and i presume that modern ones have even more flexibility, took account of body mass, stage of lactation, target or actual or expected yield, and importantly, body condition and whether cow was expected to lose, maintain or gain body condition.
This meant that it suited all cow types, breeds and management as long as the operating parameters were set appropriately.

 

[Bert Jansch]

Merry Christmas to everyone. AYR and block calvers rejoice as one

Already on the

 

[sidjon]

That block of 35 acres I did last summer, 2 strands of barb, we run groups of 50-60 large fat cattle there over the summer, and there is a main road other-side of the hedge , extra 2-3k in materials is nothing verse the comfort I know they can’t get out! 600-650 limi big difference to a dairy heifer

Ah barb, would explain the spacing, ours don't respect barb electric only here.

Joy's of bloody Christmas, currently installing a new dirty water pump before it fills the parlour up, thankfully always have a spare, but could have waited until tomorrow

 

[Bert Jansch]

Christmas dinner. Not sure how I managed that without smashing something up

 

[In the pit]

Happy Xmas everyone
Special afternoon ,too much dinner and fizzy pop and a herd of cows to milk

 

[lazy farmer]

View attachment 1155090Christmas dinner. Not sure how I managed that without smashing something up

Your cows have long necks !

 

[Bert Jansch]

Your cows have long necks !

Needs more Holstein DNA

 

[Jdunn55]

Thought they'd mixed my straws up! Never had a yellow one before!

 

[Jdunn55]

All done about an hour ago, always my favourite milking of the year

always amazes/pisses me off how I manage to get everything done in a timely manner on Christmas day, yet every other bloody day its a struggle

Hope everyone's had a good day with no major disasters!

 

[pappuller]

All done about an hour ago, always my favourite milking of the year

always amazes/pisses me off how I manage to get everything done in a timely manner on Christmas day, yet every other bloody day its a struggle

Hope everyone's had a good day with no major disasters!
View attachment 1155141View attachment 1155142

it would p!55 me of if i considered 9pm being an early finish ffs

 

[Conrod96]

it would p!55 me of if i considered 9pm being an early finish ffs

I agree but maybe different if you’ve it all to do yourself

 

[Happy at it]

it would p!55 me of if i considered 9pm being an early finish ffs

Easy to forget the help a family/kids give when getting work red up.... it all takes time as one man band. The simple things AI a cow or two, feed a new born calve pen it up and put a cow in a calving pen etc etc all after milking and the time slips away....

Cows looking a real credit to you @Jdunn55....

 

[Jdunn55]

it would p!55 me of if i considered 9pm being an early finish ffs

Ahh but I'd had 11-7pm off with the family so got back late, if I'd started at 4 I would have finished by 6/half 6 but couldn't see a lot of point in front of the tv to fall asleep!

One day I'll hopefully save enough money for new sheds, robots and an army of staff but atm I make do with what I have, which is far from perfect...

 

[Jdunn55]

Easy to forget the help a family/kids give when getting work red up.... it all takes time as one man band. The simple things AI a cow or two, feed a new born calve pen it up and put a cow in a calving pen etc etc all after milking and the time slips away....

Cows looking a real credit to you @Jdunn55....

Thanks, it's all the little things that take the time.

For instance, most of these modern setups have autoscrapers, robot scrapers or even a place to put the cows whilst they scrape up - even if its the collecting yard. I have no such luxury and so have to move groups of cows around the yard constantly. The amount of time it takes to move cows around is unreal. I could probably save an hour a day if my milking parlour was a little way away from the cubicles and had a seperate collecting yard, eg: scrape cubicles then let cows in and scrape collecting yard. instead its, move dry cows, scrape dry cows and put bales in, scrape bottom shed (all done before milking), move milkers, scrape bottom yard, feed bottom yard, move milkers, scrape top yard, move milkers, feed heifers, move milkers

 

[som farmer]

Thanks, it's all the little things that take the time.

For instance, most of these modern setups have autoscrapers, robot scrapers or even a place to put the cows whilst they scrape up - even if its the collecting yard. I have no such luxury and so have to move groups of cows around the yard constantly. The amount of time it takes to move cows around is unreal. I could probably save an hour a day if my milking parlour was a little way away from the cubicles and had a seperate collecting yard, eg: scrape cubicles then let cows in and scrape collecting yard. instead its, move dry cows, scrape dry cows and put bales in, scrape bottom shed (all done before milking), move milkers, scrape bottom yard, feed bottom yard, move milkers, scrape top yard, move milkers, feed heifers, move milkers

just dream of a green site set up, where everything works like clock work.......
then wake up to reality.

it wouldn't be xmas if nothing went wrong, our p/t nearly begged to come in today, because we would be busy................he didn't turn up, ill

but the cows look a credit to you, and hopefully pumping out the milk.

l think with buildings, a lot of us made the mistake of 'adding' on lean-tos to existing buildings, or filling a gap up, with todays bigger herds, and machinery, what worked when we did it, is a pain in the butt today.

 

[easy farming]

Boxing Day Breakfast.