All things Dairy

[Ducati899]

Nibbling off another field now for some fresh grass

 

[Cows 'n grass]

For comparison.
Gateway into supposedly tomorrows grazing. View attachment 1110227

Sometimes I'm glad this place is so steep. The water very quickly finds it's way off the hills.

 

[jimmer]

“Twin” to a perfectly healthy, full term calf. You can even feel the bones inside.View attachment 1110143

Had one identical to that a month ago

 

[Wesley]

Had one identical to that a month ago

We’ve always said there must be something in the water around here, would explain quite a lot

 

[epfarms]

“Twin” to a perfectly healthy, full term calf. You can even feel the bones inside.View attachment 1110143

This is an amorphous globosus calf.. pretty interesting but of no disease significance.

 

[Martyn]

Had a day off farm today after I finished milking this morning, went of to the coast, middle of the day phone call from neighbours to say cattle on road (53), only sean them on my way out. Thankfully everyone managed to get them in to another of our feilds, and had a message within half hour to say enjoy your day away, all sorted! Fab farming neighbors!

Came home to find gate about 25ft into the feild lying in mud, lifted it to find 1/4 tail stuck in it! Poor beast

 

[O'Reilly]

@Cows 'n grass is indeed the winning guess

But why? If you don't do anything? Or is it for when you spread compost tea or something?

 

[newholland]

Slurry tanking, mowing, raking, forage wagons etc. We do a lot less now, but still have to make silage and bring cows in for winter as it's a heavy clay wet farm.

 

[Bogg]

Had a day off farm today after I finished milking this morning, went of to the coast, middle of the day phone call from neighbours to say cattle on road (53), only sean them on my way out. Thankfully everyone managed to get them in to another of our feilds, and had a message within half hour to say enjoy your day away, all sorted! Fab farming neighbors!

Came home to find gate about 25ft into the feild lying in mud, lifted it to find 1/4 tail stuck in it! Poor beast
View attachment 1110279View attachment 1110279View attachment 1110279

Those gates with the diagonal bars are the devil. Have just scrapped one after a full pen of calves have lost either one or both tags reaching through one.

 

[O'Reilly]

Slurry tanking, mowing, raking, forage wagons etc. We do a lot less now, but still have to make silage and bring cows in for winter as it's a heavy clay wet farm.

I find this really interesting, with your grazing, you are leaving high residuals, I think? Does that affect your silage if you take a cut off a field that has been grazed leaving the high residual, or do you run separate grazing and cutting areas? You must be making top silage to be autumn calving with no cake.

 

[Beef farmer]

Slurry tanking, mowing, raking, forage wagons etc. We do a lot less now, but still have to make silage and bring cows in for winter as it's a heavy clay wet farm.

What would your herd average sold milk be please? Its fascinating

 

[Beef farmer]

Grass bouncing, cows full as cans. Shame 20mm of rain forecast tonight/tomorrow

 

[nonemouse]

Just been sorting next batch of heifers (due 15th-30th may ) mainly bryster daughters. Not quite sure how I’m going to find the robot time for them, currently milking 62, plus 4 dry cows on 1 a3 robot.
If anybody wants to make a sensible offer they could be for sale. 6 incalf heifers from a closed herd in a TB4 area

 

[pappuller]

Just been sorting next batch of heifers (due 15th-30th may ) mainly bryster daughters. Not quite sure how I’m going to find the robot time for them, currently milking 62, plus 4 dry cows on 1 a3 robot.
If anybody wants to make a sensible offer they could be for sale. 6 incalf heifers from a closed herd in a TB4 area

You'd be better selling 4 older cows due oct Nov

 

[nonemouse]

You'd be better selling 4 older cows due oct Nov

Probably better selling some on the cull list that are 500+ days calved, but they are still making too much milk.
Given that the plan was to sell all the cows last autumn, I would take offers on the whole herd.

 

[Nathan818]

Just been sorting next batch of heifers (due 15th-30th may ) mainly bryster daughters. Not quite sure how I’m going to find the robot time for them, currently milking 62, plus 4 dry cows on 1 a3 robot.
If anybody wants to make a sensible offer they could be for sale. 6 incalf heifers from a closed herd in a TB4 area

Only 62 on the robot? Should be plenty of room for a few more yet . Unless there was a big step down in box time from a3s to our a4s.

 

[newholland]

What would your herd average sold milk be please? Its fascinating

I don't really know exactly. We are doing about 7lt per cow per day average at the moment. The older Holstein cows are powering along at about 15lt which is brilliant, but the Kiwi x heifers are declining to produce milk and want summer holidays early. Hopefully they will get the idea next year.

 

[Jdunn55]

Grass bouncing, cows full as cans. Shame 20mm of rain forecast tonight/tomorrow
View attachment 1110362

Grass is absolutely motoring! Cows escaped into the wrong paddock today and I was panicking until i went out there and realised it was probably around 2800 anyway! Only grazed about 15ish days ago and they floored it!

 

[Martyn]

I don't really know exactly. We are doing about 7lt per cow per day average at the moment. The older Holstein cows are powering along at about 15lt which is brilliant, but the Kiwi x heifers are declining to produce milk and want summer holidays early. Hopefully they will get the idea next year.

Are you on similar oad autumn calving organic as ourselves?
Ours have lifted in the last 7 days, most productive cows giving 24l+ least productive 11-12l.

 

[newholland]

Yes we would be the same as that. Do you feed cake or just grass silage?