Average Days In Milk

[Sparkymark]

For all the AYR calving herds on here. What target would you class as a good herd average DIM?
Is it even a KPI you look at or are others more important indicators of herd performance?

 

[Crusty]

170 days would be a good average in my opinion, and were aiming for 365 day calving interval at 12000+ litres . There's guys out there doing it

 

[farmer JD]

170 days would be a good average in my opinion, and were aiming for 365 day calving interval at 12000+ litres . There's guys out there doing it

Are you on 3 times a day

 

[TomB]

As a block calver it’s not really a relevant kpi, but surely with a 305 lactation if aiming at 365 calving index then 150 is where you want to be.

Fairly sure @buffalo_soldier is achieving high yields on a tight calving index, but that @More to life is happy to let calving index slip a little if milk is there?

 

[dinderleat]

You need to look at lots of different kpi's to get a good picture at the overall fertility in the herd.

 

[Fergieman]

150 DIM would be my aim. About 157 at the minute been up at 170 and yield starts to drop off a bit

 

[supercow]

We've sat at 150/160 all year, slipped to 170 and I have never sold as much milk. As long as it's below 180 or so and don't have it above 200. I'd be concentrating on making good silage instead of looking at days in milk

 

[stablegirl]

Average dim should be equal to.....

Calving interval minus average dry period divided by 2.

So 380 day calving interval 60 days dry should be 160 dim only way it would differ is if you keep hold of your culls.

Ayr Holstein herd realistic aim would be 160 to 165.

 

[dinderleat]

Calving interval <385%days (%) and preg rate are both good indicators of fertility.

 

[Sparkymark]

I have got mine down to 160 days from 190. My thinking was with cow numbers at max the other way to increase milk output would be to reduce average DIM. More cows in peak production and less stale cows around.
However milk production has been no more than last year which has me puzzled a bit.

 

[dinderleat]

I have got mine down to 160 days from 190. My thinking was with cow numbers at max the other way to increase milk output would be to reduce average DIM. More cows in peak production and less stale cows around.
However milk production has been no more than last year which has me puzzled a bit.

Your milk per cow per year will increase but your lactation per cow will decrease

 

[pappuller]

Av 152 here, robots, 10500 l av, ayr.

 

[bovine]

As a vet I don't find it useful but the nutritionists love it. A bit like calving interval, so many factors at play that means its only mildly useful if low.

 

[WillM]

It's a number I only really look at for feed efficiency.

It's also a number I can manipulate by drying off low yielding cows early and cost me more money in the long run.

So not especially useful in my eyes. Saying that I am around 180. So work to be done.

 

[Clay52]

No kpi is really effective just looking at it alone. Like any figure it’s an indication of where things could be going good or may need to be improved. Like what has been said, it is able to be manipulated. Early dry off and high cull rate can give low days in milk but fertility could be poor.

 

[More to life]

As a block calver it’s not really a relevant kpi, but surely with a 305 lactation if aiming at 365 calving index then 150 is where you want to be.

Fairly sure @buffalo_soldier is achieving high yields on a tight calving index, but that @More to life is happy to let calving index slip a little if milk is there?

Cheeky bugger my average dim is sub 160 and calving index of 375

 

[Clay52]

As a block calver it’s not really a relevant kpi, but surely with a 305 lactation if aiming at 365 calving index then 150 is where you want to be.

Fairly sure @buffalo_soldier is achieving high yields on a tight calving index, but that @More to life is happy to let calving index slip a little if milk is there?

Roughly you are right but it depends on how you cull.

 

[pappuller]

Roughly you are right but it depends on how you cull.

And how good your fertility is

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Don't use dim as block(ish) calving.
C.I. must be in the same category as I would have to look both up.

 

[rc mx110]

So let me get this right... those who are boasting a calving interval of 365 are only milking them for 160 days (5 mnths) and then the bloody cow is dry for 200 days (7 months)
????????