Block Calving Question

[Wee Willy]

Thinking about block calving for next year. Stop milking approximately 20th December. Start up again 20th January.
Start serving 10th of April. Here’s the question,if you have a 12 week breeding season,when you dry off on the 20/12 you will have cows not due for 4 months? These cows could be giving 18-20 litres of high value milk. Do block calvers just accept this or do you sell the late calvers?
Reason for thinking about this, I’m bored milking 365. I aspire to be Irish (but not a republican!)

 

[lazy farmer]

Couldn’t care less. But we only serve for 9.5 weeks. But then we shut down for 7 weeks.
the benefits of the system far out weigh the tiny amount of milk you loose

 

[Kiss]

Cows won’t be giving 18-20 litres of milk and be in calf

 

[Wee Willy]

Couldn’t care less. But we only serve for 9.5 weeks. But then we shut down for 7 weeks.
the benefits of the system far out weigh the tiny amount of milk you loose

What’s your empty rate,if you don’t mind telling?

 

[lazy farmer]

13% on 530kgs of solids.
we normals sell 8% of those onto other farms when TB allows.

 

[Wee Willy]

Do you need to have jersey in your genetics to have fertility? I don’t like jersey,sorry.

 

[Conrod96]

Do you need to have jersey in your genetics to have fertility? I don’t like jersey,sorry.

If your herd is good and fertile at the minute and most cows go in calf 1st or 2nd service why would you need to change

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

Cows won’t be giving 18-20 litres of milk and be in calf

There's one or two on here quote those sort of figures unless I'm mistaken, wouldn't be asking that much, his tail enders will be 8 months calved and 5 months back in calf.

 

[yin ewe]

Reason for thinking about this, I’m bored milking 365. I aspire to be Irish (but not a republican!)

Robot- job done- thank me later.

 

[Beef farmer]

Block calving and drying off completely don't go hand in hand with worring about milk.

 

[Beef farmer]

Robot- job done- thank me later.

Early to be drinking lad

 

[yin ewe]

Simplest solution if you don't want to milk 365 and you don't want to dry cows off giving 20l

 

[Beef farmer]

Simplest solution if you don't want to milk 365 and you don't want to dry cows off giving 20l

Become a beef farmer?

 

[yin ewe]

Become a beef farmer?

Speaking as a robot farmer, that may be the cheapest option!

 

[Cows 'n grass]

We never dry off but have 11/12 weeks of OAD.

 

[Beef farmer]

We never dry off but have 11/12 weeks of OAD.

You scc controlable?

 

[Wee Willy]

Robot- job done- thank me later.

I still want to make money.

 

[Surface Tension]

Does anyone block calve with robots? ie dry off all cows and switch the robots off for a month or two

 

[Cows 'n grass]

You scc controlable?

It's within the limits of what they'll collect but I will often be upto 300 by the time we start calving again.

 

[pappuller]

Does anyone block calve with robots? ie dry off all cows and switch the robots off for a month or two

You would need excess capacity at peak and less capacity at late lactation. Robots perform best on an ayr system I personally believe