Dairybred calf questions

[ImLost]

I would be glad if anyone who wanted to could answer a few questions that I have been wondering about recently.

There's not much in the way of dairy around here these days, so not much chance to get experience or learn too much first hand!

What dates do you aim to calve between or are you ayr?
Do you use dairy/beef bulls or ai?

And lastly, what do you do with the calves?

 

[Beef farmer]

15th aug till 21st oct aim calving dates
6 weeks ai to beef then 3 weeks bulls also beef.
Flying herd so all calves sold to a rearer finisher, private straight from farm

 

[ImLost]

15th aug till 21st oct aim calving dates
6 weeks ai to beef then 3 weeks bulls also beef.
Flying herd so all calves sold to a rearer finisher, private straight from farm

Thanks @Beef farmer. Is there any particular reason why you ai to beef as well as run beef bulls after, instead of running bulls for the whole service period?

 

[Beef farmer]

Thanks @Beef farmer. Is there any particular reason why you ai to beef as well as run beef bulls after, instead of running bulls for the whole service period?

Yeah I couldn't afford 50 beef bull, either to purchase or to look after. Ive 9 here and I cuss them everyday.
Some days we would serve 40 cows, with bulls on those days there would be casualties

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Begining Aug to end Oct calving.

1st month sexed dairy or beef ai services
2nd month beef ai services.
3rd month beef natural services.

Dairy hfrs retained.
Beef calves given away at 3-4 weeks.

 

[Beef farmer]

Begining Aug to end Oct calving.

1st month sexed dairy or beef ai services
2nd month beef ai services.
3rd month beef natural services.

Dairy hfrs retained.
Beef calves given away at 3-4 weeks.

If your cows were not so monkey bred grazing rats you would be able to obtain a value for ya calves

 

[ImLost]

Begining Aug to end Oct calving.

1st month sexed dairy or beef ai services
2nd month beef ai services.
3rd month beef natural services.

Dairy hfrs retained.
Beef calves given away at 3-4 weeks.

Do the beef calves not have much value then?

How many are you calving @Beef farmer and @buffalo_soldier??

 

[Beef farmer]

Will be calving all of them this year.

 

[ImLost]

Will be calving all of them this year.

All of how many sorry? 10, 100, 1000, 10,000?

 

[buffalo_soldier]

And I will be calving too bloody many?

 

[buffalo_soldier]

All of how many sorry? 10, 100, 1000, 10,000?

I'm getting concerned that you're working for HMRC ?

 

[Princess Pooper]

Small herd (80-90) and a longer calving period mainly cos it suits us. Beginning of August for 4-5 weeks is all sexed dairy semen. Then through to about end Dec, cows calve to beef AI and heifers to natural service as the bull will have been put in to sweep. Then a few stragglers from the cows Jan-Feb in calf to the bull when we move him out the heifers.

Beef calves (approx 60-70) sold through Melton Market at 5 weeks to maximise value before TB pre-movement test required. Our disadvantage to private buyers is we can only do small batches due to the spread in calving.

 

[ImLost]

I'm getting concerned that you're working for HMRC ?

?? thats about the last place I would work!! I'm more curious to know how many, to put things in context a bit and see how a tight a calving pattern people manage with a larger herd, and what methods are used.

As I said in my first post, there's not much dairy left around here. At least 2 herds have dissapeared within 2 miles that I can remember. Sadly that was before I was old enough to have any real understanding of how dairy farming worked. So I apologise for the questions, just trying to answer some of the questions in my head ?

 

[farmer JD]

15th aug till 21st oct aim calving dates
6 weeks ai to beef then 3 weeks bulls also beef.
Flying herd so all calves sold to a rearer finisher, private straight from farm

How many cows are you milking ? Also what’s your replacement rate 25%?

 

[Beef farmer]

How many cows are you milking ? Also what’s your replacement rate 25%?

No, be between 17% and 20% dependant on the next tb test.

 

[som farmer]

calve end feb to mid april, virtually all AI for 6 weeks, dairy semen on suitable cows, beef the rest, then sweeper bulls, well, that's presuming it works this year ! 150 cows, all hfrs x1 jersey AI - first 6 days on hfrs AI'd 20, out of 50 hfrs, including 8 running with a bull, so, 20 out of 42, week 1. What not served by Monday, prelim jab, to bring them on.

 

[ImLost]

calve end feb to mid april, virtually all AI for 6 weeks, dairy semen on suitable cows, beef the rest, then sweeper bulls, well, that's presuming it works this year ! 150 cows, all hfrs x1 jersey AI - first 6 days on hfrs AI'd 20, out of 50 hfrs, including 8 running with a bull, so, 20 out of 42, week 1. What not served by Monday, prelim jab, to bring them on.

Thanks @som farmer, what beef breeds do you use?

 

[pappuller]

I would be glad if anyone who wanted to could answer a few questions that I have been wondering about recently.

There's not much in the way of dairy around here these days, so not much chance to get experience or learn too much first hand!

What dates do you aim to calve between or are you ayr?
Do you use dairy/beef bulls or ai?

And lastly, what do you do with the calves?

12 month compact block here, manage to maintain it year on year. All ai to genus British blue bulls and calves sold at 3/4weeks old.

 

[som farmer]

Thanks @som farmer, what beef breeds do you use?

last year, BB and AA, AA calves made b-all, so BB this year, debating what to do, as last year put 1 of each into cows, thinking BB and LIM, got to make our minds up, started serving today, already 3 for beef tomorrow.
as a sweeper, we have traditionally used hereford, but our last her started shooting blanks, and with more xbred to many red and white calves, so longer AI, and a hol bull ?!

 

[ImLost]

last year, BB and AA, AA calves made b-all, so BB this year, debating what to do, as last year put 1 of each into cows, thinking BB and LIM, got to make our minds up, started serving today, already 3 for beef tomorrow.
as a sweeper, we have traditionally used hereford, but our last her started shooting blanks, and with more xbred to many red and white calves, so longer AI, and a hol bull ?!

No real market for Angus in your area?

What breeds of cows do you have?