Flying Herd

[cowboy232]

Thinking of changing to a flying herd, I know the obvious cons to this - bio security etc. Just looking some feedback from those already operating this method and their opinions TIA

 

[pine_guy]

I guess the question is why, currently cheaper to breed them than buy them I would think. But depends what kind of cow you want.

 

[cowboy232]

Currently renting extra land to graze and make silage for youngstock. Most of my land is tied up by the milking herd.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I feel that the combination of sexed semen that now works and the current terrible beef and beef calf price will lead to a real glut of heifers and a lot of cheap downcalving heifers in a year or two.

 

[Bald Rick]

I feel that the combination of sexed semen that now works and the current terrible beef and beef calf price will lead to a real glut of heifers and a lot of cheap downcalving heifers in a year or two.

Ain’t that the truth.

Can always sell quality but whether one gets the return they are worth, is another matter

 

[bar718]

With very few spare heifers being reared in Holland now due to cutting stocking densities, what effect do people think this will have on heifer availability in the future or is it just a case of they will come from different countries.

 

[Blue.]

With very few spare heifers being reared in Holland now due to cutting stocking densities, what effect do people think this will have on heifer availability in the future or is it just a case of they will come from different countries.

Only imports I’ve had came from France,maybe they’ll go down the sexed route and have a surplus?

Sold all my heifer calves this year,I’ll tell you in a few years time if it was the right thing to do.

 

[pappuller]

I feel that the combination of sexed semen that now works and the current terrible beef and beef calf price will lead to a real glut of heifers and a lot of cheap downcalving heifers in a year or two.

I like your thinking friend [emoji23]

 

[Bald Rick]

With very few spare heifers being reared in Holland now due to cutting stocking densities, what effect do people think this will have on heifer availability in the future or is it just a case of they will come from different countries.

Danes have plenty- of jerseys at least and are very worried about the potential collapse in price due to a glut as they’ve been using sexed for at least 18 months almost exclusively

 

[som farmer]

if the Dutch are not rearing enough replacements, there are enough countries around them that are, and they are closer, to them, than us, Germany/France/Denmark.
As, with most things, sexed semen will have far reaching consequences, and, in a few years time, there may well be a glut of heifers, selling at below cost of rearing. I have a friend who buys bulling hfrs, bulls, calves down, to sell, he works to a rule, that, 1 hfr in 10, will be 'wrong', which would further increase cost of rearing.
So, flying herd v rearing, we buy in cows, and rear, and sell some fresh calved, the hfrs, bred on farm, tend to be better than those bought in, presumably they get resistance to our resident nasties. A lot of friends, went to a flying herd in the early 2000's, most went back to rearing after a few years, citeing cost ot replacement hfrs.
There is a post on here re-leasing cows, if you rear your own, you are 'buying' your hfrs, by spending x amount per month, in rearing costs, with leaseing, you buy your replacements, and pay over 2/3 years, I don't expect there is much difference between the 2, except, you don't get your 10% wrong ones, and plus you have more beef calves to sell.
If you rear your own, you have some idea of what you will get ! And bio-security is also a 'big' plus.
T B will also have a massive impact, on a breakdown, you could lose a lot of milkers, and be unable to replace, for some time, and there are big cashflow problems arising from that, meaning any comp, gets spent on outgoings, rather than replacements.
So, to answer your question, theres probably bugger all difference in the two, it will come down to, do you have the land, labour, buildings to make a good job of rearing, or not.

 

[pappuller]

if the Dutch are not rearing enough replacements, there are enough countries around them that are, and they are closer, to them, than us, Germany/France/Denmark.
As, with most things, sexed semen will have far reaching consequences, and, in a few years time, there may well be a glut of heifers, selling at below cost of rearing. I have a friend who buys bulling hfrs, bulls, calves down, to sell, he works to a rule, that, 1 hfr in 10, will be 'wrong', which would further increase cost of rearing.
So, flying herd v rearing, we buy in cows, and rear, and sell some fresh calved, the hfrs, bred on farm, tend to be better than those bought in, presumably they get resistance to our resident nasties. A lot of friends, went to a flying herd in the early 2000's, most went back to rearing after a few years, citeing cost ot replacement hfrs.
There is a post on here re-leasing cows, if you rear your own, you are 'buying' your hfrs, by spending x amount per month, in rearing costs, with leaseing, you buy your replacements, and pay over 2/3 years, I don't expect there is much difference between the 2, except, you don't get your 10% wrong ones, and plus you have more beef calves to sell.
If you rear your own, you have some idea of what you will get ! And bio-security is also a 'big' plus.
T B will also have a massive impact, on a breakdown, you could lose a lot of milkers, and be unable to replace, for some time, and there are big cashflow problems arising from that, meaning any comp, gets spent on outgoings, rather than replacements.
So, to answer your question, theres probably bugger all difference in the two, it will come down to, do you have the land, labour, buildings to make a good job of rearing, or not.

We can mow every acre we fm so that's our main driver of producing milk from every mouthful

 

[som farmer]

We can mow every acre we fm so that's our main driver of producing milk from every mouthful

each to his own, been that short of grass this year, kept 50 hfrs in, I/c and yearlings, kept them on decent straw, and 4 kg of conc, they have done well, except for the cake bill each month, which we didn't like, you don't have to drive and see them every day, no wormers, and they don't get out ! Personally I would prefer them out, then they would have had contact with lungworm, but, as it was this year, didn't really have a choice, but the result was ok, and would do it again, if we had to. But ,as to whether you buy in, or rear your replacements, it's really down to ones personal choice.

 

[Headless chicken]

We’ve been a flying herd and now moved to rearing our own.
Reasons for doing so are

1) finding exactly the right cow was proving to be difficult as we didn’t really know where we wanted to be.
2) trying to get cows in our block is a nightmare. A fresh cow is anything from day 1 - day 300 as far as any Dane, Dutch or Irish man I’ve ever met is concerned.
3) the best cows we bought were the ones I picked but due to my daughters Poor health I struggled to get out to pick them.
4) we were expanding and were struggling to keep numbers up as we were also trying to tighten our block up.
5) due to expansion we were struggling to manage our money efficiently ie our calf and cull money should’ve gone straight to buy more cows.
6) TB is our biggest risk and with the move to not paying out on bought in stock I feel we made the right choice.
7) we were struggling to justify having any staff. Admittedly we were only milking 100 cows but dad didn’t want to/ can’t milk so that left it to me. With keeping our youngstock our staff price is built into the rearing cost and it has in effect been a job creation exercise.

with all that said I still maintain it’s cheaper to buy in animals than it is to rear them. It’s just down to personal preferences

 

[Princess Pooper]

I know the OP wanted to hear from those running a flying herd so sorry, we run a closed herd, but I'm surprised that those endorsing rearing your own replacements didn't add the one thing that is so hard to value... pleasure and pride. We love planning the breeding, seeing the results, watching our heifers grow and mature as individuals. They familiar with us, our systems and our own ways of moving them (calling from front, hissing from behind) and we know them and their characters. Perhaps it's because we are a small herd. Plus hopefully over time we are breeding the sort of cow that we want (until we get taken out with TB again...) and investing in good genetics. You can't put ££ on job satisfaction.

 

[pappuller]

Thinking of changing to a flying herd, I know the obvious cons to this - bio security etc. Just looking some feedback from those already operating this method and their opinions TIA

We have been a flying herd for 50 yrs since dad started on his own, I have no interest in rearing youngstock but the next generation may have other ideas
We have served everything to genus short gestatiin, easy calving blues for the last 15 yrs and sold all calves either direct or via markets at 2/3 weeks old and the calf income plus cull income has generally covered replacement costs.
From a purchase pov we don't have any preferred route of purchase.
We have imported, bought privately, farm sales and bought through marts. From a disease pov we vaccinate for bvd,Ibr and rotavac all cows. Milk is 1/4ly tested for the usual suspects.
Since moving to robots we have selected more fresh heifers for ease of robot training.
As said previously we can mow and plough every acre so view every acre as producing milk.

 

[upnortheast]

A fresh cow is anything from day 1 - day 300 as far as any Dane, Dutch or Irish man I’ve ever met is concerned.

Quote of the day

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Quote of the day

I think just about everyone I know who has bought 'fresh' cows from Ireland has had the odd one that is well in calf.

 

[Rossymons]

I was nearly sold bulling heifers at 10 months old. Does that count?