How many cows are you milking?

[Dead Rabbits]

A local farm used to put 300 through a six-a-side herringbone before their new parlour went in . Six hours each end of the day, used to do it as 2x3hr shifts if I remember correctly

Did that for about 10 years at home when I was a kid. Cows averaged 10000+ liters. It was a nightmare of a grind. Would never have anything to do with that again

 

[Llmmm]

Did that for about 10 years at home when I was a kid. Cows averaged 10000+ liters. It was a nightmare of a grind. Would never have anything to do with that again

A six unit with those cows youd be lucky to do 60 per hour so that would be 5 hrs each milking

 

[vantage]

A six unit with those cows youd be lucky to do 60 per hour so that would be 5 hrs each milking

I overheard a conversation at a local pub this weekend, about a farm I know of. Before new parlour went in they started at 2 am, milked until 11 am finish, in for lunch, out again at 1 for a 9pm finish! New parlour now, down to four hours a milking!

 

[Manney]

180 milkers, spring calving start 1st Feb, mostly British fr but some jr and jrx.

Milk through a 20:40 Delaval herringbone, direct to line and no acrs.

Very simple system, grazed grass Feb onwards with silage fed on the shoulders of the grazing season. Cows housed for about 60 days during winter. 1.2ton conc fed, 550kg milk solids sold per cow. Good housing and general infrastructure. Plenty of shiney gear but its older, looked after and paid for.

Labour wise there is myself, my dad who is 69 and a have a chap in that does 10hrs a week.

Busy from Feb to June and after that it's a doddle.

Profitable, yes.

What would I change:
Milk another 20 cows but that's in the pipeline
Better water system and more troughs but again that is being delt with.
Regular reliable relief milker to take some of the workload off me.

Just an update on where I'm at.....

Now calving in 200 but milking once a day, plan to feed <500kg conc and would like to do >360kg solids per cow.

Aim to do the bulk of the work myself with a bit of help from my now 70 year old father.

Cows are taking to it well so far. To early to say how profitable it will be but already noticing how much less conc I have used.

 

[Llmmm]

Just an update on where I'm at.....

Now calving in 200 but milking once a day, plan to feed <500kg conc and would like to do >360kg solids per cow.

Aim to do the bulk of the work myself with a bit of help from my now 70 year old father.

Cows are taking to it well so far. To early to say how profitable it will be but already noticing how much less conc I have used.

Why not milk twice and employ someone the extra milk will pay them a good wage.

 

[Manney]

Why not milk twice and employ someone the extra milk will pay them a good wage.

Pretty much impossible to find anyone in this area to do it.

I've had an interest in oad milking since I was at college and now I'm in a position to give it a try. If it doesnt work out I can switch back to tad but I just need to give oad a go to satisfy my curiosity.

Aiming to get the work, life, profit balance right and oad looks like a way I can achieve this.

 

[Blue.]

I overheard a conversation at a local pub this weekend, about a farm I know of. Before new parlour went in they started at 2 am, milked until 11 am finish, in for lunch, out again at 1 for a 9pm finish! New parlour now, down to four hours a milking!

That's nothing local big herd have been on 27hrs a day milking for years.

 

[vantage]

That's nothing local big herd have been on 27hrs a day milking for years.

Do they eat gravel for breakfast and live in a cardboard box?,

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Pretty much impossible to find anyone in this area to do it.

I've had an interest in oad milking since I was at college and now I'm in a position to give it a try. If it doesnt work out I can switch back to tad but I just need to give oad a go to satisfy my curiosity.

Aiming to get the work, life, profit balance right and oad looks like a way I can achieve this.

Solids improved much? Are you still using British friesian?

 

[jackrussell101]

240 autumn calving 8250 litre av

 

[Manney]

Solids improved much? Are you still using British friesian?

Bit early to comment on solids yet but hoping for a 5% increase.

Mostly british fr, some jr and jrx. Bought a little irish fr semen this year to try.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Pretty much impossible to find anyone in this area to do it.

I've had an interest in oad milking since I was at college and now I'm in a position to give it a try. If it doesnt work out I can switch back to tad but I just need to give oad a go to satisfy my curiosity.

Aiming to get the work, life, profit balance right and oad looks like a way I can achieve this.

You instantly reduce the labour pool available to you when you live somewhere that has nothing but sea to the west, north and south of you.

I also have a real interest in OAD and suspect we will see more spring calving herds moving that way in the future.

 

[YELROM]

180 cows, housed but access to pasture march to October
Milked with 3 Lely robots
All coos served to blue and calves sold at 2/3 weeks of age.
Replacements purchased as fresh or dry cows
Land split over 6 blocks up to 4 miles away.
Low outside labour requirement
Looking at possibly purchasing a forage wagon to improve grass silage quality and possibly ceasing zerograzing

Why would you look to give up zerograzing,could you not use the forage box for zero grazing

 

[pappuller]

Why would you look to give up zerograzing,could you not use the forage box for zero grazing

Cows getting too dirty and reducing grass wasn't really justifying doing the job.
Weather so variable that I couldn't manage the grass as I would have liked.
Yes we will possibly look at feeding through the wagon later this autumn.