How many hours/week do farmers actually work?

[Douglasmn]

I work zero hours a week . But I am doing something 12 / 14 hours a day 7 days a week , because I want to and enjoy it . Not because I have to . Farming ect is my life my interest my hobby and my living . Work it is not imo . If it was work or a chore I would be 8 to 5 . But thankfully its not

Thumbs up to that. The "work" I do on the farm I don't really class a work eithee because it is easy and enjoyable. What could be better than clipping the backs of your cattle before the winter or seeing the crops come into the shed? That's not work!

 

[Douglasmn]

I use one for the cubicles and I think it does save straw in there as they don't drag it out so much, In the lose housing we use round bales spread with a pick, everything is bedded everyday and I can't see how a chopper would save much and you have to pay for the thing and the diesel and have a tractor to drive it, I did try the teagle for the lose housing, it done the job but I couldn't stand the mess and dust in with the cattle,

Each to their own for sure. Not trying to preach that they are undeniably best for everyone, but on some farms they certainly have a place and will save you a lot of straw. As for needing a machine, it's swings and roundabouts. Need a forklift or loader to shift bales from straw shed to cattle shed too. Can buy a cheap used chopper for just a few thousand, if like us it means you're then able to chop most of your straw from the combine then you soon get that money back. Our shed are very open and airy so the dust thing isn't really a problem here.

 

[Alf]

Thumbs up to that. The "work" I do on the farm I don't really class a work eithee because it is easy and enjoyable. What could be better than clipping the backs of your cattle before the winter or seeing the crops come into the shed? That's not work!

Feed the cattle and bed them in nice thick straw on a frosty winters morning then step back and look at them . Who nice is that .

Some stroker in a pinstripe suit that gets the train in to London -stan to work for someone else would look down on you like you where some interbreed . I now where I would rather be

 

[Henarar]

Need a forklift or loader to shift bales from straw shed to cattle shed too

I can roll them in

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Straw choppers have many advantages, health and safety being the Number 1 as many farmers/ staff now work on their own for long periods of the day and bedding up cattle by hand is dangerous and if you do barley beef bulls then its a total no to going in and bedding them up by hand..

Diet feeders maybe a different story..

you been on here 4 years and giving you up as a lost case, I cant teach teach you anything he who wont listen wont learn , OPEN YOU EARS, i reckon the dust from that chopper as blocked your ears and made you blind, god knows whast its done to your lungs,

600 cattle feed and bed on my own 30 mins a day , straw choppers should be banned

 

[rob1]

I use one for the cubicles and I think it does save straw in there as they don't drag it out so much, In the lose housing we use round bales spread with a pick, everything is bedded everyday and I can't see how a chopper would save much and you have to pay for the thing and the diesel and have a tractor to drive it, I did try the teagle for the lose housing, it done the job but I couldn't stand the mess and dust in with the cattle,

I cant see all the dust they create is good for cattle and some sheds you see seem to have more stuck to the walls and yorkshire boarding, but if you have a 1000 cattle to bed it isnt going to be much fun bedding them by hand everyday

 

[Henarar]

Feed the cattle and bed them in nice thick straw on a frosty winters morning then step back and look at them . Who nice is that .

yep nice to see them lying on a good bed chewing the cud

 

[Douglasmn]

I cant see all the dust they create is good for cattle and some sheds you see seem to have more stuck to the walls and yorkshire boarding, but if you have a 1000 cattle to bed it isnt going to be much fun bedding them by hand everyday

Must all be to do with the shed. Sheds here very open so not an issue. Can see that in a more closed, walled shed it could be a problem. Off topic again but in my opinion best thing for cattle health is an open shed with plenty of fresh, circulating air.

 

[Hilly]

Haha ok I guess I must've been. Not sure exactly how. Used to roll out bales everyday, now chop bales everyday and just seem to be able to use less. Muck is undeniably better quality now too.

so because the straw goes through a fancy machine you use less ?? dream on.

 

[Henarar]

I cant see all the dust they create is good for cattle and some sheds you see seem to have more stuck to the walls and yorkshire boarding, but if you have a 1000 cattle to bed it isnt going to be much fun bedding them by hand everyday

quite agree, if I could have a set up so they could be bedded up without the cattle in there it would be ok but our set up is difficult with a machine and fairly easy by hand, just got to live with what you got

 

[Alf]

yep nice to see them lying on a good bed chewing the cud

Unfortunately I visit a lot of farms that don't like bedding and cattle are knee deep in sh!t . I bothered me , but how do you mention it to a customer , and even if you did it would change him . I dont like to see it

 

[Henarar]

Unfortunately I visit a lot of farms that don't like bedding and cattle are knee deep in sh!t . I bothered me , but how do you mention it to a customer , and even if you did it would change him . I dont like to see it

just tell them that "a good bed is better than a shovel of grub" cos it is
maybe not a good idea if you are trying to sell them something though LOL

 

[Hilly]

Unfortunately I visit a lot of farms that don't like bedding and cattle are knee deep in sh!t . I bothered me , but how do you mention it to a customer , and even if you did it would change him . I dont like to see it

Probably because they spent 15k on the latest straw blower and are saving half the straw lol

 

[Beef farmer]

You must have have been doing something seriously worng before, I ve tried them and tried them no straw saving if your honest and all that straw up the walls etc all you need is a loader.

Just dump them in and let the cattle bed themselves. Odd one gets pushed out the gate, but better than using the bedder. Ours got parked up 3 years ago. Once a year we hook it up because we think we're missing out. We soon snap out of it.

 

[gone up the hill]

you been on here 4 years and giving you up as a lost case, I cant teach teach you anything he who wont listen wont learn , OPEN YOU EARS, i reckon the dust from that chopper as blocked your ears and made you blind, god knows whast its done to your lungs,

600 cattle feed and bed on my own 30 mins a day , straw choppers should be banned

It wont have done anything to my lungs as I sit in a nice and warm fully enclosed cab in the winter and a nice and fully enclosed air con cab in the summer when im bedding up

How did you manage to bed 600 cattle in 30 mins a day?

 

[Douglasmn]

so because the straw goes through a fancy machine you use less ?? dream on.

Firstly it's not fancy or expensive and been on the farm for 5 years now. Secondly yes we genuinely have halved our straw usage...not quite sure why that's for hard you to believe. Used to be everyday that cattle would get straw, because don't like to see them dirty at all. So even though a whole bale wouldn't be needed for certain smaller pens, it's the only option. Can hardly drop in half of a round bale. With the chopper you give them just enough to be nice and clean and no more. The bed is completely even and well spread. It really is that simple. Not here to convince you to buy one, but try and understand that on some farms they have a place (and do save a lot of straw).

 

[Beef farmer]

just tell them that "a good bed is better than a shovel of grub" cos it is
maybe not a good idea if you are trying to sell them something though LOL

Well bed half fed.

 

[Alf]

so because the straw goes through a fancy machine you use less ?? dream on.

Probably because they spent 15k on the latest straw blower and are saving half the straw lol

No the type of farms that don't bed properly don't have good machines like choppers . There is normally a theme to the whole farm .

And for the record I believe a chopper saves straw

 

[Derrick Hughes]

quite agree, if I could have a set up so they could be bedded up without the cattle in there it would be ok but our set up is difficult with a machine and fairly easy by hand, just got to live with what you got

try putting a round bale over the gate then go in the house and watch tv for half an hour

 

[gone up the hill]

Regardless of how you bed up one thing is for sure : that well bedded up cattle will do a lot faster than dirty ones..