Importing dairy heifers

[Bruce Almighty]

Interesting observation as 80-90% of our Danish Reds also had bull calves!!! We thought they were maybe inseminated with left overs after sexing semen!

That's what my brother said.

But we started using Sam North to scan our cows last year & he can sometimes sex them at the right no of weeks (can't remember how many) and he can tell you if its twins too (vet can't tell us that)
http://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/scanning-for-twins.15080/

So I assumed they'd been "sex scanned"

 

[Baling Hay]

I know it's slightly off-topic, but if the average cow last 4-5-6 lactations over "there" then why do you need to import all these animals? Here the average production life of a cow i way shorter, and even without sexed semen we never imported much.

Is it all because of TB? I don't know much about it, other than it's a big problem over there.

The average cow only lasts around 3 lactations in the UK. Ours last much longer because we don't keep many pure holsteins and we graze. We bought our ones from Denmark when we started to milk cows in 2010. Before that we were beef.

 

[james ds]

That's what my brother said.

But we started using Sam North to scan our cows last year & he can sometimes sex them at the right no of weeks (can't remember how many) and he can tell you if its twins too (vet can't tell us that)
http://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/scanning-for-twins.15080/

So I assumed they'd been "sex scanned"

A good scanman can sex calves very accurately at 10-14weeks , he can sort out a lot of problems with cows.

 

[bullbeef]

Our imported bunch of 36 Irish Friesian/Holstein heifers are the best bunch of stock I have ever purchased. Now been in milk 300 days and being dried of now, fantastic fertility, only picked up three feet in ten months, held condition well and just been an easy bunch, give the Irish breeder credit they did a fab job rearing them, will have averaged 6800l first lactation, have lost two out of the 36 from silly accidents, everything back in calf.

Glad to hear that Martin are you considering more this year

 

[bullbeef]

Are you thinking of importing this year again?

 

[bullbeef]

Nice cows Serup
I agree with Steakeater about the Reds.
We bought 20 Danish red bulling heifers back in 2008. They were available completely by chance having been imported by ADAS for a trial & then the trial was cancelled - so we bought them - cheaply
They have been the nicest bunch of cattle I have ever bought.
We ran them with a Holstein bull & the cross breed is excellent.
2 years ago we imported another 10 I/c heifers, not quite such a consistent bunch but ok. (Through BACA)
Autumn 2014 we imported some Dutch red & white heifers (Holstein / MRI) and they have been very good and were a fair bit cheaper than Danish (BACA)

The most disappointing heifers I have bought were Friesians a year ago.
They looked a nice group but the milk yield has been very poor. They are 2nd calving now & haven't improved much. They did 5-6000 litres where our B&W and Danish Xs ave 8-9000 litres in their first, the best doing 11000

Danish 2 years ago were 1500
Dutch last Autumn were 1275

Both groups had 80% bull calves, I suspect scanning told them this so they sold the ones carrying bull calves ?

Are you thinking of importing this year again?

 

[Martyn]

We have put the Irish heifers back to sex semen and have plenty of other heifers comeing through do won't need any more at the moment. Depends on tb and future growth plans.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

Are you thinking of importing this year again?

maybe, we need to get our supply more level so it could be the quickest / easiest fix

The annoying thing is that we were fairly level, then I thought sexed semen on cows was a good idea
The bull soon put things right but gave us block calving we're not used to !

 

[Baling Hay]

maybe, we need to get our supply more level so it could be the quickest / easiest fix

The annoying thing is that we were fairly level, then I thought sexed semen on cows was a good idea
The bull soon put things right but gave us block calving we're not used to !

The bull is hard to beat! That is why we considered a flying herd once and just run beef bulls, easier to get in calf and also a lot less hassle.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

The bull is hard to beat! That is why we considered a flying herd once and just run beef bulls, easier to get in calf and also a lot less hassle.

We've gone back to a Holstein bull, as well as the Simmental.
Important thing is to get them gone before they get nasty

 

[happycows]

Anyone interested in sharing half a load of Dutch or maybe German crossbred heifers in March to the South West??
I will be going out to select my own probably fleckvieh x Holstein.
£1450ish

 

[Bald Rick]

Anyone interested in sharing half a load of Dutch or maybe German crossbred heifers in March to the South West??
I will be going out to select my own probably fleckvieh x Holstein.
£1450ish

Make sure you get it all sorted before the 29th.

 

[happycows]

Make sure you get it all sorted before the 29th.

You worry too much

 

[Bald Rick]

You worry too much

No, just quoting my Danish agent. Unless we get a frictionless deal (ie customs union) apparently there is a whole lot of sh!t coming down the line re regulations including quarantine
I am not kidding

 

[bullbeef]

No, just quoting my Danish agent. Unless we get a frictionless deal (ie customs union) apparently there is a whole lot of sh!t coming down the line re regulations including quarantine
I am not kidding

He won’t know that yet again it’s all talk and scare mongering

 

[Bald Rick]

He won’t know that yet again it’s all talk and scare mongering

Thing is, it works like a dream at the moment. Why destroy something that works eh?

 

[bullbeef]

Thing is, it works like a dream at the moment. Why destroy something that works eh?

You won’t see a quarantine or traffs on imported breeding stock
Same as bringing them from Switzerland only difference is different health certs

 

[Serup]

Anyone interested in sharing half a load of Dutch or maybe German crossbred heifers in March to the South West??
I will be going out to select my own probably fleckvieh x Holstein.
£1450ish

How old heifers do you get for this price? Do you know how much of this the seller gets?

I'm curious because i sell heifers for export every year.

No, just quoting my Danish agent. Unless we get a frictionless deal (ie customs union) apparently there is a whole lot of sh!t coming down the line re regulations including quarantine
I am not kidding

Who is your danish agent?

Does anyone know how much the middlemen get out of all this?

 

[happycows]

@Serup
They would be 8 weeks from calving in.
In € we’re talking €1650. Out of that there will be haulage and ferry costs, 2 lots of commission, currency costs and expenses like flights, accommodation, car hire etc.
What are you getting?? €1300.
Also bare in mind I’ll be walking in and only picking what I want and suits me leaving anything not right or calving wrong time for me behind.

There is a man who could reveal all @bullbeef but you’ll need your violin too hand

In all honesty I would not want his job......

 

[Serup]

@happycows
I sold about 80 scandinavian red heifers last year. Some for turkey, some for the uk and most for russia.
Most was sold 6-10 weeks pregnant. I got about €1400 average.
I usually sold 10-15 at a time. They took 1 or 2 out of the group every time. Sometimes because they didn't like the colour, or if the mothers fat% was to low or if they for some other reason didn't fit purpose. The farmer who was going to milk them, was here almost every time.
Every group was picked for a specific calving interval.