Holsteinfriesian90
Member
- Location
- Cornwall
No milk is exactly free.
Milk Price Tracker
- Thread starter rc mx110
- Start date
No milk is exactly free.
Martyn
Member
- Location
- South west
Know the feeling, we had our first fat cattle leave this week & I'll be relieved when it comes into the bank, last 18 months here been glad not to have all our eggs in one basket.
- Location
- somerset
block calving, 4 days milk out of tank, as per contract, plus a bit of 'other waste' milk.
Plus we can only feed 4 litres a day, for 1st 4 weeks, seems to work well, our blues regularly top exeter mkt, so can't be to bad.
We make it work very well, and if a bit short, bit of whole milk, not very often though.
Everybody seems to want to find faults with the system, we store ours, in 200l barrels, and an old bulk tank. First learnt about storing colostrum, back in 74, as a student, didn't even use acid then, but not recommended after a good night out.
If we can make it work, so can anyone else, and we haven't bought any milk powder, except odd bags, for the last 5 or 6 years. Weaned off about 180 calves last winter, 3 dead, and including some bought in.
- Location
- somerset
contracts state, 1st 4 days milk, should not go into the tank, whether you keep it out, or not, is a risk you take, then you have dry tube 'keep out' time, it quickly adds up.
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
And it spreads JOHNES ,so a few pound on milk powder is the safer option by a long way
I cant see how you have enough "waste" milk.
As everyone we keep milk out for 4 days. 9 milkings actually, and yes the 1st wk we probably chuck 2k liters of milk, but before the 1st ones are sold, we will have over 400 on milk, and at 2000 liters a day it just disappears quick.
After the rush of the 1st 3 weeks, we will be holding cows out for 6 days just to feed calfs.
By the time the 1st calfs are nearing to be weaned, we wouldn't have hardly any dump milk.
Genuine intrest as we might need to buy some powder this year, and that fills me with dread. Not because of the cost, although it's frightening. But because we can't keep calves as healthy on powder it seems.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
We usually have just about enough to supply 60% of our bull calves needs which makes Arla's 8 week rule bearable.
Never feed it to heifers because of Johnes.
- Location
- South Molton
Guess you don't teat seal or does your cheese maker buyer not insist on sealed cows staying out of the tank for 6 days?
Was a big bug bear of mine when we started making cheese as the difference between 4 and 6 days is more than 50%.
- Location
- somerset
acid is meant to kill johnes, after 3 days
we test herd for johnes, x2 a year - easier with recording
we currently have 1 red cow, and couple of ambers, that milk isn't used.
Farmer Keith
Member
- Location
- North Cumbria
Are all the cows you buy not a huge risk?
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
I put research on here a few months ago( you obviously didn’t read it ) they clearly said acidifying milk doesn’t kill the johnes bug
You also stated that you test 30 cows out your herd once a year for johnes and that has now changed to all the herd twice a year
And finally you’ve bought in a lot of cows in the last 12/18 months so you can’t know the risk there posing to your calves /herd
- Location
- somerset
basically you don't feed as much, colostrum is rich, but it surprises us how much 'waste' milk we amass, but keeps us going, seems to get them going on cake earlier, as well.
small calves might only take 1 litre a feed, for a while. We also feed calves in single pens, and pay a lady to do them, money very well spent. Occasionally, we might have to buy 1 bag of powder, to eke out, but rarely.
what they would drink, on ad-lib, could be very different, we couldn't get on with that, to much scour, so back to measured amount, based on size of calve. And l really think that individual feeding, is one of the key points, you can 'adjust' amounts if necessary, and quickly pick out any problems.
First saw colostrum stored, as a student, back in 74, they never ran out, and that was fed 50/50 with hot water, and looked, and smelt disgusting, esp after a night out.
The fact that our milk powder bill, for the last 5 odd years, is close to zero, our mortality rate is very low, the proofs in the the fact, that every time we have taken calves to exeter, our name gets in the report.
There is a lot of conflicting views on how to actually do it, and we have sort of 'felt' our way into how we do it. Calf rearing, is the 'hot' topic at the moment, in all the dairy mags, and mortality rates of calves, must be pretty high, to attract the attention it does, and according to some, it is exceedingly high. I used to buy in, and rear 6/700 calves a year, and the most important fact, was individual attention. Incidentally, it was the price of powder, rearing that number, that started us milking again, we looked at milking a few, for calf milk, and it sort of 'grew'.
- Location
- somerset
with 6 monthly TB testing, its easier to test whole herd x2, NMR won't test within so many day's of a test, we record every 2 months, so its easier to test whole lot.
have always said acidifying, is meant to kill johnes, and info out there will differ, some say it does, others say it doesn't.
For anyone buying in cows, johnes is a risk, and surprises us, that our tests come back with low incidence, but one cannot argue with results.
Back in the late 60's, early 70's, johnes was quite common, usually in channel island herds, as cows changed over to hols, numbers dropped, and through the late 70's through to the 90's, we just didn't see cases. BSE brought it back into focus, again, l think the channel island herds are a problem still. But its a risk you have to monitor, and accept the risk. I think johnes is more prevalent in older cows, and, again i suspect many cattle have been through the system, before it would show up.
But, at the end, we have a system, that we have made to work, for us, we have a very low mortality rate, and our calves are sort after, either privately, or through the ring, which they wouldn't be, unless they were 'good'.
But like many things, you only get out, what you are prepared to put in, and l think time, is the curse of calf rearing, exactly why we employ someone to 'do' them. Instead of finding faults, perhaps you should look for the positives in other farmers systems, just like our non-usual grazing system, it works, for us. At the end, its the bottom line, on the accounts, that tell the truth, ours is ok.
- Location
- somerset
yes, and no, it doesn't show up, as a problem, in our testing. And many farmers will cite johnes status, when selling.
Something l cannot understand, been to sales where cows are stated to be 'j1' or more, and doesn't make any difference to end price.
- Location
- South Molton
Never believe a farmer.
I bought incalf heifers from a farmer assured johnes free herd. Never had a case
Tested positive within 6 weeks of calving.
Rang him and told him, he said they picked it up from my place. Liar
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Research I found on acidifying milk was based on American research where they used to do a lot of it at one time
And now 90%+ of American herds have johnes of verying decrees,which is proof it doesn’t work
I worked for a farmer who got top price for his calves at market on a weekly basis , and he got that because his beef calves rann with the herd for 1/2 mths before they went
And now 90%+ of American herds have johnes of verying decrees,which is proof it doesn’t work
I worked for a farmer who got top price for his calves at market on a weekly basis , and he got that because his beef calves rann with the herd for 1/2 mths before they went
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Test is 50% reliable ,that why more testing is better
We tb every 2 months but johnes test 4 times a year
Test whole herd 4 times a year, still sh!t