Milk recording

[Fools Gold]

The recording staff are professional, cheerful and helpful, the information gleaned from the recording is in the main useful but..........
I can’t help a sense of foreboding as recording day approaches!
Maybe it’s the thought of not being able to be on my own in an antisocial grump during milking but even putting up the sample bottles annoys, taking them back down and sterilising more so!
I can bumble along for several weeks with all cows contributing to the milk ticket but if I’m going to get a flurry of mastitis or a cow needing treatment it always seems to be the day before milk recording, so out comes the dump bucket just to add to the pain! I also find that if I’m going to get a drop in yields caused by poor weather or a change of diet it will always be at recording time!
I have to say that once the the parlour is started and we’re underway I’m fine with it, I suppose by then I’m resigned to my fate!
Does anyone enjoy recording day?

 

[More to life]

No

 

[farmboy]

Definitely no

 

[early riser]

Yep get a bit of banter with the sampler and find out the local gossip .................





.................. but then remember I haven’t updated Uniform for weeks and end up chewing on at midnight getting the data done for 4am milking



.................. or is that just me

 

[lazy farmer]

Hate it. We’ve gone down to 4 tests a yr

 

[TheRanger]

Hate it. We’ve gone down to 4 tests a yr

Likewise.

DIY sampling every quarter for Johnes and SCC only

 

[Triangle]

Dont mind doing it but then were adlib more in winter than summer even done it on my own last few times in a 20:20 diy milk record and milk only put 10 mins on milking altho rather tired was fair full on its a pita when afternoon comes rpund and the realisation you for got to take the samplers out kicks in

 

[farmerdan7618]

Just started, quite enjoyed it to be honest. But DIY with me sampling whilst my herd manager milks. Information is really valuable.

 

[Princess Pooper]

DIY sampling here so I am sampling whilst PP milks, so he doesn't get any gossip. I get to not cook tea (as I refuse to do a milking on top of my usual calf feeding) so we get a takeaway, so he quite enjoys milk recording!
We do get a bit of gossip when the NMR chappie comes next day to load the data up.

My Dad was a milk recorder for many years so I have seen things from their side too, he died just before the recorders started using computers (good thing - he hated computers in their early days in the 1980's-early 1990's).

 

[Ducati899]

No

Milk recorder goes in parlour more than you

 

[Yonlass]

No, so we don't.
A 30 cow DIY sample as and when vet requires, but other than that don't feel the need.

 

[Spudley]

DIY here too, 6 times a year as required by milk contract. It's much easier now I can enslave the children to get the cows in and feed the calves while I record and the other half milks. Our January recording was quite ropy however as we had just calved a load of heifers and they hadn't yet learned to keep their feet on the floor. That was a long night.