Moocall falling off

[JP1]

You said it

You can do it without signal on a local wifi network

 

[GenuineRisk]

CCTV doesn't mean you sleep any longer at nights! You lot need to foal a few mares to know how much time you have to calve a cow down! CCTV means you don't have to schlep out to check cows at 02:00 or whenever. To have a successful system in my view, you have to manage your incalvers quite tightly, i.e. move dairies close to calving in calving pens at night with decent overhead light on or, in my case, I'll have any cows a few days off under camera in pen. We've two main calving pens which can take several cows, plus a foaling box if we got desperate for space but we asked the new set up to ensure we could easily move cameras with enough cabling to cover our particular range of pens quite easily (@Sleepy @JP1 !). CCTV means you set your alarm at night to wake up and look at the camera!

Systems where you don't know exact dates obviously are trickier but that's where having someone who scans accurately and keeping decent records pays off. For us, yes, it's much 'easier' because we mainly AI or they're ETs with very accurate dates but same systems works on Newlands dairy farm where all the cows run with Blue bulls, only a few being AId other than the replacement heifers. Our scanner is key - he's really good at his job and rarely gets it wrong. Nothing beats knowing your cows or heifers - gadgets like Moocall are great if they work for you but, as I think nearly everyone's said above, you don't switch off because you've switched that on - you still need to expend effort if you don't want that dead calf on ground still covered by bag. Although with the best will in the world, it will happen even in the best of management systems coz nothing's perfect!!

 

[S J H]

As I wrote in 'today at work' I had a dead calf yesterday morning, with a moocall on the floor. I know it's my fault for relying on the moocall, but I wasn't happy.

Just phoned them, they reckon there's a new strap, because they've had customers with sucklers, that have slipped the old type of strap. Also one of the rivets has broke again, so I'm going to glue the pad to the sensor.

I'm annoyed that moocall have never contacted me to tell me that there is a new strap, even though I sent it back last year to have new rivets, because it had slipped off.

 

[S J H]

The inventor phoned me this afternoon. Tbh he sounds very decent, and offered my money back whenever I wanted.

Apparently there was a hard strap but people were overnighting, so now there is a softer strap aswell, I don't know which one I have, but they're sending the new one.

 

[Henarar]

You can do it without signal on a local wifi network

if you can't get an internet signal and you very often can't how can you see the camera

 

[Lovegoodstock]

I think it stops skills from being passed on, same with breeding figures I still try and feel their bones, a friend reckons he can tell a cow within 12 hours so he moves them out of cubicles, but I don't seem to have got the feel for it yet.

Whether im lucky, committed or jut have the knack, but can get a cow to within half an hour of ready for calving, and as your friend within 12 hours off. All I can suggest is feel say 3 close to calving cows regularly, several times a day maybe 4/5/6 til you get the knack, you feel the adjustments of tissue falling away off bone, eventually you just know from touch the time scale. The other added bonus, is the very odd one where the tissue, or "bones drop" then go up again is guaranteed big bull calf and gets induced the minute it happens. Saves it hanging on another few days and a c section

 

[S J H]

Whether im lucky, committed or jut have the knack, but can get a cow to within half an hour of ready for calving, and as your friend within 12 hours off. All I can suggest is feel say 3 close to calving cows regularly, several times a day maybe 4/5/6 til you get the knack, you feel the adjustments of tissue falling away off bone, eventually you just know from touch the time scale. The other added bonus, is the very odd one where the tissue, or "bones drop" then go up again is guaranteed big bull calf and gets induced the minute it happens. Saves it hanging on another few days and a c section

I think getting the hang of it, it's just that we're not about enough because we're not living there. I'm feeling either side of the tailbone to see when they slacken off. Is that where you feel?

 

[Lovegoodstock]

Yeah, but if your not able to feel often you wont be able to pin point timing without just guessing, say the top of pin bone at tail head to the bottom on the right hand side is 135 degrees, you get a feel of how much a drop to pin poin the minute she will calve, I would feel a couple of times a day, but have done between 250 and 350 cows a year for 2 decades, as a novice just doing in the morning then night would take some doing of getting use to it. I bought 21 cows where all year they felt like they were ready to calve, so bought a moo call, used it on one of them, it came off, then used it on one of my own that I knew was calving say 2am, got up calved her, no text so never used again. Up for sale if anyone wants...

 

[JP1]

if you can't get an internet signal and you very often can't how can you see the camera

Call me and I'll explain

 

[GenuineRisk]

I guess we all love the thought of having a device that will save time but personally, nothing replaces vigilance and, even the stock aren't close to home, you still have to schlep out to check. If you can install it, CCTV with a remote access such as Agri Cam will sort the problem from point of view of being more or less anywhere and able to see your incalvers but you do still have to physically check your cows a few times during day, as @Lovegoodstock says.

When we had the Moocall, we had strap issue with it and did exactly the same as the OP and got a replacement but I can't understand why, if there's an upgrade, it wasn't automatically sent out either. Very sorry you lost a calf, @SJH - price of a decent CCTV system for sure.

 

[Henarar]

Call me and I'll explain

you can't watch it anywhere
if you think you can explain away

 

[S J H]

I guess we all love the thought of having a device that will save time but personally, nothing replaces vigilance and, even the stock aren't close to home, you still have to schlep out to check. If you can install it, CCTV with a remote access such as Agri Cam will sort the problem from point of view of being more or less anywhere and able to see your incalvers but you do still have to physically check your cows a few times during day, as @Lovegoodstock says.

When we had the Moocall, we had strap issue with it and did exactly the same as the OP and got a replacement but I can't understand why, if there's an upgrade, it wasn't automatically sent out either. Very sorry you lost a calf, @SJH - price of a decent CCTV system for sure.

Thanks @GenuineRisk if I didn't have the moocall then I would have gone back up at midnight to check, but I have found it to be very accurate when it stayed on. CCTV is difficult at the moment because we have no broadband at the farm.

 

[GenuineRisk]

you can't watch it anywhere
if you think you can explain away

If you've got 4G - which I'd be surprised if you didn't - you can use the system

 

[JP1]

you can't watch it anywhere
if you think you can explain away

PM sent. I don't want to dominate a MooCall thread

 

[Henarar]

If you've got 4G - which I'd be surprised if you didn't - you can use the system

I have not even got an internet phone let alone 4g whatever that is

 

[Forever Fendt]

Yeah, but if your not able to feel often you wont be able to pin point timing without just guessing, say the top of pin bone at tail head to the bottom on the right hand side is 135 degrees, you get a feel of how much a drop to pin poin the minute she will calve, I would feel a couple of times a day, but have done between 250 and 350 cows a year for 2 decades, as a novice just doing in the morning then night would take some doing of getting use to it. I bought 21 cows where all year they felt like they were ready to calve, so bought a moo call, used it on one of them, it came off, then used it on one of my own that I knew was calving say 2am, got up calved her, no text so never used again. Up for sale if anyone wants...

what would be the earliest you would expect to tell any change / relaxation of the ligaments,only a handful of cows calved first time last year i kept touching them and got the hang of it but seam to have forgotten time scale

 

[Henarar]

The inventor phoned me this afternoon. Tbh he sounds very decent, and offered my money back whenever I wanted.

Apparently there was a hard strap but people were overnighting, so now there is a softer strap aswell, I don't know which one I have, but they're sending the new one.

It will be interesting to see how you get on
and give them their due I think they are a company that will listen if you talk to them

 

[Henarar]

I bought 21 cows where all year they felt like they were ready to calve, so bought a moo call, used it on one of them, it came off, then used it on one of my own that I knew was calving say 2am, got up calved her, no text so never used again. Up for sale if anyone wants...

That a pity @Lovegoodstock it would be in interesting for someone like yourself who is very good at predicting calving to use one on some cows and just see how well they work for you,
you have them there anyway why not get this new strap and try again, it won't cost anything and could be interesting
don't take this the wrong way but to give up on something after one go as no good is well not really fair, what would you do if you bought a baler and it missed the first bale, get someone out to fix it that's what, talk to the chaps at moo call and give it a chance
we stuck with it and trough advice and experience got it to work so we think it is well worth having
for the price [if you change noting else in your calving system] one saved calf if you take the value at weaning which you more or less have to with suck calves and the thing is paid for more than once over, just like a cheap camera system
we have both and both have there place, that said if I had to do without one it would be the moo call but I don't so will have both

 

[S J H]

It will be interesting to see how you get on
and give them their due I think they are a company that will listen if you talk to them

The chap was really decent, last year when I phoned I didn't speak to such a helpful person, hence my original reason for posting.

 

[Henarar]

If you've got 4G - which I'd be surprised if you didn't - you can use the system

haven't even got 2G here or so @farmerclare said