multi power
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- Location
- pembrokeshire
If people say it can't be done i just love nothing more than going and doing it
Once a day milking
- Thread starter Stinker
- Start date
Clay52
Member
- Location
- Outer Space
Thinking about it, many people put robots in because they hate milking cows. They then complain they can't get the robots to work because they thought they would never have to look at cows again. Many of these guys would have probably been better off looking into once a day rather than robots. They could either do the one milking or pay someone to do it. Heaps cheaper than a bunch of robots they eventually have to pull out because they can't get the system to work.
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I asked this a few years ago, the consensus was that as you say, costs are higher, requiring a higher output, and cell counts in housed cows would be more of a problem than in grazed spring calvers. A few autumn calvers do switch to oad about now though, as they wind down to dry off. I would think that there is milage in oad early season to help keep body condition and fertility, then tad while housed, then back to road.
As I move away from the Holstein towards a Frieisian animal and also a split block to straight Autumn I would like to be using OAD even if it is for the last 6 weeks.
I put low yielders on once a day every autumn. Trouble is cell counts do rise and of you don't have any spring milk to water it down you may have problems. I'm hoping by starting oad at the beginning of lactation that cell counts will be less of an issue.
It is cell counts that have stopped me currently going OAD. Our cows are on the frieisiany side of Holsteins so I'm confident would stick it
What's your cells? I'm getting tempted for the last month, cells are 135 ish. As long as there sub 250.
At a guess 10% of cows would dry them selves off,
Loose 15% of the milk, but gain some constituents.
The only thing stopping me, is the fact that no one wants to take any time off, and they all want to milk, else I'd send them home.
Ours hover around the 230-250 mark. Very low mastitis levels, all subclinical. I need to pull my finger out and deal with it if I'm going to go OAD
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
We went OAD from mid December through to mid February this year and we did see SCC jump from 200 odd to 400+. Quite a few did dry themselves right off pretty quickly, i think if anything i left it too late and would have been better switching a bit earlier in the autumn or not at all.
I have gone OAD the last few years in mid November. SCC does rise for a few days but tends to drop and settle around the 120 mark (currently at 50).
Yield tends to drop about 10% but percentages shoot up.
Milk this way all thru until mid January when I take a break in preparation for calving in February.
Well worth it
Well worth it in my opinion.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
Sorry not been following the thread. We are on around 175 at the moment. Before we went OAD our annual average was around 80. It went up to 120 first year OAD and stayed there for five years. Last year averaged 180 we had picked up some staph aurus and culled some high scc cows, not much better this season but we will get on top of it. Running high scc cows in a second herd and milking them last. We will cull hard again this year for that. It is something you have to be aware of and react to it.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
We culled about 8-9% of the herd in the first year either slow milking or dried themselves off and went fat. But it was a decision we made to go OAD and have stuck at it to make it work. Our rolling figures show that we have just done the equivalent of 5000 standard litres with no cake just grass and grass silage. So we will never go back to afternoon milking again.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
Not if you want to maintain yield per cow as we have done.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
Haven't heard of any. I would think biggest problem would be leaking milk in the cubicles and then issues with mastitis and scc.
I would agree with OAD now for Autumn calvers, avoid seasonality deduction and have free time for silage making and school holidays would also help lower yields at drying off if you are looking to reduce dry cow therapy. Excellent idea.
We usually peak at 21 litres 8-9% solids off just grass.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
Probably could achieve that with extra feed going in to maintain yield. Just a worry about already mentioned housing issues.
Why would it reduce the need for dry cow therapy?
- Location
- God's side of the border.
Buyers are asking us to reduce dry cow antibiotics. An organic member of our discussion group says teat sealant only, needs the cow to be virtually dry before drying off to work well.
Clay52
Member
- Location
- Outer Space
You are only going to maintain yield on once a day if you have lowish production to start with. So most people will be dropping production so that means most will have lower feed intake.
What is your annual production per cow.