Wednesday 22 December 2010
Thursday 9 December 2010
The White Stuff !
Unfortunately , the title of this post is not the "White Stuff" that dairy farmers like to talk about . the snow is still here , and it's now packed hard on all the yards , in scenes that are just identical to the one's earlier in the year . I do however think we have coped better this time round (despite the obvious shed incidents). The forecast for the coming week is not that encouraging either , with more snow forecast . Still all our girls are inside , and apart from a few frozen pipes , it's business as usual. We have a neighbours sheep on our land at the moment , and I can't remember when they would last have actually grazed some grass. they have been living off hay and silage now , and generally raking the hedge backs for shelter and food.
The cows have been milking amazingly well considering all the upset and the cold , obvioulsy got the ration about right. We will be drying cows off next month ready for calving in March/April , so hopefully the workload in the parlour should get less for a few weeks anyway.
Today we are going to take down the remaining section of the feed passage roof , as it is basically unsafe now. This will either go smoothly or take us forever and a day. I have visions of it being like a Fred Dibnah type event and when it's ready to fall , I will sound a horn , run like hell , look up and say "Did you like that ? "
Saturday 4 December 2010
Bad Start to the Week !
The above picture is the damage done with the sheer weight of snow on our feed passage roof this week . It's fair to say it wasn't the newest roof on the farm ,but to have it come down has just been the biggest hassle we have experienced for a long time . It took ALL day to clear up the mess , and the remainder of the shed roof is now being supported by props along the length . Today there has been a fairly hefty thaw , so long may that continue. The wintery weather of the last week has played havoc on the work load of the farm , with even the simplest task taking twice as long, not to mention the fact that there has been little or no staff around , as none live on the farm.
Hopefully we can get on better in the week to come,
On a brighter note , Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious calved this week , and she had a heifer calf , Chloanne Jeeves Gracious . It's an absolute cracker of a calf and I'll hopefully put some photo's of her on here soon.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Mud, Glorious Mud !
The general consensus seems to be that, according to records, this is the wettest Oct/Nov we have experienced for many , many years. Most farmers will tell you that without the aid of records and data, it's just one of those facts that you know if you happen to have to work in it day in and day out. I have never known us be so far behind at this time of year . The electric fence wire and posts are still outside , waiting to be dismantled but the ground is just so wet that it certainly wouldn't allow a Manitou forklift onto it !All the cattle are finally inside now . Again ,I have never seen them out in such muddy conditions for years . All that now remains outside are the neighbours sheep , which strangely enough , don't seem to mind the rain in the same way that Holstein cattle do. They do however make a mess on extremely wet ground , so we will need to be mindful of moving them on as soon as they start to do damage.
So, now that all the girls are inside , it is now a case of bedding and feeding for the next 4-5 months . They can all certainly eat some grub , and we have never seen the silage pit go back so fast. Hopefully things will ease off once I start to dry more cows off in the coming weeks. Milk yields have picked up a bit since the cows came in , they are now fairly well settled into their winter routine. Strangely too, the butterfat figures have been sky high, most likely down to the ration they are on . We are in the middle of a feed trial for our nutrition company at the moment , so I am constantly downloading facts and figures and taking milk samples to monitor our performances.
On the cow front , the high yielders are going from strength to strength , while the lower, staler cows are really drying themselves off. The challenge is trying to prevent the low yielders from putting on too much condition which would then be detrimental to calving. Cow numbers are due to go right down over the next couple of weeks as I dry a lot off .
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 is due to calve 1/12/10 , and she is looking great , and just starting to "bag up" now. Fingers crossed for her, however a young heifer , Chloanne SJ Gracious "slipped" her calf at just 7 months . I have her running with the herd at the moment and hopefully the milk will eventually come onto her . It really does knock the a bit if something like that happens .However , that's the realities of this job,just when you think you have things sussed and under control , there's always something lurking round the corner to kick you into touch !
So, now that all the girls are inside , it is now a case of bedding and feeding for the next 4-5 months . They can all certainly eat some grub , and we have never seen the silage pit go back so fast. Hopefully things will ease off once I start to dry more cows off in the coming weeks. Milk yields have picked up a bit since the cows came in , they are now fairly well settled into their winter routine. Strangely too, the butterfat figures have been sky high, most likely down to the ration they are on . We are in the middle of a feed trial for our nutrition company at the moment , so I am constantly downloading facts and figures and taking milk samples to monitor our performances.
On the cow front , the high yielders are going from strength to strength , while the lower, staler cows are really drying themselves off. The challenge is trying to prevent the low yielders from putting on too much condition which would then be detrimental to calving. Cow numbers are due to go right down over the next couple of weeks as I dry a lot off .
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 is due to calve 1/12/10 , and she is looking great , and just starting to "bag up" now. Fingers crossed for her, however a young heifer , Chloanne SJ Gracious "slipped" her calf at just 7 months . I have her running with the herd at the moment and hopefully the milk will eventually come onto her . It really does knock the a bit if something like that happens .However , that's the realities of this job,just when you think you have things sussed and under control , there's always something lurking round the corner to kick you into touch !
Tuesday 2 November 2010
CHLOANNE ROSEMAN ETHEL
Above is the first pic of Chloanne Roseman Ethel, born 1/11/10. There is just a slight tinge of red in her hair , as her sire is Sterndale Roseman Red. I used sexed semen for this pregnancy as I really want to develop the Ethel family to be on a similar par to other branches of this amazing family that are all over the UK
Friday 15 October 2010
7 days off ! !
Today is my last day at work before an extremely well earned break of 7 days . Prior to this I was last off in February , and prior to that , God knows when . I am scheduled to take 28 days holiday a year , last year I ended up carrying 5 days over and got paid for 14 , so in reality I only took 9 days . So I started this year with 33 , and ended up carrying over 24 . I'd like to think that in the weeks and months to come , this shortfall in time off can be reversed . It's certainly not good for anyone to work these types of shifts , especially when a working week can easily be in excess of 75 - 80 hours !
Anyhow , hopefully when I come back I will find the herd in a content and happy mood . They are now in at nights , whilst still grazing what grass is left through the day ! This is just an exercise project rather that anything else . Most of their feed is now getting fed through the Keenan mixer wagon . The milk has really dropped sharply this autumn , I think they really were out for too long at nights , and this lost milk is proving really hard to get back on them . Hopefully , by the time I come back , they might even be in through the day and then they will be on a totally balanced diet for the rest of the winter !
The new cubicles got finished on time , and I am so pleased with them . the cows have been exploring them , and so far most seem to be prepared to try them without much fuss. The main things I am noticing about them is that the cows are lying far better than they did in the old style cubicles that we had , and this in turn is helping to keep the beds so much cleaner . Hopefully this will continue through the winter too .It would have been nice to have posted a few pictures of them on this site , but , alas , my digital camera is broken , and my phone is away getting repaired too , so I can't even post anything on Twitter . As soon as one of them is fixed I will post some pic's of the cubicles and other projects that we have being doing through the summer !
Anyhow , hopefully when I come back I will find the herd in a content and happy mood . They are now in at nights , whilst still grazing what grass is left through the day ! This is just an exercise project rather that anything else . Most of their feed is now getting fed through the Keenan mixer wagon . The milk has really dropped sharply this autumn , I think they really were out for too long at nights , and this lost milk is proving really hard to get back on them . Hopefully , by the time I come back , they might even be in through the day and then they will be on a totally balanced diet for the rest of the winter !
The new cubicles got finished on time , and I am so pleased with them . the cows have been exploring them , and so far most seem to be prepared to try them without much fuss. The main things I am noticing about them is that the cows are lying far better than they did in the old style cubicles that we had , and this in turn is helping to keep the beds so much cleaner . Hopefully this will continue through the winter too .It would have been nice to have posted a few pictures of them on this site , but , alas , my digital camera is broken , and my phone is away getting repaired too , so I can't even post anything on Twitter . As soon as one of them is fixed I will post some pic's of the cubicles and other projects that we have being doing through the summer !
Wednesday 6 October 2010
The Girls Need In
We are now at that time of year when the weather is trying to do it's best to make things as tough as possible . Don't get me wrong , we have had it much worse at this time before , but it always creeps up on you non the less. roadways start to get mucky , gateways have puddles in them and in general , the land starts to get wet . Grass quality is also rapidly decreasing and now would be the time to be thinking of bringing the cows inside for the winter .
This is always a tricky topic here . On the one hand there is ME that is saying " Bring them in" and on the other is the BOSS saying "NO , they're fine outside" . Of course , both camps are correct , up to a point . It just depends what you want from your herd of cows and how you want them to perform , particularly later on in the year. The argument for keeping them out revolves around the fact that there is still grass outside. this is fine , the cows will eat the grass and it is now a really cheap feed , trouble being there won't be as much feed value in the grass as is thought . Now , again , that in itself is okay if you are not pushing for yield and you just want the cows to produce milk at a leisurely pace. If high yields are to be maintained then the "girls" must be kept on an optimum plain of nutrition for as much time as possible. We are feeding around 3.5 tons of expensive buffer feed at the moment and they are just cleaning it up in a matter of hours just after milking. Then , they get shoved outside and some of the good is undone by them foraging around in the wet fields , especially at night , where temperatures are starting to dip. Basically , at the moment we are nearly getting a roller coaster effect in their nutrition .
Most other herds in the area are now inside , but we always go through this annual ritual of keeping them out , until the milk falls sufficiently to become a worry, and then they are hurriedly brought in and expected to pick up where they left off , before the fall in production.
If thee cows were brought in sooner , before the dip in yield , then they would have a steadier output , a more balanced ration , and ultimately , adapt to their winter housing way quicker , with no ground to make up in the short term .
(There, got that off my chest ! )
This is always a tricky topic here . On the one hand there is ME that is saying " Bring them in" and on the other is the BOSS saying "NO , they're fine outside" . Of course , both camps are correct , up to a point . It just depends what you want from your herd of cows and how you want them to perform , particularly later on in the year. The argument for keeping them out revolves around the fact that there is still grass outside. this is fine , the cows will eat the grass and it is now a really cheap feed , trouble being there won't be as much feed value in the grass as is thought . Now , again , that in itself is okay if you are not pushing for yield and you just want the cows to produce milk at a leisurely pace. If high yields are to be maintained then the "girls" must be kept on an optimum plain of nutrition for as much time as possible. We are feeding around 3.5 tons of expensive buffer feed at the moment and they are just cleaning it up in a matter of hours just after milking. Then , they get shoved outside and some of the good is undone by them foraging around in the wet fields , especially at night , where temperatures are starting to dip. Basically , at the moment we are nearly getting a roller coaster effect in their nutrition .
Most other herds in the area are now inside , but we always go through this annual ritual of keeping them out , until the milk falls sufficiently to become a worry, and then they are hurriedly brought in and expected to pick up where they left off , before the fall in production.
If thee cows were brought in sooner , before the dip in yield , then they would have a steadier output , a more balanced ration , and ultimately , adapt to their winter housing way quicker , with no ground to make up in the short term .
(There, got that off my chest ! )
Saturday 25 September 2010
Change In The Weather
Well it's now the 25th of September and the weather has taken on a more seasonal role . lately it it has been so mild , dry and really quite pleasurable to work in .i knew this wouldn't last for ever and boy, has it changed . Yesterday saw fierce winds whipping in off the coast and the rain just lashing horizontally. Through the night it has been drier but bitterly cold . All this will not help our milk recording that I am hoping to do later today.
Overall the cows have milked fairly well through the summer and they (and I) have made good use of the grass available to them and also the buffer getting fed through the Keenan feed wagon. However all good things come to an end , and the season for cheap(ish) milk production is one of those things !From quite soon , the cow will be kept inside in the all new, all singing, all dancing cubicles that we have installed through the summer . Also a select few will get to stay in the 5 star straw accommodation , expanded from other years to now house slightly more . This however means that all the food that they eat will have to be fed to them , rather than then grazing it themselves . This is time consuming , labour intensive and above all , VERY expensive.Hopefully the end result will be more milk which should offset some of the extra costs.
We have the classifier coming in on Tuesday . he will look at some of the animals and score them according to how he feels they measure up to the "ideal" cow. All the points for the various traits (feet, body, mammary, etc) are then collated and a final score is given . So fingers crossed for then .
It has occurred to me that I haven't rambled on about any Chloanne births recently. that's because there hasn't been any , but that should be about to change over the coming months . below is a list of My cows that are due in the future.
Chloanne Dolman Ethel due 30/10/10 to Sterndale Roseman Red ( Sexed)
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 due 01/12/10 to Ked Outside Jeeves
Chloanne SJ Gracious due 22/12/10 to Sterndale Roseman Red ( sexed)
Chloanne Hanno Gracious due 23/12/10 to Ralma Oman crest
Frankham Sept storm Ethel due 29/01/11 to Cogent starsky
Chloanne Tulip Gracious due 21/02/11 to Ked Outside jeeves
Chloanne Goldwyn gracious 3 due 31/03/11 to Golden Oaks alexander
Chloanne Spooky Gracious due 08/05/11 to Ladys Manor Autumn
So it should be a fairly productive winter for the girls .
Staffing continues to be one of our major headaches on the farm . Trying to get anyone who readily wants to commit to giving up every second weekend to milk cows is proving to be difficult . We have a "bank" of 3 people who I can call upon , but they really only want to do it in a "helping out" capacity , not in a real commitment style , so the hunt goes on , but I am also acutely aware that the responsibility is now landing on my doorstep all the time to find people to milk and that's not always easy . I would like to think that fairly soon i will be able to get a few days off , it so seldom happens that sometimes you have to wonder if it is all worth while . all work and no play etc . . . . . . !
Overall the cows have milked fairly well through the summer and they (and I) have made good use of the grass available to them and also the buffer getting fed through the Keenan feed wagon. However all good things come to an end , and the season for cheap(ish) milk production is one of those things !From quite soon , the cow will be kept inside in the all new, all singing, all dancing cubicles that we have installed through the summer . Also a select few will get to stay in the 5 star straw accommodation , expanded from other years to now house slightly more . This however means that all the food that they eat will have to be fed to them , rather than then grazing it themselves . This is time consuming , labour intensive and above all , VERY expensive.Hopefully the end result will be more milk which should offset some of the extra costs.
We have the classifier coming in on Tuesday . he will look at some of the animals and score them according to how he feels they measure up to the "ideal" cow. All the points for the various traits (feet, body, mammary, etc) are then collated and a final score is given . So fingers crossed for then .
It has occurred to me that I haven't rambled on about any Chloanne births recently. that's because there hasn't been any , but that should be about to change over the coming months . below is a list of My cows that are due in the future.
Chloanne Dolman Ethel due 30/10/10 to Sterndale Roseman Red ( Sexed)
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 due 01/12/10 to Ked Outside Jeeves
Chloanne SJ Gracious due 22/12/10 to Sterndale Roseman Red ( sexed)
Chloanne Hanno Gracious due 23/12/10 to Ralma Oman crest
Frankham Sept storm Ethel due 29/01/11 to Cogent starsky
Chloanne Tulip Gracious due 21/02/11 to Ked Outside jeeves
Chloanne Goldwyn gracious 3 due 31/03/11 to Golden Oaks alexander
Chloanne Spooky Gracious due 08/05/11 to Ladys Manor Autumn
So it should be a fairly productive winter for the girls .
Staffing continues to be one of our major headaches on the farm . Trying to get anyone who readily wants to commit to giving up every second weekend to milk cows is proving to be difficult . We have a "bank" of 3 people who I can call upon , but they really only want to do it in a "helping out" capacity , not in a real commitment style , so the hunt goes on , but I am also acutely aware that the responsibility is now landing on my doorstep all the time to find people to milk and that's not always easy . I would like to think that fairly soon i will be able to get a few days off , it so seldom happens that sometimes you have to wonder if it is all worth while . all work and no play etc . . . . . . !
Monday 23 August 2010
Premier Herd Comp & Premier Feed
Today we had a judge round the herd of cattle , judging for this years Holstien Uk Premier Herds Competition . We found ourselves in this competition this year due to the successes of last years Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club competition.
I am not getting myself overly excited about our chances in this event , as to be honest , the calibre of the other herds in the region will be quite something else . However , in the true spirit of the phrase "It's not the winning but the taking part", I must admit I do like to enter things like this , if only just to meet other people, namely the judges and any stewards that come round with them . It is at things like this that much conversation is had , a bit of banter , a lot of gossip , oh, and if there's any time left , perhaps a look at the cows as well ! ! ! Today was such a day , a great walk round the herd , a look at the dry cows , a brief chat about the breeding etc and that was that ! It's always nice to have other people come and walk through your cows from time to time , a fresh pair of eye's looking at your stock can quite often highlight areas of breeding that you take for granted , rightly or wrongly. So fingers crossed , but I'm not holding my breath .
Today also saw us take delivery of 160 tons of draff , or Malt Distillers Draff , to be precise. This came from The Glenlivet and The Glenfiddich distilleries up in Scotland , and will be a part of our winter ration for the cows. the cows milk very well off this by-product and we have always found it extremely good value for money . This years loads were ordered some months ago , so we have got it all at a very good rate. Hopefully we will soon have ouyr winter rations formulated so that we can start to order in our protien blends for the winter too.
I am not getting myself overly excited about our chances in this event , as to be honest , the calibre of the other herds in the region will be quite something else . However , in the true spirit of the phrase "It's not the winning but the taking part", I must admit I do like to enter things like this , if only just to meet other people, namely the judges and any stewards that come round with them . It is at things like this that much conversation is had , a bit of banter , a lot of gossip , oh, and if there's any time left , perhaps a look at the cows as well ! ! ! Today was such a day , a great walk round the herd , a look at the dry cows , a brief chat about the breeding etc and that was that ! It's always nice to have other people come and walk through your cows from time to time , a fresh pair of eye's looking at your stock can quite often highlight areas of breeding that you take for granted , rightly or wrongly. So fingers crossed , but I'm not holding my breath .
Today also saw us take delivery of 160 tons of draff , or Malt Distillers Draff , to be precise. This came from The Glenlivet and The Glenfiddich distilleries up in Scotland , and will be a part of our winter ration for the cows. the cows milk very well off this by-product and we have always found it extremely good value for money . This years loads were ordered some months ago , so we have got it all at a very good rate. Hopefully we will soon have ouyr winter rations formulated so that we can start to order in our protien blends for the winter too.
Sunday 15 August 2010
Hi's & Lo's of The Last Month
It's been a busy old time here since the last post . I knew it was going to be , what with putting in the new cubicles and cows calving and the start of leading in bales of straw etc .
The new cubicles are taking shape fast and they do look great (even if i do say so myself !). We are now about half way through the project and it's amazing how little all the building work and disruption has affected the cows , they just walk past it , raise an eye brow , flick an ear and start to eat the buffer feed. Hopefully we should be on track to complete the shed by late August .
So the first of this years straw has now been brought in. Just about 250 barley bales . We buy them off our neighbour , who rents the fields from us . We buy the straw by the acre , which i think has been a good idea rather than paying stupid prices , and already , the first field had a hell of an amount of straw on it, so now it's just a case of waiting till the wheat and spring barley is ready .
This blogs "cover girl" , Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious calved early in July , a bull calf , which i have named Chloanne Lowick . As mentioned in the last post , he is sired by Morningview Legend and has been contracted to Cogent Breeding Ltd. He really looks fantastic despite only being a few weeks old .
sadly , the calving , which was stress free and easy , took it's toll on the dam . She went on to take a displaced abomasum. This was operated on and we hoped she would rally round from that . Unfortunately she still seemed "seedy" so after further examinations , we decided to operate again, on the other side , for suspected peritonitis. Sure enough , she was a bit of a mess in side , and after a further 9 days , the decision was made to put her to sleep . this is never an easy choice to make , and , with this cow in particular , probably the hardest decision I've had to make on the farm. A truly great cow , with a great "personality", a great loss to the herd.
However , her first calf that she had , Chloanne Gallagher, now has 42 daughters on the ground in over 21 herds so fingers crossed that her genetics will go on to do as much good on other farms as they did here .
On the staffing front , after all the advertising and "interviewing" , the boss is still not really any further on with finding a suitable candidate for the post of relief milker . This is proving very frustrating for everyone else , as it leaves us short staffed on weekends and just in general during this busy summer . So here's hoping that something/someone turns up soon , and here's hoping for some better luck in the coming weeks and months
The new cubicles are taking shape fast and they do look great (even if i do say so myself !). We are now about half way through the project and it's amazing how little all the building work and disruption has affected the cows , they just walk past it , raise an eye brow , flick an ear and start to eat the buffer feed. Hopefully we should be on track to complete the shed by late August .
So the first of this years straw has now been brought in. Just about 250 barley bales . We buy them off our neighbour , who rents the fields from us . We buy the straw by the acre , which i think has been a good idea rather than paying stupid prices , and already , the first field had a hell of an amount of straw on it, so now it's just a case of waiting till the wheat and spring barley is ready .
This blogs "cover girl" , Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious calved early in July , a bull calf , which i have named Chloanne Lowick . As mentioned in the last post , he is sired by Morningview Legend and has been contracted to Cogent Breeding Ltd. He really looks fantastic despite only being a few weeks old .
sadly , the calving , which was stress free and easy , took it's toll on the dam . She went on to take a displaced abomasum. This was operated on and we hoped she would rally round from that . Unfortunately she still seemed "seedy" so after further examinations , we decided to operate again, on the other side , for suspected peritonitis. Sure enough , she was a bit of a mess in side , and after a further 9 days , the decision was made to put her to sleep . this is never an easy choice to make , and , with this cow in particular , probably the hardest decision I've had to make on the farm. A truly great cow , with a great "personality", a great loss to the herd.
However , her first calf that she had , Chloanne Gallagher, now has 42 daughters on the ground in over 21 herds so fingers crossed that her genetics will go on to do as much good on other farms as they did here .
On the staffing front , after all the advertising and "interviewing" , the boss is still not really any further on with finding a suitable candidate for the post of relief milker . This is proving very frustrating for everyone else , as it leaves us short staffed on weekends and just in general during this busy summer . So here's hoping that something/someone turns up soon , and here's hoping for some better luck in the coming weeks and months
Friday 2 July 2010
Steps in the Right Direction
Well, that's it for another year , the 2nd cut silage is safely in the pit . Yields for both the 1st and 2nd cuts have been poor , but I feel we should still have plenty to see us through the coming winter , due to us having quite a surplus the previous few years . Rain has finally remembered where we live and has now decided to be a regular visitor , but probably a welcomed visitor as we were desperately needing some . The grazing of the cows starts to get a bit more challenging from about now , due to the variable quality of the grass. It is starting to get a bit tricky trying to guesstimate how much they need to fill themselves up , and more importantly , how much they actually need to produce the milk AND keep maintenance of themselves . However , I am still extremely happy with the way the cows are performing this year , and they are looking better than they ever have done .
Fertility seems to be on the up too , which is always a good thing , as the main goal of farming has to be to get your animals back in calve , thereby keeping them and your business profitable. As mentioned in previous posts , heat detection is extremely important and you can't afford to take any shortcuts on this . Therefore it really has been my No 1 priority this summer , to see as many cows in heat as possible , and any that I fail to see get presented to the vet during our fortnightly fertility visits.
At the end of this month is the judging for the Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club annual herds competition , so as usual , it is now all eyes on to the girls to see just who to put forward for the various classes. As of just yet , i haven't a clue, but I'm sure all will come clearer over the next week or so !
It's just 10 days now until Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious is due to calve . She is in calve to Morningview Legend , and has a contract on the pregnancy for a bull calf to be sold to Cogent Breeding Ltd. Normally I would give my right arm for a heifer calf from one of my cows , but I would really love to see another one of my bulls get tested by a company . Fingers crossed !
Fertility seems to be on the up too , which is always a good thing , as the main goal of farming has to be to get your animals back in calve , thereby keeping them and your business profitable. As mentioned in previous posts , heat detection is extremely important and you can't afford to take any shortcuts on this . Therefore it really has been my No 1 priority this summer , to see as many cows in heat as possible , and any that I fail to see get presented to the vet during our fortnightly fertility visits.
At the end of this month is the judging for the Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club annual herds competition , so as usual , it is now all eyes on to the girls to see just who to put forward for the various classes. As of just yet , i haven't a clue, but I'm sure all will come clearer over the next week or so !
It's just 10 days now until Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious is due to calve . She is in calve to Morningview Legend , and has a contract on the pregnancy for a bull calf to be sold to Cogent Breeding Ltd. Normally I would give my right arm for a heifer calf from one of my cows , but I would really love to see another one of my bulls get tested by a company . Fingers crossed !
Thursday 10 June 2010
Changes !
Well since my last post , I feel that many things have changed or are about to , on the farm. The silage was got in , all in reasonable condition , we could certainly have done with a bulkier crop , but by the way the silage fields have come away already , I think we will more than make up any short fall with the second cut.
With silage out of the way , I can now turn my attention to other jobs and projects , mainly the complete refit of the cow cubicles , ie, the beds that they lie in through the winter . I have no idea how old the ones that i am taking out are , but they are well past they're "sell-by date" and are basically just falling to bits . So bit by bit I am cutting out the old and making way for the new .We have nearly decided which company to pick , after viewing different manufacturers products on various farms .it's so interesting to see just how much min/max dimensions have changed over the years with regard to cattle housing , so much so that we are able to put an extra cubicle in every row , as by today's standards our old cubicles are too wide !
In the last couple of weeks we have been advertising for a new relief milker to cover alternate weekends for me and also holiday cover (I must look up the dictionary definition of holiday 'cos I don't come across THAT word too often here !)
With the advert put in the Farmers Guardian and Scottish Farmer, we have had a good response , with applicants from all over .It's always interesting interviewing people and reading CV's . I suppose if I had any comment to make on this subject it is that I wish people would read the advert properly , we had a lot of calls about the job and people were asking about hours/pay etc , when it clearly stated PART TIME. Clearly the job market is still a mine field out there . Hopefully by this time next week we will have the post filled .
To help with the day-to-day management of the herd I use a computer system called Uniform, I doubt i could run the herd as effectively without it . We have just upgraded to "Pro" package , sounds very grand , but basically it gives me way more information than i had in the past and enables me to keep tighter grips on output , fertility, feeding etc . It's fun at the moment , still working out everything it can do that the last one can't . I'll soon get the hang of it soon .
Cow wise the herd have had a very good summer out at grass , with the weather being unkind really only in the last few days . They are going to be spoiled soon as they will eventually find themselves grazing lovely new grass that is surplus to silage requirements , so hopefully that will boost the milk . At present they are averaging 28.6 litres /day, with only a token gesture of buffer ration in the trough , and on the whole i feel they are a much "happier" , more content herd than last year .
Later in the summer we are about to extend our straw bedded cattle court , which will give us nearly double the room , however i don't want to put double the cows in , as i want it to be comfy and clean , so double the space , a few more cows and all should be good. All in all , if we do the cubicles, the straw court and keep the "girls" as happy as they are just now , then this coming winter we should really start to see the results , both in the cows themselves and , more importantly, in the milk tank
With silage out of the way , I can now turn my attention to other jobs and projects , mainly the complete refit of the cow cubicles , ie, the beds that they lie in through the winter . I have no idea how old the ones that i am taking out are , but they are well past they're "sell-by date" and are basically just falling to bits . So bit by bit I am cutting out the old and making way for the new .We have nearly decided which company to pick , after viewing different manufacturers products on various farms .it's so interesting to see just how much min/max dimensions have changed over the years with regard to cattle housing , so much so that we are able to put an extra cubicle in every row , as by today's standards our old cubicles are too wide !
In the last couple of weeks we have been advertising for a new relief milker to cover alternate weekends for me and also holiday cover (I must look up the dictionary definition of holiday 'cos I don't come across THAT word too often here !)
With the advert put in the Farmers Guardian and Scottish Farmer, we have had a good response , with applicants from all over .It's always interesting interviewing people and reading CV's . I suppose if I had any comment to make on this subject it is that I wish people would read the advert properly , we had a lot of calls about the job and people were asking about hours/pay etc , when it clearly stated PART TIME. Clearly the job market is still a mine field out there . Hopefully by this time next week we will have the post filled .
To help with the day-to-day management of the herd I use a computer system called Uniform, I doubt i could run the herd as effectively without it . We have just upgraded to "Pro" package , sounds very grand , but basically it gives me way more information than i had in the past and enables me to keep tighter grips on output , fertility, feeding etc . It's fun at the moment , still working out everything it can do that the last one can't . I'll soon get the hang of it soon .
Cow wise the herd have had a very good summer out at grass , with the weather being unkind really only in the last few days . They are going to be spoiled soon as they will eventually find themselves grazing lovely new grass that is surplus to silage requirements , so hopefully that will boost the milk . At present they are averaging 28.6 litres /day, with only a token gesture of buffer ration in the trough , and on the whole i feel they are a much "happier" , more content herd than last year .
Later in the summer we are about to extend our straw bedded cattle court , which will give us nearly double the room , however i don't want to put double the cows in , as i want it to be comfy and clean , so double the space , a few more cows and all should be good. All in all , if we do the cubicles, the straw court and keep the "girls" as happy as they are just now , then this coming winter we should really start to see the results , both in the cows themselves and , more importantly, in the milk tank
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Heat Detection !
I had a conversation with a farmer the other day .basically it started off with him asking if I enjoyed my weekends off , oh yes i replied, telling him that although i was off , i was always around for AI's etc and to keep an eye on our activity collars on the cows for any signs of heat (bulling, ).At this point his ears picked up and he started to tell me that he too has collars on his cows , to pick up cows in heat , although he is far from happy with the results and effectiveness of them.
I explained that it is , indeed, all in the interpretation of the results of the activity graphs , that will determine the optimum results , but it soon became apparent that he has been sold this kit as a HEAT DETECTOR , this is just so wrong. The collar system we have here was sold to us , and bought by us as an ACTIVITY DETECTOR, ie, it monitors the levels of activity in the individual animals and will conjure up graphs which i can interpret and perhaps make correlations with the animal coming into season.
Too many of these systems have been mis-sold as the answer to all of the dairy industries fertility issues, and that all you have to do is look at the computer screen and it will tell you exactly what is happening out in the field with regard to fertility. Quite simply , they will give you some sort of indication that the individual animal is more/less active than her 7 day average activity level. Then , by other means , visual, dates, heat detectors etc , you may be able to determine if indeed the animal is in season.
Another aid in heat detection that we use is the Kamar heat detector. This is a plastic "bubble" filled with a red dye that is glued onto the tail head of the cow and quite simply is burst and turns red when another animal mounts her ! Now this type of aid DOES demonstrate that there has indeed been some SIGN of heat , but again , this should only be used as a guide an d possible further investigation my be needed.
There is no getting away from the fact that one of the most reliable means of heat detection is purely with the human eye , basically you can never spend enough time watching the cows for any signs of heat .It's amazing the signs are there if you can just spend that 20 mins standing , studying them .
I mentioned this to the farmer , and i advised him to perhaps try the Kamar type of heat detection. Unbelievably , he had never heard of them , and even worse was that he went on to tell me just how many thousands his collar system was to install.
I just felt it was a tale of getting back to basics , getting out in the field , seeing the signs for yourself. . . . . .far cheaper and way more rewarding too .
I explained that it is , indeed, all in the interpretation of the results of the activity graphs , that will determine the optimum results , but it soon became apparent that he has been sold this kit as a HEAT DETECTOR , this is just so wrong. The collar system we have here was sold to us , and bought by us as an ACTIVITY DETECTOR, ie, it monitors the levels of activity in the individual animals and will conjure up graphs which i can interpret and perhaps make correlations with the animal coming into season.
Too many of these systems have been mis-sold as the answer to all of the dairy industries fertility issues, and that all you have to do is look at the computer screen and it will tell you exactly what is happening out in the field with regard to fertility. Quite simply , they will give you some sort of indication that the individual animal is more/less active than her 7 day average activity level. Then , by other means , visual, dates, heat detectors etc , you may be able to determine if indeed the animal is in season.
Another aid in heat detection that we use is the Kamar heat detector. This is a plastic "bubble" filled with a red dye that is glued onto the tail head of the cow and quite simply is burst and turns red when another animal mounts her ! Now this type of aid DOES demonstrate that there has indeed been some SIGN of heat , but again , this should only be used as a guide an d possible further investigation my be needed.
There is no getting away from the fact that one of the most reliable means of heat detection is purely with the human eye , basically you can never spend enough time watching the cows for any signs of heat .It's amazing the signs are there if you can just spend that 20 mins standing , studying them .
I mentioned this to the farmer , and i advised him to perhaps try the Kamar type of heat detection. Unbelievably , he had never heard of them , and even worse was that he went on to tell me just how many thousands his collar system was to install.
I just felt it was a tale of getting back to basics , getting out in the field , seeing the signs for yourself. . . . . .far cheaper and way more rewarding too .
Friday 21 May 2010
Green Green Grass
Normally at this time of year i am practically wasting grass , as the cows simply can't keep up as the grass gets away on them .This year ? Well, it's safe to say a little more growth would be very welcome , especially in the silage fields .This is the crop that is going to feed the cows right throughout the winter and into next summer , so the more we can possibly ensile , the better. All we need is a LITTLE rain a LOTS of heat , but i think it will be too little , too late , as we plan to cut on Sunday or Monday with a view to lifting the grass 2 days later ! This is all done by contractor , purely for speed and ease ! Hopefully 2 crops will be enough , we do have plenty left from last year to fall back on .
With the grazing grass, we are just starting the second time round of the "circuit" of the grazing fields .Obviously every time the girls graze it and it grows again , the quality is just that bit less next time round.
However , that said , the milk yields are holding up , and even if the grass is not growing fast enough , the weather is suiting the cows down to the ground.Even the colder nights hasn't really affected them like I thought it would.
Once the silage has been lifted from the fields , there will be the small matter of spreading approx 300 000 gallon of slurry onto the bare fields . This will be done by contractor too , it's amazing the speed and quantity that they can put out In a day .This year they are trying to convince us to use an Aerator type system. I know very little of this , except that it would place the slurry a few inches into the soil, it would let the soil use more of the nutrient , there would be less smell , and it will cost us £10/acre MORE than usual. The jury is still out on that decision at the moment
With the grazing grass, we are just starting the second time round of the "circuit" of the grazing fields .Obviously every time the girls graze it and it grows again , the quality is just that bit less next time round.
However , that said , the milk yields are holding up , and even if the grass is not growing fast enough , the weather is suiting the cows down to the ground.Even the colder nights hasn't really affected them like I thought it would.
Once the silage has been lifted from the fields , there will be the small matter of spreading approx 300 000 gallon of slurry onto the bare fields . This will be done by contractor too , it's amazing the speed and quantity that they can put out In a day .This year they are trying to convince us to use an Aerator type system. I know very little of this , except that it would place the slurry a few inches into the soil, it would let the soil use more of the nutrient , there would be less smell , and it will cost us £10/acre MORE than usual. The jury is still out on that decision at the moment
Tuesday 11 May 2010
Feeding the Girls
With the cows now out on extremely rich , high in protein, spring grass , it's now time to produce as much milk as possible at the cheapest time of the year . Grazed grass should always be your cheapest input in milk production in the summer months .Despite the cold weather , it has been fairly dry and grass growth has been happening , all be it a little slow in some of the fields.
However we do like to give the cows alittle of what they like , so they are fed a "buffer" ration , this is a little token feed of a formulated ration containing slightly better but most importantly , consistant, ingredients that should complement the grass outside . Ingredients that are in our buffer feed at the moment are :
2kg protein blend
10kg grass silage
0.5kg straw
0.1kg minerals
2.5kg rolled barley
These ingredients are mixed in our Keenan feeder and are fed in the feed passage for the cows to pick away at just after milking .The ration itself is formulated for us by Keenan nutrition. The above diet is per head/day.
As the grazing season goes on , the quality of the grass will start to decrease and that will be the time to tweak the buffer feed ration accordingly , all in the aim of maintaining milk production , but most importantly of all , maintaining margins and efficiency
However we do like to give the cows alittle of what they like , so they are fed a "buffer" ration , this is a little token feed of a formulated ration containing slightly better but most importantly , consistant, ingredients that should complement the grass outside . Ingredients that are in our buffer feed at the moment are :
2kg protein blend
10kg grass silage
0.5kg straw
0.1kg minerals
2.5kg rolled barley
These ingredients are mixed in our Keenan feeder and are fed in the feed passage for the cows to pick away at just after milking .The ration itself is formulated for us by Keenan nutrition. The above diet is per head/day.
As the grazing season goes on , the quality of the grass will start to decrease and that will be the time to tweak the buffer feed ration accordingly , all in the aim of maintaining milk production , but most importantly of all , maintaining margins and efficiency
Monday 10 May 2010
Spring Is Here ? ! ?
Well here we are , May 10th , the cows are out both day and night , yet the temperatures of late have been terrible to say the least . Grass growth has been fairly good despite the cold , although I can't see us starting the silage cut as early as last year .
The cows are still getting a token gesture of TMR , pretty much just as much as they can eat after both milkings, at least it takes the edge off their appetites when they go out !
So it's been more than a while since the last update and we have been busier than ever .
The cows all got their annual Tb test in Feb, thankfully all passing again .At the same time they are all tested for johnnes and also tested for our health scheme , so to date we are Johnnes, Bvd and Lepto accredited, a status that we are keen to hang on to .
As mentioned in the last post , the classifier was in , in early feb , it was a good visit .The Chloanne girls did very well .
They are now ;
Chloanne Webster Gracious EX92(3)
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 3 GP83
Chloanne Spooky Gracious G75
Chloanne Tulip Gracious GP83
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 VG88
Chloanne Hanno Gracious VG85
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious VG89
Frankham Sept Storm Ethel VG85
So all in all , i am getting there .
Notable in her abscence from the above list is Chloanne Magna Gracious, who calved on the 8th March. Sadly after a day of looking a bit under the weather , she became a classic "downer" cow and never really recovered . She was put down , not an easy deciscion to make , but one which was the right thing to do for the cow .
In mid feb , i also lost a 3 month old heifer , Chloanne Planet Gracious , reason unknown, that was totally unexpected and all the more gaulling as i was away for the week in question , so have no real answers as to what happened .
Replacements for the Chloanne 'herd' are very thin on the ground at present , with 301, 202 and 302 all having bull calves .Hopefully this heifer drought will ease soon .
On a better note the first Chloanne Gallagher calves are now on the ground , i think at the time of posting there is 19 daughters in 10 herds.
It is quite a bizarre feeling to see offspring from one of your bulls , being born on someone elses farm .
This year we are thinking of replacing some of the cubicles in the cow sheds. This is long overdue and hopefully for next winter , the girls will be lying in the lap of luxury, in better sized beds for the modern Holstein cow.
As you can see from the main page of the blog , i can see when and where people have visited this site . It is amazing to think that people from Usa, Canada , Moscow , India and all over the Uk have clicked from Twitter, YouTube, or even just Googled "Chloanne" . I really must make more of an effort to keep this blog up to date , so here's hoping !
The cows are still getting a token gesture of TMR , pretty much just as much as they can eat after both milkings, at least it takes the edge off their appetites when they go out !
So it's been more than a while since the last update and we have been busier than ever .
The cows all got their annual Tb test in Feb, thankfully all passing again .At the same time they are all tested for johnnes and also tested for our health scheme , so to date we are Johnnes, Bvd and Lepto accredited, a status that we are keen to hang on to .
As mentioned in the last post , the classifier was in , in early feb , it was a good visit .The Chloanne girls did very well .
They are now ;
Chloanne Webster Gracious EX92(3)
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 3 GP83
Chloanne Spooky Gracious G75
Chloanne Tulip Gracious GP83
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 VG88
Chloanne Hanno Gracious VG85
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious VG89
Frankham Sept Storm Ethel VG85
So all in all , i am getting there .
Notable in her abscence from the above list is Chloanne Magna Gracious, who calved on the 8th March. Sadly after a day of looking a bit under the weather , she became a classic "downer" cow and never really recovered . She was put down , not an easy deciscion to make , but one which was the right thing to do for the cow .
In mid feb , i also lost a 3 month old heifer , Chloanne Planet Gracious , reason unknown, that was totally unexpected and all the more gaulling as i was away for the week in question , so have no real answers as to what happened .
Replacements for the Chloanne 'herd' are very thin on the ground at present , with 301, 202 and 302 all having bull calves .Hopefully this heifer drought will ease soon .
On a better note the first Chloanne Gallagher calves are now on the ground , i think at the time of posting there is 19 daughters in 10 herds.
It is quite a bizarre feeling to see offspring from one of your bulls , being born on someone elses farm .
This year we are thinking of replacing some of the cubicles in the cow sheds. This is long overdue and hopefully for next winter , the girls will be lying in the lap of luxury, in better sized beds for the modern Holstein cow.
As you can see from the main page of the blog , i can see when and where people have visited this site . It is amazing to think that people from Usa, Canada , Moscow , India and all over the Uk have clicked from Twitter, YouTube, or even just Googled "Chloanne" . I really must make more of an effort to keep this blog up to date , so here's hoping !
Friday 22 January 2010
2009 NHBC Herd Competition Results
Last night , at the Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club AGM , the club also held their prize giving for the annual herds competition , which was judged way back in August 2009 . As ever ,i tried my best to put forward a strong team of cows and i was very pleasantly surprised with the results .
Our successes were as follows ;
1st place in the Large herds class (BOCM trophy)
2nd place in the Cow on Inspection class with Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious
1st place in the Super Cow class with Chloanne Webster Gracious (Barclays Bank trophy)
1st place in the Heifer in Milk class with Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 (Alan Jackson trophy)
3rd place in the Heifer on Inspection class with Ellenneff Crest Becula 11
1st place in the Cow Family class with the Gracious family (Hunday trophy)
Top Herd on Production (Chas Halliday trophy)
The above results were fantastic .
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 has once again held up very well in the Top 1000 cows in the UK on PLI , holding a VERY respectable 74th place with a PLI of £228.
Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious is also still in the Top 1000 , with a PLI of £206 , which places her in 211th .
With figures like that , i am very much looking forward to hearing from Cogent Breeding Ltd in the next week or so about if they would be interested in perhaps contract mating Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2.
The classifier is due here on the 2nd Feb , so fingers crossed that some of the girls move up , it would be great to get Chloanne Hanno Gracious done again, but also to see how Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious does , she is really looking well just now , and always raises a smile every time she comes into the parlour for milking.
I will post the full set of results for the herd competition in the next few days !
Thursday 7 January 2010
Snowy Scene's of Northfield !
Some wintery scenes of the weather we are experiencing at the moment !
Wednesday 6 January 2010
BBBBRRRRRRRRRRR ! ! !
Well it's the 5th of January , and the Met office are telling us that this is the most prolonged cold spell for over 30 years , and God , is it cold .
Snow has fallen daily since before Christmas and if it wasn't for the fact that i have to work in the stuff, it would be fair to say it was impressive . But now , a joke is a joke , and the novelty is wearing off rapidly.
I had entered the Chloanne embryo's for a sale on Thursday , but that has been postponed until later in the month. The catalogue was online and hopefully this should supply a link
http://www.wrightmanley.co.uk/agricultural-livestock/sale-catalogues/files/January(1)%20Club%202010.pdf
The waiting game has started for Frankham Sept Storm Ethel , as her due date approaches, fingers crossed and all that !
The main herd themselves are doing away reasonably well , could do better i suppose but until the weather improves , there's little more i can ask them to do . They are actually averaging just under 29 ltr/hd/day , so all things considered , not bad .
We have just finished calving our latest batch of young heifers , which were in calf to the Aberdeen Angus bull. Whilst the last 2 batches have calved down fairly easily to this bull , the last batch have involved more assisted calvings than i would have hoped for , and as a result of this we are looking into getting rid of the Angus bull and just continuing to use our black and white young bull , Chloanne Hannover !
The snow is playing havoc with trying to get staff here to work , and it's just anybodies guess as to when this cold snap will ease.I suppose it is healthier for the livestock than the usual wet , damp conditions , and hopefully it will thaw GRADUALLY so as to spare me the job of dealing with burst pipes next week. We have around 300,000 gallons of slurry waiting to be spread on the grass , but as it's not the best practice to spread in the snow , we are waiting for a break in the weather.
Snow has fallen daily since before Christmas and if it wasn't for the fact that i have to work in the stuff, it would be fair to say it was impressive . But now , a joke is a joke , and the novelty is wearing off rapidly.
I had entered the Chloanne embryo's for a sale on Thursday , but that has been postponed until later in the month. The catalogue was online and hopefully this should supply a link
http://www.wrightmanley.co.uk/agricultural-livestock/sale-catalogues/files/January(1)%20Club%202010.pdf
The waiting game has started for Frankham Sept Storm Ethel , as her due date approaches, fingers crossed and all that !
The main herd themselves are doing away reasonably well , could do better i suppose but until the weather improves , there's little more i can ask them to do . They are actually averaging just under 29 ltr/hd/day , so all things considered , not bad .
We have just finished calving our latest batch of young heifers , which were in calf to the Aberdeen Angus bull. Whilst the last 2 batches have calved down fairly easily to this bull , the last batch have involved more assisted calvings than i would have hoped for , and as a result of this we are looking into getting rid of the Angus bull and just continuing to use our black and white young bull , Chloanne Hannover !
The snow is playing havoc with trying to get staff here to work , and it's just anybodies guess as to when this cold snap will ease.I suppose it is healthier for the livestock than the usual wet , damp conditions , and hopefully it will thaw GRADUALLY so as to spare me the job of dealing with burst pipes next week. We have around 300,000 gallons of slurry waiting to be spread on the grass , but as it's not the best practice to spread in the snow , we are waiting for a break in the weather.
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