Friday, 26 October 2012
Cows Inside
When I say that words fail me to describe the type of year its been for cattle , I will use it as the excuse for not keeping this blog up to date . The Spring started off so promising , with an early turnout for the herd . March 21st saw the cows out through the day, and out night and day a month after that. It was the earliest turnout for a few years , and all was looking well. After that , the weather has pretty much gone downhill. Constant rain through out the spring/summer, and a pretty lousy Autumn has been hard on the girls to say the least. I have been surprised at just how well they performed this summer, although yields have been hit a little. Silage stocks are ok for the winter, first cut quality is again, surprisingly good, the same can't be said for 2nd cut , which , quite frankly is closer to youngstock fodder than milk cow material. However , it will have to do as a buffer fodder for next summer.
Feeding the dairy cows is always a challenge , keeping an eye on quality but also cost. This years feed bills seem to be going through the roof, but they need fed, and the worst thing we could do is to skimp on quality, although I do sometimes feel I am struggling to get this message across ! ! ! We are on the lookout for a new nutritionist to guide us through the next few months. It's very easy to get the basic feeding correct, it's just the nitty gritty details that need that little bit of expertise.
At the moment the cows have been averaging around 28.5 ltrs/day which I feel is quite respectable , but there's always scope for more !
Plenty calves have been born throughout the summer,sire being Emerald, Twist, Teirgan, Gold Crown as well as Hereford calves from our heifers.
Service sires at the moment are Toc-Farm Duplex Glauco , Morningview Apprentice, Pirolo Goldwyn Wyman, Siemers Atwood Allthat, Hydaways Goldmine, and Charolais and Limousin on the lower end of the herd.
The Gracious family are doing away quite nicely, with two new members , Chloanne Emerald Gracious( Emerald X Hanno X Addison ) and Chloanne End Story Gracious ( End Story X Goldwyn X Hershel )
Pregnancies lined up from the family include sires Stanley Cup, Currajugle Gonzo, Synergy Always Red and Artes.
Its good to see daughters now on the ground from Chloanne Lowick,hopefully breeders are happy with the calves so far.
More importantly , heifers by Chloanne Gallagher are now being classified. I am fairly pleased with scores so far, we even have a VG85 on farm here.
The cows finally came inside on September 24th , much earlier than usual.It all happened very quickly. One minute the weather was fair, the next absolutely foul, leaving me with no option but to house them. As it turns out , this has been the best thing we have ever done . The cows responded well to their new surroundings and have rewarded us with increased yields.
The dry cows and youngstock are still outside, bit with colder weather forecast , its only a matter of time before all sheds are full , and winter will be well and truely here !
Friday, 20 January 2012
Keeping Cosy !
Well, we are half way through January now , and the weather this winter has really been exceptionally kind , if you discount a couple of extremely windy days. Worth remembering though that the Winter still has a good few weeks to run its course so best to stay on the wrapped up side of things, as these two young trendy girls are demonstrating. Blue is just SO their colour.
I am using these jackets to keep the calves just that little bit warmer and hopefully the will convert their food into growth more than just trying to stay warm.
The two "glamour" girls are the newest members to the Chloanne herd.
Chloanne Twist Gracious is out of Chloanne Moscow Gracious and is by Cogent Twist.
She was born on the 6th January.
Close behind her , being born on the 8th January is Chloanne Doberman Gracious, out of Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2, and sired by Coppertop Doberman.
It is unreal the amount of grass that grew last year , and also the amount of grass that was still in the fields after the cows had grazed them . We have been wintering sheep for the last month and they will stay here till the end of January. They really do have their work cut out for them , as there is acres of the green stuff to get through. Another few weeks and we shall be looking towards this years grazing and before you know it the fields will be getting rolled etc etc.
The cows are milking fairly well with some of the fresh calvers now up to the dizzy heights of 55 ltrs/day. Always great to see cows doing yields like that effortlessly.
Cow fertility too, has been on the up side lately, hopefully as a result of the feeding they get . We have some good pregnancies lined up for through the year , to bulls like Ralma Gold Crown, Hydaways Goldmine, Chloanne Lowick, Bomaz Marion Emerald, Regancrest Clinton, Coldsprings Garner and some young bulls too.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Busy Autumn
As usual I have left it FAR too long to post an update as to what has been happening here. 3 months nearly. The only excuse I have is that it has been busy, busy, busy !
The main work has been in getting the straw all baled and led in , getting more silage bales made , to make best use of the large quantities of grass we have had , and keeping a close eye on milk production.
Silage stocks seem to be a bit on the lean side this year , and that's a bit of a worry . You never know just what the British winter is going to throw at you , and the silage shortfall could really come and bite us in the Spring .We are now going to start and incorporate big bale silage into the ration in an attempt to slow down the rate of usage in the main silage clamp. hopefully this won't have too much of an impact in yields.
The cows have really eaten large quantities of buffer feeding throughout the summer, but this has, I think, paid for itself in better condition scores and generally healthier cattle . I can honestly say that on the whole I have never seen the cows looking as good.Fingers crossed they can make the transition to winter housing with little upset. The cows have actually been in at night for the last 2 weeks and I'm sure they have appreciated it just as much as I have . It's no fun walking the dark fields at 3.30 in the morning trying to find cows.
One of our main "projects" for the summer was to put cubicle mattresses down. These have been a great success with the cows taking to them instantly. They always had rubber mats before , but they had a tendency to move about a bit, so these are far better.
I too have found the mattresses to be so much easier to work with , no more pushing and shoving mats back on the concrete twice a day , so it's a win win situation .
Last month we also upgraded the pulsation in the milking parlour. This was a job that was well overdue , in fact should probably have been done about 10 years ago when we last did a bit of work in the parlour. We have taken out the old Fullwood pulsation with the old master relays and now each unit has it's own pulsation , which only works when the cow is actually getting milked . it takes a little getting used to a first , when all the units are off and there is no sound of the thump thump thump of the old pulsators. The benefits to the cow are that that we should have eliminated any variation in the vacuum levels that the old set up might have had , and indeed , so far , the vacuum level gauge never moves at all during milking. The other benefit that all milkers are noticing is that the milkings do seem to be quicker, so that's got to be a good thing for both animal and operator .
Chloanne Lowick finally went on sale from Cogent breeding last month .He is available as a young sire at the moment.
It's always great to see a bull that you've bred go on to be used in other breeders herds. I'm sure he will do some good in their herds.
Soon it will be time for all the youngstock to come inside and then it truly will feel like winter. Surely we can't have as bad a time as we have had the last couple of years. It would be nice just to have as good a winter as we have had autumn. Fingers crossed !
The main work has been in getting the straw all baled and led in , getting more silage bales made , to make best use of the large quantities of grass we have had , and keeping a close eye on milk production.
Silage stocks seem to be a bit on the lean side this year , and that's a bit of a worry . You never know just what the British winter is going to throw at you , and the silage shortfall could really come and bite us in the Spring .We are now going to start and incorporate big bale silage into the ration in an attempt to slow down the rate of usage in the main silage clamp. hopefully this won't have too much of an impact in yields.
The cows have really eaten large quantities of buffer feeding throughout the summer, but this has, I think, paid for itself in better condition scores and generally healthier cattle . I can honestly say that on the whole I have never seen the cows looking as good.Fingers crossed they can make the transition to winter housing with little upset. The cows have actually been in at night for the last 2 weeks and I'm sure they have appreciated it just as much as I have . It's no fun walking the dark fields at 3.30 in the morning trying to find cows.
One of our main "projects" for the summer was to put cubicle mattresses down. These have been a great success with the cows taking to them instantly. They always had rubber mats before , but they had a tendency to move about a bit, so these are far better.
I too have found the mattresses to be so much easier to work with , no more pushing and shoving mats back on the concrete twice a day , so it's a win win situation .
Last month we also upgraded the pulsation in the milking parlour. This was a job that was well overdue , in fact should probably have been done about 10 years ago when we last did a bit of work in the parlour. We have taken out the old Fullwood pulsation with the old master relays and now each unit has it's own pulsation , which only works when the cow is actually getting milked . it takes a little getting used to a first , when all the units are off and there is no sound of the thump thump thump of the old pulsators. The benefits to the cow are that that we should have eliminated any variation in the vacuum levels that the old set up might have had , and indeed , so far , the vacuum level gauge never moves at all during milking. The other benefit that all milkers are noticing is that the milkings do seem to be quicker, so that's got to be a good thing for both animal and operator .
Chloanne Lowick finally went on sale from Cogent breeding last month .He is available as a young sire at the moment.
It's always great to see a bull that you've bred go on to be used in other breeders herds. I'm sure he will do some good in their herds.
Soon it will be time for all the youngstock to come inside and then it truly will feel like winter. Surely we can't have as bad a time as we have had the last couple of years. It would be nice just to have as good a winter as we have had autumn. Fingers crossed !
Monday, 8 August 2011
Who's The Daddy ?
I have had a few recent discussions on Twitter about bulls, good ones , bad ones, why I use particular ones, what I'm looking for in a bull, which bull has done good , and which ones have done harm . It did kind of get me thinking as to some of the answers to these points.
In these days of maximising profit, longevity has to be the key to any breeding policy . Replacing animals has to be one of the most costly things you can do , so the less often you have to do this the better. So a bull that has a positive lifespan score is always going to be a step in the right direction.
But this has not always been the case. I remember many years ago when the main objective was to get as much milk from the cows and therefore keep using bulls with high milk figures and you were onto a sure fire winner. Problem was these cows just didn't last , they were literally being milked to death. Over the years , breeders have come to realise that whilst milk production figures are important in a bulls figures , so too is the need for the milking daughters to last as long as possible in order to contribute to the farms profit for as long as possible.
Looking back over the last 14 years to the bulls we have used in the herd , it is a real who's who of the Holstein breed , with many popular names and also a few names that have come and gone , never to be heard of again.
Singingbrook NB Mascot was a bull that came onto the scene in a big way , he was THE bull to be seen using and we in turn used him , looking back at how his daughters milked , they milked fine , but their mammary systems left much to be desired .
Pirocco Magnitude I can remember as being an easy calving bull and we used him our heifers. He left some cracking daughters that had some fairly tidy udders on them .
One bull that really did leave his mark on the herd was Hairybriez, he was a Mascot son. We had many daughters by him , each one instantly recognisable by the distinctive "dotty" markings .I don't think we had a really bad daughter by him and his influence is probably still felt in the herd today . Certainly the markings are still here.
Young bulls have always been used here , as mentioned in other posts here on the blog. Many from Cogent and many from Genus alike . In all , I would say that they have not done us much harm at all . In the early years of using young bulls , it was the young bulls that had the highest index figures , and often it would be daughters of those bulls that went on to be our highest index cows.
Etazon Lord Lily and Eastview Meadowlord have easily given me some of the nicest cattle I've milked. We still have 6 Meadowlords around now.They are tall, graceful and very black cattle , they certainly stood out from the herd.
Urnieta Zelati was an interesting bull when I first used him , and I always wish I'd used him more heavily .Looking back we were using him in July 2003 , so that was quite early for him . His daughters were milk machines and we still have 5 milking in the herd today.
Two bulls which I acquired were Conant Acres Alonzo and Silvershade Saunders. We has many many daughters of these bulls and on the whole they have done us no harm at all . We still have 5 Saunders milking and 3 Alonzo's.
Another bull worthy of a mention has been Hanno, a very under rated bull in my opinion. With 6 daughters still on the go , they just keep going , and never really show themselves to you for anything untoward. They're the best kind of cow .
For more up to date bulls , we have youngstock on the ground from bulls such as Alpag Iron Active , Cogent Loader, Chloanne Gallagher, Wa-Del Hayden, Dalbytop Phil, Cogent Desmond, Chloanne Hannover ,Go Farm Pitbull and Bangaro Red to name a few.
Current service sires for the herd are Ralma Gold Crown and Bomaz Marion Emerald.
Current service sires for some of the Chloanne girls have included End Road Oman Bronco , Cogent Twist and Coppertop Doberman.
Today we are looking for the bull which will leave a truly "Long Life cow" .
They must be capable of passing on sound feet and legs , a mammary system that is both functional and can handle the quantities of milk expected from a modern Holstein. Calving ease and somatic cell counts are now even more important in a bulls proof as these traits should hopefully contribute to a cows profitability.
There is no one bull that will deliver all things to all herds in one generation, no matter how good his figures look in the catalogue!
It's a simple matter of keeping on breeding the best cattle you can and as long as you see some progress in either the classification results, the herd averages in milk production or the average number of completed lactations in the herd , these are steps in the right direction
In these days of maximising profit, longevity has to be the key to any breeding policy . Replacing animals has to be one of the most costly things you can do , so the less often you have to do this the better. So a bull that has a positive lifespan score is always going to be a step in the right direction.
But this has not always been the case. I remember many years ago when the main objective was to get as much milk from the cows and therefore keep using bulls with high milk figures and you were onto a sure fire winner. Problem was these cows just didn't last , they were literally being milked to death. Over the years , breeders have come to realise that whilst milk production figures are important in a bulls figures , so too is the need for the milking daughters to last as long as possible in order to contribute to the farms profit for as long as possible.
Looking back over the last 14 years to the bulls we have used in the herd , it is a real who's who of the Holstein breed , with many popular names and also a few names that have come and gone , never to be heard of again.
Singingbrook NB Mascot was a bull that came onto the scene in a big way , he was THE bull to be seen using and we in turn used him , looking back at how his daughters milked , they milked fine , but their mammary systems left much to be desired .
Pirocco Magnitude I can remember as being an easy calving bull and we used him our heifers. He left some cracking daughters that had some fairly tidy udders on them .
One bull that really did leave his mark on the herd was Hairybriez, he was a Mascot son. We had many daughters by him , each one instantly recognisable by the distinctive "dotty" markings .I don't think we had a really bad daughter by him and his influence is probably still felt in the herd today . Certainly the markings are still here.
Young bulls have always been used here , as mentioned in other posts here on the blog. Many from Cogent and many from Genus alike . In all , I would say that they have not done us much harm at all . In the early years of using young bulls , it was the young bulls that had the highest index figures , and often it would be daughters of those bulls that went on to be our highest index cows.
Etazon Lord Lily and Eastview Meadowlord have easily given me some of the nicest cattle I've milked. We still have 6 Meadowlords around now.They are tall, graceful and very black cattle , they certainly stood out from the herd.
Urnieta Zelati was an interesting bull when I first used him , and I always wish I'd used him more heavily .Looking back we were using him in July 2003 , so that was quite early for him . His daughters were milk machines and we still have 5 milking in the herd today.
Two bulls which I acquired were Conant Acres Alonzo and Silvershade Saunders. We has many many daughters of these bulls and on the whole they have done us no harm at all . We still have 5 Saunders milking and 3 Alonzo's.
Another bull worthy of a mention has been Hanno, a very under rated bull in my opinion. With 6 daughters still on the go , they just keep going , and never really show themselves to you for anything untoward. They're the best kind of cow .
For more up to date bulls , we have youngstock on the ground from bulls such as Alpag Iron Active , Cogent Loader, Chloanne Gallagher, Wa-Del Hayden, Dalbytop Phil, Cogent Desmond, Chloanne Hannover ,Go Farm Pitbull and Bangaro Red to name a few.
Current service sires for the herd are Ralma Gold Crown and Bomaz Marion Emerald.
Current service sires for some of the Chloanne girls have included End Road Oman Bronco , Cogent Twist and Coppertop Doberman.
Today we are looking for the bull which will leave a truly "Long Life cow" .
They must be capable of passing on sound feet and legs , a mammary system that is both functional and can handle the quantities of milk expected from a modern Holstein. Calving ease and somatic cell counts are now even more important in a bulls proof as these traits should hopefully contribute to a cows profitability.
There is no one bull that will deliver all things to all herds in one generation, no matter how good his figures look in the catalogue!
It's a simple matter of keeping on breeding the best cattle you can and as long as you see some progress in either the classification results, the herd averages in milk production or the average number of completed lactations in the herd , these are steps in the right direction
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Marley and Me
As quick as one bull has left the herd , another has arrived in the shape of Chloanne Marley . He is sired by End Road Oman Bronco and is out of a cracking little heifer Chloanne DP Gracious , who herself is out of Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious , the dam of the two bulls that have already gone down to Cogent Ltd. Its never an easy decision to make as to whether I keep a bull or not . Sometimes it's because of the cow family , sometimes it's because of the sire , or even just because he looks a tidy calf that will develop into a stunning bull (hopefully). I have kept this one because of his breeding , on both sides , and also because there is only one other Bronco bull registered at the moment(29/6/11) so it's nice to have an early son from a sire .
The family line has proven itself time and time again and I'm confident that Chloanne DP Gracious will out perform her herd mates to stand out as the rest have done.
Chloanne Webster Gracious is due to calve this week too , she is in calf to Morningview Legend . This will be her 7th calving and she has an impressive lifetime yield so far of 88,374 ltrs. A nice easy calving will see her well on her road to getting near being a 100t cow.
Another exciting pregnancy is Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2, who is now safely in calf to Coppertop Doberman. This is a mating that was suggested to me by ABS Genus, and it would be nice to get a heifer calf off her for me , but also if it were a bull then if Genus were at all interested then that would be ideal too . It's left with them that I will keep them informed as to how she is doing . At the moment she has a lactation yield of 10,865 ltrs in 201 days and she's still milking around the 38 ltrs mark every day.
Some of the girls will be getting classified at the end of next week so with any luck they will move up a point or two.
The family line has proven itself time and time again and I'm confident that Chloanne DP Gracious will out perform her herd mates to stand out as the rest have done.
Chloanne Webster Gracious is due to calve this week too , she is in calf to Morningview Legend . This will be her 7th calving and she has an impressive lifetime yield so far of 88,374 ltrs. A nice easy calving will see her well on her road to getting near being a 100t cow.
Another exciting pregnancy is Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2, who is now safely in calf to Coppertop Doberman. This is a mating that was suggested to me by ABS Genus, and it would be nice to get a heifer calf off her for me , but also if it were a bull then if Genus were at all interested then that would be ideal too . It's left with them that I will keep them informed as to how she is doing . At the moment she has a lactation yield of 10,865 ltrs in 201 days and she's still milking around the 38 ltrs mark every day.
Some of the girls will be getting classified at the end of next week so with any luck they will move up a point or two.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Chloanne Lowick
At the end of last week , our young Holstein bull , Chloanne Lowick , was finally picked up by Cogent Breeding to be taken down to their premises to begin being tested as a young sire for them! He is by the sire Morningview Legend and is out of the truly great cow Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious.
This is the second bull to be tested from the dam , who is sadly not with us due to complications after calving last year .
It's an amazing feeling when a company is interested in some of the animals and genetics that you are working with , topped only by the news that they will indeed take an animal .
If all goes according to plan , then semen should be ready from him later in the year, with the first offspring being born late summer next year .It really is a waiting game to see just how well the farmers and breeders who used the bulls liked them , or indeed didn't like them. It is the information supplied by them to the AI company that will determine whether the young bull will go on to bigger and better things , or simply not be good enough for their exacting standards.
The first bull , Chloanne Gallagher, now has 61 registered daughters in around 30 herds. I don't have figures of how many daughters could be in commercial herds but do still milk record.Our first daughters are now at the age to be running with the bull , and hopefully over the next few weeks and months more daughters will get in calve.
It is once these daughters start to calve down themselves that their figures will contribute to a young bulls proof. Getting a bull to the point of him having a proof takes a very long time and bucket loads of frustration.
We use plenty of young bull semen throughout the herd as well as using proven bulls . I feel very strongly that more farmers should use some young bull semen , even if it was only 10 or 20 straws.The genetics available now from all studs are the best on offer from around the world, and by using young sires it is a chance to get the very best from the best cow families available . With young bull semen being available from some companies for as little as £3 or £4 a straw, it really is an ideal chance to better your herd for little cost. All proven bulls have started off life as a young bull , and farmers who refuse to use young bull semen on grounds of low reliability etc should think to themselves that if we all took that attitude then no bull would get a fair chance at all .
This is the second bull to be tested from the dam , who is sadly not with us due to complications after calving last year .
It's an amazing feeling when a company is interested in some of the animals and genetics that you are working with , topped only by the news that they will indeed take an animal .
If all goes according to plan , then semen should be ready from him later in the year, with the first offspring being born late summer next year .It really is a waiting game to see just how well the farmers and breeders who used the bulls liked them , or indeed didn't like them. It is the information supplied by them to the AI company that will determine whether the young bull will go on to bigger and better things , or simply not be good enough for their exacting standards.
The first bull , Chloanne Gallagher, now has 61 registered daughters in around 30 herds. I don't have figures of how many daughters could be in commercial herds but do still milk record.Our first daughters are now at the age to be running with the bull , and hopefully over the next few weeks and months more daughters will get in calve.
It is once these daughters start to calve down themselves that their figures will contribute to a young bulls proof. Getting a bull to the point of him having a proof takes a very long time and bucket loads of frustration.
We use plenty of young bull semen throughout the herd as well as using proven bulls . I feel very strongly that more farmers should use some young bull semen , even if it was only 10 or 20 straws.The genetics available now from all studs are the best on offer from around the world, and by using young sires it is a chance to get the very best from the best cow families available . With young bull semen being available from some companies for as little as £3 or £4 a straw, it really is an ideal chance to better your herd for little cost. All proven bulls have started off life as a young bull , and farmers who refuse to use young bull semen on grounds of low reliability etc should think to themselves that if we all took that attitude then no bull would get a fair chance at all .
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Perfect Grazing . . . . . .So Far !
With us now into mid-June , silage is now a distant memory , and we are now watching the grass growing (all be it slowly)ready for 2nd cut . The ground is very dry and we have really only had one day of any real rain . On the grazing side of things the cows are keeping on top of all the grazing strips this year . I have never seen them eat the grass the way they have this year , no waste at all so far. Obviously this is a great sign , it means they are utilising the grass very well , but it also means that I have not had any strips to cut and bale , and this in turn will have an effect as to how much extra grass we will need to find to bale later on .We had a bountiful supply of bales just before turnout , but these were sold . . . . . a decision that could very well come back to haunt us .It is now looking like we may have to open up our silage pit quite soon , to ensure that we can continue to buffer feed the cows through the summer.
With all this food that the cows are eating , it is pleasing to see positive results, not just in the bulk tank, but also in the condition of the cows and also in the fertility of the herd , which has remained fairly high. Also our nutrition advice is spot on at the moment , and we are achieving FCE figures of 1.5 , which at this time of year and for a herd grazing outside , isn't too shabby.
We are focusing more and more on the state of grazing grass , and trying to tackle any weed issues we have . These tend to be field specific , and we are trying to get rid of the dreaded Chickweed , easy to kill but at the expense of the clover in the sward. Some of our fields will have been in the same grass for quite a number of years now , and that is something we may have to address, obviously newer and better varieties come along , and it is unrealistic to expect a 4 or 5 year ley to last 6 or 7 years without some form of drop in quality and performance.
Overall the cows have had the best Spring/Summer that I can remember , nice and dry , no mud to have to contend with , and I really think this has all had a knock on effect to the cows health . Somatic cell counts continue to be the lowest we have had , and that too is a general indication of the status of the herd health. Long may it continue . Rain at night , heat in the day , surely not too much to ask for ?
With all this food that the cows are eating , it is pleasing to see positive results, not just in the bulk tank, but also in the condition of the cows and also in the fertility of the herd , which has remained fairly high. Also our nutrition advice is spot on at the moment , and we are achieving FCE figures of 1.5 , which at this time of year and for a herd grazing outside , isn't too shabby.
We are focusing more and more on the state of grazing grass , and trying to tackle any weed issues we have . These tend to be field specific , and we are trying to get rid of the dreaded Chickweed , easy to kill but at the expense of the clover in the sward. Some of our fields will have been in the same grass for quite a number of years now , and that is something we may have to address, obviously newer and better varieties come along , and it is unrealistic to expect a 4 or 5 year ley to last 6 or 7 years without some form of drop in quality and performance.
Overall the cows have had the best Spring/Summer that I can remember , nice and dry , no mud to have to contend with , and I really think this has all had a knock on effect to the cows health . Somatic cell counts continue to be the lowest we have had , and that too is a general indication of the status of the herd health. Long may it continue . Rain at night , heat in the day , surely not too much to ask for ?
Monday, 9 May 2011
Well the cows will soon have completed their first circuit of the grazing paddocks available to them . It really has been the best Spring that the cows have had for years , and it makes such a difference to the way they eat the grass .We always try to get them out as quick as possible in the year , and this year we were ahead of last year , both for day grazing , and also for nights. With the grass growth good , and also the cows getting buffer fed at milking times , they have milked well , and above all they are holding their condition.
It is very often a challenge to regulate the grass , making sure that they have sufficient clean grass ahead of them and also keeping an eye that they are cleaning up what they are given , both in the trough and in the field . If they waste the grass , especially on the first time round in the grazing cycle then the next growth is never as good as it should be. The pictured grass is what they are currently grazing , and it really is too long for them ,. however they have been making a fantastic job of it . The next strips to graze have all had their fertiliser and now that ewe have had rain , should easily start to catch up , hopefully in time for the cows next time. Over the summer we are going to be looking into the idea of NOT feeding concentrates in the milking parlour in future. I am in favour of cutting it out, feeling that the cows could better utilise other products mixed in with their TMR. The only down side would probably be that some of the more pampered girls might be a little "shy" to come into the parlour without their usual bribe of cake. It's certainly an experiment worth trying though , as parlour concentrate is in excess of £220/t at the moment and little chance of it coming down in price. We are keeping a close eye on the cost of feeding the cows , it's amazing the number of farmers who haven't got a clue just how much it cows to fed their herd. At the moment it is costing us £1.81 per cow ration that goes through the mixer wagon . We are milking 127 cows at present and I am feeding them for 100 rations , so really we are spending £1.42 /cow on the buffer ration . We feel this is money well spent though , even when out at grass. The benefits of the buffer system clearly out weigh the small cost of the food.
The weather has finally broken , and the rain is very welcome , for both grass growth and also for just giving the land that little bit of "give", the ground was getting really quite hard and not such a good surface for the cows to walk on .Once again , I can't remember a year when I've been so glad to see heavy rain fall , even if it has meant me getting wet from time to time !
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Spring Turnout for Milkers
This last week has seen the cows finally get a taste of fresh grass again after the long winter. It's always a time that is looked forward to , by both us and the cows . The mood generally lifts on the farm and the cows do genuinely get a spring in their step as they walk to the fields.They have been out during the days for the last week , and tonight they will be kept out at night too , with them now only getting buffer fed during milking times.
As much as it is lovely to see the cows outside , it does bring its own series of problems and issues that must be addressed as the season folds out. During the winter , i have had complete control over all aspects of the cows day, eg, water, food, environment, climate etc. Now, with them going outside , I have generally lost that control. How much are they eating? How much dry matter is in the diet ? Is the walk to the fields affecting their feet ? Will fertility improve now that they are out in their "natural" surroundings? Will body condition suffer as a result of different nutrition and improved milk yields.
Hopefully over the next couple of days , they will get onto a balanced buffer ration and yields will lift.
This year, Keenan are launching their "Pace At Grass" programme for their Pace box on the Keenan mixer wagons. This should give me more of a handle on just what the cows are getting out of the grass/buffer, and I should be able to regulate the amount of buffer needed to compensate for field differences , sward variation , weather etc.
The cows are all given a magnesium bolus when they go outside , just as a precaution against grass staggers. They are also fed high mag minerals for about the first week of grazing too .
Grass growth has been fairly good lately , with the weather being kind to both the land and the cows . Long may it continue , and then up will go the shout that we are looking for rain . We really are never satisfied with our lot when it comes to the good old British weather.
Silage fields are looking good ,although they are probably the fields that really could do with a good shower or two of rain. As with other years we will be looking to do silage first cut around the 18th - 20th May.
All youngstock are still inside , probably until the end of the month.
As much as it is lovely to see the cows outside , it does bring its own series of problems and issues that must be addressed as the season folds out. During the winter , i have had complete control over all aspects of the cows day, eg, water, food, environment, climate etc. Now, with them going outside , I have generally lost that control. How much are they eating? How much dry matter is in the diet ? Is the walk to the fields affecting their feet ? Will fertility improve now that they are out in their "natural" surroundings? Will body condition suffer as a result of different nutrition and improved milk yields.
Hopefully over the next couple of days , they will get onto a balanced buffer ration and yields will lift.
This year, Keenan are launching their "Pace At Grass" programme for their Pace box on the Keenan mixer wagons. This should give me more of a handle on just what the cows are getting out of the grass/buffer, and I should be able to regulate the amount of buffer needed to compensate for field differences , sward variation , weather etc.
The cows are all given a magnesium bolus when they go outside , just as a precaution against grass staggers. They are also fed high mag minerals for about the first week of grazing too .
Grass growth has been fairly good lately , with the weather being kind to both the land and the cows . Long may it continue , and then up will go the shout that we are looking for rain . We really are never satisfied with our lot when it comes to the good old British weather.
Silage fields are looking good ,although they are probably the fields that really could do with a good shower or two of rain. As with other years we will be looking to do silage first cut around the 18th - 20th May.
All youngstock are still inside , probably until the end of the month.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Northumbria Holstein Breeders Herd Competition
In January the results were announced for the Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club annual herds competition , which is always judged in the previous August.
This year we were pleased with our successes.
As a farm we managed to lift the titles of Best Large Herd , Top herd on Production and also Top Herd on Inspection . It's always pleasing when a judge appreciates what we are trying to do . On the individual classes , Chloanne Webster Gracious was named Super Cow , and Ellenneff Duce Cavaliero was placed first in the Heifer on Production class. Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 came third in her class for Cow on Inspection.
As I've no doubt said before ,It is always a pleasure to have a judge , or indeed anyone come along and look at your herd , they will always see things that you have taken for granted, and maybe offer you that one missing nugget of advice that spurs you on .Sometimes things are staring you straight in the face and you fail to realise it . In my case , this year I didn't enter the Progeny group , It's not a class I find easy to find entries for . Well on the day of judging , I slowly found myself admiring daughters of a bull called Kings-Ransom Duce . Slightly on the smaller side than what we are used to , these animals are quite black , but the most amazing aspect of these heifers is the shape of their udders , a real joy to see when they come in the parlour to be milked. So why didn't I put in a few of these for the progeny group ? I haven't a clue , but I will be following these girls closely over the coming months and if at all possible , I will try the class this year .
Frankham Sept Storm Ethel has had a calf , and this time , a cracking heifer calf. The sire is Ked Outside Jeeves , and is again , another welcomed member to the Ethel family.
As I've had a few of the girls calf , my thoughts are now turning to getting them back in calve again. I have bought some Cogent Twist semen this year . He seems a fairly handy bull , so fingers crossed for some heifer calves later on .
I am also considering implanting some embryo's in the near future . I have a couple of heifers that would lend themselves quite well to this , and if I can rake up a couple more , It would certainly sweeten the job with regard to price etc. .
The main herd is down in numbers at the moment , which means that the dry cow pens are positively bulging . This will reverse itself in the coming weeks as they all start to calve down and join the ranks of the milkers again. Until then though , I am making the most of the slightly easier milkings , knowing that once the numbers rise again , so does the time taken to milk them !
This year we were pleased with our successes.
As a farm we managed to lift the titles of Best Large Herd , Top herd on Production and also Top Herd on Inspection . It's always pleasing when a judge appreciates what we are trying to do . On the individual classes , Chloanne Webster Gracious was named Super Cow , and Ellenneff Duce Cavaliero was placed first in the Heifer on Production class. Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious 2 came third in her class for Cow on Inspection.
As I've no doubt said before ,It is always a pleasure to have a judge , or indeed anyone come along and look at your herd , they will always see things that you have taken for granted, and maybe offer you that one missing nugget of advice that spurs you on .Sometimes things are staring you straight in the face and you fail to realise it . In my case , this year I didn't enter the Progeny group , It's not a class I find easy to find entries for . Well on the day of judging , I slowly found myself admiring daughters of a bull called Kings-Ransom Duce . Slightly on the smaller side than what we are used to , these animals are quite black , but the most amazing aspect of these heifers is the shape of their udders , a real joy to see when they come in the parlour to be milked. So why didn't I put in a few of these for the progeny group ? I haven't a clue , but I will be following these girls closely over the coming months and if at all possible , I will try the class this year .
Frankham Sept Storm Ethel has had a calf , and this time , a cracking heifer calf. The sire is Ked Outside Jeeves , and is again , another welcomed member to the Ethel family.
As I've had a few of the girls calf , my thoughts are now turning to getting them back in calve again. I have bought some Cogent Twist semen this year . He seems a fairly handy bull , so fingers crossed for some heifer calves later on .
I am also considering implanting some embryo's in the near future . I have a couple of heifers that would lend themselves quite well to this , and if I can rake up a couple more , It would certainly sweeten the job with regard to price etc. .
The main herd is down in numbers at the moment , which means that the dry cow pens are positively bulging . This will reverse itself in the coming weeks as they all start to calve down and join the ranks of the milkers again. Until then though , I am making the most of the slightly easier milkings , knowing that once the numbers rise again , so does the time taken to milk them !
Friday, 7 January 2011
Jess
This week I had to say a final "goodbye" to my Border Collie , Jess. Old age finally got the better of her , she was 15 and a half , which by any stretch of the imagination has been one hell of an innings for a dog . As much as you know these moments are going to come , and her health was failing all the time , it's still one of the hardest moments . Jess was just one of life's constants , she was always there, usually under your feet or lying in the way . Behind a door was always a favourite so that when you got up in the morning the door would push her too !
I "bought" Jess as a pup , and she was from amazing working parents , but I have never used her as a working dog . The instict was definately there, and she did have a general idea how to move a herd of cows along . I say "bought" , because i actually traded in a washing machine for her . Best trade ever !
A better natured dog you'll never meet . She would bark at strange cars and the postman , but would be wagging behind . Wagging the tail that would touch more electric fences than she would have liked , latterly she learned to keep the tail down ! She could "header" a football better than any dog I've ever seen on the TV do , she would chase football and the kids all the time . Her skills never quite developed on the retrieval side of things . She could run after a stick , then just lie down beside it , or bring it half way and then make you go and get the damn thing yourself .
When the kids were young , Jess develped a habit of hovering around their high-chairs , just waiting on the spillages to land on the floor from the trays above . Always amazing with the kids , she always looked as if she was protecting them at all times .
I got a black Labrador about 3 years ago , not sure how Jess would react . It was the best desicion I ever made as I'm quite sure it gave Jess an extra couple of years . It seemed to give her an extra bit of zest , and above all a play mate .
As much as she was a faily quiet dog in the last few months , it's is a strange feeling in the house at the moment , and I know that Max, the Lab is kind of at a lose end , knowing something isn't quite right .
I know that I'll never replace Jess , you can't achieve the impossible .
Just a pet in a million . She is missed by us all .
I "bought" Jess as a pup , and she was from amazing working parents , but I have never used her as a working dog . The instict was definately there, and she did have a general idea how to move a herd of cows along . I say "bought" , because i actually traded in a washing machine for her . Best trade ever !
A better natured dog you'll never meet . She would bark at strange cars and the postman , but would be wagging behind . Wagging the tail that would touch more electric fences than she would have liked , latterly she learned to keep the tail down ! She could "header" a football better than any dog I've ever seen on the TV do , she would chase football and the kids all the time . Her skills never quite developed on the retrieval side of things . She could run after a stick , then just lie down beside it , or bring it half way and then make you go and get the damn thing yourself .
When the kids were young , Jess develped a habit of hovering around their high-chairs , just waiting on the spillages to land on the floor from the trays above . Always amazing with the kids , she always looked as if she was protecting them at all times .
I got a black Labrador about 3 years ago , not sure how Jess would react . It was the best desicion I ever made as I'm quite sure it gave Jess an extra couple of years . It seemed to give her an extra bit of zest , and above all a play mate .
As much as she was a faily quiet dog in the last few months , it's is a strange feeling in the house at the moment , and I know that Max, the Lab is kind of at a lose end , knowing something isn't quite right .
I know that I'll never replace Jess , you can't achieve the impossible .
Just a pet in a million . She is missed by us all .
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Our Dairy Farm Assurance Audit
Yesterday it was our Dairy Farm Assurance Audit, an on farm inspection covering many aspects deemed to be important in the safe, clean , responsible production of food , in our case milk . This audit used to be carried out by the milk buyers themselves , who for us is Arla , but for the last 3 audits it has been an independent company carrying it out on behalf of the industry.
When these audits get mentioned there is usually a sigh from folk and the look of dread . On the whole I have always tried to approach them with a positive attitude, and would like to think that by us being quality assured that it will bring us a premium for our product . Sadly that never seems to be the case, with it being a compulsory audit anyway. Any non-compliance's must be rectified with-in 28 days. Happily , we were passed with flying colours, so big sighs of relief all round .
So what all was checked ? Well on arrival the milking parlour was checked for cleanliness ans my milking routine was discussed to make sure that no short cuts are taken during milking . In the dairy , the doors walls and lights were given the once over to check for cracks , defects and in general to ensure that the room was vermin and bird proof . We checked the cows housing , which was fine as the cubicles were all new just last year . All pens of stock were checked to see that all animals had adequate room and that they all could have contact with other animals etc . As you can start to see , all these checks are pretty common sense things which all farmers/stockmen around the country are ensuring high standards of anyway.
In the office is where the real fun and games starts with these inspections . Piles and piles of paperwork , layed out , just in case he needed to see relevant evidence of this and that .
So , medicine records , movement records, staff training records , animal transport records , chemical safety data sheets , milk quality facts , herd health plan , vet visits , feed delivery records to name but a few , were all checked , just to ensure that we operate a safe and clean operation .
Traceability is a vital element of food production and that is a major part of producers paperwork . All inputs must be traceable back to source and all sources must be "this'n'that" registered . it's a real mine field.
Well , the bottom line of all this is that we ticked all the right boxes and we live to fight another day , with a certificate on the wall to prove such a fact. It would be nice to be receiving a premium for a quality product, produced to the exacting standards that the industry sets . Maybe one day !
When these audits get mentioned there is usually a sigh from folk and the look of dread . On the whole I have always tried to approach them with a positive attitude, and would like to think that by us being quality assured that it will bring us a premium for our product . Sadly that never seems to be the case, with it being a compulsory audit anyway. Any non-compliance's must be rectified with-in 28 days. Happily , we were passed with flying colours, so big sighs of relief all round .
So what all was checked ? Well on arrival the milking parlour was checked for cleanliness ans my milking routine was discussed to make sure that no short cuts are taken during milking . In the dairy , the doors walls and lights were given the once over to check for cracks , defects and in general to ensure that the room was vermin and bird proof . We checked the cows housing , which was fine as the cubicles were all new just last year . All pens of stock were checked to see that all animals had adequate room and that they all could have contact with other animals etc . As you can start to see , all these checks are pretty common sense things which all farmers/stockmen around the country are ensuring high standards of anyway.
In the office is where the real fun and games starts with these inspections . Piles and piles of paperwork , layed out , just in case he needed to see relevant evidence of this and that .
So , medicine records , movement records, staff training records , animal transport records , chemical safety data sheets , milk quality facts , herd health plan , vet visits , feed delivery records to name but a few , were all checked , just to ensure that we operate a safe and clean operation .
Traceability is a vital element of food production and that is a major part of producers paperwork . All inputs must be traceable back to source and all sources must be "this'n'that" registered . it's a real mine field.
Well , the bottom line of all this is that we ticked all the right boxes and we live to fight another day , with a certificate on the wall to prove such a fact. It would be nice to be receiving a premium for a quality product, produced to the exacting standards that the industry sets . Maybe one day !
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 . . . . . . !
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