Everyone else are running the opposite way, they can't be all wrong. The local mart don't want any JEX's as all they do is clog up the place and don't cover the commission.Just wondering if I was to go crossbreeding I presume it is big holstein milkey cows I should only use Jersey on ..??
What do you mean by animal welfare much higher with crossbreds?All Jersey semen used here the last 3 years. Remember;
It costs €20/week to keep a calf on farm
Every extra kilo of milk solids is worth approx €4.30
Every litre of milk you send in costs 4 cent
Crossbreds eat approx 2kgs less DM each day.
Animal welfare much higher with crossbreds.
Don't decide on which breed to use first and then look at the figures. Look at the figures first, then identify the bulls, then decide the breed.
What do you mean by animal welfare much higher with crossbreds?
Compared to pure Jerseys :scratchhead:
For the vast majority of farmers, that shouldn't come into it regardless of breed. Or else I'm too naive.
What do you mean by animal welfare much higher with crossbreds?
That’s a very general comment. That maybe so on your farm but in general I doubt that applies to every single X bred herd.Less intervention needed around the calving and post calving process = less illness in cows and calves. Better feet also.
That’s a very general comment. That maybe so on your farm but in general I doubt that applies to every single X bred herd.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18765631/All Jersey semen used here the last 3 years. Remember;
It costs €20/week to keep a calf on farm
Every extra kilo of milk solids is worth approx €4.30
Every litre of milk you send in costs 4 cent
Crossbreds eat approx 2kgs less DM each day.
Animal welfare much higher with crossbreds.
Don't decide on which breed to use first and then look at the figures. Look at the figures first, then identify the bulls, then decide the breed.
You could try kiwi friesians I dont have any experience in them and don't think they'd suit my system here. Know lads that are using them and from what I hear from them they're light cows with high solids milk yield wouldn't be great and you can forget about your bull calf and cull cow value.Ok so depends on your cows really I suppose. how do I go about crossbreeding so if i dont have all big holstein cows like what would I use on the more British fresian type cow ?
Completely agree with you @FIAT 450. Have been doing it here for the last number of years and are slowly but sure getting a more fertile cow with higher yields and have done over 500kg solids the last 2 years now. It suits our system down to the ground the bull calves are worth something and your cow is worth something as a cull.Lad what you are trying to do isn't a quick fix solution. All fr sires can achieve what you are asking for but you need to look at the figures when picking bull for ai. Watch your maintenance figure on ai books. I have evened up the herd here along with increasing solids and yeild. I have a bull calf I can sell and a cow worth 800-900e in the mart
What could you save in cartage by breeding higher solids? 6000 litres cost 240euro to cart at 4c/ltr. Could you cut volume by 20% even if you did it 50euro which is easily made up with the calf.
Jex is worth zero, fr is about 50euro here. Fleckvieh is 250 to 300. 2kg dm of grass silage is 36c so you'll save 108 euro per 300day lactation, plus 50 for the decrease in volume. You're up 160euro a cow with the jex
But you're up 250 - 300 with the fleckvieh.
Completely agree with you @FIAT 450. I'm not saying its happening on every crossbred farm but I have heard stories of crossbred bull calves being slaughtered for kebab meat and stories of bull calves being shot at birth. Maybe I'm wrong but I couldn't bear to do anything like that to my bull calves. Any calf that's born on the farm here regardless of it's a bull or heifer receives the same amount of care and attention and I believe this should be the same on every farm.[A/QUOTE]
I want the names of these farmer(s) that are mistreating their calves please.
There is a lot of sniping going on with unsubstantiated claims that will only damage our industry.
Money where your mouth is.
I know of one farm where it happened last year. I'm not going to name any names as that's not fair on anyone and have heard stories from other farmers of similar. As I said it's not happening on every crossbred farm and I'm not against crossbreeding but if word of this got out into the public it would ruin the dairy industry.
Look I know myself it happened I don't need to give you a name it's not any of your business who the farmer was and I'm not going to go naming names and ruining someone's reputation.Well you put it on a public forum. You can DM me the details. If a farmer is shooting animals, I want to know who he is. I've heard these claims before, but they've all transpired to be pub talk that will do fierce damage to our reputation. So I'm going to call it.
Look I know myself it happened I don't need to give you a name it's not any of your business who the farmer was and I'm not going to go naming names and ruining someone's reputation.
This is a forum on crossbreeding and let's keep it about that.