Fresian heifer calves

Main pro is it let's you produce more kgms on your existing land, which will almost always be a long way more profitable than rearing heifers instead (bar your doing something like ZG outblocks etc). It also simplifies your system, you only have cows. Final advantage is in the current market its cheaper to buy them than rear them yourself.

Biggest single disadvantage is the disease risk. Only way you can reduce this is have a very good history of the stock your looking at buying in. Any other risks aside from that are very minimal, one risk is the market swings against you, and you have to pay big money for your heifers, however these has been largely an excess production of heifers the last few years, so unless you leave it very late this hasn't been a problem. Another risk is you buy in poor quality heifers, however let's assume that you have the cop on to spot a good heifer from a bad heifer and you only buy in something that will be close or better on what you can expect to breed yourself in terms of quality.
 
Good points. We have 47 acres rented next door to us so this is where we keep the heifers and it is also handy for silage,slurry etc, for us to drop this land and get heifers contract reared we would be short silage then as well ...
 
Buy replacements as yearlings here from one very good herd and use beef bulls on everything. Finish all stock. The thinking is that the sale of the beef heifers, no fresian bulls and the fact that the bought heifers are very good will at worst be cost neutral compared to breeding our own. No AI, tail paint, drafting or time wasted handling stock once calves are reared. Bulls in for 10 weeks, rotated around, anything not in calf doesn't get a second chance. Have two pens either side of the collecting yard for swapping them. They usually go up the parlour and seem to like the walk. The heifers were bolused a few weeks ago when they went out to fix any deficiencies. Bulls were on a good diet in the winter, had their hooves trimmed and out early.
 
Any problems with them heifers to get them used to cubicles then 6600 ?
Also what breed beef bulls have you got , any hard calvings ?
 
Any problems with them heifers to get them used to cubicles then 6600 ?
Also what breed beef bulls have you got , any hard calvings ?
I don't know as I'm all straw and slats at the moment. It wouldn't matter whether they were bought or reared getting them used to cubicles anyway.
All Aubracs, no hardship and had a few big enough calves. The cows were in good condition on a regulated diet and mostly calved themselves. Had enough hardship last year with a Whitehead bull which I was surprised by and he's gone.
 
Ya I do the A.I here nd tell my self every year this is going to be the last time I am doing this, there is a lot of work in it. How do you fair out in milk price then 6600 ? Any problems with disease ?
 
Ya I do the A.I here nd tell my self every year this is going to be the last time I am doing this, there is a lot of work in it. How do you fair out in milk price then 6600 ? Any problems with disease ?
We A.I.d years ago when we started with the sucklers and that is hardship and the results poor. The bull does the job for you and you arguably have better more even stock from a bull if you spend a few quid. You need a bull for every 30 cows though to get all of them in calf first time.
We had to buy stock to go dairying in the first place so minimised the risk by buying direct from 3 herds. Get the heifers from one of them now. No disease issues but we vaccinate for most things.
We sold 5000 litres a cow last year, all heifers and they are milking well so far this year too. The latest solids are 3.6p, 4.07f and 75scc, doing around 30l with 5kg meal. If they are leaving meal behind I cut them back. They are working hard so need to feed them if they are going to go back in calf.
Milk price is the same as everyone else I suppose.
 
Ya I do the A.I here nd tell my self every year this is going to be the last time I am doing this, there is a lot of work in it. How do you fair out in milk price then 6600 ? Any problems with disease ?

What's your alternate, Ai man or all bulls? Is there any LIC lads near you, 30e to service and provide a straw. I've had afew lads tell me I'd save a fortune by getting a flask and doing ai myself but I'm absolutely too lazy to bother with all that hardship myself, I'd much much rather just pay the 2k for the technician to do the 100 odd serves here every year, and earn that 2k somewhere else for alot less work.
 
You can set up a payment system with pg, pay so much per month. A lot handier than paying the whole amount in one go. I normally spread it over 7 months. No interest charged
 
Wheather doing a.i your self or not you must still seprate out the cows either way so that is half of it neway . All bulls is ok too only danger i find is when they come into the yard/cubicles they can hurt a cow very quick .
 
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