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Discussion starter · #22 ·
What do you do with a cow who has drank too much cold water? Water was frozen in cow house for a day got it going last night and several cows a bit off this morning.
Would have eaten 5 kgs of meal twice during the dry day.All advice from those who keep stock app.
 
If they are resting comfortably, eating well, chewing their cud, etc, they'll pull through

If they seem off, drench with warm water (molasses to keep rumen bugs hopping, mineral oil to make sure they don't get plugged up)

Mostly grass based ration? Concentrate in the parlour only?
 
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Thank you caroncrest the mollasses and warm water did the trick,cows back eating.
Maize and grass silage meal in parlour should be on zero grazed grass but has been to wet to cut.Thaw has started next we will be flooded.I need a glass of good whiskey to finish this long hard weary day.
 
Some days are like that, sucks to have to just keep going and pull through, but that's life with cows....

We had our turn around New Years this past year. A week or two of -30 for a high, -40 or worse at night. I easily spent an extra 3 or 4 hours every day getting alley scrapers to work properly, thawing out water lines, checking fans, etc.. plus milking morning and night because some staff were on holidays. If I hadn't thought our old barn was worn out before, I sure do now. Our new barn didn't hardly skip a beat...

Quote from one of the guys who used to work with us, went back to ranching now...

"If there's a way to die, a Holstein will figure it out". Hope the girls can stay producing well for you through all the transitions!
 
To say the least, I’ve never seen emergency vehicles that color!
Yeah they are unusual. I think it might just hurt the resale value but they aren't prone to sell these things. There is at least three in the fire hall, each one newer and fancier than the previous one.

Weather getting bad here now too. Freezing rain off and on for last day and snowfall accumulation of 4 to 11 inches forecast by end of tomorrow with a 30mph wind. School already cancelled for tomorrow.
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
Schools reopening tomorrow thaw well underway though drifts have blocked some roads.Milk lorry got through today had to pull it down the lane with 2 tractors
Hard to believe how you guys manage 6 months of this **** .6 weeks would kill me!
 
Schools reopening tomorrow thaw well underway though drifts have blocked some roads.Milk lorry got through today had to pull it down the lane with 2 tractors
Hard to believe how you guys manage 6 months of this **** .6 weeks would kill me!
MF32, did you happen to take any photos of the snow conditions at its worst, pulling the milk truck and so forth as it would be interesting to see what an area that normally doesn't receive snow looks like. I am guessing there wouldn't be much for snow plows available to put on roads in an area like that either.
 
Discussion starter · #36 ·
1m sorry to say i never even thought of photos,the sheer drudgery of getting daily tasks done coupled with sore ribs left me ragged.
The milk lorry day started with a stand up row with the tanker driver who wanted us to bring the milk to the main road after we were up half the night clearing drifts with the teleporter to get him down the lane.
Probably would have made it without sliding into the ditch if he wasnt so windy.Then hitch up two tractors and drag him out,lots of swearing you get the picture?
Believe it or not the country has plenty of snow ploughs a legacy of 2010 the last time we had bad snow,but this weeks weather is the worst snow since 1982 and the latest since 1947
Me and smartphones have never been friends i keep breaking them so i have used the brick phones for the last few years.Will nail this photo thing soon as i intend to post photos of this springs work and crops.thats if spring ever comes.
 
I totally understand about not having photos as often that is the last thing one thinks about when one is struggling to keep above water ... or snow in this case. I did find some news reports and while I expect I saw the worst of it, it just blew me away with the extreme height of some drifts, totally insane for just one storm event. I also noted some plow trucks and saw a backhoe with a blade on it so I began to realize there are pieces of equipment around. I know around here it would be a total disaster as well to try and dig out from such a massive mess.

Spring will come all right, longer days and the sun higher in the sky and some wind with heat will take snow quickly but imagine you may have some water flowing around as well when that takes place.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
Its raining now and most of the snow has melted,but the big drifts in the hedges are hanging on.land is saturated and ponds of water lying everywhere.Looks like it will be a late spring.Big debate in the media about animal welfare after several big nz style dairy units suffered heavy losses with cows housed on topless cubicles,with calls for such housing to be banned.
Personally i couldnt agree more .Ireland was more like canada last week than nz and low cost production and high welfare standards dont go well together.
 
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