Now six-months-old, Calf 541 has been at grass for nearly five months. A recent weigh in showed she was 215kg. In this respect, dairy farmer Jamie Kealy is very happy with her progress.
At housing, taken to be in and around the start of November, the aim is that she would be 220kg, which she is now on track to exceed. At breeding in spring 2020 her target weight is 330kg.
In the past six months 541’s Economic Breeding Index (EBI) has dropped.
EBI indicates the value of each dairy heifer, cow or bull in the herd. Its aim is to help farmers identify the most profitable bulls and cows for breeding dairy herd replacements.
The base-level cow in the country can be taken to be €0, so the EBI is value that an animal adds to your dairy herd above the base cow.
At birth 541’s EBI was €212, with a sub-index for milk of €71 and a sub-index for fertility of €80. Now her EBI is €192, with a sub-index for milk of €73 and a sub-index for fertility of €66.
At present, because 541 is not producing milk, her EBI is based on her bloodlines, explains Jamie.
“Her EBI is going to change quite a bit because she hasn’t produced any milk yet. Once she starts to produce milk her EBI could then climb. The cow she is out of is only in her first lactation, so that’s going to contribute to her EBI going forward.”
Jamie says that he hadn’t expected her EBI to drop, but that the index will be more significant when she starts producing milk.
“You would like to know what she’s worth, but really when she starts producing milk, that’s when she’ll come into her own, but I was surprised to see it had dropped to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it to drop nor increase.”
Jamie’s herd is 100% AI. Each January he sits down to pick a team of 11 bulls for the breeding season.
Calf 541.
“Fertility is the number-one trait we choose. Trait number two is milk solids. We usually stick to Holstein cross British Frisian bulls,” he says.
Ploughing
541 is going to be at the National Ploughing Championships in September, where she’ll be raffled off in aid of Rathoe National School to build a play area for kids in the junior classes.
Tickets are €5 each or three for €10. These can be bought at the Ploughing or Rathoe National School. If you win and you’re not a registered farmer, you’ll get the cash value of €1,000. For more information search @calf541fundraiser on Facebook.
The Diary of Calf 541 is an ongoing series in Irish Country Living where we follow a replacement dairy heifer calf’s development.
Read more
The diary of calf 541: weeks one to four
The diary of calf 541: weeks four to eight
The diary of calf 541: weeks eight to 12
The diary of calf 541: weeks 12 to 18
Now six-months-old, Calf 541 has been at grass for nearly five months. A recent weigh in showed she was 215kg. In this respect, dairy farmer Jamie Kealy is very happy with her progress.
At housing, taken to be in and around the start of November, the aim is that she would be 220kg, which she is now on track to exceed. At breeding in spring 2020 her target weight is 330kg.
In the past six months 541’s Economic Breeding Index (EBI) has dropped.
EBI indicates the value of each dairy heifer, cow or bull in the herd. Its aim is to help farmers identify the most profitable bulls and cows for breeding dairy herd replacements.
The base-level cow in the country can be taken to be €0, so the EBI is value that an animal adds to your dairy herd above the base cow.
At birth 541’s EBI was €212, with a sub-index for milk of €71 and a sub-index for fertility of €80. Now her EBI is €192, with a sub-index for milk of €73 and a sub-index for fertility of €66.
At present, because 541 is not producing milk, her EBI is based on her bloodlines, explains Jamie.
“Her EBI is going to change quite a bit because she hasn’t produced any milk yet. Once she starts to produce milk her EBI could then climb. The cow she is out of is only in her first lactation, so that’s going to contribute to her EBI going forward.”
Jamie says that he hadn’t expected her EBI to drop, but that the index will be more significant when she starts producing milk.
“You would like to know what she’s worth, but really when she starts producing milk, that’s when she’ll come into her own, but I was surprised to see it had dropped to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it to drop nor increase.”
Jamie’s herd is 100% AI. Each January he sits down to pick a team of 11 bulls for the breeding season.
Calf 541.
“Fertility is the number-one trait we choose. Trait number two is milk solids. We usually stick to Holstein cross British Frisian bulls,” he says.
Ploughing
541 is going to be at the National Ploughing Championships in September, where she’ll be raffled off in aid of Rathoe National School to build a play area for kids in the junior classes.
Tickets are €5 each or three for €10. These can be bought at the Ploughing or Rathoe National School. If you win and you’re not a registered farmer, you’ll get the cash value of €1,000. For more information search @calf541fundraiser on Facebook.
The Diary of Calf 541 is an ongoing series in Irish Country Living where we follow a replacement dairy heifer calf’s development.
Read more
The diary of calf 541: weeks one to four
The diary of calf 541: weeks four to eight
The diary of calf 541: weeks eight to 12
The diary of calf 541: weeks 12 to 18
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