About the cows

This is quite small dairy farm, about 240 cows and some dozens of  young stock. The milking season is soon at the end. The cows will be milked until May if they have milk and pastures are still growing. In this farm they use dry cow therapy only if needed as we do in Finland. Dry period lasts until July 15th, then starts calving season. All cows should have calved by late September or early Ocrober. 

Cows are mostly kiwi-cross breed, few friesian cows. Size of these cows are pretty small which is good because they climb up to the hills and walk few kilometers daily.

The milk yield is not very high but neither are expenses. Cow shed is a cote with the milking parlour. For calves there is also a cote. The whole stock is grazing around the year. They are fed with silage in dry season only. In every paddock there is a water trough and near by cow shed cows have salt blocks. No other feeding is needed. 

We started to dry off cows on 7.4. easter friday. At first we took dozen cows which had quite empty udder. Then couple of cows which had high cell count. After milking them we did few dry off therapy those cows with high cells. Then we let them to the pasture with heifers and few earlier dried cows. The dry cow therapy means that we treat their udder with a long-acting antibiotic. 

Couple of dozens cows had to go for slaughter. Some of them were empty and some had high cell count. It's always sad moment in every farm but need to do every now and then. 

One day we changed the rubbers to milking cups and cleaned whole cluster carefully.