Fifty-four cows were scanned during the week as the breeding season which started on 1 May entered week four on the Greenfield Farm in Kilkenny. The 54 cows were identified as those that had not been seen in heat or were not bred during the first three weeks. The balance (about 85% of the herd) were bred in the first three weeks.

Of the 54 cows, the scanner said 40 scanned perfect and the advice was just to leave them alone and all should come in heat as normal. Four cows got 5cc of Receptal (GnRH), two wern’t long calved, two got a CIDR, two more were classed as dirty and got a wash and three were actually on heat, according to the scanner. They were not showing any signs of heat but the advice was to breed them 12 hours later.

The scanner said the one cow that had a caesarian section at calving was not looking good internally so was unlikely to go in-calf.

Milk produced continues to edge upwards and the last three collections show the volumes continuing to lift slightly with volume between 21 and 22 litres per cow. Milk solids continue to hold at high levels with the last test result was 4.35% fat and 3.87% protein.

The milk quality issue at the moment is cell count and the last bulk tank was 410,000 cells/ml. Quarter sampling has identified a number of cows high in cell count and individuals that are worth treating (young, no cell count history, etc) are currently being treated.

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April milk cheque arrives in Kilkenny