You have one of the cleanest barn I have ever seen. We use to get sick cows for the chickens that ran around. So we made chicken soup and that helped.
@stanmonk2851 Жыл бұрын
We had to put up netting on the rafters in the hanger to keep the birds out.
@1984shadow Жыл бұрын
Hang a light weighted tarp - clear plastic - from the rafters to catch the poop from the starlings. This should be a good indication as to the volume of droppings over a week/month.
@2491kridge Жыл бұрын
It’s crazy to see how much you guys get done before the sun even comes up, big thanks to all the farmers out there
@Zeke-yv3nw Жыл бұрын
Lots of good fertilizer and clean barns! Hope you get the disease issues under control.
@richardtoms9161 Жыл бұрын
Speaking from experience most udder health issues stem from the milking routine. 10 years ago we went from maybe I cow a week in a 120 cow milking herd to 15 to 20. Went through all the housing no real problems when the milking system was checked we found that the vacuum pump control valve was not working correctly and we were milking with 3 inches more vacuum than was suggested and we were causing teat end damage . Another time we changed udder prep product and reeked havoc for a couple of weeks.
@krhuns19 Жыл бұрын
Hello Eric, we have a dairy farm not far from you in Berks county. In reference to your mastitis problems, have milking system checked, especially your vacuum system regulator. We were having trouble last year. Aaron Keller came out from Fisher n Thompson, checked out our system and found that our regulator was bad. He replaced that and it was night n day difference. Take care and thanks for the videos.
@jrbpa5775 Жыл бұрын
We never used the same piece of equipment to handle feed as we hauled manure with. Not sure where your bacteria coming from but I would think it is be digested. We always spread lime on the concrete floors after we cleaned out manure !! Thx for the video !!
@tammygurke7482 Жыл бұрын
That breaks my heart to hear the loss of some cows. I love your videos and love the COWS. Blessings for you. Please keep us updated.
@keithhackman9627 Жыл бұрын
One thing that helps keep birds out is putting plastic netting on the bottom of the trusses. We did that in our heifer barn and really like it.
@boernterrafarmsltd.5977 Жыл бұрын
We use a manure spreader for all our bedding been doing it for years woks great!!! Thanks for the video.
@davidbishop4015 Жыл бұрын
Always looking after the herd. Keeping the cows happy and healthy has always been a priority for you and your dad. Keep up the good work. Stay safe.
@charleslynch7274 Жыл бұрын
Hope u get that serious problem figured out quickly loved seeing u clean the barn out great video as always Eric keep up the great work
@jamesmisener3006 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for all you guys and gals do. I enjoy riding along with you. Cheers 🇨🇦
@tedc.4956 Жыл бұрын
You know you are hooked on the 10Gen channel, when you see "Hauling a Bunch of Manure" and you get excited.
@nathanrath1997 Жыл бұрын
You and your dad are like a well oiled machine ! Praying for a quick remedy to your sick cows. Love your videos, God bless!
@ianbruining Жыл бұрын
Cows look happy and dry.👍
@devanwinterton19 Жыл бұрын
I have read that the natural predator of starlings is the hawk. They recommend a Hawk decoy, or even better is to have someone that does falconry bring hawks a few times around the farm, and that really makes them stay away. I believe there are people who actually do that as a business of getting rid of birds like that. Wouldn't hurt to look into something like that.
@casvandenbroek8360 Жыл бұрын
Hey man, I worked on a dairy farm in germany he had the same problem with the birds, tried about evertything but nothing worked. The one thing that worked was a music box thingie that makes the sound of one of those birds being taken or killed bye a hunting bird. Saved him a lot of problems with sick cows and nutriens being taken out of the food
@derekwpennington1796 Жыл бұрын
House looks great also. Much respect from Maine
@doskraut Жыл бұрын
I grew up on a cotton farm and seeing theses dudes working so early in the AM brings back memory's of us kids having to wake us in the dark.
@formerfarmer1718 Жыл бұрын
I certainly admire the work ethic of dairymen but I thank my lucky star I wasn’t born into a dairy family.😳
@warehouseman6325 Жыл бұрын
Great video. Really enjoy watching your days on the farm.
@IFarmWeFarm Жыл бұрын
Your a great worker, cows are always in top condition too. One of my favourite channels to watch and a lot of our own viewers do often mention you in high regards. 👍
@bryanhubner9848 Жыл бұрын
It’s weird how hauling manure is one of the things I miss about living on a dairy farm. Thanks for the video.
@Trey4x4 Жыл бұрын
These are my favorite videos, watching new bedding going into these cow buildings
@mattdowjr Жыл бұрын
You should look into getting a high dump bucket for loading feed and loading the spreader, we use a high dump bucket at the farm I'm working at and we just clean it really good after doing anything with manure, definitely worth the money so you don't have to shake the bucket quite as much!
@tamianderson539 Жыл бұрын
Love your vids Eric. Excited for your family moving into your new home as well!
@derekwpennington1796 Жыл бұрын
Love seeing cows jump in new bedding, they seem super happy. Congats brother.
@dennisshull5994 Жыл бұрын
Rohrer Dairy uses their manure spreader to bed pens. They put straw bales in the spreader and back up to the pen. It seems to work pretty well!!
@matthewwipf3014 Жыл бұрын
that’s how we spread straw all the time, is with the manure spreader. works awesome with any bale type /round/ big square/ small squares.
@williamdelepierre3710 Жыл бұрын
Hey bud get a couple of fake plastic owls and hang em in the rafters of the barn they will scare the starlings away once they put out some bird netting around the opening in the roof top. My grandfather was a government trapper for years that’s his best suggestion. Best of wishes with them birds love the work and the videos keep on keeping on brotha
@Supersonicff-dw6bs Жыл бұрын
Plastic owls only work if they are moved around very frequently, otherwise smart birds like starlings, blackbirds, and such figure out they aren't real. There are plenty of videos demonstrating this, and you can easily find pictures of birds roosting right next to the plastic owl.
@calicoasting Жыл бұрын
Works for a week or so ...
@williamdelepierre3710 Жыл бұрын
Would work long enough to get em out and get some netting up or patch the holes or what ever they wanted to get done but saying it’s a permanent thing but eh it’s a suggestion for a small problem
@ethanbarsness6721 Жыл бұрын
We blasted about 300 in our barn one night. Next morning it was like nothing even happened
@zerofox7347 Жыл бұрын
@tydebeer5268what do you play on the speaker?
@bobseehaver1054 Жыл бұрын
you should look into an older manure spreader and put the corn stalk bales in that and use that to do your bedding ,, i fallow roher dairy farm ,, and thats what they use and it does a great job .. your dad had a good idea doing that ..
@barrythompson4605 Жыл бұрын
Just wanted to thank you and your family for all the hard work you do to produce the milk I love to drink, so thanks again for your hard work....
@JonathanKnighton961 Жыл бұрын
I wish I could find some cow Manure like that for my gardens! Great job on the video! Thank you for sharing.
@jeremymulder2453 Жыл бұрын
"Bird guard!" It's a sound system that's relatively inexpensive. It sends out random raptor bird sounds, and it works very well. We use it all winter long. Make sure you have the settings right. Otherwise, it can go off in the night.
@carriebrumley8926 Жыл бұрын
Aww I'm sorry to hear about the cows I hope yall and I know yall will figure it out...stay warm and have a great weekend!!
@harveystephens6115 Жыл бұрын
Always amazes me how stock is so excited to go into freshly bedded pins!!! Enjoyed
@keithselzer9816 Жыл бұрын
You all sure have some beautiful heifers, that mostly white one is sharp looking. Try some plastic owls in your free stalls. We used some years ago when we milked cow's it seemed to help. Another great video Eric.
@zSwiftt Жыл бұрын
Way to keep your head up man, I wish nothing but the best for your family as well as the cows! Hopefully the source of problem is figured out quickly.
@jasonstone6499 Жыл бұрын
Could do most all your pack bedding with the spreader!! One load of corn stalks then one load of sawdust. You all would figure out the amounts to use after the first time or 2. I bed first bed up for beefers every year with old H&S
@rosemarymurphy5767 Жыл бұрын
You could uses rubber snakes or blow up owls to put in the rafters to keep the birds out.The birds do carry diseases and will make cows sick and the feed waste. Yea the weather is all mess up on my birthday I’m always snowed in can’t get anywhere . It’s strange get up no snow but cold an windy with rain. You and your dad our hard worker’s never a doll moment working until dark and start again early morning. Love seeing the calf’s enjoy themselves with new bedding .
@kevnotty4573 Жыл бұрын
Love to visit and see the operation someday 💕 HUGE FAN!!
@jackking5567 Жыл бұрын
The disease worry is a headache I know but you can be assured that your dairy farm is probably the cleanest I've seen Eric. It's good to see that you're on the button with anything happening too. Birds can be a menace but I bet the issue is something far simpler. I'd start with the drinking water and work from that.
@10thgenerationdairyman Жыл бұрын
We actually just installed a UV light this week because there was some bacteria in our well water. Hopefully that will help.
@rickwhitescarver8526 Жыл бұрын
Second bucket for the skid loader. One dirty and one for food….?
@Invictus13666 Жыл бұрын
@@rickwhitescarver8526 they do.
@texkenny759 Жыл бұрын
@@rickwhitescarver8526 yes, he’s shown that before
@rickwhitescarver8526 Жыл бұрын
@@texkenny759 thanks guess i missunderstood why they’d need a full skid loader if you use a diff bucket. But im ignorant of farming. Just enjoy the channel
@canvids1 Жыл бұрын
A lot of thought and planning, when you built this barn. makes things so much easier and faster to clean your barn out, less manual labour.
@clairestaffieri4398 Жыл бұрын
Your wife is not one that likes the topic of manure, if I remember correctly. I love your manure and manure related videos. I am a giant fan of how clean you keep your cows and their pens and your whole farm !! I could watch you sling and push cow poop all day. Occasionally I'll watch other dairy farm videos and wonder how the farmers and their livestock don't get some serious diseases. The poop piles in dirty pens is scary for this city person to see. Makes me happy to see and hear the concern you have for your critters. To that point, I have wondered about birds in the rafters pooping on the cows and their feed. Now you mention your concern of the birds in your barn. I noticed in another barn you have what looks like "chicken" mesh wire across the ceiling. You and your dad keep the best of all dairy farms, to me.
@michaelmckay Жыл бұрын
I think she didnt like the wet manure, dry was OK
@clairestaffieri4398 Жыл бұрын
@@michaelmckay Wet is the best though Mike. Slushy and pushes so well. ( I can't believe I am writing this !)
@Andrei.Alinei Жыл бұрын
@@clairestaffieri4398 we aint talking about manure anymore, are we?
@steveneal2706 Жыл бұрын
Great video Eric. Thank you and your dad so much for feeding us. Hope you get to the bottom of your sick cows
@yetiofthenorth Жыл бұрын
These warm winters in PA. It’s a struggle to find cold enough days where the grounds solid enough to haul manure. Starlings are a nuisance.
@sammy3543 Жыл бұрын
Absolutely loved the Timelapse of you loading the spreader with the sunrise coming up!!
@danfinley3690 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for another awesome video bless y’all
@jarrodvsinclair Жыл бұрын
Starling issues: my buddies place had to add The hanging plastic strips at all the doorways to keep them from flying in when the doors were open. They also added netting to keep them from flying up into the rafters. Then they had to aggressive go after remaining nests. Have a look at the paper "EUROPEAN STARLINGS: A REVIEW OF AN INVASIVE SPECIES WITH FAR-REACHING IMPACTS" Aug 2007. There are a bunch of other papers on this but starlings (and other birds) bring lots of diseases along and mastitis increases as a result (along with other issues). it's worth trying to get rid of them. I bet if you setup a camera and took a timelaps you will see them eating the cows feed as well. Good luck!
@pennsylvaniadairyman2290 Жыл бұрын
Hey great video! We’ve been dealing with mastitis lately as well. It’s definitely a headache sometimes but hopefully you are able to get your problem figured out. We’ve been getting a mix of warm and cold temperatures in our area, I believe that’s what’s triggering our mastitis all of a sudden.
@Eric-dr5bj Жыл бұрын
What do you do when a cow dies?
@Dan-qy1rg Жыл бұрын
Looked like that heifer knows what's coming when you guys clean out the pens, their cute when they kick up their heels like that. I like how you and your family take such good care of your animals, it shows. That manure is great, I wish I had that resource for my farm, I don't like using chemical fertilizers and wow, twenty loads, whew. Great video Eric, thanks for sharing, have a good Friday and a great weekend!
@gregorychumley7262 Жыл бұрын
they kick any time u move them
@FarmsfeedU Жыл бұрын
Eric those starlings are most deff the prob we deal with them too on our farm here in VA. Wish I had a solution for em, but I will say no way its your barn environment it is unreal how clean it stays with those slats & scrapers. Wouldn't be farming without yer daily dose of challenges, keep up the good work 👍
@gethinjones7501 Жыл бұрын
Laser pens or a DJ laser can work with starlings. But i think the best way is closing up absolutely every gap around the shed, that’s what we are aiming for. We just come out of a mastitis problem, get the vet in for a walk around we changed our sand bedding management and now were ok. Good luck.
@stex1985 Жыл бұрын
I think you are on the right track with the birds spreading problems. If your neighbor ten miles away has a serious problem you will end up with it because the birds were over there last week. They are hard to keep out once they get started.
@Cameron-zd9uc Жыл бұрын
Dairy farmer from the West of Scotland. Shining a laser pen around your barn or a disco ball light will scare the birds out they hate it.
@caroldocherty6810 Жыл бұрын
You guys are like my brother he also has robots and he keeps our cattle really clean at all times. His barns have ceilings to stop birds nesting.
@joshmarkey780 Жыл бұрын
Eric if you do decide to upgrade your Deere's lights look into Tiger Lights. They offer a direct led swap so the harness, and mounts are the same. They even have kits for the Kubota skid steer.
@rollingcoal9500 Жыл бұрын
Hell yeah winter should be winter!! Mild winters suck and make a mess of everything mud wise.
@carlholmes2959 Жыл бұрын
Those are some nice looking young stock, you do a good job!
@oldfarmer4700 Жыл бұрын
I just use a 20 by 30 barn for a couple or so beef I raise to get in out of the weather. Been doing that for many years since I left the dairy. I raise Holstein from bottle to finish and in the 30 to 35 years never lost one. Last year for some reason being weather or what ever there were thousands and I do mean thousands would roost in that little barn, crapping all over and it was thick. The calves were covered also. I lost one that was right a 1000 lbs last year and the vet took tests and gave shots and was puzzled as I was why he got sick. I thought maybe that was the reason so I started carrying the 410 out there and started shooting what I could get a crack at. So the numbers went down to almost nothing as I would do that e to 4 times a day. I had everything roosting in the barn from sparrows, starlings, doves and even quail. Had lots of crows coming around during the day. Mostly those greasy starlings though in the barn. Knock on wood I haven’t lost one since.
@juliesoane7399 Жыл бұрын
Can you fly a hawk balloon or kite near the barn entrance? It may shift them away from your barn. I wouldn’t put a roof in as it will create a bigger job down the line once the bird poop piles up. Love your videos! 🇬🇧
@badgerbill336 Жыл бұрын
Chicken wire fence rolled out in the rafters is something i have seen done to keep birds out and still allow airflow. Wish we would have done it on all our sheds
@farmingfishingfamilyontari2814 Жыл бұрын
We vaccinate for mastitis. We had issues with watery mastitis and since using a vaccine at dry off and a booster at close up move, we’ve been good. Our vets have told us that sawdust can carry a bacteria and that can cause mastitis, even kiln dried. We put a ceiling in our barn 10 years ago. Brightens it up and the birds are gone.
@lianerogers2665 Жыл бұрын
The brewers grain maybe the reason for excessive mastitis. Yeast is also a bacteria. Talk to your Vet.
@saj8937 Жыл бұрын
Ahhhh...manure management videos are the best!
@stangiles2001 Жыл бұрын
Love the manure show, that was my job for years, grape!and shovel. No skidloader as dad didn't believe in machines that worked. He was a.mechanic .
@marknunya3035 Жыл бұрын
Try putting up the plastic owl's in the rafters and a couple of fabric geese the smaller bird's will eventually make for the hill's because they see bigger bird's especially if you can get a light above the geese the shadows will help keep them out of the feed. Same principle of the scarecrow the smaller bird's flee when shadows are above just something cheap to try before you get a pro involved. There's a bunch of products that can be put on the beam's but the Bill would be outrageous.
@sunroofracing Жыл бұрын
Good video Eric! Sorry to hear you've had some difficulties. The starlings as a cause makes sense. Wish you well in finding a solution. I've heard of businesses that use live falcons and owls for bird abatement services in the UK. Wish I had some useful advice for you. Certain you'll find an effective answer. Prayers for you!
@haraldoudevoshaar7894 Жыл бұрын
i had a nieghbour who had birds of birds and anytime i had crows pecking ag bags or pigeons or starlings in the barn i would call on him with a bird and they'd be gone. if you can find someone like that they can set you up with an owl box or sparrow hawk in order to get a bird a prey to live at your farm for longterm effect
@_gungrave_6802 Жыл бұрын
With the bird situation maybe you could just put a cieling over the area where they eat to cover the feed. If it gets worse after that then considering extending the cieling to cover the whole area. It would be a good way to experiment on fixing things without spending more than you probably want to. At least this way if it works then problem solved but if not then you already have some of the area covered.
@kellwood1404 Жыл бұрын
You could get the birds tested for avian flu, etc. Do not buy mist nets as very expensive. Hire a few bird banders with mist nets ( usually volunteer banders) they’ll capture a few, and be on their merry way. The other logistics, vet, lab, etc. Owls plus owl sounds, plus other birds of prey. Hire someone who has prey birds, and have it take out problem birds. Good luck.
@johnhoog8874 Жыл бұрын
Even though your sawdust appears to be very clean it is always risky. There was a time when we would get new cases every time we put fresh sawdust in stalls. I know it is frustrating when you want to fix a problem but can"t find the problem. Good luck
@budwoodman1716 Жыл бұрын
Get rid of them anyway you can. My mother spent several months in isolation at a Sanitorium after having part of her right lung removed because she contracted Histoplasmosis from the the starling dropping in our milk barn back in the mid 1960's. That was not a good time for her at all.
@GAM1647 Жыл бұрын
If you don’t have them already, I would try owl statues around the building that would probably be the cheap option it may or may not work or put in netting to keep the birds out of the rafters
@ohPokey Жыл бұрын
That was a good days work Eric and dad 😊
@BethePandaGames Жыл бұрын
4:35 this was a cool shot. Just seeing the clouds moving as you are just destroying that pile of manure.
@matthewkociubinski7664 Жыл бұрын
Hey Erick, is it possible the birds are bathing in the cows drinking water? Not a farmer actually quite the opposite, but just an observation I made. Hope it helps👍🏼
@adamsherm29 Жыл бұрын
Chicken wire the top. Won't allow them in. I've seen it work really well before. We had a few cows pass under the same conditions. Like you said, we worked hard at every step to mitigate the problem. Once we got the birds wrangled there was a slight decrease in sick cows. Unfortunately the dang birds just find another spot to get into. Good Luck
@neillouise7533 Жыл бұрын
They make sonic emitters to chase away animals. Humans can hear just a ticking sound. Animals hear fingernails on a blackboard. I've used one for barking dogs in a kennel. Barking stopped in a few minutes. Don't know how the cows would react?
@keegantoresdahl2025 Жыл бұрын
I really do love the videos you make, keep up the great work.
@davidcantu824 Жыл бұрын
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS ERIC
@sgmode774 Жыл бұрын
Perhaps you answered your question about cows getting sick. Using the same skid loader for feed and manure. Bacteria can linger on your equipment long after you hose off the skid steer.
@dralord1307 Жыл бұрын
That would mostly cause digestion and infection of the urinary track. mastitis is a bacterial infection in the udders. Which would have nothing to do with the food. Their barn is pretty clean where the cattle lay. The most probable cause is bird droppings and birds landing and eating seeds around the cattle while they are chewing their cud
@adamwallace8082 Жыл бұрын
Your sick cow issue could be that you're using the same skid-steer bucket to mix feed and load manure; it's just a thought
@adamwallace8082 Жыл бұрын
You should get yourselves another skid-steer bucket, paint it green, and use it only for feed. Then see if you sick cow issue goes away.
@gunfisher4661 Жыл бұрын
A lot of places around here use those plastic owls to scare the birds off some use motion or time activated noise makers.
@gudfarfar Жыл бұрын
I would really like to see you upgrading the lights on the tractor. They are really dim and weak, and it is very hard to see anything at night. My excavator had very dim and old halogen lights and I just could not use it in the dark. After the upgrade I pulled an all night shift in my friends place and due to the bright LED lights all over I was not very tired, due to stearing in the dark. The bird issue is something I would have tried to tackle by getting a kid with an air rifle to shoot down what he or she could, over some days. Just make sure that you are able to collect the birds before the cows can get at them. Maybe shoot birds while the herd is being milked? Over a week you can take out a lot of birds, if he or she is a good shot. Just make sure the air rifle is not too strong. You don't want extra holes in your roof or walls. Good luck with that.
@CMDSR Жыл бұрын
Not a dairy farmer but I would think that some kind of mesh barrier to keep out the birds is a good idea. Hope you find the problem bc even I know dead loss means lost investment in that cow and comes straight off the bottom line. God Bless you and your entire family.
@rearlt Жыл бұрын
Yes. I was going to suggest the owls. People in my neighborhood growing up would also put plastic snakes up to keep woodpeckers away. Not sure if that would work on all birds.
@isaacgathagu4375 Жыл бұрын
Watching you from Kenya, Africa. I love watching your videos, very encouraging and educative. 👍
@tsparky236 Жыл бұрын
Eric, think you feeding Brewers Grain now has anything to do with more mastitis? Just a thought from on the outside looking in sir. Great videos and fyi, your operation is the cleanest I have seen in a long time young man. Thank you
@hiwaydan Жыл бұрын
Great video! Always a lot of work to be done.
@gregcatlett1458 Жыл бұрын
SORRY TO HERE THE DEATH LOSS birds are good spreaders of disease that’s for sure! The ceiling would maybe help but make you put in more fans for faster air turn over? Stalk bales in the spreader like to see that for sure 😂. Beautiful calves sir. Thanks so much!
@terrylee7627 Жыл бұрын
There is a machine that puts out a high frequency that will keep the birds out. May check with the DNR
@jefffischer4590 Жыл бұрын
Keep the new house updates coming.
@robertdietrich4073 Жыл бұрын
Netting can help to reduce birds landing on roof joists and is easier to install vs. a ceiling.
@MohamedAlwerfalli Жыл бұрын
I love your work. you are my hero😍
@user-iz9hm9lp1s Жыл бұрын
String up bird netting to keep the birds out of the rafters.
@pamelamcculler4739 Жыл бұрын
Eric we have been watching your videos for a while now and have always enjoyed them you and the farm have come a long way. The house is looking like it will be very nice congratulations to your family. Haven’t seen Dutchess in awhile is she ok or is it that she doesn’t like the cold weather?
@RobertKohut Жыл бұрын
I think there are bird nets that researchers use to catch and study birds. Might be an option to help with the bird problem. 🙂
@nigel1964 Жыл бұрын
When you said you had a shit day you really meant it 😄😄
@themayorofdipshittery3646 Жыл бұрын
You need a good tele-handler to compliment those skid steers 👍
@x_Dude1 Жыл бұрын
Barn swallows - it reads they are a better match and can chase the starlings out. All together they catch insects also. So breed some couples there.