Andrew Lewis presented a set of figures comparing the income and expenses for his two herds yesterday which made an impressive case for keeping Guernseys
Comparison of Holstein and Guernsey performance, Cows milked through same parlour but housed and grazed separately.
Holsteins avgd.7800 ltrs @ 4.12% & 3.4% and were fed at the rate of 0.36 kg concentrate per litre
Guernseys avgd.5000 ltrs @ 5.31% & 3.8% and were fed at the rate of 0.22 kg/conc/ltr.
Milk Price from Cricketer Cheese
2012 Holstein 2.37 Million litres worth 27.55 rising to 29.2 pence per litre in 2013
2012 Guernsey 0.56 million litres worth 32.7 rising to 34.5 pence per litre in 2013.
{Daily collection ( No CI Bonus for the Guernseys ) + Volume bonus for the Holsteins }
Feed Use
Holsteins in Winter Concentrates 10.6 kg and in Summer 8 kg (Cows housed at night in summer) which equals 2808 kgs of concentrates per cow.
Silage 43 kg ( 12.9 kg DM) Summer 28 kg (8.5 kg DM) which equals 13.5 tonnes of silage ( 4-05 T @30% DM)
Grazing May to September max 6.5kgs DM /day = 1 tonne /cow
Guernseys in Winter Concentrates 5 kg and in Summer 2.4 kg (Cows grazed at night in summer) which equals 1075 kgs of concentrates per cow.
Silage 30 kg ( 8 kg DM) Summer 8 kg (2.4 kg DM) which equals 5.6 tonnes of silage ( 1.7 T @30% DM)
Grazing Feb to October max 12.5kgs DM /day = (3.07tonneDM /cow)
| Milk Income£ Cow | Purchased Feed£ Cow | Forage£ Cow | Margin£ Cow | |
| Holstein | £2215 | £736 | £514 | £965 |
| Guernsey | £1680 | £280 | £400 | £998 |
Forage includes Silage & Grazing
Concentrates £262 tonne
Grazing £70 per tonne DM
Silage £110 per tonne DM
I was very happy to read that mr Lewis is reaping rewards from keeping guernseys.
Are would be interested to know how his fertility compares between the two breeds.
neither would appear to be pushed !
“an impressive case for keeping Guernseys” – and with better fertility, less mastitis, few if any calving or foot problems, much lower vet fees and much higher longevity a 5% better margin could easily result in a 50% better profit!