Beef price tracker 2

5kgs a waste of time. Need 10kgs + if Continental cattle with Straw and ideally Ad Lib meal

I see exactly where you’re coming from but the country is full of cheap straw compared to silage. Meal mightn’t be as dear as you think when it’s all added up.

Straw is not cheap and it has no energy value. Maize the highest energy feed is probably 350-380/ ton in bulk tipped in a yard.

Cattle in general eat 2% of there body weight. In theory ad-lib is/was the most efficient way to finish cattle. But you are pushing cattles digestive system to it's limit and there is always problem s with ad-lib.

Some finishers have changed to total mixed rations using a feed wagon. Most of these use a balanced TMR. However this means buying a lot of feed stuffs in advance.

Therefore most smaller finishers opt for 5-8kgs of ration or ad-lib depending on type of animal you are finishing as well as silage.

Rations are costing 400+/ton so a continental animal eating 7kgs with silage is costing 3.5-4/day. A 100 day finishing period is 350-400euro. 70 days ad lib maybe 10-12kgs/day is 4.5-5.3/day or 320-360.

The big question is will processors pick up the cost. Take a HE or AA heifer coming in at 450kgs costing 1k in the shed add 350 finishing costs, 50fixed costs 80 misc variable costs, 120 euro margin.

That is 1600 euro. At 280kgs DW she would need a price of 5.7/kg

Whats the quotes for bullocks this week or next? I’m hearing €4.65

They could do anything if you sent him in without anyone seeing him beforehand. The price won’t be nice but the safest thing is get an agent to look at him and agree a price.

Still 75 down here.

How heavy should top quality yearling Friesian bullocks/bulls weigh? Is rearing Friesian bulls calves a loser when compared to weanling value when you account for rearing costs? Seen reasonable Friesian bull weanlings sell this week for less than €100 with the weight surely they would be worth a gamble.

I'd agree with that, especially when you factor in the cost of getting an animal slaughtered and prepared for the freezer. I think it was something like €300 the last time I heard....

I would ring the vet on call and ask him to put him down tonight it's a long time to leave a beast in trouble until morning.

If he had peunomia you should never dose especially not with an ivermectin.it kills worms instantly and it clogs the lung's. Oral dose much better in these cases and ideally after the infection clears.

I have often seen it an animal seems to turn a corner after first injection only to go rapidly down hill. If I suspect peunomia nowadays I get an injection with an anti-inflammatory would only use Alymicin where I had a bunch of weanling after the mart and was a bit suspicious.

Usually if you ring them any of the knackery crowds and explain they will give you priority and you can get it sorted tomorrow.

I understand where you are coming from, not an emergency just going down hill.