Calf to beef thread

I think you posted photos earlier in the year of your Calfs? How are they doing now at the time they looked like great cattle

At what stage next autumn will you start feeding your bullocks and at a guess what weight would they be when you commence feeding?

What do tge heifers average 1220 ish ? and the Bullocks 1500?

So average 500kgs the start of September? I know someone that sent off heifers before Christmas that operates a system similar to yours and he got €1300, Angus heifers

So the bullocks would be a bit heavier? Is there much of a difference between the Hereford and Angus?

What would AI Simmentals be like out of British freisian cows? You would imagine they should grade well

Have you ever had Simmentals before?

I presume if you were keeping them till they are nearly 30 months the Simmentals would be ok as they would carry weight

Have bought 10 calves here before Christmas a mix of BB, SIM, LIM and Angus heifers. 6 were weaned and 4 on once a day milk. Intend to bull all the Simmentals and Blues and sell as in calf heifers and will try and finish the Limmys and Angus. Cows are for the road and I intend to rear 30 calves this year and possibly 40 next year. I have put in for TAMS for an auto feeder so if it goes OK this year I will get JFC feeder for 2025. I'm using Grennans milk replacer for the past few years and have had no issues with it. Only hiccup so far is that a couple of cows have calved early and I'm in two minds what to do with the cows and calves.

Let the cows rear the calves then fatten them and sell them to the factory or in the mart finished. I nit sure I be bulling heifers with the amount of lads leaving sucklers. I be trying to finish any cattle you buy

Yeah that was where I was leaning, two beasts to sell and really the worst hardship is over.

A lot could change between here and 20/24 months time but I like the flexibility heifers give like you say if there's no market for bulling or in calf heifers you can push them on and finish them.

I'm hoping that the SCEP scheme will create a demand for starred heifers so I will have to genotype anything I wanna sell for that.

What is your reason for staying away from Char?

I was told that Char would be a good option as a Char would only be put on a strong cow to start with, so you should have a decent starting point.

@Albert Johnson Bought a few weanlings this autumn. 650 euro bought them and they were 300 kgs +. Some were sucklers, and some were bucket fed, sone were a bit with a year old. As they were mostly bought September/October they be gone by next Christmas.

@Dunedin while there is no comparing a bucket fed calf to a suckler bred one you will carry two units of calf to beef to a suckler to beef.

There is always value in small plainer and lighter weanlings at the back end and usually on into early February. Young lad bought a bunch of healthy Feb born middle of the road Friesians out of the last mart at Gortalea before Christmas. They were from Clonkilty/Skiberreen direction. 150kgs for 220 euro. They will be on the farm until May/June 12 months. But will probably average 1600+ at slaughter (320kgs@5/kg)

@mr.stonewall there is no way a sub 12 month animal will eat 4 bales over a winter unless its pure water. Have 15 in a pen at present admittedly light 220-240kg average taking 5 days to eat a bale( again admittedly 40%+DM and 75+DMD) and they are barely getting a half kg of ration. They are getting a bit of minerals.

Round bale of silage is costing 32/33 euro. Direct feed costs are about 70c/day, even if they were heavier it would not go beyond a euro a day. I have 14X400 kg average stores taking 5 days to eat two bales and they are getting no ration only minerals. They are costing 95c/day in direct feed costs

@Bass Reeves the post had 3-4 bales as the winter quantity. We all need to have a buffer and this year is going to test it, early winter and potential long term cold snap starting. Quality and DM will always vary with each cut but the 3-4 bale bracket is a good safety figure for most farmers.

Agree what you’re saying about the weanlings,it’s all about spending time at the ring and having a price in your head. In one mart local there was one man that would come in for the last two or three sales of the season and buy all them young calve, he always said that they still had time on their sides and a bit of meal would go a long way on them.

@Bass Reeves does your ration have no minerals added at the mill?

What minerals do you use?