This is a subscriber-only article
Getting the housing weight right is critical in under-16-month bull producing systems and with many farmers considering housing autumn-born bulls over the next few weeks, housing at the right weight is very important in avoiding overweight carcases.
The advice here is to consult with your processor as to the age and weight of the animals that will be coming fit and likely time of slaughter.
While most factories are not currently penalising for overweight carcases, you should still endeavour to have an average carcase weight of under 420kg.
A bull with a carcase weight of 420kg at a killout of 58%, will weigh about 700-720kg liveweight at slaughter.
Factoring in an average weight gain of 1.5-1.8 kg/day, bulls need to be housed at 500-560kg liveweight.
High performance levels
To maintain high levels of performance, concentrates should be given at grass up to about 5kg/day in one to two feeds prior to housing.
This will ensure that there is no checking the bulls’ weight gain. The increase to ad-lib meal feeding levels can then take place indoors over a two-week period.
Once indoors avoid stressing bulls too much by moving them often, and never mix bulls that haven’t been together in pens.
When feeding bulls at grass, think safety at all times.
SHARING OPTIONS: