Steers and heifers are now starting to be slaughtered on the programme farms. Cattle are being marketed as soon as they reach the correct market specification in terms of weight and fat cover. While there is a temptation to feed cattle on to a heavier liveweight, the animals will effectively be depositing fat rather than muscle.
The cost per kg of carcase gain will be reduced when feeding to heavier weights, as the animal becomes less efficient. Extra fat will mean the carcase may be penalised in terms of price per kg.
Two of the farms that own their own weighbridge have been weighing finishing cattle on a monthly basis to monitor liveweight gain.
On both farms, cattle are being fed a balanced ration, based on the actual feed value of silage, as determined by the silage analysis. This is then balanced with a specific ration, rather than purchasing a general purpose mix.
On John Egerton’s farm, steers have averaged 1.4kg liveweight/day from housing in mid-September to slaughtering in late November. On John Dobson’s farm, steers have also been performing well, with an average daily liveweight gain of 1.2kg/day since housing in October.
These cattle are being fed ad-lib silage and 5kg to 6kg of concentrates during the finishing period, which is not an excessive level of feeding.
Taking a ration price of £220/tonne and £25/tonne of silage, a 650kg steer eating 6kg of ration and 16kg of silage would have a daily feed cost of £1.72/day. At a daily gain of 1.2kg/day, the cost per kg of liveweight gain is £1.43/head.
There is no doubt that having cattle with a high growth potential, along with feeding high quality silage and ration, is required for such levels of performance.
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The other aspect that must be remembered is herd health. Having cattle properly wormed and treated for parasites, such as fluke, is also crucial in achieving high levels of liveweight gain.
The farms have taken dung samples earlier in the autumn to monitor any parasites that may be present. Ensuring that cattle are in well ventilated sheds also reduces the risk of pneumonia developing when housing cattle.
Scanning of spring calving herds has coincided with the housing of cows. The difficult spring conditions and warm summer presented many problems for the farms to overcome in order to get cows back in-calf.
Prioritising cows at grass and supplementing with concentrates when required has been a worthwhile practice.
In general, the conception rates on the farms are running around 95% of cows put to the bull scanning in-calf. The conception rates range from a high of 98% of cows put to the bull going in-calf, to the lowest conception rate at 90% of cows in-calf, which is still a high level of performance. The empty cows have been removed from the main herd and are being fed for slaughter.
Finishing cattle are now coming fit for slaughter.Cattle are being marketed as soon as they reach the correct market spec.Spring cows have now been scanned with 90% to 98% of cows in-calf.Barren cows are being culled.Conception rates on the farms are 95% on average.
Steers and heifers are now starting to be slaughtered on the programme farms. Cattle are being marketed as soon as they reach the correct market specification in terms of weight and fat cover. While there is a temptation to feed cattle on to a heavier liveweight, the animals will effectively be depositing fat rather than muscle.
The cost per kg of carcase gain will be reduced when feeding to heavier weights, as the animal becomes less efficient. Extra fat will mean the carcase may be penalised in terms of price per kg.
Two of the farms that own their own weighbridge have been weighing finishing cattle on a monthly basis to monitor liveweight gain.
On both farms, cattle are being fed a balanced ration, based on the actual feed value of silage, as determined by the silage analysis. This is then balanced with a specific ration, rather than purchasing a general purpose mix.
On John Egerton’s farm, steers have averaged 1.4kg liveweight/day from housing in mid-September to slaughtering in late November. On John Dobson’s farm, steers have also been performing well, with an average daily liveweight gain of 1.2kg/day since housing in October.
These cattle are being fed ad-lib silage and 5kg to 6kg of concentrates during the finishing period, which is not an excessive level of feeding.
Taking a ration price of £220/tonne and £25/tonne of silage, a 650kg steer eating 6kg of ration and 16kg of silage would have a daily feed cost of £1.72/day. At a daily gain of 1.2kg/day, the cost per kg of liveweight gain is £1.43/head.
There is no doubt that having cattle with a high growth potential, along with feeding high quality silage and ration, is required for such levels of performance.
||PIC2||
The other aspect that must be remembered is herd health. Having cattle properly wormed and treated for parasites, such as fluke, is also crucial in achieving high levels of liveweight gain.
The farms have taken dung samples earlier in the autumn to monitor any parasites that may be present. Ensuring that cattle are in well ventilated sheds also reduces the risk of pneumonia developing when housing cattle.
Scanning of spring calving herds has coincided with the housing of cows. The difficult spring conditions and warm summer presented many problems for the farms to overcome in order to get cows back in-calf.
Prioritising cows at grass and supplementing with concentrates when required has been a worthwhile practice.
In general, the conception rates on the farms are running around 95% of cows put to the bull scanning in-calf. The conception rates range from a high of 98% of cows put to the bull going in-calf, to the lowest conception rate at 90% of cows in-calf, which is still a high level of performance. The empty cows have been removed from the main herd and are being fed for slaughter.
Finishing cattle are now coming fit for slaughter.Cattle are being marketed as soon as they reach the correct market spec.Spring cows have now been scanned with 90% to 98% of cows in-calf.Barren cows are being culled.Conception rates on the farms are 95% on average. 
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