Breeding progress: Breeding is well under way in most suckler herds now and soon, if not already, some herds will be approaching the end of the first cycle at the three-week mark. Reports from around the country are positive with the relatively good spring conditions combined with early grass leading to a high level of activity.

Suckler cows should be cycling 60 days after calving. Right now, late calvers might need some more time but early calved cows not yet cycling could signify a problem.

Obviously with AI, you know exactly what cows have and have not been submitted for insemination yet.

Roughly speaking, the percentage of cows submitted for insemination at the end of the first cycle should be close to the percentage of cows that were calved 60 days ago. If you are a long way off this target, you may need to re-examine your method of heat detection. If it is a slightly smaller number, it could be a problem with individual cows not coming in heat.

More often than not, an administration of prostaglandin (PG) is the best way of inducing a standing heat first. If this doesn’t do the job, scanning and potentially veterinary intervention is the next step. Where stock bulls are being used, try to detect and record as many heats as possible on a daily basis.

Remember, not only are we trying to monitor oestrus in cows, but more importantly bull fertility. Then after three weeks, pay close attention to repeats. Too many should ring alarm bells in terms of bull fertility.

While tail paint or scratch cards are geared towards AI, it may be no harm applying to cows running with a stock bull to get a more accurate update on progress.

Drafting bulls for slaughter: Farmers feeding bulls to finish under 16 months of age should start to consider ages, weights and fat covers of bulls to identify a suitable slaughter date. More often than not, bulls should be drafted off in smaller numbers on a regular basis to ensure they meet the required specs.

Thankfully, the price seems to be moving in the right direction for producers now with talk of specialist finishers securing €3.90/kg base price for next week.

In terms of weights, the general rule of thumb with under-16-month bulls is to target an upper carcase weight of 400kg.

At the moment, as factories appear keener to secure numbers, weight limits do appear to be pushed out to 420-430kg in some pants. That said, overweight bulls should certainly be in the minority.

Average kill-out of bulls ranges from 56% to 60%, depending on conformation. So for a 400kg carcase and kill-out of 58%, target liveweight at slaughter is 690kg. It goes without saying that bulls need to be under 16 months of age to stay on the grid.

Counting four months from their birth date is the easiest way of working out their latest possible slaughter date. Be sure to give yourself time to play with and contact your agent at least 10 days prior to the date bulls need to be sold.

Finally, fat cover needs to be 2+ or higher. There are rarely any problems with bulls going over-fat. The tail-head, brisket and cod, as well as the back (loin) and shoulders are all good areas to assess fat cover.