Feeding weanlings

Light store cattle and weanlings tend to have higher weight gain in the first half of the winter housing period, partly due to being younger and more feed efficient.

Front loading concentrates during this period increases weight gain compared with a flat rate feeding period.

Let’s take a 300kg calf housed on 1 November with a target turnout date of 1 April, giving a 180-day winter feeding period. Feeding a flat rate of 2kg/day of concentrate is a total of 360kg fed over winter.

Front loading concentrates for the first 90 days at 3kg/day, then cutting back to 1kg/day for the next 90 days still uses 360kg of ration.

The higher feed rate in the first half of winter will support weight gain. The lower feed rate will help prepare cattle for grazing, as they are less likely to go to grass overfat. It will also adjust the animal’s stomach to a forage-based diet.

Silage quality

Winter will see farmers focus on silage quality. A 350kg weanling eating 6-7kg dry matter of silage and meal will cost close to €2.20/day.

On this diet a good weight gain would be .7/kg/day. Weanlings making an average price of €3.00/kg will be gaining €2.10/day in money terms, which doesn’t cover current feed costs.

There are other costs such as vet, dosing, water, spreading slurry and other fixed costs.

Discuss a winter health plan with your vet, including any vaccinations. Poor health can affect liveweight gain during the first winter.

Making quality silage is key in lowering costs on beef farms and trying to make feeding weanlings break even.

It’s too late now to change your silage quality, but you should try to look at how you could improve it next year.

There are savings of close to €5,500 to be made on feeding 50 weanlings high quality 75 DMD silage and 0.17kg/day ration versus feeding average quality 65 DMD silage and 2.5kg/day concentrates.

Get your silage tested and feed concentrates according to the results. Table 1 outlines the feeding levels required to achieve a weight gain of 0.5-0.7kg/day.

Aim for a simple mix with a high cereal percentage and a good protein source e.g. soya bean meal.

Target protein should be 15-16%. Targeting a gain of 0.5-0.7kg/day will ensure that animals perform to their potential, but still have the potential for compensatory growth when turned back outdoors next spring.

It’s a good idea to weigh weanlings at the start of the housing period and then again at turnout to see if you have hit targets.

If you didn’t hit target weight gains last winter and you do the same things again this winter the chances are you won’t hit them this winter either. See what you can change to help hit your target.