Farmers looking to get store cattle back to grass by the end of the month should start to reduce concentrate levels to prepare animals for the change in diet.

Under ideal weather conditions, the advice would be to cut concentrate feeding around two weeks before turnout to grass.

But, in Ireland, the weather is ever changing and there is no guarantee that conditions will be settled at the end of the month.

Turnout plans can be easily delayed.

Wean gradually

So, rather than cut meal from stores completely, it is best to wean animals off concentrates ahead of turnout.

If stores are on 2kg to 3kg/day, cut the ration in half over the next two weeks, if the aim is to get animals out to grass at the end of March.

If turnout is delayed by one to two weeks, cattle performance will not be affected as much by cutting meal in half, compared with removing the ration completely from the diet.

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Phasing concentrates from store cattle diets will help smooth the transition to a grass-only diet at turnout time.