I have an adviser (well probably more of a friend) who regularly challenges my farming activities. Probably like everyone else, I don’t like being criticised or told that I could do better.

While some people might get all defensive when being challenged, I try to do the opposite, and channel my energy into finding a way to make improvements.

For example, in recent years I have been trying to finish my spring-born male calves as under-16-month bulls. This has been working OK, but I have been told to try and get more weight gain from cheap grass, and be less reliant on expensive meal.

The lifetime weight gain of my bulls has been reasonable, but too much of it has been in the house and not enough at grass. Of course, it is always easier to blame the weather in Fermanagh than try to do something about it.

My adviser had two suggestions. One was to forward-creep the calves in front of the cows into the next paddock, while also feeding a little meal.

The other suggestion was to buy a creep feeder and feed the calves meal in that instead.

Some people might just jump at the opportunity to buy some nice new creep feeder, and I would certainly like to have one as well. I priced around, and to get a decent one you would have to pay over £2,000.

I just couldn’t justify that for something that I was only going to use for four to six weeks of the year. It would just sit rusting away the rest of the time.

So I had no other option but to try to get my calves to creep under the electric wire and feed a little meal that way.

Upgrade

I had upgraded my electric wire this year, and it is controlling the stock well. My first move was to put in a few bigger posts and raise the wire to try to encourage the calves to creep under it into the next paddock.

I tried pushing calves through, but after three weeks I only had two calves regularly going under the fence.

At this stage I introduced a couple of troughs and some meal as a means of enticing some more, but this only attracted birds and other vermin, not calves. So I got some help, and collectively we tried to drive most of the calves under the fence. It worked in some cases, but was very stressful on both man and beast.

I considered going back and buying a creep feeder, but I don’t like giving up.

So my final shot involved getting a short piece of electric wire and two hook handles. I hooked one end on the electric wire beside where it was raised. Most of the cows and calves came over for a nosey and I worked my way round them.

I pulled the wire tight and I had most of the cattle into a corner. I gradually let the cows out until I was left with just the calves. I moved in closer and the calves slipped under the raised wire.

I had them all through except three. They moved off to eat the fresh grass. I put meal in the troughs and some came back to eat it. It was one of those real moments of satisfaction you get in farming.

Next morning most of the calves were back with their mothers so I had another go and it worked again. I only had to do it once more, and then they were coming and going themselves.

Now they are in and out every day and eating meal and grazing two and three paddocks ahead of the cows. I am able to hold the cows tight without having any fear of affecting the thrift of the calves.

A small piece of wire and a couple of hook handles has saved me a couple of thousand pounds and hopefully I will have heavier calves at weaning as a result.

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