Spring 2015-born weanlings are now housed on nine of the 10 programme farms. The priority for these weanlings is to maintain an optimum level of performance over the winter feeding period.
For those cattle being finished as bulls, it is important to achieve the maximum weight gain possible. However, for those cattle going back to grass next spring, a balance has to be reached between achieving too much or too little daily weight gain.
Where performance is too high (greater than 0.7kg per day) it is unlikely that these animals will benefit from compensatory growth when turned out next spring.
On the other hand, if performance is too low (less than 0.4kg per day), although high levels of compensatory growth may be achieved, this may still not be enough to make up for the lack of performance over the winter. This will result in poorer overall lifetime performance.
Across the various programme farms, there are different target weight gains depending on expected turnout date and current cattle weights.
All farms have taken silage analysis to determine levels of concentrates required for individual groups. The level of concentrate supplementation is being dictated by silage quality, animal type and current weight.
For example, on some farms, replacement heifers are weighing 330kg. They are not due to be served until next June at 380kg. Given that most programme farms can normally get cattle turned out by April, these heifers only have to achieve very modest performance this winter.
Concentrate rations
Where concentrate rations are being fed, they are being front-loaded. The extra meal at the beginning of the winter allows the animal time to adjust to silage.
Cattle will all be weighed eight weeks post-housing. At this point, feeding levels will be reviewed.
Most cattle on the farm are now housed, with the exception of the stock bull and a batch of in-calf replacement heifers. They will be housed over the next week.
Although I am farming relatively dry land, the recent rainfall is resulting in some poaching.
I still have relatively good covers of grass, but I am not prepared to get these grazed off at the expense of damaging swards. This damage tends to recover poorly at this time of the year.
Weaning was mostly completed over the last two weeks of October by periodically taking away some of the cows from the herd and leaving the calves behind. This process was delayed for the youngest calves due to other work commitments, resulting in some calves being taken off just after the cows were housed on 2 November. This was much later than I had originally intended.
Given that I am still well below the potential stocking rate on this farm, and with lots of grass available during September and October, having cows sucking calves late worked out ok this year. However, those calves which were weaned at grass were under much less stress at housing. When stocking rates increase over the coming years, I intend to get calves weaned well in advance of housing.
Dosed
All calves were dosed using a moxidectin pour-on in the month leading up to housing. This means that these calves should be clear of worms and will now only require treatment for liver fluke.
For this, I am using a triclabendazole-based product. Although this requires cattle to be orally drenched, it means that all fluke can be cleared out from two weeks post housing, thereby reducing the damage earlier. Prior to weaning, calves were also treated for IBR and pneumonia with Bovilis IBR Live and Bovipast RSP.
Weight gain
Since joining the programme, I have been measuring weight gains to benchmark cattle performance against set targets and other farmers within the group.
At weaning all calves were weighed, with their weights corrected to 200 days. This weight is then taken as a percentage of the cow weight to give a weaning percentage. The higher the weaning percentage, the more efficient the cow is with 50% deemed to be the target.
The average for my herd was 39%, which is well below target and also back from the 45% achieved last year.
I have too many large cows in the herd, with many over 750kg which, while producing good weights for age, are just not as efficient as some of my more moderately sized cows. Culling some of these larger cows is not yet an option as I don’t have sufficient replacements to do so and I am trying to build cow numbers.
My future breeding programme will be based around two continental breeds, Simmental and Limousin, and one traditional breed, Aberdeen Angus. By selecting for estimated breeding values (EBVs) to moderate cow size and retain milking ability, I should get a more consistent cow type and still get the benefits of hybrid vigour. The cows weaning in excess of 50% are in the 600kg to 650kg bracket.
After weaning, cows were fed oat straw for five days, followed by some of the poorest quality silage harvested from excess grazing covers. Once this is finished, silage will be restricted to cows based on their condition score from now until calving.
There are some overfat cows to be pulled out this week for further restriction from now until January.
Removed
Calves are being fed good quality silage (dry matter 25%, protein 13.6, ME 11.3 and D-value 71), along with 1.5kg of concentrate.
If silage intakes are good and performance is exceeding 0.7kg per day by January, concentrate will be removed from the diet.
Young stock can generally be turned out here by March. Overfeeding and excessive winter weight gains will hamper the potential for compensatory growth from grass next spring.
Weighed on 10 November, steer and heifer calves are averaging 338kg and 318kg, respectively. Calves bred from artificial insemination (AI) have performed well and are helping to improve the quality of cattle on this farm.
Slaughtered
Five of the 2014 spring-born steers were slaughtered directly off grass in October. These averaged 364kg deadweight at 20 months. The remainder are housed and being fed 6.0kg of a high energy finishing blend, along with the same silage offered to weanlings.
Weighed on 9 November, these 2014-born cattle averaged 601kg. They are achieving an average weight gain of 1.4kg per day. I expect to have the majority slaughtered by the year end.
Heat detection is continuing in autumn-calving herds.Spring 2014-born cattle are now being slaughtered.Cattle are being monitored to ensure they don’t exceed factory weight limits.Where cows have shown feet problems since housing, they are being treated now.
Spring 2015-born weanlings are now housed on nine of the 10 programme farms. The priority for these weanlings is to maintain an optimum level of performance over the winter feeding period.
For those cattle being finished as bulls, it is important to achieve the maximum weight gain possible. However, for those cattle going back to grass next spring, a balance has to be reached between achieving too much or too little daily weight gain.
Where performance is too high (greater than 0.7kg per day) it is unlikely that these animals will benefit from compensatory growth when turned out next spring.
On the other hand, if performance is too low (less than 0.4kg per day), although high levels of compensatory growth may be achieved, this may still not be enough to make up for the lack of performance over the winter. This will result in poorer overall lifetime performance.
Across the various programme farms, there are different target weight gains depending on expected turnout date and current cattle weights.
All farms have taken silage analysis to determine levels of concentrates required for individual groups. The level of concentrate supplementation is being dictated by silage quality, animal type and current weight.
For example, on some farms, replacement heifers are weighing 330kg. They are not due to be served until next June at 380kg. Given that most programme farms can normally get cattle turned out by April, these heifers only have to achieve very modest performance this winter.
Concentrate rations
Where concentrate rations are being fed, they are being front-loaded. The extra meal at the beginning of the winter allows the animal time to adjust to silage.
Cattle will all be weighed eight weeks post-housing. At this point, feeding levels will be reviewed.
Most cattle on the farm are now housed, with the exception of the stock bull and a batch of in-calf replacement heifers. They will be housed over the next week.
Although I am farming relatively dry land, the recent rainfall is resulting in some poaching.
I still have relatively good covers of grass, but I am not prepared to get these grazed off at the expense of damaging swards. This damage tends to recover poorly at this time of the year.
Weaning was mostly completed over the last two weeks of October by periodically taking away some of the cows from the herd and leaving the calves behind. This process was delayed for the youngest calves due to other work commitments, resulting in some calves being taken off just after the cows were housed on 2 November. This was much later than I had originally intended.
Given that I am still well below the potential stocking rate on this farm, and with lots of grass available during September and October, having cows sucking calves late worked out ok this year. However, those calves which were weaned at grass were under much less stress at housing. When stocking rates increase over the coming years, I intend to get calves weaned well in advance of housing.
Dosed
All calves were dosed using a moxidectin pour-on in the month leading up to housing. This means that these calves should be clear of worms and will now only require treatment for liver fluke.
For this, I am using a triclabendazole-based product. Although this requires cattle to be orally drenched, it means that all fluke can be cleared out from two weeks post housing, thereby reducing the damage earlier. Prior to weaning, calves were also treated for IBR and pneumonia with Bovilis IBR Live and Bovipast RSP.
Weight gain
Since joining the programme, I have been measuring weight gains to benchmark cattle performance against set targets and other farmers within the group.
At weaning all calves were weighed, with their weights corrected to 200 days. This weight is then taken as a percentage of the cow weight to give a weaning percentage. The higher the weaning percentage, the more efficient the cow is with 50% deemed to be the target.
The average for my herd was 39%, which is well below target and also back from the 45% achieved last year.
I have too many large cows in the herd, with many over 750kg which, while producing good weights for age, are just not as efficient as some of my more moderately sized cows. Culling some of these larger cows is not yet an option as I don’t have sufficient replacements to do so and I am trying to build cow numbers.
My future breeding programme will be based around two continental breeds, Simmental and Limousin, and one traditional breed, Aberdeen Angus. By selecting for estimated breeding values (EBVs) to moderate cow size and retain milking ability, I should get a more consistent cow type and still get the benefits of hybrid vigour. The cows weaning in excess of 50% are in the 600kg to 650kg bracket.
After weaning, cows were fed oat straw for five days, followed by some of the poorest quality silage harvested from excess grazing covers. Once this is finished, silage will be restricted to cows based on their condition score from now until calving.
There are some overfat cows to be pulled out this week for further restriction from now until January.
Removed
Calves are being fed good quality silage (dry matter 25%, protein 13.6, ME 11.3 and D-value 71), along with 1.5kg of concentrate.
If silage intakes are good and performance is exceeding 0.7kg per day by January, concentrate will be removed from the diet.
Young stock can generally be turned out here by March. Overfeeding and excessive winter weight gains will hamper the potential for compensatory growth from grass next spring.
Weighed on 10 November, steer and heifer calves are averaging 338kg and 318kg, respectively. Calves bred from artificial insemination (AI) have performed well and are helping to improve the quality of cattle on this farm.
Slaughtered
Five of the 2014 spring-born steers were slaughtered directly off grass in October. These averaged 364kg deadweight at 20 months. The remainder are housed and being fed 6.0kg of a high energy finishing blend, along with the same silage offered to weanlings.
Weighed on 9 November, these 2014-born cattle averaged 601kg. They are achieving an average weight gain of 1.4kg per day. I expect to have the majority slaughtered by the year end.
Heat detection is continuing in autumn-calving herds.Spring 2014-born cattle are now being slaughtered.Cattle are being monitored to ensure they don’t exceed factory weight limits.Where cows have shown feet problems since housing, they are being treated now. 
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