Finishing diet
Kieran Mailey on 23 Mar 2021
Beef management: making sure finishing cattle are not overstocked
Providing adequate lying space is something that is often overlooked in finishing cattle, yet will greatly hinder weight gain if not addressed.
Kieran Mailey on 02 Mar 2021
Beef management: time to make a call on finishing or grazing store cattle
For farmers with forward store cattle on farm, early March is a good time to make the call on whether these animals will be finshed out of the shed or go back to grass.
Kieran Mailey on 26 Jan 2021
Beef management: moving store cattle into the finishing period
Weighing store cattle and doing up a simple budget in early will leave farmers better placed when deciding if a margin can be made by finishing such animals out of the shed.
Darren Carty on 13 Jan 2021
Rubber slat mats deliver benefit in Teagasc finishing trial
A study carried out in grange recorded a 0.17kg higher daily liveweight in animals housed on rubber mats placed on concrete slatted floors compared to animals housed on just a concrete slatted floor.
Darren Carty on 03 Jan 2021
Bullocks slaughtered on Newford Farm sell for €70 per head higher than 2019
The final nine bullocks achieved an average carcase weight of 363kg at 22 months of age, while the last two slaughter-fit heifers averaged 344kg.
Kieran Mailey on 16 Dec 2020
BETTER Farm NI: busy breeding period for autumn cows
All autumn calving cows have been served on Oliver McKenna's farm with bulls being drafted for slaughter.
Darren Carty on 29 Nov 2020
Newford Farm update: 28 more cattle drafted for slaughter
A batch of nine bullocks achieved an average carcase weight of 363kg, while 19 heifers aged 21 months of age recorded a carcase weight of 313kg.
Declan Marren on 18 Nov 2020
Feeding beet in the finishing diet
Fodder beet is an excellent source of energy and has a lot to offer in cattle finishing diets. Declan Marren writes.
Darren Carty on 15 Nov 2020
Newford update: 14 more bullocks drafted at a carcase weight of 341kg
The bullocks, which averaged just 20 months, of age graded R=3-, killed out at 54% and had an average sale price of €1,341.
Darren Carty on 02 Nov 2020
Adhering to recommended stocking rates central to animal performance
Overstocking pens will result in the intake potential of some animals being compromised and will dent potential performance.
Darren Carty on 25 Oct 2020
Newford Farm update: 16 more animals drafted for slaughter
This week’s kill included nine heifers which averaged 293kg carcase weight, six cows averaging 308kg carcase weight and one bullock which killed at 344kg carcase weight.
Kieran Mailey on 21 Oct 2020
BETTER Farm NI: cattle housed for winter feeding
As the grazing season comes to a close, Co Antrim farmer Alastair McNeilly has been housing cattle for winter management.
Darren Carty on 11 Oct 2020
In pictures: 26 heifers drafted this week averaged 288kg carcase weight
The heifers were slaughtered off grass only. They achieved an average kill-out of 52% and graded R=3=.
Darren Carty on 10 Oct 2020
Attention returning to clean livestock policy
The manner in which lambs are managed in the final finishing phase, in the runup to slaughter and during transport can have a major effect on animals adhering to the policy.
Darren Carty on 30 Sep 2020
Sheep management: grass supplies and finishing lambs indoors.
It is a critical period for grassland management as failing to hit grass reserve targets will have knock-on consequences for the rest of the year.
Darren Carty on 23 Aug 2020
Post-sale management of weanlings to prevent health issues
Weanlings that have spent a long day in a mart are stressed, and being brought into a new environment means they are at greater risk of succumbing to health issues.
Darren Carty on 11 Jul 2020
Predicting kill-out percentages and marketing lambs at higher prices
A feature of the trade in recent weeks has been lambs moving at lighter carcase weights, but care should be taken to avoid lambs killing underweight.
Kieran Mailey on 13 Apr 2020
Beef management: moving bulls on to ad-lib feeding
Spring-born bulls being intensively fed for slaughter should now be on ad-lib concentrates.
Kieran Mailey on 01 Feb 2020
Five tips for moving cattle on to the finishing diet
When moving cattle from the store period to the intensive finishing phase, Kieran Mailey outlines some tips to help ease the transition in diet.
Darren Carty on 12 Jan 2020
Newford update: full analysis of 2019 slaughter performance
The last batch of 18 steers slaughtered on 30 December 2019 achieved an average carcase weight of 365kg and sale price of €1,410.