All cattle are now housed on Tullamore Farm. A group of in-calf heifers were the last cattle to be housed last weekend. These heifers have been housed in a straw-bedded shed and will swap with cows coming close to calving when these heifers will go to slats. This shed will be bedded with peat for cows coming close to calving in January. A group of cull cows are currently housed on peat and will be finished by Christmas.

Heifer weanlings are continuing to progress through the redstart, with the fence being moved four metres per day. Bales had been placed eight metres apart, which means heifers are getting a bale of silage every second day. A round feeder is being used to feed silage.

Two rogue heifers were breaking through the fence at night, but lowering the fence has curtailed this. The heifers also got a mineral bolus and a fluke and worm dose last week.

Dairy x beef

Twenty-one dairy x Aberdeen Angus and Hereford heifers were pulled out for slaughter this week. They are due to be slaughtered next Monday. These heifers were weighed last week and weighed 503kg on average. The lightest heifer was 470kg and the heaviest tipped the scales at 590kg.

The remaining 24 heifers are being fed first cut silage and 6kg of finishing ration. The remainder of these heifers will be slaughtered by the end of the year as this shed is needed for cows calving. Bull calves are housed on slats with rubber mats. They are on first cut silage and 3kg of a 15% ration.

Pneumonia

Two of the lightest calves in the group had a slight case of pneumonia at the weekend and were treated with antibiotics and placed in a straw-bedded isolation pen. Plans are being put in place to convert a dry shed into a creep area alongside a slatted shed. This is being put in place to have options for calved cows in early spring if turnout is delayed.

Rams will be left out until 30 November which will mean lambing should be finished in five weeks in 2019.