Weaning Sucklers

blue5000

In the process of weaning sucklers, most calves are on meal. Problem is couple of calves are too big for the creep feeder. Any tips?

pakalasa

Good complaint to have. I had one very big guy this year. Just had to open the gate to let him to the trough.:D Wouldn't mind that compaint.

430Kgs he was at 8 months. Born 21 March, sold today. He was never in a shed, born and sold off the grass. It's the little things that can make your day.:rolleyes:

BeeDI

pakalasa wrote: »

Good complaint to have. I had one very big guy this year. Just had to open the gate to let him to the trough.:D Wouldn't mind that compaint.

430Kgs he was at 10 months. Born 21 March, sold today. He was never in a shed, born and sold off the grass. It's the little things that can make your day.:rolleyes:

Contracts. What breed and what price? How was sale in general? Ennis I presume!

reilig

If you have them off the cows then just give the ration to them twice a day in a trough. It will mean that all calves will have equal access to the meal instead of the bigger calves hogging the creep and eating all in it before the other calves can get in.

Be careful if you are raising the bar on the creep to let taller calves in - if a cow gets in, it can be a hell of a mess and she can cause serious injury to herself and to you when you try to get her out.

kboc

pakalasa wrote: »

Good complaint to have. I had one very big guy this year. Just had to open the gate to let him to the trough.:D Wouldn't mind that compaint.

430Kgs he was at 8 months. Born 21 March, sold today. He was never in a shed, born and sold off the grass. It's the little things that can make your day.:rolleyes:

Weight gain of 1.9 kg/day. Is this a better than norm figure from weanling off grass?

pakalasa

BeeDI wrote: »

Contracts. What breed and what price? How was sale in general? Ennis I presume!

Ai bred Charolais (HWN) out of a smallish black limousin cow. He was greyish in colour too, which kind of went against him. He made 770 Euro, average enough I guess. Never had one over 400 Kg before, so happy with that.
For the record the cow had loads of milk, he was on a bit of creep meal, from a trough not a hopper.

Yep Ennis, poorer trade I thought during the day, but picked up a bit later on. 3 rings going too. Had to queue to even use the power washer.

BeeDI

pakalasa wrote: »

Ai bred Charolais (HWN) out of a smallish black limousin cow. He was greyish in colour too, which kind of went against him. He made 770 Euro, average enough I guess. Never had one over 400 Kg before, so happy with that.
For the record the cow had loads of milk, he was on a bit of creep meal, from a trough not a hopper.

Yep Ennis, poorer trade I thought during the day, but picked up a bit later on. 3 rings going too. Had to queue to even use the power washer.

Ya, price bit dissapointing. Colour went against him more than anything I'd say. I was interested in your's, because I have a heay guy myself to get rid of. Off my own Charley bull who is a son of CF52. Breeding ok. 50% of the calves are very good, 50% I'd class as ok. Then I have 3 out of AI, and 2 of the three are only ok...ish.
Anyway I weighed my big guy on Sunday. 452kgs born Jan 31. Weaned over a month now, and on 2kgs meal. Thing is he has absolute UNREAL bone!! Huge length and height. No cover of flesh to talk about. Make a great feeder. I'm bringing him home if he don't go over €850. I'd say he's coming home, for me to lose money on him:rolleyes:

Muckit

pakalasa wrote: »

he was on a bit of creep meal, from a trough not a hopper./QUOTE]

Do the calves go under a elec fence or through a creep gate then or what or how do you keep the cows from it Pakalasa?

pakalasa

Muckit wrote: »

pakalasa wrote: »

he was on a bit of creep meal, from a trough not a hopper./QUOTE]

Do the calves go under a elec fence or through a creep gate then or what or how do you keep the cows from it Pakalasa?

I use a creep gate. It's home made, an old house gate that I cut a few vertical bars from. I move it around from field to field. I open the normal 12" gate and tie the creep gate between the latch side of the gate and the post. Simple really. Other fields then I put it going into the yard or holding pen.
I start feeding mine on Sept 1st, giving them very little over a longer time. That way come weaning they are well trained to it. So even if it is raining, it's well eaten before it gets spoiled.

Bizzum

I read over the few weanling weights here a couple of days ago and it prompted me to weigh one of the weanling bulls at home, the best one.

Born Nov 09, by Charolais stock bull (Enfield Newlook), out of a Blonde X Lim cow. Weaned 12 weeks now (pity I didnt think of this straight off the cow!) eating 2.5KG meal. Weighed 600KG today.

Pity we cant have them all like him.

Muckit

Bizzum wrote: »

eating 2.5KG meal.
Pity we cant have them all like him.

I wouldn't like them eating this much meal and eating into my profits

bud10

Muckit wrote: »

I wouldn't like them eating this much meal and eating into my profits

Well at this stage, i think he would probably be better at finishing him himself especially at that weight 600kg, unless there is a specific buyer lined up to give a good price.

Bizzum

We always found that meal feeding paid for itself with the bull weanlings, particularly with our current Charolais bull who is bringing plenty of growth.

pakalasa

2.5 Kg of a €220 / Tonne mix is costing you €0.55 per head a day.

If the bull is putting on 1.5Kg per day and selling price is €1.8/Kg liveweight. Thats €2.70 extra per day. Thats about a 5:1 ratio.
Now I know the whole 1.5Kg isn't coming from the meal, but even an extra 0.3 Kg per day weight gain is the break-even point.

Well worth feeding meal to weanlings before selling in my opinion. Easier to wean them too and they're less likely to get pneumonia as the meal keeps them warm.