Finishing Bullocks

6nationschamps

Hi,

I am new to the finishing game have never done this before and have 9 angus bullocks all born feb-apr 2015, I am just wondering what would be my best method of finishing these animals? they all weigh around 400-450 at the moment and were outwintered. I just need some other peoples opinions on what they would do if in my position. My farm is QA and I am also part of the angus Scheme.

Thanks

CloughCasey1

6nationschamps wrote: »

Hi,

I am new to the finishing game have never done this before and have 9 angus bullocks all born feb-apr 2015, I am just wondering what would be my best method of finishing these animals? they all weigh around 400-450 at the moment and were outwintered. I just need some other peoples opinions on what they would do if in my position. My farm is QA and I am also part of the angus Scheme.

Thanks

Is the weight definate or a guess? I have 9 dairy born mostly hex feb-apr 15 and id be hoping they are well north of 600kg.

6nationschamps

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

Is the weight definate or a guess? I have 9 dairy born mostly hex feb-apr 15 and id be hoping they are well north of 600kg.

Just a guess to be honest with you but in my opinion they are not the strongest so couldn't see them being near 600kg they have rearly gotten meal at any stage on the farm.

What would you recommend me to do?

FarmerDougal

6nationschamps wrote: »

Just a guess to be honest with you but in my opinion they are not the strongest so couldn't see them being near 600kg they have rearly gotten meal at any stage on the farm.

What would you recommend me to do?

Graze over summer and a few kegs meal for last month

CloughCasey1

FarmerDougal wrote: »

Graze over summer and a few kegs meal for last month

Try and set up paddock grazing or rotate between a few 1acre fields and keep 10cm grass in front of them every few days. They will bomb on and 8weeks before finishing start off on 1kg meal and rise a kg every week to finish.

Picking Dasies

Hi,

Just wondering do AA cattle need to be finished at 370kg to avail of bonus schemes.

If not availing of scheme what weight and age are you trying to finish at?

FeelTheBern

Have few Piedmontese x heifers that i want to try to factory before they turn 30 months end Aug/start Sept. Started them on local co-op 15% Beef Nut last week and intend building them up. Not sure if they'll make fat score for me as very lean. Wondering whether that general nut for them or if I should be giving them something else, maybe higher energy? What should I be looking for? Thanks

Willfarman

FeelTheBern wrote: »

Have few Piedmontese x heifers that i want to try to factory before they turn 30 months end Aug/start Sept. Started them on local co-op 15% Beef Nut last week and intend building them up. Not sure if they'll make fat score for me as very lean. Wondering whether that general nut for them or if I should be giving them something else, maybe higher energy? What should I be looking for? Thanks

Get some barley with that nut and give them half and half.
Build them up to 4 kgs a day and they won't be so far off.

Bass Reeves

FeelTheBern wrote: »

Have few Piedmontese x heifers that i want to try to factory before they turn 30 months end Aug/start Sept. Started them on local co-op 15% Beef Nut last week and intend building them up. Not sure if they'll make fat score for me as very lean. Wondering whether that general nut for them or if I should be giving them something else, maybe higher energy? What should I be looking for? Thanks

Willfarman wrote: »

Get some barley with that nut and give them half and half.
Build them up to 4 kgs a day and they won't be so far off.

I would pull the nut completely unless it is sitting in a bin. Barley/maize/soya hulls ideally if you have a bin but if buying bags barley by itself or Barley/maize depending on price of maize in bags. Plenty of protein in grass still for finishing cattle. Ideall half a kg/ 100kgs LW/day so as not to be replacing grass. However rather than having them going in 2+ you could up it by a kg but you will be replacing grass in the diet.

cacs

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I would pull the nut completely unless it is sitting in a bin. Barley/maize/soya hulls ideally if you have a bin but if buying bags barley by itself or Barley/maize depending on price of maize in bags. Plenty of protein in grass still for finishing cattle. Ideall half a kg/ 100kgs LW/day so as not to be replacing grass. However rather than having them going in 2+ you could up it by a kg but you will be replacing grass in the diet.

I have a few to go now also. am i right in saying you would use straight barely. I have no way of mixing it. How many kg per day, how many kg would you start them on, how long would you build them up thanks

Muckit

If they are heifers, I'd feed straight barley and wouldn't be inclined to go over 2kg/hd/day. Keep the grass low and leafy and move them every 4-5days. You'll have them into 3+ no probs if they good ones.

cacs

Muckit wrote: »

If they are heifers, I'd feed straight barley and wouldn't be inclined to go over 2kg/hd/day. Keep the grass low and leafy and move them every 4-5days. You'll have them into 3+ no probs if they good ones.

I have a mixture of heifers and bullocks, dosing them and letting them into after grass this week. The heifers are around 450 kg the bullocks are around 550 all limx cross no dairy nice stock. Was going to give them a high maize nut but they never like them and can be slow to get in on them

Cavanjack

Will they eat the barley on its own if they have grass?
How are ye all feeding cattle outdoors (when we are on the subject). We've troughs made up with blue barrels and haul it to them in bags. Feeding a good few at the minute and it's grand this time of year but it's hardship as we get into the autumn if it gets wet and the poaching starts around the troughs.

Muckit

God l personally wouldn't even consider starting to finish those. I'd winter them on top quality silage only and finish them next spring off grass.

cacs

Cavanjack wrote: »

Will they eat the barley on its own if they have grass?
How are ye all feeding cattle outdoors (when we are on the subject). We've troughs made up with blue barrels and haul it to them in bags. Feeding a good few at the minute and it's grand this time of year but it's hardship as we get into the autumn if it gets wet and the poaching starts around the troughs.

I was going to use plastic cattle troughs from jfc the take a lot of abuse and are lite to move around was going to leave 750 kg meal bin in the field next door

cacs

Muckit wrote: »

God l personally wouldn't even consider starting to finish those. I'd winter them on top quality silage only and finish them next spring off grass.

No i am not going finishing them i want to nut them for six weeks in good grass and off to mart first week in September

Bass Reeves

Cavanjack wrote: »

Will they eat the barley on its own if they have grass?
How are ye all feeding cattle outdoors (when we are on the subject). We've troughs made up with blue barrels and haul it to them in bags. Feeding a good few at the minute and it's grand this time of year but it's hardship as we get into the autumn if it gets wet and the poaching starts around the troughs.

Yes cattle will eat barley by itself on grass,soyahulls as well by themselves. Maize is something I would always mix with something else.

cathal irwin wrote: »

No i am not going finishing them i want to nut them for six weeks in good grass and off to mart first week in September

If you are not finishing them I would use a good quality 15% nut or ration or Barley and soya bean meal 88/12% split. If they are only 450kgs you want to grow them. I would be slow to go over 2kgs /day as you are unlikly to see it back in the mart

Muckit

Cavanjack wrote: »

Will they eat the barley on its own if they have grass?
How are ye all feeding cattle outdoors (when we are on the subject). We've troughs made up with blue barrels and haul it to them in bags. Feeding a good few at the minute and it's grand this time of year but it's hardship as we get into the autumn if it gets wet and the poaching starts around the troughs.

Buy a length of 12" corripipe. They are 20' long. Rip it up the middle on both sides with jigsaw. Use the seam where it was fused together as a guide. Now you have two 20' lightweight troughs that are ideal for feeding along by an electric fence. Patent pending

Tomjim

started feeding 7 a week ago and I think I was giving them too much, bout 4kgs per head of maize meal and they seemed to have gone off it this evening. But when I let them out on fresh grass they ate the grass like mad.

Also 2 are inclined to get lame is this from the meal as well?