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Daily Weight Gain 2017 (Bullocks)

  • 03-01-2018 11:42PM
    #1
    T0001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 695 ✭✭✭


    Just finishing the accounts etc for last year for my grandfathers farm. I also do some stats from the year. We have a small enough farm and keep keep 30 odd bullocks (usually buy Oct-Mar and sell Jun-Nov), run of the mills stuff really.

    Last year the cattle averaged a daily weight gain of 0.74kgs of liveweight. Lowest was 0.56kg/day from an oul Hereford/Freisen that was quite poor (and in the end we just offloaded in the mart) and top was 0.94 from a good CH grading R+. Another CH was doing 0.90 but could have been kept another few weeks to get conformation score up.

    Little meal fed except for a bucket (8kg) a day to c.12 animals when a few would be close to slaughter.

    Average carcass weight was 326.9kg which was to be expected but overall we were pretty happy with the prices. Grades ranged from R+ to O=, and fat scores were either 3+ or 3=.

    I'm taking over the farm this year and I'm between two minds whether to proper feed cattle with meal in the run up to slaughter or continue on this.

    Just wondering if anyone else does this type of stats and analysis and what sort of DWG are you looking at?


Comments

  • #2
    Bass Reeves
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,981 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    If your fat scores are ok it is really up to you. However there has being reserch done that shows cann cattle can be fed about 1/2kg/100kgs LW with reducing grass intake. Weights gains are about what most get you may be able to push it a bit more by paddocks if not already in place. 2/3 of a kg to cattle like that will have little influence of final weight. Only way to see the results is to feed 3ish kgs of ration for 6-8 weeks before slaughter and see how it effect weights and grades. Biggest difference is that it will allow you to slaughter cattle earlier and maybe at a better price. using a barley/hulls mixture will cost about 30-35/head

    Slava Ukrainii



  • #3
    Muckit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,173 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Feeding meal is another job and usually requires to be done DAILY. If you weren't feeding meal you could push out herding to every 2nd or 3rd day ONCE you had allocated sufficient grass and have excellent fencing and watering arrangements. The procurement manager won't be checking your time card and paying you for the hours you have clocked in farming.

    You are the only one that can answer your own question in truth. As Bass has said the meal feeding you had been doing was harmless and the only good it did was hopefully it made it easier to get them into the pen before they went up the ramp.

    If you are happy with your cattle's performance to date, you should stick with this. And any changes you do make, ensure that you are getting a monetary return for the extra time and effort to do it. That's assuming you have the time to make these changes in the first place.


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