Heifers - Finish or Not?

Welding Rod

Looking for a bit of advice on finishing or not as the case may be.
I have 6 lim heifers between 17 and 18 months. They are 3 star BDGP so don’t fall into that market.
As I’m low in stock numbers now, I want to over winter them as opposed to selling now.
They average 485kgs and I’m not in the bord bia thing!
What’s the best option with these. Try to finish with meal and good May cut silage to get them away by April?
OR, silage only with. dust of meal, and summer graze for say August finish?
Any tips? I’m normally a weanlings seller, do not too clued into this kind of animal !
Thanks.

Bass Reeves

If they were mine Silage only for the winter of it anyway decent. Back to grass as early as possible and finish off grass with ration in August. Feed 3kgs of a barley/maize /hulls mixture for 8-10 weeks before slaughter

Cavanjack

Welding Rod wrote: »

Looking for a bit of advice on finishing or not as the case may be.
I have 6 lim heifers between 17 and 18 months. They are 3 star BDGP so don’t fall into that market.
As I’m low in stock numbers now, I want to over winter them as opposed to selling now.
They average 485kgs and I’m not in the bord bia thing!
What’s the best option with these. Try to finish with meal and good May cut silage to get them away by April?
OR, silage only with. dust of meal, and summer graze for say August finish?
Any tips? I’m normally a weanlings seller, do not too clued into this kind of animal !
Thanks.

If not Bord Bia approved I’d store them over the winter on a wee bit of meal and let them off in the spring

feartuath

What age would these go to the factory, generally speaking.

older by the day

feartuath wrote: »

What age would these go to the factory, generally speaking.

Their are some great lads here for figures, what will they make now , what will they make in spring if you feed in ration. And what will they make next August. Have you enough animals without them or will you have to buy in more to replace them.

Welding Rod

older by the day wrote: »

Their are some great lads here for figures, what will they make now , what will they make in spring if you feed in ration. And what will they make next August. Have you enough animals without them or will you have to buy in more to replace them.

I will have enough without them any time I sell them next year. That said, I would want them gone July / August at the latest.

Neddyusa

Welding Rod wrote: »

I will have enough without them any time I sell them next year. That said, I would want them gone July / August at the latest.

If they are 485kg now you should get them away on good grass alone killed next May/ June.
Good silage and minerals over the winter and out to grass mid march

Bass Reeves

Bass Reeves wrote: »

If they were mine Silage only for the winter of it anyway decent. Back to grass as early as possible and finish off grass with ration in August. Feed 3kgs of a barley/maize /hulls mixture for 8-10 weeks before slaughter

They would lose a good bit of condition surely without some meal over the winter?

Our stores and weanlings always get around 1.2kg a head right through the winter to keep decent condition before getting them out to grass (and maybe an odd bale) sometime in Feb.

hopeso

No point finishing them if you're not Bord Bia approved. No one will take them. You might get them away to a local butcher, but they'd probably be too heavy for that trade by the time they're finished...