Calf to beef thread

weatherbyfoxer

With the new year finally in just wonder if people are planning on rearing many beef calves?,hoping to rear 40 here this year mainly Angus and Hereford

Milk replacer seems to be back a bit in price also..have been offered Grennans wonder thrive for €45 pet bag (pallet price)..anyone have much experienced of it?..foe the past few years we use shine once a day here usually but there is over €1000 in the price difference in a pallet compared to the grennans

TinyMuffin

My avonmore/glanbia/tirlan rep was telling me about the twenty20 scheme goin and told me to look into it. Sounds attractive.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556510#Comment_121556510

The rules about buying your inputs off tirlan is the bit I didn't like.The avantage scheme with abp is a bit more flexible doe

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556629#Comment_121556629

As well ABP scheme is a a straigh top up, the Tirlan scheme has maximum prices paid.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058329078/calf-to-beef-thread

I think you posted photos earlier in the year of your Calfs? How are they doing now at the time they looked like great cattle

funkey_monkey

Have had heifers in as drop calves previously. Switched to bull calves this year. Will be buying in another 12 or so in a month or two.

Probably LimX and BBx. Always a buyer for Lim's at the mart - we don't finish them ourselves.

What are people's thoughts on BB for calf to beef? Unless you buy off farm it's hard to be sure you are getting decent calves from British Friesan instead of Holstein or Jersey in some cases.

Good to read that milk replacer is back in price a bit.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556700#Comment_121556700

They are a mix of angus bullock and heifers. Were 245kg at the end of October.Currently on adlib red clover silage and a 1kg of maize finisher ration till the 1st of February..should be all killed by the end of November.

Usual it works out the heifers Average 0= 3+ 265kg and kill from September to the start of November and the bullocks average 0+ 3+ 320kg killing from October till late November

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556743#Comment_121556743

Blues are probably the hardest finished cattle out of a dairy cow in my experience.Wouldnt be a massive fan of calves out of real British friesian type cows as the calves can stay butty..a good square bf x ho cow will leave a bit more growth potential in her calf.Biggest enemy in Calf to beef is small carcasses I find

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556811#Comment_121556811

Agree with this re Blues if it's a steer system. The Fr cross just doesn't seem to work, you end up with all the LM HE AA finished and the blues hanging around over another winter. BB calves tend to be overpriced at purchase.

funkey_monkey

That was what we were finding too. Glad not the only ones.

I find that calves out of Holstein are narrow leggy things like racehorses.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556796#Comment_121556796

At what stage next autumn will you start feeding your bullocks and at a guess what weight would they be when you commence feeding?

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556936#Comment_121556936

They will all be 500kg+ and start meal in September

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121556796#Comment_121556796

What do tge heifers average 1220 ish ? and the Bullocks 1500?

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557040#Comment_121557040

Haven't sat down with all the factory dockets yet to work out an exact average from the 22 born ones but I say €1300 for heifer and €1500 for bullocks alright

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557028#Comment_121557028

So average 500kgs the start of September? I know someone that sent off heifers before Christmas that operates a system similar to yours and he got €1300, Angus heifers

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557220#Comment_121557220

Yea around 500kg average across bullocks and heifers.

morphy87

So the bullocks would be a bit heavier? Is there much of a difference between the Hereford and Angus?

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557287#Comment_121557287

The range within breed is huge. Herefords a bit slower to finish on average.

If you can get progeny from bulls with at least 10-13kg in the carcass weight figure they will be decent stock. Buy direct from farm if possible.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557437#Comment_121557437

What would AI Simmentals be like out of British freisian cows? You would imagine they should grade well

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557530#Comment_121557530

Slower than a long Christmas.

Their feed efficiency for finishing is poor as bullocks. Wouldn't be a fan to be honest, especially finishing younger.

Young bulls a different story probably.

The best Aubracs are looking good enough, worth a look.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557617#Comment_121557617

Have you ever had Simmentals before?

I presume if you were keeping them till they are nearly 30 months the Simmentals would be ok as they would carry weight

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557632#Comment_121557632

Had plenty of them as suckler progeny and they did well enough, but like you say they were mostly kept closer to 30 months. Bought only a handful after the cows were sold (they are surprisingly rare in the mart off dairy cows), but found them nothing too special.

OK for young bulls and older bullocks but struggle in that middle system. They won't make you up compared to other breeds.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557287#Comment_121557287

I find no difference in breeds to be honest but the angus will draw 10c more of a bonus and sometimes a better overall deal in the factory..bullocks would be 50kg more than the heifer towards the end but need more feeding to finish...most heifer are killed before the shed here where most bullocks are killed out of the shed in November

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557679#Comment_121557679

What about limousines? Have you ever had any of these. No the Simmentals out of freisian cows are very rare in the mart, so they would be ok if been brought close to 30 months

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121557867#Comment_121557867

We could be talking breed all week! The variation within breed is at least as important as the breed itself in calf to beef. Angus are simultaneously the best and the worst option from dairy herds.

My mix in recent recent years (unscientific) has been 60% good Angus, about 20% Fr ( get them early and cheap as part of the AA deal) and then a 20% mix of Aubrac/Limousin calves for the craic. Friesans hold their own when it's all added up.

Staying away from Blues, Simm and Char for the system. Will take Hereford buy don't go looking for them.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121558250#Comment_121558250

Correct when it comes to breeds there can be long discussion’s but interesting😀

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058329078/calf-to-beef-thread

Have bought 10 calves here before Christmas a mix of BB, SIM, LIM and Angus heifers. 6 were weaned and 4 on once a day milk. Intend to bull all the Simmentals and Blues and sell as in calf heifers and will try and finish the Limmys and Angus. Cows are for the road and I intend to rear 30 calves this year and possibly 40 next year. I have put in for TAMS for an auto feeder so if it goes OK this year I will get JFC feeder for 2025. I'm using Grennans milk replacer for the past few years and have had no issues with it. Only hiccup so far is that a couple of cows have calved early and I'm in two minds what to do with the cows and calves.

weatherbyfoxer

Anyone price milk replacer yet this year?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121558709#Comment_121558709

Let the cows rear the calves then fatten them and sell them to the factory or in the mart finished. I nit sure I be bulling heifers with the amount of lads leaving sucklers. I be trying to finish any cattle you buy

White Clover

I'd agree with Bass. I read somewhere that the St Stephen's day sale in Newport was poor. 3yr old incalf heifers made 1500 to 1800. I had 24 month Angus heifers that made almost 1700 3 weeks ago.

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121558952#Comment_121558952

Yeah that was where I was leaning, two beasts to sell and really the worst hardship is over.

A lot could change between here and 20/24 months time but I like the flexibility heifers give like you say if there's no market for bulling or in calf heifers you can push them on and finish them.

I'm hoping that the SCEP scheme will create a demand for starred heifers so I will have to genotype anything I wanna sell for that.