Calf to beef thread

weatherbyfoxer

The mectin based products are the ones that cause the problem with a large burden of lungworm..levamisole and albenzole type products are safer for treating lungworm. Injectable and pour on ivermectin produce over use is a massive problem in this country..Haven't used a a ivermectin type product in 5 year on cattle here and dung samples are showing great results from levamisole and albenzole type doses

weatherbyfoxer

First few heifers nearly ready for the factory all late February 23 born and weight an avrage of 488kg 1 month ago..on 4kg of meal since weighing.what do people think of them for fat cover?..was planning on killing them all in 2 weeks

Anto_Meath

I was reading on Argiland the minister for agriculture is undecided on how to give the €40 for dairy beef calves. Maybe €20 for the breeder of the calf like this year and €20 for the farmer who rears the calf like last year. In reality is the €20 for the breeder of the calf any incentive to the dairy farmer?

mr.stonewall

I think the €40 should go to the rearer. I the past I would have been leaning towards the breeder and rearer.

A carefully designed scheme, which focuses on carcass weight confirmation index, genotyped with a CBV. Calves with valves which are below a certain tolerance from with the dam or sire would not be eligible. The reasoning for this is very simply to encourage breeding a better calf, with better beef potential from both the dam and sire. This would remove eligibility for calves in the following scenarios,

Farmer using a very easy calving bull with poor carcass weight and poor confirmation, especially with heifers

Farmer with a high% jex crossbred herd, expecting serious money by horsing in BB straws. Remember Aidan Brennan from the FJ this spring and is CBV comments

Not paying this on FR bull calves. Or just pay it on a low total % of calves purchased. This tightens the market for FR Bulls and forces more sexed semen

The focus on better calves has to be simple both sire and dam. Calf to beef farmers have to be asking for more data on the calves they are taking. If they are to claim this money they have to be rearing or requesting a genetically superior calf to qualify for this. Basically the top 50% of calves born should qualify. This adds a premium to these and moves the dial

If dairy farmers are realising that the direction in this way with getting calves moved and the day of the boat is disappearing, better consideration will be given breeding choices both towards replacement and terminal

ginger22

On the one hand the Government want to reduce livestock numbers and on the other they want to keep the calves in the country.

You couldn't make it up.

morphy87

What would most people give there dairy beef Calfs for the winter, nuts or ration? What percentage nut or ration would you give? I’ll be throwing this on top of silage, they are currently getting a nut

nhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723376#Comment_122723376

We feed nuts from when they come onto the farm at about 4-5 weeks of age until housed in late November (weather dependent), once in the slatted shed they only get silage, good grass when out & no nuts again until about 8 weeks before finishing….

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723479#Comment_122723479

What weights did your cattle average this year at sale, or did you do an total average?

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723376#Comment_122723376

Depends on weight of calf and silage quality.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723376#Comment_122723376

I give a little over 2lb of an 18% nut from Grennans to all weanlings. They really lick the troughs clean and they shine off it. And early May cut silage off reseeded ground. Average weight gain over last 2 winters was .625kg a day. I cut back to 1lb about 6 weeks before they go out and to zero 4 weeks before turnout.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723526#Comment_122723526

If they were 250kgs and silage was average,but I’m hoping to have top quality silage for the weanlings

morphy87

Did you ever test the silage that you feed them? Do you creep feed them on the cows?

limo_100

Was looking for information online about bb x fr dairy crosses have any on here took them all the way through to slaughter and how do they compare to the AA and HE for grade and carcass weight? any issues with them staying butty?

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747134#Comment_122747134

I haven't finished them myself but the concensus among those who did was that they are terrible hard to get a decent fat cover.

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747147#Comment_122747147

thanks it’s actually hard to find information on them. Sounds like the aa and he are the better option all round so.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747134#Comment_122747134

Stay well clear in my opinion,had them here in the past and they are hardest animals to fatten.id sooner a good freisian bull calf

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747523#Comment_122747523

thanks good to get that feedback I’ll stay clear of them so. Just thought they might go into an r grade but they probably wouldn’t even make that grade. Plus there’s no bonus on them from the society schemes

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747134#Comment_122747134

I them as heifers got them into 3-/=, I actually found it harder to finish Fr this year. Ya you get the O+/R grade. When you are buying stores its all about a goat will leave the same profit as anything else if it comes in at the right price.

Themselves a lot of dairy cross LM and SI take a bit of finishing. I be wanting to buy at about 20% less than good HE or AA. Watch all cattle now off FRX as frames can be small actually all cattle light for there age should be treated similar. Nothing wrong with buying them just presume they will hang light

sandman30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747134#Comment_122747134

Farmer Phil had a recent video up about them. They were the slowest growing of all his calves and he won't be buying again.

Anto_Meath

I have had them & happy enough with them. Let them run to 29 months 27 days. But they done well with me, had some R2+. I find with continental bred cattle, they eat more meal but they also convert it better to weight & grade. Any BBx, LMx dairy animal I have killed has alway met my expectations or exceeded them on the kill sheet. I have been disappointed with some HEx (O-) and Frs (very hard to get above a P with these now) over the years.

As Bass said it's all about the frame with any animal you are buying, you need something that will carry weight.

MfMan

Seen this mentioned / advertised recently. Anyone used anything like this? Wonder would it be good for calming wilder beasts.

https://ferappease.com/

jfh

Transitioning from sucklers with contentials, so questioning whether it would be beneficial to delay castrating my bucket reared fr & aa, there are 6 + months old, was considering leaving them bulls till the spring and banding them then, they would thrive better over the winter, anyone else do this?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122749707#Comment_122749707

You are more like to have an issue with banding, we have milder weather so flies around from mid April. I have seen lads use the lamb rings on them as calves saves all the hassle. Used to do it one time ya a bit of extra growth but it adds to management issues keeping them away from heifers etc. Even if you castrated them in mid April they are still capable of bulling a heifer for 6 weeks

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122749707#Comment_122749707

unless you’re planning to finish as bulls (which you’re not) I’d castrate now before they go into the shed. At just over 6 months, it won’t take too much out of them and they’ll more than make up for it when they hit the grass next spring.

jfh

Thanks lads, all good points, just surmising if worth it

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122747690#Comment_122747690

Yeah I seem that but was giving the blues the benefit of the doubt as there can be poor performers in all breeds

limo_100

Fact its from the states I would say there is something in that would illegal here to use

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122750954#Comment_122750954

Is there many CHxFR calves anymore

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122751283#Comment_122751283

I tried the ch x fr myself and I found that they remained very biased to the fr. Wasn't overly happy with there performance but I also didn't take them to slaughter I sold them at 500-550 store bullocks maybe I missed out on the bigger payout

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122751406#Comment_122751406

I had them myself a few years ago, out of British freisian cows, they weighed very well and all graded Rs