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Stocking rate for yearlings

  • 19-04-2022 7:23pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭


    A friend of mine has 12 acres, reseeded last year, good land and very sheltered, he wants to know would I be interested in taking it with the maps included,I am just wondering how many yearling cattle could i graze comfortably on it for the year?



Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,619 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    Is it in paddocks or would you be strip grazing?

    Or just leave them off into the whole 12 acres and shut the gate?

    I would say 20-30 for the summer months anyway but depends on the above approach, how much fertiliser you might spread, and what weight the yearlings are.

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭morphy87


    They will probably be around 300kgs, and the 12 acres will be spilt in to 4 paddocks



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,611 ✭✭✭Mooooo


    Yearlings would be 0.7 of a lu so if stocked at a lu/ acre it 17 for the year. In the summer once applying fert you could up that to 25 prob or else you may be topping or taking out a bit of grass to manage peak growth with new grass but the number would have to drop as the autumn comes



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,619 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    Maybe try 20 and see how they go for a few weeks. If grass is getting ahead, you could always drop out one of the 4 paddocks for bales

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭morphy87


    Since he reseeded it I would probably spread a bag and a half of 18 6 12 and I probably would spread a bit of nitrogen as well, now this is very good land, very sheltered, or would I be better to go with maybe 15 yearlings and 15 calfs?



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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭morphy87


    Yeah that could be a good option and the silage should be good quality as well



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,619 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    Might be harder to give the calves a few nuts/meal if they were mixed in with the yearlings. Just on nitrates and stocking levels, I think 1 calf + 1 yearling = 1 LU, so going on that you could have 15-20 calf/yearling pairs.

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,611 ✭✭✭Mooooo


    Calves and yearlings would want to be in leader follower system. As soon as yearlings finish move on the calves and put in the yearlings. Give calves a better chance. May have to subdivide to more than 4 paddocks tho. Parasite strategy important of you have the place for a few years. First few may be okay but burden would increase after that. Wpuld only hold that many for the summer really, yearlings or calves would have to come away as growth slows



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭morphy87


    Well if I was going to do that I would be spilting them,by I wouldn’t be letting calfs out till probably June as if I was purchasing calfs they would be late calfs



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭morphy87


    If I was going to try that system maybe 10 calfs and 10 yearlings and see how it goes,I never have any issues with my cattle when it comes to parasite controls,it would probably be June before I would be letting out calfs as I would be purchasing late calf’s so I might get away with it



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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,167 ✭✭✭Good loser


    Wouldn't mix unless it was real easy to bring in calves for treatment. It might only be pink eye but I would say on average calves would need treatments 3 times as often as yearlings.



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