Beef General Thread

just do it · 10-05-2015 08:54PM

Kovu wrote: »

And now we play the guessing game :P

Ah sure there are plenty on here that have me well sussed already

Who'd I'd love to know are the local ones that never reveal themselves

I said · 10-05-2015 10:47PM

With this weather I'm feeding the heavier steers 2kg a day grass growth has slowed right down.

Tornbrook · 11-05-2015 11:40AM

Dear All,

novice farmer here.

I bought a 13 month old heifer at the weekend. LMX , from AI bull OZS and the dam is a good crossbred cow.

Does anyone here weight heifers before AI?

In terms of age , I have more that one experienced voice saying not to bull her until 2years old , and one dissenting voice saying put her in calf now, personally I'm leaning toward putting her in calf now.

opinions on the comments above are welcome.

bogman_bass · 11-05-2015 11:59AM

Tornbrook wrote: »

Dear All,

novice farmer here.

I bought a 13 month old heifer at the weekend. LMX , from AI bull OZS and the dam is a good crossbred cow.

Does anyone here weight heifers before AI?

In terms of age , I have more that one experienced voice saying not to bull her until 2years old , and one dissenting voice saying put her in calf now, personally I'm leaning toward putting her in calf now.

opinions on the comments above are welcome.

if she is 13 months now she'd only be calving at 22months which is too young.

She wants to be 60% of her final mature weight at breeding.

Either wait a couple of months and have an april calver or let her run onto the autumn

Muckit · 11-05-2015 12:03PM

There are so many factors to consider. Of course her size and frame will dictate a lot.

It also comes down to personal preference. Many breeders,including prue bred ones, wouldn't dream of putting a heifer in caf until over the 2years old. Others would want a calf on the ground at that stage.

The goal is for a live calf anyways whatever age the heifer is inseminated.

Tornbrook · 11-05-2015 12:39PM

Muckit wrote: »

There are so many factors to consider. Of course her size and frame will dictate a lot.

It also comes down to personal preference. Many breeders,including prue bred ones, wouldn't dream of putting a heifer in calf until over the 2years old. Others would want a calf on the ground at that stage.

The goal is for a live calf anyways whatever age the heifer is inseminated.

thanks muckit.

The heifer has a decent frame, as a rough estimate i'd say she is 400kg / 420kg.

I had trouble last year with a PB limo heifer bred at 17 months, very very hard to get back in calf.
If I use an easy calving AA bull with short gestation, I could leave her until late july this year and still have a calf in mid / late april.

LivInt20 · 11-05-2015 12:42PM

Tornbrook wrote: »

Dear All,

novice farmer here.

I bought a 13 month old heifer at the weekend. LMX , from AI bull OZS and the dam is a good crossbred cow.

Does anyone here weight heifers before AI?

In terms of age , I have more that one experienced voice saying not to bull her until 2years old , and one dissenting voice saying put her in calf now, personally I'm leaning toward putting her in calf now.

opinions on the comments above are welcome.

What weight? Answer 400kgs

Yes Bull her. Plenty big at 400 kgs. Age doesn't matter.

Charliebull · 11-05-2015 01:16PM

Tornbrook wrote: »

Dear All,

novice farmer here.

I bought a 13 month old heifer at the weekend. LMX , from AI bull OZS and the dam is a good crossbred cow.

Does anyone here weight heifers before AI?

In terms of age , I have more that one experienced voice saying not to bull her until 2years old , and one dissenting voice saying put her in calf now, personally I'm leaning toward putting her in calf now.

opinions on the comments above are welcome.

What is your target calving time, spring or autumn, if it's spring I would hold fire and bull her in January which would still give you a nice young heifer

Tornbrook · 11-05-2015 01:43PM

Charliebull wrote: »

What is your target calving time, spring or autumn, if it's spring I would hold fire and bull her in January which would still give you a nice young heifer

Thanks Mr Bull
Spring calving here, usually start in early March.

I'm slightly confused, are you suggesting that I bull my heifer next january, with a view to having a Nov born calf?

Charliebull · 11-05-2015 10:17PM

Tornbrook wrote: »

Thanks Mr Bull
Spring calving here, usually start in early March.

I'm slightly confused, are you suggesting that I bull my heifer next january, with a view to having a Nov born calf?

Lol mr bull, I like it,

Yes let her calve down a couple months earlier than the main herd the first time which will bring her in line with main herd on second gestation

If it was me I'd bull her in end feb/ early march, but look everyone differs , my cows calve feb/march and all maidens get bulled here to calve in December beforehand,

Miname · 11-05-2015 10:33PM

She's big enough at 400 kg. give her an easy calver like sh or speckled park, I'm personally not overdone on aa. You'll find she might have been lying in the rushes for a while before registering.

Kovu · 11-05-2015 10:40PM

Lad beside me here just had a v muscley bb heifer calve at 17 months and her on a few kg of beef nuts a day all winter. Calved a little ch herself, her elder was only noticed a few days before she calved so she never even seen a hay diet.
If you tried to get that to happen again it wouldn't!

Willfarman · 11-05-2015 10:43PM

Kovu wrote: »

Lad beside me here just had a v muscley bb heifer calve at 17 months and her on a few kg of beef nuts a day all winter. Calved a little ch herself, her elder was only noticed a few days before she calved so she never even seen a hay diet.
If you tried to get that to happen again it wouldn't!

Lovely to see something like that.

Kovu · 11-05-2015 10:45PM

Willfarman wrote: »

Lovely to see something like that.

I'll be dehorning her in a couple of weeks so I'll get a pic if I can.

Tornbrook · 12-05-2015 04:14PM

Miname wrote: »

She's big enough at 400 kg. give her an easy calver like sh or speckled park, I'm personally not overdone on aa. You'll find she might have been lying in the rushes for a while before registering.

Was thinking of a Blonde, progressive genetics have an easy calving bull Lockhead tyson.

AA bull RGZ has very short gestation,might pull back the calving date and easy calving.

High bike · 12-05-2015 09:58PM

I'm with miname on this ,if she's over 400kg's she' big enough to bull next month but I'd be going an easy calving AA to give her a chance 1st time

just do it · 17-05-2015 11:02PM

Just in from driving a few fencing posts. Up at 5.30 to put up the wire and move cattle by 7am. Then breakfast, 10 minutes of penalties, shower and off to work.

Who'd be a part-time farmer?!

White Clover · 17-05-2015 11:05PM

just do it wrote: »

Just in from driving a few fencing posts. Up at 5.30 to put up the wire and move cattle by 7am. Then breakfast, 10 minutes of penalties, shower and off to work.

Who'd be a part-time farmer?!

penalties ??

Bullocks · 17-05-2015 11:08PM

just do it wrote: »

Just in from driving a few fencing posts. Up at 5.30 to put up the wire and move cattle by 7am. Then breakfast, 10 minutes of penalties, shower and off to work.

Who'd be a part-time farmer?!

Feck that for a game of soldiers ! Did you start milking yet ?
Would a few pigtails and electric wire have done short term instead of late night and early morning driving stakes

just do it · 17-05-2015 11:10PM

White Clover wrote: »

penalties ??

With my young Messi

just do it · 17-05-2015 11:12PM

Bullocks wrote: »

Feck that for a game of soldiers ! Did you start milking yet ?
Would a few pigtails and electric wire have done short term instead of late night and early morning driving stakes

Family first, work second, exercise third and farm fourth. There's the priorities. Pigtails don't work well at corners.

White Clover · 17-05-2015 11:13PM

just do it wrote: »

With my young Messi

Most important 10 minutes so :-)
Hope he scores em all !

Bullocks · 17-05-2015 11:16PM

just do it wrote: »

Family first, work second, exercise third and farm fourth. There's the priorities. Pigtails don't work well at corners.

I'm getting lazy and making them work . If I have to I use 2 - one as an anchor and tie the corner one like you would tie a tent off a peg .

Mad4simmental · 04-07-2015 10:25PM

Thinking of creep feeding the calves soon. What are you using/have you used? Would a 3:1 barley soya mix be abit to harsh on their stomachs adlib?

Kovu · 04-07-2015 10:28PM

Depends on the age M4S, our three youngest went into the creep last week (only a couple of kg a day going into for the older ones, beef nut/ration mix) and gave them a dirty grey scour.

Mad4simmental · 04-07-2015 10:56PM

4 to 6 months old. More of them on the 5/6 month old side.

Kovu · 04-07-2015 11:01PM

I'm not too great on the self mixes as we always use a nut but would barley not be a bit harsh on their stomach? Would they be tempted enough to eat it is the second question :P

Base price · 04-07-2015 11:21PM

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Thinking of creep feeding the calves soon. What are you using/have you used? Would a 3:1 barley soya mix be abit to harsh on their stomachs adlib?

I wouldn't go with 3:1 to start off with. Soya meal is not that palatable and you could turn them off before you start. Many years ago a nutritional advisor told me not to include more than 20% soya meal. I also found that younger stock are more inclined to leave the soya meal in the end of the trough.
I would go with straight barley (rolled) first and then slowly introduce the soya meal t build up the protein content.
We always feed rolled barley to calves and young stock and have no issues.

Good loser · 05-07-2015 12:24AM

Base price wrote: »

I wouldn't go with 3:1 to start off with. Soya meal is not that palatable and you could turn them off before you start. Many years ago a nutritional advisor told me not to include more than 20% soya meal. I also found that younger stock are more inclined to leave the soya meal in the end of the trough.
I would go with straight barley (rolled) first and then slowly introduce the soya meal t build up the protein content.
We always feed rolled barley to calves and young stock and have no issues.

No need for protein meal (the soya) on grass.

Base price · 05-07-2015 12:37AM

Good loser wrote: »

No need for protein meal (the soya) on grass.

Agree with you but in OP's case we are now in July and grass quality is not what it was a month or two ago. By the time his calves have got used to the creep system, grass quality will continue to deteriorate so if I was in his shoes I would be adding soya bean and a mineral unless they got smalltrace or similar bolus.

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