It has been a busy fortnight on the farm, as I am in the middle of a synchronisation and breeding programme for my spring-calving cows.
I have experimented with AI in the past and had reasonably good success. This year, I have decided to breed 40 cows to AI, which will take the pressure off stock bulls.
With fixed time AI, the job of heat detecting is removed
To aid heat detection, cows are being synchronised with CIDRs and will be served to fixed time AI. One reason for synchronising cows is that given the number of animals to be inseminated, it will make heat detection much easier.
Last year, I was watching cows for signs of heat. This is time consuming and with other jobs to complete, you can miss an animal now and then.
With fixed time AI, the job of heat detecting is removed. However, I did feel 40 cows were too many to handle as one group, so I have split the animals into two batches.
Group one
The first group consists of 19 cows, which are mainly black Limousins. The cows were brought in and given CIDRs on Monday 15 June.
CIDRs were removed after nine days on Tuesday 23 June. These cows are being inseminated on Thursday 25 June.
I am using the Beef Shorthorn sire Hussar on these cows. I have used this bull before and am pleased with the progeny he produces.
Group two
The second group of 21 cows is mostly red Limousin animals and had CIDRS inserted on Monday 22 June.
The plan is to remove the CIDRs on Tuesday 30 June and inseminate cows two days later. For this group, I am using the Charolais sire Solitude Narcos. Unlike Hussar, I have not used this animal before, but he has good figures for calving ease and growth.
Repeats
Hopefully, there will be a good number of cows settled in-calf to first service, leaving fewer repeats. At the minute, my plan is to give all repeats a second service to AI, before turning in a stock bull to sweep up.
Natural service
In total, there are 87 cows being bred this year. I still have two groups of cows running with stock bulls, plus my replacement heifers. There are 23 Angus-type cows running with a Limousin bull and the remainder are being served to an Angus stock bull.
CLDRS are inserted and removed after nine days with cows inseminated two days later.
Seven cows that calved this spring have been marked for culling and will not get a chance at breeding. My plan is to graze these animals and fatten the cows after weaning in autumn.
These cows are being culled for age and problems with udders. With a big group of heifers to potentially bring in as replacements, I decided to cull hard on the older animals in the herd.
Replacements
There are also 22 homebred replacement heifers retained for breeding and they are being served to an Angus stock bull.
I have a further three Angus heifers picked out for replacements. As these animals are sired by the Angus bull serving the main group of heifers, the three heifers are running with the group being served by the Limousin bull.
Weighing store cattle
I have 41 store bullocks at grass. These are the 2019 male calves and they are doing well, despite grass growth being under pressure this spring.
The bullocks went to grass on 30 March and when weighed on 7 June, the group averaged 448kg. This gives an average daily gain of 1kg/day at grass.
Bullocks have been wormed using a pour-on and are grazing on an outfarm. Grass covers are stronger than I would like, but as grass growth has been low, I decided against taking heavier covers out of the rotation and leaving a deficit.
Heifers
The replacement heifers were weighed before they went to the bull and averaged 430kg on 5 June. Weight gain since turnout on 30 March has been 0.76kg/day from a grass diet.
Heifers are well developed and have met their target breeding weight of 420kg.
There are 24 store heifers grazing and they gained 0.94kg from 30 March to 5 June
The focus will be on keeping them growing throughout the summer and winter, so they have no issues when they calve down at 24 months of age next spring.
There are 24 store heifers grazing and they gained 0.94kg from 30 March to 5 June, with the group averaging 363kg.
Silage
First-cut silage was completed back in mid May. Normally, I would ensile the same 50ac for first- and second-cut, but this year I bought 13ac of standing grass and put this in the clamp with my own silage.
I also closed off paddocks that got too strong for grazing and ensiled this along with first-cut, as it was more practical than taking out areas for bales.
Silage ground surrounding the yard got slurry and CAN with added sulphur
The extra grass is comforting to have in the pit, which is much fuller than previous years. There have been a few bales made in addition to the clamp for convenience.
Fields have been closed off for second-cut, with 50ac to be harvested in late July, weather depending.
Silage ground surrounding the yard got slurry and CAN with added sulphur.
Silage ground on the outfarms received a compound fertiliser, again with added sulphur to boost growth rates.
I have brought 10ac of silage ground into the grazing rotation in recent weeks, such has been the lack of grass growth.
Read more
Beef price update: grass growth reduces pressure to move stock
THRIVE: dairy calf to beef weekly roundup
It has been a busy fortnight on the farm, as I am in the middle of a synchronisation and breeding programme for my spring-calving cows.
I have experimented with AI in the past and had reasonably good success. This year, I have decided to breed 40 cows to AI, which will take the pressure off stock bulls.
With fixed time AI, the job of heat detecting is removed
To aid heat detection, cows are being synchronised with CIDRs and will be served to fixed time AI. One reason for synchronising cows is that given the number of animals to be inseminated, it will make heat detection much easier.
Last year, I was watching cows for signs of heat. This is time consuming and with other jobs to complete, you can miss an animal now and then.
With fixed time AI, the job of heat detecting is removed. However, I did feel 40 cows were too many to handle as one group, so I have split the animals into two batches.
Group one
The first group consists of 19 cows, which are mainly black Limousins. The cows were brought in and given CIDRs on Monday 15 June.
CIDRs were removed after nine days on Tuesday 23 June. These cows are being inseminated on Thursday 25 June.
I am using the Beef Shorthorn sire Hussar on these cows. I have used this bull before and am pleased with the progeny he produces.
Group two
The second group of 21 cows is mostly red Limousin animals and had CIDRS inserted on Monday 22 June.
The plan is to remove the CIDRs on Tuesday 30 June and inseminate cows two days later. For this group, I am using the Charolais sire Solitude Narcos. Unlike Hussar, I have not used this animal before, but he has good figures for calving ease and growth.
Repeats
Hopefully, there will be a good number of cows settled in-calf to first service, leaving fewer repeats. At the minute, my plan is to give all repeats a second service to AI, before turning in a stock bull to sweep up.
Natural service
In total, there are 87 cows being bred this year. I still have two groups of cows running with stock bulls, plus my replacement heifers. There are 23 Angus-type cows running with a Limousin bull and the remainder are being served to an Angus stock bull.
CLDRS are inserted and removed after nine days with cows inseminated two days later.
Seven cows that calved this spring have been marked for culling and will not get a chance at breeding. My plan is to graze these animals and fatten the cows after weaning in autumn.
These cows are being culled for age and problems with udders. With a big group of heifers to potentially bring in as replacements, I decided to cull hard on the older animals in the herd.
Replacements
There are also 22 homebred replacement heifers retained for breeding and they are being served to an Angus stock bull.
I have a further three Angus heifers picked out for replacements. As these animals are sired by the Angus bull serving the main group of heifers, the three heifers are running with the group being served by the Limousin bull.
Weighing store cattle
I have 41 store bullocks at grass. These are the 2019 male calves and they are doing well, despite grass growth being under pressure this spring.
The bullocks went to grass on 30 March and when weighed on 7 June, the group averaged 448kg. This gives an average daily gain of 1kg/day at grass.
Bullocks have been wormed using a pour-on and are grazing on an outfarm. Grass covers are stronger than I would like, but as grass growth has been low, I decided against taking heavier covers out of the rotation and leaving a deficit.
Heifers
The replacement heifers were weighed before they went to the bull and averaged 430kg on 5 June. Weight gain since turnout on 30 March has been 0.76kg/day from a grass diet.
Heifers are well developed and have met their target breeding weight of 420kg.
There are 24 store heifers grazing and they gained 0.94kg from 30 March to 5 June
The focus will be on keeping them growing throughout the summer and winter, so they have no issues when they calve down at 24 months of age next spring.
There are 24 store heifers grazing and they gained 0.94kg from 30 March to 5 June, with the group averaging 363kg.
Silage
First-cut silage was completed back in mid May. Normally, I would ensile the same 50ac for first- and second-cut, but this year I bought 13ac of standing grass and put this in the clamp with my own silage.
I also closed off paddocks that got too strong for grazing and ensiled this along with first-cut, as it was more practical than taking out areas for bales.
Silage ground surrounding the yard got slurry and CAN with added sulphur
The extra grass is comforting to have in the pit, which is much fuller than previous years. There have been a few bales made in addition to the clamp for convenience.
Fields have been closed off for second-cut, with 50ac to be harvested in late July, weather depending.
Silage ground surrounding the yard got slurry and CAN with added sulphur.
Silage ground on the outfarms received a compound fertiliser, again with added sulphur to boost growth rates.
I have brought 10ac of silage ground into the grazing rotation in recent weeks, such has been the lack of grass growth.
Read more
Beef price update: grass growth reduces pressure to move stock
THRIVE: dairy calf to beef weekly roundup
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