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Breeding activity on-farm is extremely quiet at present, which I am hoping to be a sign that cows are settled in-calf.
Stock bulls went out with the cows on 12 May, so breeding is now in its 11th week. It will ideally finish up by the end of next week, resulting in a 12-week breeding period.
However, as there is virtually no activity at present, I am planning to leave the bulls with the cows for a few more weeks.
There are a couple of reasons for this decision. Firstly, it will serve as a safeguard in case there are cows suffering from early embryonic loss.
Secondly, it’s easier to leave the bulls with cows at grass, as they would have to be re-housed if they were removed.
Finally, it will give late-breeding cows a chance to go in-calf and these animals can be sold at a higher value, compared with selling empty cows off-grass in autumn.
Work to scanning date
However, while stock bulls will be allowed to run with cows beyond the target end date to breeding, this will not be used as an excuse to let the spring-calving period run beyond 12-13 weeks.
Cows will be scanned in mid-September, around 40-50 days after the end of the target breeding period.
This means scanning will identify which cows were served during the 12-week breeding period from mid-May to the end of July.
Scanning in September is convenient as the annual TB test is due and animals on out-farms will be brought back to the main yard
These cows will be held and calved down next year from February to late April. Any cows likely to go beyond this period will be identified and sold off-farm.
However, I would imagine that this would be confined to a very small number of animals, if any at all. Scanning in September is convenient as the annual TB test is due and animals on out-farms will be brought back to the main yard.
Breeding numbers
There were 112 cows put to the bull this summer. This breaks down to 30 replacement heifers and 82 cows.
The heifers are mainly homebred animals, along with eight bought-in Stabilisers which were purchased in early May.
Two Simmental bulls are running with 64 cows. The remaining 18 cows are not suitable for producing replacements and are running with a Charolais bull.
I have used AI in the past with heifers, but results have been mixed
He was purchased last autumn at the society sale and is bred from Blelack Digger, so he should be easy calving but still possess good terminal traits.
The heifers are being served by an Angus stock bull. I have used AI in the past with heifers, but results have been mixed. The stock bull is much easier on management.
The first of the 2018-born bulls were drafted for slaughter on 20 May. To date, 39 bulls have been slaughtered, with the last nine animals ready to be killed.
Slaughter data is outlined in Table 1 and broken down into breed type for the homebred animals, as there were a small number of bulls bought in last autumn to fill out a pen.
The homebred Simmental cross Limousin animals performed the best, producing the heaviest carcases at the youngest age.
Limousin bulls averaged 358.03kg carcase weight at almost 16-months-old
These animals averaged 387.47kg carcase weight at 14.5 months. The Angus bulls averaged 379.43kg carcase weight, but were one month older when slaughtered.
Limousin bulls averaged 358.03kg carcase weight at almost 16-months-old.
Given that bulls were on ad-lib concentrate feeding prior to slaughter, they would have been consuming 12kg-14kg in the final weeks prior to slaughter.
This year’s calf crop is now due a second worm dose, which will most likely be carried out next week
Taking a ration cost of £220/t, reducing the slaughter age by 30 days was a saving of 360kg-420kg of concentrate, worth £79.20-£92.40/head.
Factoring in the higher carcase weight at an average price of 330p/kg, along with the higher concentrate rate, the Simmental x Limousin bulls generated a margin of £189 over the Limousin bulls, and £119 over the Angus bulls.
This year’s calf crop is now due a second worm dose, which will most likely be carried out next week. At this point, I intend to separate the cow and calf groups into bull and heifer calves.
Creep feeders will then be introduced to bull calves to push weaning weights before housing in autumn. Heifers will remain on a grass diet until the housing period.
The first cut was mowed on 13 May and lifted two days later. In total, 77ac were ensiled and yields were good. Silage has now been analysed and quality is excellent.
Dry matter is 34.8%, protein at 15%, energy of 12.2 Mj ME, with an overall D-Value of 76.
This will provide top-class feed throughout winter for growing stock and early spring-calving cows.
Second-cut silage was harvested on 8 July with 58ac ensiled and yields similar to, if not higher, than the first cut. This fodder will be analysed next month.
I may take a third cut of bales from 12ac of outlying fields that are less practical for grazing.
All silage ground will now rejoin the grazing block. Grass growth has been excellent over the summer and no fertiliser is being applied at present.
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