Michael & Niall Biggins September/October update
Performance
- Ensuring good weight gain of the weanlings and weanling management
- Weanling weights for 2022
Animal Health
- Scanning highlights sub-fertile bull
- Course of action to maintain cow numbers for 2023
Grassland
- Advance purchase of fertiliser for 2023
- Plenty of grass on the farm and good grazing conditions
Performance
In September the weanlings bulls and heifers were separated into 2 groups . All were weighed and while the heifers exceed the target weight at 253kgs the bulls were below target at 277kgs. The average daily gain for the heifers is 1.05kgs and 1.15kgs for the bulls. In order , to push the bull weanlings they will be weaned at the end of September and the meal will be increased to 2kgs/day. As the bull weanlings will be sold later in the year- good weight gain is very important. The heifer weanlings are on 1kgs/day.
All weanlings are forward -grazed ahead of the cows. There are a number of advantages
- Weanlings get access to the most palatable grass
- Easier and controlled feeding of meal- all can access the troughs
- Breaks the maternal bond making weaning less stressful
- Cows mob up and graze out the swards tightly
Picture: Forward creep gate
The calves have received their first shot for IBR and RSP on September 1st and the second one will be due in the first week of October. The weanlings will be fully vaccinated before weaning.
Weaning will start at the end of September 3 cows will be removed at a time to the shed . Their calves will be left in the group and as they have been forward grazed there should be very little stress.
Animal Health
The cows were scanned in the first week of September and it highlighted a concern. 10 cows are not in calf (15%) . The empty cows were in the same group so there was a fertility problem with the bull. These cows will be sold post weaning. While these cows will be very easy to sell its means that 60 will be calving in 2023 (including 15 in-calf heifers)instead of the target -65. In October, 8 in calf heifers were purchased privately. There will all be calving at 2 years of age and calving will start in early February. They are all 4 and 5 star replacements (except for 1) and in calf to an easy calving LM bull. See picture below:
Picture: Purchased heifers calving at 2 years of age
Grassland
There is plenty of grass on the farm in early September with the average farm cover of 947kgs/DM/ha . Grazing conditions have been excellent for all of September and well into October. The closing rotation started in the first week of October . The target is to have 60% of the farm (26ha) grazed by the first week in November. So just over 6.5ha will need to be grazed weekly and closed.
4ton of 18612 has been purchased for 2023- with some livestock sales and department payments the cashflow allowed it . It cost €920/ton. It means that there is fertiliser secured and in the yard for spring 2023. The fertiliser is stored in a good dry shed.
