Feeding Sucker Calves

Whitepeak · Oct 31, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
yeah but ive seen what you dairy guys feed your calves

The same as what our suckled calves will get once weaned; good quality silage and a couple kilos of rearer nut.

Whitepeak · Oct 31, 2017

hendrebc said:
My beef heifers calve at 24months and are all 400kg+ at 15months when bulling without a load of creep feeding. Theyre weaned at about 7 months (300kg ish then so 100kg isnt much to ask) and fed barley wholecrop with a protein balancer on it but they used to do it before i started growing it too. Ill be stopping the wholecrop when my glastir agreement has finished and they will be getting silage agsin and i expect them to do it again then too. Not all beef farmers run their heifers dry for that long @Whitepeak

True, and not all dairy farmers calve their heifers at 24mths. There'll be several in this area that calve at 30-36mths.

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

wellingtonfarmer said:
A suckled calve that eats a tonne of creep [emoji23]

Some will, and there mothers fed on top of that.

Bossfarmer · Oct 31, 2017

Hilly said:
Some will, and there mothers fed on top of that.

this is why some folk are getting £900 for a suckled calf take £240 off for the creep, £100 for other calf costs and £550 for keeping the cow a year and wats that? mine at 1150 will only have eaten 1t of bruised barley which is £120/t, grass & silage mabye £20s worth of protein pellets to start them off

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
this is why some folk are getting £900 for a suckled calf take £240 off for the creep, £100 for other calf costs and £550 for keeping the cow a year and wats that? mine at 1150 will only have eaten 1t of bruised barley which is £120/t, grass & silage mabye £20s worth of protein pellets to start them off

Yes none of it very enthusing at the end of the day.

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
this is why some folk are getting £900 for a suckled calf take £240 off for the creep, £100 for other calf costs and £550 for keeping the cow a year and wats that? mine at 1150 will only have eaten 1t of bruised barley which is £120/t, grass & silage mabye £20s worth of protein pellets to start them off

Some feed far to much some not enouugh.

JMTHORNLEY · Oct 31, 2017

hendrebc said:
My beef heifers calve at 24months and are all 400kg+ at 15months when bulling without a load of creep feeding. Theyre weaned at about 7 months (300kg ish then so 100kg isnt much to ask) and fed barley wholecrop with a protein balancer on it but they used to do it before i started growing it too. Ill be stopping the wholecrop when my glastir agreement has finished and they will be getting silage agsin and i expect them to do it again then too. Not all beef farmers run their heifers dry for that long @Whitepeak

Same system, wean at 7 -8 month and calve down by 24. Ad lib creep and access to as much good quality silage and straw with a good quality bed when indoors. Heifers back out to grass with the bull and all bulls / fattening stock stay in and fed up till killing, works well here

Top Tip. · Oct 31, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
this is why some folk are getting £900 for a suckled calf take £240 off for the creep, £100 for other calf costs and £550 for keeping the cow a year and wats that? mine at 1150 will only have eaten 1t of bruised barley which is £120/t, grass & silage mabye £20s worth of protein pellets to start them off

Mine have only eaten £29 of concentrate,grass and milk and have only been on farm 8 months tops. No cost of silage or housing.

had e nuff · Oct 31, 2017

Whitepeak said:
Really??
Dairy heifer bucket reared until 16weeks, calving at 24mths old and doing 9000litres.
Whereas suckled beef heifers aren't even turned out with the bull by the time the same age, and possibly weight, dairy heifers are half way through their first lactation!

Would think most dairy heifers are weaned by 8weeks not 16.

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
this is why some folk are getting £900 for a suckled calf take £240 off for the creep, £100 for other calf costs and £550 for keeping the cow a year and wats that? mine at 1150 will only have eaten 1t of bruised barley which is £120/t, grass & silage mabye £20s worth of protein pellets to start them off

If you were buying would you buy the fed one or the un fed one?

Bossfarmer · Oct 31, 2017

Hilly said:
If you were buying would you buy the fed one or the un fed one?

depends on price, one thing about a beast thats not had a lot of concentrate is it will react more to it and see better growth rates and likely to catch up a bit

Henarar · Oct 31, 2017

Hilly said:
If you were buying would you buy the fed one or the un fed one?

I have seen buyers shy away from over fed calves

had e nuff · Oct 31, 2017

Hilly said:
If you were buying would you buy the fed one or the un fed one?

Buyers around here seem to want size and frame more than smaller fatter types.

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
depends on price, one thing about a beast thats not had a lot of concentrate is it will react more to it and see better growth rates and likely to catch up a bit

I think there will be a big price diff, personally i wouldn't buy a calf thats not weaned but if i had too id buy the unfed beast every day of the week, but that would be a buying point of veiw, for selling 6-9 month calf id feed it like an elephant lol

Henarar · Oct 31, 2017

Henarar said:
I have seen buyers shy away from over fed calves

But having said that I have seen buyers shy away from ones that look like they haven't been fed anything or looked after at all

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

had e nuff said:
Buyers around here seem to want size and frame more than smaller fatter types.

Some have both !

Henarar · Oct 31, 2017

Hilly said:
I think there will be a big price diff, personally i wouldn't buy a calf thats not weaned but if i had too id buy the unfed beast every day of the week, but that would be a buying point of veiw, for selling 6-9 month calf id feed it like an elephant lol

do elephants get much concentrate ?

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

had e nuff said:
Buyers around here seem to want size and frame more than smaller fatter types.

Wise, as feeders they want to feed not buy the job 3/4 done.

Henarar · Oct 31, 2017

Hilly said:
Some have both !

that's the ones to have

Hilly · Oct 31, 2017

Henarar said:
do elephants get much concentrate ?

Mine dont but the ones that carry hunters get a ton a day.

Feeding Sucker Calves

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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