Native bull beef - when to slaughter

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I have a pair of British White X Shorthorn bulls, 10 months and 11 months old. They each weigh 500 kg and look reasonably well fleshed. One looks fat, with a very wide back on him. They are from small cows and look like they won't grow a big frame.

I feel like it's time to get them away now but just wondered what other people do. I am running low on straw so it would help to reduce numbers.

What's the general spec for buyers of bull beet at a market? I think they like them a bit heavier but I am worried that these will just put on fat. The 10 month old one would probably stand a bit more but I like two in the trailer to save transport costs and it does weigh 500.

Not done this before. Asking round here I get a different opinion depending on who I speak to, but the market people think they will do OK.

Thanks.
 
Location
Devon
If you kill them before 12 months old they will be classed as veal for starters.

Far too light to kill at 500 kilos, they will be below Min weight, need to be at least 550 kilos, they will easily do that, if they wont I suggest you sell your cows as its a waste of time having calves from them and get some bigger framed cow's
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I put about 120 kg rolled barley, 30 kg ground Lupins, 20 kg rolled oats and 20 kg beet pulp into the mixer, aiming for 14% protein. Damp it down with molasses. Minerals on the trough.

They get this mix nearly ad lib (they stall and I back it off a bit) and they get adlib meadow hay, sometimes good clover/ryegrass hay (which makes them sh!t) sometimes crap old hay.

They have had a fair bit of the same mix as creep feed since about 6 months old. Weaned at about 8 months old, but only came in off the grass at Christmas.

Reading around a bit I think I will do as you say and keep them a bit longer.
 
Location
Devon
I put about 120 kg rolled barley, 30 kg ground Lupins, 20 kg rolled oats and 20 kg beet pulp into the mixer, aiming for 14% protein. Damp it down with molasses. Minerals on the trough.

They get this mix nearly ad lib (they stall and I back it off a bit) and they get adlib meadow hay, sometimes good clover/ryegrass hay (which makes them sh!t) sometimes crap old hay.

They have had a fair bit of the same mix as creep feed since about 6 months old. Weaned at about 8 months old, but only came in off the grass at Christmas.

Reading around a bit I think I will do as you say and keep them a bit longer.

Stop the oats and build it up to a 16% protein diet.

Get them onto it ad lib, some days they may eat more than others to start off with but that isn't a problem.

Add Wheat if you have got it.

Keep them on the same forage all the time, don't chop and change it.

Have you wormed/ fluked them?
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Stop the oats and build it up to a 16% protein diet.

Get them onto it ad lib, some days they may eat more than others to start off with but that isn't a problem.

Add Wheat if you have got it.

Keep them on the same forage all the time, don't chop and change it.

Have you wormed/ fluked them?

I haven't wormed the two heaviest ones yet. I was clipping their backs and weighing them all for working out the worming dose when I thought they were ready so didn't worm the two heaviest.

We have plenty of wheat so will add a bit.

I will worm them and weigh them again in another month.

Thanks for info.

I generally transport them in my Ifor Williams. I have been putting them in loose before now but reckon they rock around too much and get manure all round the inside and rub it onto their hides. I am thinking of putting partitions in to stop them turning round and rubbing on each other. Hopefully these will also give them a bit of support going round corners. Are partitions a good idea or is there some problem with them that I haven't thought of?
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
I haven't wormed the two heaviest ones yet. I was clipping their backs and weighing them all for working out the worming dose when I thought they were ready so didn't worm the two heaviest.

We have plenty of wheat so will add a bit.

I will worm them and weigh them again in another month.

Thanks for info.

I generally transport them in my Ifor Williams. I have been putting them in loose before now but reckon they rock around too much and get manure all round the inside and rub it onto their hides. I am thinking of putting partitions in to stop them turning round and rubbing on each other. Hopefully these will also give them a bit of support going round corners. Are partitions a good idea or is there some problem with them that I haven't thought of?

I’m not 100% on the exact law but i’m Pretty sure you can’t transport animals in a box longer than 10ft (could be including 10ft?) without a petition to stop the animals surging backwards and forwards from 1 end of the box to the other.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I’m not 100% on the exact law but i’m Pretty sure you can’t transport animals in a box longer than 10ft (could be including 10ft?) without a petition to stop the animals surging backwards and forwards from 1 end of the box to the other.

That makes sense to me. Keeps the weight where it should be as well. Wouldn't want them both right at the front or back either from a drawbar loading point of view.
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Have you found an outlet for bull beef @DrWazzock ? If you have one in mind it might be worth talking to them about minimum weight and specs etc. I doubt Bulls would get too fat at that age so they should be OK to keep for a couple of months yet I would have thought.

As for transport I think the dividing gate rule may have been relaxed a bit i.e. It's now the drivers responsibility to decide if a gate is needed or not IIRC but it definitely makes sense to shut them in a fairly confined area to stop them being thrown about too much, both for their sake and for safe towing.

Out of interest are you replacing your cows and if so what with?
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have a 12 foot ifor williams with the small wheels underneath and i asked for a second cattle dividing gate with it when i bought it. If im taking 1 or 2 i use both gates and close them over the axles as close to the middle as i can sometimes do with 3 depending on their size sometimes just have to make the trailer smaller with one gate for 3. If i put 4 in i close 2 in the front and 2 in the back with just the one gate. 4 is usually safer than 3 if i cant close the 3 in the middle. Makes a massive difference to how well they travel when they cant move about and being shut over the axle help stop them knocking the trailer about quite so much.
I know a few who have tipped livestock trailers thanks to the cattle moving about. They were maybe going too fast as well but i know one who managed it with a tractor on a roundabout :facepalm:
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I am now in the process of looking for a market for these Bulls which are quite specialised. We have had them in the freezer last year and it was exceptionally good well marbled beef. I have sold them to pubs and restaurants in the past but it's getting more complicated and less economic with less abbatoirs locally and more regulations. It might still be possible to sell this way but it's a lot of work. Would rather leave that to somebody else.

As for the market, well it depends who is there on the day and generally they will be looking for continental crosses.

My trailer is 12 foot by 6 foot with a dividing gate. It's meant for the sheep rather than cattle. There is only one dividing gate so if I pen the beast at the front I have too much weight on the drawbar. I have made a pair of partitions which run 10 foot the length of the trailer and the existing part ion gate closes to them 2 foot inside the back of the trailer. This way I take two beasts which each held in a race on each side of the trailer. They can't turn round and rub manure round the walls and themselves. That's the theory. I could also maybe improve it by fitting a width wise partition at the front end (buy another standard gate) to close up the races to 8 foot length and keep the beast on top of the axles.

Ideally I'd be better off with an 8 foot by 5 foot trailer with a simple partition lengthwise up the centre, but I am using what I have at the moment.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Will replace with Stabiliser cows or Friesian X Lim if I can find any with initially an Angus bull.

Hopefully get something more mainstream and widely marketable.
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
I am now in the process of looking for a market for these Bulls which are quite specialised. We have had them in the freezer last year and it was exceptionally good well marbled beef. I have sold them to pubs and restaurants in the past but it's getting more complicated and less economic with less abbatoirs locally and more regulations. It might still be possible to sell this way but it's a lot of work. Would rather leave that to somebody else.

As for the market, well it depends who is there on the day and generally they will be looking for continental crosses.

My trailer is 12 foot by 6 foot with a dividing gate. It's meant for the sheep rather than cattle. There is only one dividing gate so if I pen the beast at the front I have too much weight on the drawbar. I have made a pair of partitions which run 10 foot the length of the trailer and the existing part ion gate closes to them 2 foot inside the back of the trailer. This way I take two beasts which each held in a race on each side of the trailer. They can't turn round and rub manure round the walls and themselves. That's the theory. I could also maybe improve it by fitting a width wise partition at the front end (buy another standard gate) to close up the races to 8 foot length and keep the beast on top of the axles.

Ideally I'd be better off with an 8 foot by 5 foot trailer with a simple partition lengthwise up the centre, but I am using what I have at the moment.
I would say that if you bought an extra cattle dividing gate to put at the front you wouldn't need to worry about a lengthwise divider. Or much easier still, just put one in the front half and the other in the back half with just one divider. We have never had more than one divider and have managed fine.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I would say that if you bought an extra cattle dividing gate to put at the front you wouldn't need to worry about a lengthwise divider. Or much easier still, just put one in the front half and the other in the back half with just one divider. We have never had more than one divider and have managed fine.

The more I think about it the more that sounds like a good idea.

With the slight reservation that the trailer partitions are 2 foot stages. And the trailer is 6 foot wide. The beast really needs 7 foot by 30" to keep it comfortable (as in the race or crush) and prevent it from trying to turn round and jamming itself.

If trap the beast in 6 X 6 it can circle round. If I trap it in 6 X 4 it still is not prevented from turning round. 6 X 2 is too small.

If just going to field it isn't a problem if the beast turn round, but if they are going to the abbatoir or market they can tend to rub manure round the walls and onto their hides as they go round, which leads to penalties.
 

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