Fattening beef cattle

[tinsheet]

View attachment 610130

Rocket fuel

Looks like a mix I've put in this year red and white clover!.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Looks like a mix I've put in this year red and white clover!.

It is doing pretty well, about 6 different clovers and a medium rotation hybrid ryegrass in there.
Good idea having a clover mix IMO and then you have it right through a season - not hard to see we are getting more extreme seasons. That was just before second cut last year.

I personally believe legume protein is slightly more effective as it degrades later in the in the digestive system not so much in the rumen. My wee bulls having a lick at some outside just now.

 

[Chae1]

It is doing pretty well, about 6 different clovers and a medium rotation hybrid ryegrass in there.
Good idea having a clover mix IMO and then you have it right through a season - not hard to see we are getting more extreme seasons. That was just before second cut last year.View attachment 610160
I personally believe legume protein is slightly more effective as it degrades later in the in the digestive system not so much in the rumen. My wee bulls having a lick at some outside just now.

What age do you slaughter bulls at in NZ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What age do you slaughter bulls at in NZ?

Just before winter!
These guys are about 13-14 months and will disappear April-ish?
Before the dairy men dump the culls on the market... well before the schedule goes to
I will just grow them as long as possible.
All grass here

 

[cowboysupper]

Just before winter!
These guys are about 13-14 months and will disappear April-ish?
Before the dairy men dump the culls on the market... well before the schedule goes to
I will just grow them as long as possible.
All grass here

Do you have a specification to work to for bull beef in Kiwi abattoirs? Your bulls are looking good

 

[Chae1]

Just before winter!
These guys are about 13-14 months and will disappear April-ish?
Before the dairy men dump the culls on the market... well before the schedule goes to
I will just grow them as long as possible.
All grass here

Pretty impressive. What slaughter weights do you average?

We have to finish them by 16 months but eat a lot of feed in that time. Would average 380kg dw. Not as good as some but a maternal breed salerxsaler. Bonus is get decent heifers for replacements that are worth a bit.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Do you have a specification to work to for bull beef in Kiwi abattoirs? Your bulls are looking good

Thanks!
No, not a grading chart like you guys have.
Just a fairly flat rate, I could kill these now if I felt the need but would be worth FA.
Will weigh them soon as they are close to the house now.
Will be about 1.9 kgDLWG and the Angus x steers about 2.25 kg.
Hopefully they are there or thereabouts, very little rain here last 10 weeks.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Pretty impressive. What slaughter weights do you average?

We have to finish them by 16 months but eat a lot of feed in that time. Would average 380kg dw. Not as good as some but a maternal breed salerxsaler. Bonus is get decent heifers for replacements that are worth a bit.

Will hopefully have them up close to that sort of weight too.
Maybe not quite with all the bulls as there are some smaller boys in the mob, but they are all doing well.
It is very much a ranch here, I do like to keep weighing them for interests sake just to fine tune the grazing strategy.

 

[The Ruminant]

Will hopefully have them up close to that sort of weight too.
Maybe not quite with all the bulls as there are some smaller boys in the mob, but they are all doing well.
It is very much a ranch here, I do like to keep weighing them for interests sake just to fine tune the grazing strategy.

Any problems handling them as they get older?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Any problems handling them as they get older?

Not really, I sit down with them for half an hour at least per day so they are well used to me.
The ones we reared on powder were the only queer ones, got rid of two and kept this one for the pot

But, see what he's doing?
Natural behaviour, natural environment... if you put them somewhere with banks and trees to play with they are great.
If not, some big tyres or a bale of hay... cattle esp bulls need something to let it out on.
Put them in someone's fancy cubicle barn it would be a different story... mimic nature and expect them to display natural behaviour
I know you know what I mean.
You have to let boys be boys.

 

[The Ruminant]

Not really, I sit down with them for half an hour at least per day so they are well used to me.
The ones we reared on powder were the only queer ones, got rid of two and kept this one for the potView attachment 610532
But, see what he's doing?
Natural behaviour, natural environment... if you put them somewhere with banks and trees to play with they are great.
If not, some big tyres or a bale of hay... cattle esp bulls need something to let it out on.
Put them in someone's fancy cubicle barn it would be a different story... mimic nature and expect them to display natural behaviour
I know you know what I mean.
You have to let boys be boys.

That ties in with Temple Grandin’s observations. She said if you rear bulls on a bucket, they think you’re part of the herd and one day they will want to challenge you to become the dominant bull. Those that are reared on a cow won’t see you as the same ‘herd threat’ and so are less likely to challenge you and attack you.

Never trust a bull, mind.

 

[hendrebc]

That ties in with Temple Grandin’s observations. She said if you rear bulls on a bucket, they think you’re part of the herd and one day they will want to challenge you to become the dominant bull. Those that are reared on a cow won’t see you as the same ‘herd threat’ and so are less likely to challenge you and attack you.

Never trust a bull, mind.

See this a lot with pet lambs. Bit more dangerous with a bull though a boot round the head isnt going to stop a bull like it will a lamb

 

[Kiwi Pete]

That ties in with Temple Grandin’s observations. She said if you rear bulls on a bucket, they think you’re part of the herd and one day they will want to challenge you to become the dominant bull. Those that are reared on a cow won’t see you as the same ‘herd threat’ and so are less likely to challenge you and attack you.

Never trust a bull, mind.

Wow, yes when you put it like that....
That's exactly right.
Sometimes it's how things are explained that help you make sense of it, thanks, that's the first thing I've learned today

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Weights, as promised.... starting to percolate now - not bad for friesian cross bulls.
Knew they were stacking it on, but not 2.4kg/day!

 

[chris wink]

Well if it's worked carry on. I thought feet issues were from extra heat from the barley

No it's to do with sugars and too much of them

 

[haymaker80]

View attachment 612026 View attachment 612024
Weights, as promised.... starting to percolate now - not bad for friesian cross bulls.
Knew they were stacking it on, but not 2.4kg/day!

Very impressive weight gains, must be some compensatory growth? What feed did they have over the winter? And do you know what weights they were going into the winter?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Very impressive weight gains, must be some compensatory growth? What feed did they have over the winter? And do you know what weights they were going into the winter?

Just grass silage over winter.
They were weighed as a group, at 224kg start of July when they arrived, and put on very little inside really. I think partly weaning check, and partly low protein feed.

 

[digger64]

View attachment 612026 View attachment 612024
Weights, as promised.... starting to percolate now - not bad for friesian cross bulls.
Knew they were stacking it on, but not 2.4kg/day!

What is the target weight finished ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What is the target weight finished ?

Just as they come, really, I don't sweat the details too much.
Hope to keep them chugging until I need them gone.

 

[Davidddd]

Four ways to teach you how to fatten cattle by feeding distilled spirits, silage, beet pulp and proper grass extracts.Ballya(https://ballyabio.com/what-to-feed-to-fatten-cattle/)