Fattening bulls

Hampton

Member
BASIS
Location
Shropshire
Does anyone turn out BBX steers (5 months old now) for the summer and keep them on ad lib? Or do they just waste the grass and eat the corn?
I turn mine out but bag feed them over summer followed by ad lib when back inside, but I’m considering keeping them on ad lib for the summerb. I I do want them to grow off the grass though rather than the corn.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
We kill approx 80% of the pure bulls, only keep the very best couple to sell for breeding. It's something we've always done and always will do, I'm always suspicious of anyone who claims to sell everything as a breeding bull!
Don't know about grades and killing out as we sell everything live through our local market. Although we did hear back on 2 that came back as U+ and killed at around 63% from memory.
Not weighed any since Jan, but then the weaned bulls were doing around 1.5kg, top ones close to 1.9kg. Will weigh again in the next week or 2 hopefully. Current diet is good quality haylage and an 18% rearer nut. Might drop the protein in a month or 2, either add barley or cut out the haylage for straw, but they are growing well and are well fleshed atm.
Weighed the bulls again last week, currently averaging 1.47kg/day (range 1.1 to 1.99) since the last weighing. Average weight is 457kg at approx 12mths (range 353kg to 530kg, youngest is 11mths eldest is 13.5mths. All but one are purebred, the cross is out of an AAX cow and is doing 1.49kg/day and weighs 455kg at 11mths 3 days. Not sure how this compares with what anyone else is achieving??
Dropped the haylage and replaced with straw this week.
 
Weighed the bulls again last week, currently averaging 1.47kg/day (range 1.1 to 1.99) since the last weighing. Average weight is 457kg at approx 12mths (range 353kg to 530kg, youngest is 11mths eldest is 13.5mths. All but one are purebred, the cross is out of an AAX cow and is doing 1.49kg/day and weighs 455kg at 11mths 3 days. Not sure how this compares with what anyone else is achieving??
Dropped the haylage and replaced with straw this week.

I like to be pushing a kilo in the carcass a day so by 12 months they ought to be averaging 600-620kg for lims. (58-62% KO) The charolais used to average nearer 680kg at the same age. Thats on ad. lib food from weaning in November though. Not cheap but gets performance.
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
Does anyone turn out BBX steers (5 months old now) for the summer and keep them on ad lib? Or do they just waste the grass and eat the corn?
I turn mine out but bag feed them over summer followed by ad lib when back inside, but I’m considering keeping them on ad lib for the summerb. I I do want them to grow off the grass though rather than the corn.
Turn them out in May on nice young grass and they will not need anything, neighbour does a low input system similiar, round bale silage only next winter then another summer at grass and sell as very strong stores 24-27 mths and weighing about 600kg . No FA and no hard feed after 5mths old, fattening men have 90days left on them to get the FA and also a few get bought by butchers out of the store ring because they know they are 100% grass fed and arent bothered about FA
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
I like to be pushing a kilo in the carcass a day so by 12 months they ought to be averaging 600-620kg for lims. (58-62% KO) The charolais used to average nearer 680kg at the same age. Thats on ad. lib food from weaning in November though. Not cheap but gets performance.
That's some going! What age are you weaning them, and what pre weaning feeding?
Ours were set stocked on permanent pasture and didn't start on creep until the sheep moved off in October, then weaned in mid November at housing (eldest were 9mths youngest 6.5mths). Pushing them (and their mother's!) at grass is something I want to improve, and I'm also improving housing to allow them to stay on their mother's a bit longer.
 

Vader

Member
Mixed Farmer
That's some going! What age are you weaning them, and what pre weaning feeding?
Ours were set stocked on permanent pasture and didn't start on creep until the sheep moved off in October, then weaned in mid November at housing (eldest were 9mths youngest 6.5mths). Pushing them (and their mother's!) at grass is something I want to improve, and I'm also improving housing to allow them to stay on their mother's a bit longer.
Mothers should not need pushing on grass.
Should be fat as butter at end of summer!
We bring stock bull in off grass early as he gets to fit and heavy if stays out all summer.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
Mothers should not need pushing on grass.
Should be fat as butter at end of summer!
We bring stock bull in off grass early as he gets to fit and heavy if stays out all summer.
I suppose I meant by pushed is milk better and improve 200day weaning weights/weaning efficiency by better grass utilisation.
For me a fat as butter cow is lazy! Unless of course she's weaning well over 50% of body weight and is back in calf first cycle.
All our bulls grow at grass, wouldn't want one that doesn't.
 
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Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
I suppose I meant by pushed is milk better and improve 200day weaning weights/weaning efficiency by better grass utilisation.
For me a fat as butter cow is lazy! Unless of course she's weaning well over 50% of body weight and is back in calf first cycle.
All our bulls grow at grass, wouldn't want one that doesn't.
We’re the same. We wean in early October and throw the cows back out until the winter arrives. If I wean a fat cow I’m usually looking why! Tend too find they have been looking after themselves more than the calf! Just nicely fit suits me better.
 
That's some going! What age are you weaning them, and what pre weaning feeding?
Ours were set stocked on permanent pasture and didn't start on creep until the sheep moved off in October, then weaned in mid November at housing (eldest were 9mths youngest 6.5mths). Pushing them (and their mother's!) at grass is something I want to improve, and I'm also improving housing to allow them to stay on their mother's a bit longer.

Weaned in November straight onto ad.lib feed. Having been fed near enough ad.lib on creep since around September I'd say. That said the cows milk well so they don't actually take huge amounts even ad.lib until after weaning. We've finished selling this years bulls now averaged 12.5 months old at 387kg carcase weight at a U=3.
 

Timbo

Member
Location
Gods County
Weaned in November straight onto ad.lib feed. Having been fed near enough ad.lib on creep since around September I'd say. That said the cows milk well so they don't actually take huge amounts even ad.lib until after weaning. We've finished selling this years bulls now averaged 12.5 months old at 387kg carcase weight at a U=3.

Same. Sim x 's.
 

FarmerDanny1989

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scotland
@FarmerDanny1989 did you get to Carlisle yesterday? Was a good sale by all accounts, with a new breed record price

@Whitepeak I did indeed was a very good turn out of cattle. The bull I wanted and bid for was the breed record price, didn’t fancy the others so much but still good bulls none the less, it was defo a good thing for the breed and good to see most went to pedigree breeders. Was almost tempted by the heifers they were a cracking pair! Do you know the underbidder for Plato was? Hopefully there is semen available from him in the future.
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
@Whitepeak I did indeed was a very good turn out of cattle. The bull I wanted and bid for was the breed record price, didn’t fancy the others so much but still good bulls none the less, it was defo a good thing for the breed and good to see most went to pedigree breeders. Was almost tempted by the heifers they were a cracking pair! Do you know the underbidder for Plato was? Hopefully there is semen available from him in the future.
He was my pick from the catalogue and the video James had put on FB before hand. Didn't actually make it up to the sale myself unfortunately, so don't know what he looked like in the flesh.
I've not actually heard who was the underbidder. Someone said that James had received 3 or 4 genuine enquiries/offers at home for him which was good.
I was also tempted by the heifers. One came down my way and I think I'll probably see it out an about at a few shows. The other went to a new breeder up in Scotland which is great!
Hopefully they'll take semen, I'll have to ask Thor next time I see him
 

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