"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

[Kiwi Pete]

I'm one to talk. Sherbet, Juno and Minstrel are going for a holiday romance with my friend's bull in the spring!

It's difficult to know what's the best bull option for a very smallscale herd, isn't it?
We've been pretty fortunate with having quite a tidy bull come with our friesians last year, and we have a couple of speckle park bulls now so..... but it is a great idea to just borrow one!

 

[Woolless]

It's difficult to know what's the best bull option for a very smallscale herd, isn't it?
We've been pretty fortunate with having quite a tidy bull come with our friesians last year, and we have a couple of speckle park bulls now so..... but it is a great idea to just borrow one!

Yes it's awkward. AI would satisfy the livestock nerd side of me, bulls handpicked. They could be synchronised but what about repeats? And my handling system for cattle is two gates. Not buying a bull for three heifers. But luckily they're going to visit an easy-calving, fertile and very quiet AA bull which is ideal. Hopefully by next year there will be few more and I can justify my own bull or go down the AI route with a decent crush etc.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I considered the AI route for here too, something that I can do but.... am I going to miss a heat? Am I going to get asked to go put fert on someone's hill the day 3 cows come up? So the bull has a place.
Just a bit of a PITA having 'a bull' on a heifer-grazing ranch or a bull-fattening ranch too, until we get all our paddocks made that is

 

[Woolless]

I considered the AI route for here too, something that I can do but.... am I going to miss a heat? Am I going to get asked to go put fert on someone's hill the day 3 cows come up? So the bull has a place.
Just a bit of a PITA having 'a bull' on a heifer-grazing ranch or a bull-fattening ranch too, until we get all our paddocks made that is

Yes, working away from home isn't great for oestrus detection. The bull is on duty 24/7!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

A bit of mental arithmetic revealed I have spent about 1800 hours of my life checking cows for rub marks etc
The bull is welcome

 

[Karliboy]

we don't tag things as we should because I am too lazy to do it and we don't have enough to confuse them

If we don’t tag here with 1 tag in the first 48 hours I think it is and we get a spot inspection it is classed as a offence of some sort and if your a repeat offender you could be putting your sub payment at risk.
I have a 3 calves that need doing now and there 2 months ? old but I don’t like taging them while inside as there buggers for ripping them out on the locking yokes if there not carful.
(Id best get them done now I’ve opened my mouth )?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

If we don’t tag here with 1 tag in the first 48 hours I think it is and we get a spot inspection it is classed as a offence of some sort and if your a repeat offender you could be putting your sub payment at risk.
I have a 3 calves that need doing now and there 2 months ? old but I don’t like taging them while inside as there buggers for ripping them out on the locking yokes if there not carful.
(Id best get them done now I’ve opened my mouth )?

Maybe that's why my SFP never showed up
I record them but don't bother putting the tag in their lug until needed, it doesn't get lost in the drawer.
Chain-mesh gates are the worst thing around here for tags, especially EID button tags, I'm really excited about having a ranch without gates

 

[Henarar]

I can't remember numbers so they all have names

 

[Henarar]

If we don’t tag here with 1 tag in the first 48 hours I think it is and we get a spot inspection it is classed as a offence of some sort and if your a repeat offender you could be putting your sub payment at risk.
I have a 3 calves that need doing now and there 2 months ? old but I don’t like taging them while inside as there buggers for ripping them out on the locking yokes if there not carful.
(Id best get them done now I’ve opened my mouth )?

Thought it was longer than that for sucker calves

 

[Sharpy]

Thought it was longer than that for sucker calves

4 weeks or a month iirc

 

[Henarar]

4 weeks or a month iirc

Yep think its like that because of health and safety

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Yep think its like that because of health and safety

And the calf stays with its mother with sucklers unlike dairy so no difficult to identify.
Also beef cows often in very extensive environment which may make tagging in 48 hours difficult..

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Thought it was longer than that for sucker calves

21 days to tag then a further 7 to register.

 

[Karliboy]

sorry yes i stand corrected

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-to-do-after-a-calf-is-born

calf type	deadline for fitting first tag	deadline for fitting second tag	deadline for getting passport application to BCMS
dairy	within 36 hours of birth	up to 20 days from birth	within 27 days of birth
beef	up to 20 days from birth	up to 20 days from birth	within 27 days of birth
bison	within 9 months of birth, or before weaning, whichever is sooner	within 9 months of birth, or before weaning, whichever is sooner	within 7 days of birth

 

[Samcowman]

That's an interesting point on "weaning weight" too, I wonder how they work that out, there was a post on here at some stage and the "weaning weights" were at different ages.View attachment 855615
I will probably weigh these little critters at 200 days and weigh their dams at the same time, it will be interesting data to just keep squirrelled away for the future.
Frosty will be the best calf, not only is he the first born but also never more than a metre from mum's teats

Post on here when you do and let us know what your weaning efficiency is first calvers here usually perform pretty well efficiency wise in comparison to the bigger older cows.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Post on here when you do and let us know what your weaning efficiency is first calvers here usually perform pretty well efficiency wise in comparison to the bigger older cows.

I'm hoping my heifers stay about this size, they would have been pretty big cows if I didn't "bonsai them" as rising one-year calves
So it will be interesting to see what figures they throw up

Even more interesting will be working out who is actually "rearing" the spare calves at that time, the only heifer I haven't seen Snowy drinking from is little Lily and Cookie drinks from 3 as well.

Definitely I will share any figures as it's all interesting.

Just had a chap ring me up and it looks like we may winter his hoggets on normal winter rate
Then lamb them
Then keep half the lambs

Also just had an agent ring up wondering if we have heifers sorted for winter yet, it may be a busy year as he was talking about filling the shed and the covercrops, with his client supplying baleage for the housed ones

I think I may just have to give up the day job for winter, as I'm going to be looking after a 1600 acre sheep farm for August as well

"Build it and they will come" FFS

 

[Samcowman]

I'm hoping my heifers stay about this size, they would have been pretty big cows if I didn't "bonsai them" as rising one-year calves
So it will be interesting to see what figures they throw up

Even more interesting will be working out who is actually "rearing" the spare calves at that time, the only heifer I haven't seen Snowy drinking from is little Lily and Cookie drinks from 3 as well.

Definitely I will share any figures as it's all interesting.

Just had a chap ring me up and it looks like we may winter his hoggets on normal winter rate
Then lamb them
Then keep half the lambs

Also just had an agent ring up wondering if we have heifers sorted for winter yet, it may be a busy year as he was talking about filling the shed and the covercrops, with his client supplying baleage for the housed ones

I think I may just have to give up the day job for winter, as I'm going to be looking after a 1600 acre sheep farm for August as well

"Build it and they will come" FFS

I’ll check my figures tomorrow if you like but cow weight keeps increasing untill they are about 5 I think then levels out. That’s with 2 year old calving.
Busy winter ahead and they are wanting to bring fertility onto the ranch for you which will benefit.

 

[Fenwick]

So we have décided to try to outwinter our cattle. Thé area where we have thé ring feeders is getting a thrashing.
We have been Moving thé feeders around to try and spread thé fertility.
I dont liké seeing cows lying down in thé mud so they have accèss to 1 ha of grasse as well (in thé background of thé photo)

We will do a reeseed in spring.
What would you guys do?

We thought keep it simple roll - Sow(hand seeder) -,Roll.
Something that grows lots if biomass.
(IRG persian Clover, crimson Clover -phacelia)

Or perhaps but in some seedy Hay and Bâle graze it. (We only have haylage left).

Thoughts?

 

[awkward]

Too much damage for me. Is it possible to let the back to shed when it rains.or move them on to new steip daily . For me roll and seed,but good chance for diversity, anything else wouldnt cover ground fast enough. Try some wheat or barly now just to lock up some nutrients

 

[awkward]

Should read strip daily