Native bull beef - when to slaughter

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
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.
How clean do you think they are when 40 of them come out of a Decker? There are no penalties for a bit of wet sh!t on their coats. They can't have any dried on muck on their bellies though but that wouldn't be anything to do with transport.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Mine always go into the trailer clean but come out covered in manure. I think I could do a lot better if I'm honest. Better partitioning will be a start and hay for 24 hours before loading as suggested. For the partitioning I think I just need one more standard widthwise gate. Lengthwise gates throw up quite a few problems.

Still a bit of work in progress though.
 
Location
Devon
Mine always go into the trailer clean but come out covered in manure. I think I could do a lot better if I'm honest. Better partitioning will be a start and hay for 24 hours before loading as suggested. For the partitioning I think I just need one more standard widthwise gate. Lengthwise gates throw up quite a few problems.

Still a bit of work in progress though.

Don't change the diet 24 hours before they go!
 

Hampton

Member
BASIS
Location
Shropshire
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
Doesn't make any difference in our Mart. I'd send them now, if as described they will make around 175p/kg
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Doesn't make any difference in our Mart. I'd send them now, if as described they will make around 175p/kg

I'd be satisfied with that. I have a gut feeling that the 500 kg fat one might increase in weight pretty likely but what it gains in kg it will lose in p/kg as the buyers discount it for trimming.

I'll give it a bit longer but if it gets any fatter it's going.
 

beefandsleep

Member
Location
Staffordshire
Not a good PR job for UK farming holding back feed 16/24 hours before animals are killed.

I’ve never really thought of it like that to be honest. I’ve found cattle load and travel better if they are empty, keep cleaner and have heard anecdotally from buyers and lairage men that the risk of carcass fecal contamination is lower. I’ve always considered it good practice. Water is never withheld.
 

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