Rearing Fresian Bull Calves

[sheep&cows&stuff]

Right, Opinions please.

I have recently sourced cheap Fresian bull calves. 2 weeks old. Got 4 x ltr of colostrum each and very healthy animals.

Going to rear this batch of 15 and keep a strict note of costs - I am not FQA so will likely sell through the mart at 12 months of age approx.

Anyone doing this at present?

I am in at low money, I know it will cost me on milk powder and meal but I am not afraid of losing some money and am not worried about brexit as I have no control over it.

More of a wee experiment to see if I can turn at profit at all. Just looking for other peoples past experiences.

 

[awkward]

make sure u have good quality hay and straw it always surprised me how much and how early they can take large amounts of roughage

 

[sheep&cows&stuff]

make sure u have good quality hay and straw it always surprised me how much and how early they can take large amounts of roughage

Have really good straw that I will bed them with / feed for the first wile.

Then I have top quality chopped bale silage (1st cut)

More of an experiment

 

[pellow]

what are the beef calves making at your local market? I can't see the point of rearing dairy calves at the moment as good beef calf prices make them worth a minus figure in my opinion, I also wouldn't be massively keen on holding low quality beef animals, if downward price trend continues you will get nailed when you sell them

My personal opinion is the beef price will drop lower and dairy beef and less efficient sucklers will drop out and drop supply

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Right, Opinions please.

I have recently sourced cheap Fresian bull calves. 2 weeks old. Got 4 x ltr of colostrum each and very healthy animals.

Going to rear this batch of 15 and keep a strict note of costs - I am not FQA so will likely sell through the mart at 12 months of age approx.

Anyone doing this at present?

I am in at low money, I know it will cost me on milk powder and meal but I am not afraid of losing some money and am not worried about brexit as I have no control over it.

More of a wee experiment to see if I can turn at profit at all. Just looking for other peoples past experiences.

You would be better off keeping them until 20-24 months I doubt selling at 12 months you would cover your cost.

 

[cull cows]

Keep as steers not bulls.you have more options when you come to sell them.plus they won’t fight and ride each other all the time

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Be prepared to take them home if necessary if you try and sell them at an auction, very often they make a lot less than there worth, especially in the autumn .

 

[Wellytrack]

Year old/ 400kg black and whites are a rob at the moment and that should alarm you now.

I’m not knocking your efforts, certainly by all means go ahead and keep a keen eye to costs, some black and whites will do well and compensate for those that don’t, the right types can easily do as well as white head crosses.

 

[gone up the hill]

make sure u have good quality hay and straw it always surprised me how much and how early they can take large amounts of roughage

Do not feed the calves hay, just about the worst thing you can feed young calves!

Feed straw with haylage if you have it but not hay!

Back to the OP, if you can keep them until they are about 18 months old and sell them in April/May time, Fri steers are at their dearest then, I certainly wouldn't advise selling them at 12 months old next autumn as that's just about the worst time to sell Fri steers!

Good strong steers at 18 months old were making £770/790 head back this spring, they would only make £630/70 now!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Either feed them add lib grain from start to finish or cut them . You wont get bulls away soon enough on a silage diet . Imo

 

[Slippery Slope]

If it's a success, you'll be laughing because arla suppliers will be paying YOU to take the calves after December '20!

 

[gone up the hill]

If it's a success, you'll be laughing because arla suppliers will be paying YOU to take the calves after December '20!

Those NZ mongrel calves will still be expensive even if you are paid by dairy farmers to take them!

 

[Slippery Slope]

Those NZ mongrel calves will still be expensive even if you are paid by dairy farmers to take them!

The big rearers won't take them if they have ANY Jersey in the genetics I'm reliably informed (but they will supply you with milk replacer so that you can rear them yourself with the option of being screwed over afterwards!)

 

[gone up the hill]

The big rearers won't take them if they have ANY Jersey in the genetics I'm reliably informed (but they will supply you with milk replacer so that you can rear them yourself with the option of being screwed over afterwards!)

Have you seen the thread in the dairy section about the issue of the NZ mongrels/ jersey bred calves having to be reared from Dec 2020?


Some very deluded dairy farmers on that thread who think its the beef industry problem about what to do with these calves and they say beef farming is easy and there is plenty of profit in beef farming but if there isn't then beef farmers should just reduce there cop to nothing when rearing these worthless calves!

 

[Slippery Slope]

No I haven't read the thread. As a dairy and (tb forced) beef farmer myself I'm in no doubt as to why they want it to be someone else's problem!

Have you seen the thread in the dairy section about the issue of the NZ mongrels/ jersey bred calves having to be reared from Dec 2020?


Some very deluded dairy farmers on that thread who think its the beef industry problem about what to do with these calves and they say beef farming is easy and there is plenty of profit in beef farming but if there isn't then beef farmers should just reduce there cop to nothing when rearing these worthless calves!

 

[X344chap]

Just finished my 30 month experiment with 4 Friesian calves.
Bought at £65 each - 3 went away as bullocks averaging 708kg and made 101ppk. Lost one despite vets best efforts.

Broke even

Lessons learned - beef varieties were making 235ppk at same sale
Dont purchase bagged feed - buy straights and home mill. Posh calf mixes and beef nuts are expensive when bruised barley would have done
Economies of scale - could have kept a lot more with a minimal increase in effort and that would have increased profit
Vet - Big vets bills didnt help.

 

[ollie989898]

I thought all the dairies are going to insist that bull calves are reared on now?

Surely that will bash the conventional beef job in if true?

 

[sheep&cows&stuff]

If I keep them to 18 / 20 months old - will they grow on as bullocks in the shed or would they need to be grazed next summer?

 

[beefandsleep]

Just finished my 30 month experiment with 4 Friesian calves.
Bought at £65 each - 3 went away as bullocks averaging 708kg and made 101ppk. Lost one despite vets best efforts.

Broke even

Lessons learned - beef varieties were making 235ppk at same sale
Dont purchase bagged feed - buy straights and home mill. Posh calf mixes and beef nuts are expensive when bruised barley would have done
Economies of scale - could have kept a lot more with a minimal increase in effort and that would have increased profit
Vet - Big vets bills didnt help.

Broke even??
Your deluded.

 

[beefandsleep]

If I keep them to 18 / 20 months old - will they grow on as bullocks in the shed or would they need to be grazed next summer?

They will grow on if they are fed properly.