Tb dairy calves what to do?

[Headless chicken]

Anyone got any suggestions as to what’s the best way forward with these? September to December born. We’ve kept everything and their all entire so far. Going to do a spreadsheet later to compare costs but with feed prices where they are it seems insane on a barely beef system.
Open to anything land should be readily available, shed space a premium but possible. All inputs would be purchased

 

[Martyn]

Anyone got any suggestions as to what’s the best way forward with these? September to December born. We’ve kept everything and their all entire so far. Going to do a spreadsheet later to compare costs but with feed prices where they are it seems insane on a barely beef system.
Open to anything land should be readily available, shed space a premium but possible. All inputs would be purchased

Cut them and do as stores keep simple, bit of cake till spring turn out then just keep cheep on grass, review mid summer.

 

[Werzle]

Anyone got any suggestions as to what’s the best way forward with these? September to December born. We’ve kept everything and their all entire so far. Going to do a spreadsheet later to compare costs but with feed prices where they are it seems insane on a barely beef system.
Open to anything land should be readily available, shed space a premium but possible. All inputs would be purchased

Better to out them even at a slight loss tbh to a tb unit or to slaughter for the polish market. Feed costs unless you can find a cheap pit of high quality silage will render the job extremely costly

 

[vantage]

Better to out them even at a slight loss tbh to a tb unit or to slaughter for the polish market. Feed costs unless you can find a cheap pit of high quality silage will render the job extremely costly

What’s a slight loss? I sold 18 month old for £250 recently! If they’re not 500 kg fo a finishing unit you’re going to be raped.

 

[sidjon]

We did Rose veal when totally overstocked, was a quick way of destocking, but not very much profit in it ,

 

[Werzle]

What’s a slight loss? I sold 18 month old for £250 recently! If they’re not 500 kg fo a finishing unit you’re going to be raped.

First loss is always the best one. R##ed is a tad strong, shafted maybe.

 

[Jamer]

I always think buyers pay for what they are getting on the whole: If you don’t put hard feed in them now, don’t expect much when you sell. Tb calves sell best as stores to a finisher who buys them on merit not their tb status.

 

[jimmer]

Same boat here
60 cracking Sept-Nov born blues, 25 nov/Dec born Herefords
Feeding them hard now, hoping to find some extra land to park them on and test clear to sell as strong stores before the winter

 

[Headless chicken]

We did Rose veal when totally overstocked, was a quick way of destocking, but not very much profit in it ,

Buitilair?

 

[Headless chicken]

Same boat here
60 cracking Sept-Nov born blues, 25 nov/Dec born Herefords
Feeding them hard now, hoping to find some extra land to park them on and test clear to sell as strong stores before the winter

For you I’d say surely a no brainier because at least they’re beef cattle. What’s most annoying is the type of dairy cattle these are out of they’re too good to waste.

 

[jimmer]

Buitilair?

f**k buteliar
Came out 2 years ago, showed them 30 calves, told me they'd be about x, remittance came back nearly 30 quid a head lower
Needles to say I went mental

 

[sidjon]

Buitilair?

Yep, not done any for a few years,but put everything from Jersey's to devons through them.

 

[Headless chicken]

f**k buteliar
Came out 2 years ago, showed them 30 calves, told me they'd be about x, remittance came back nearly 30 quid a head lower
Needles to say I went mental

That’s criminal

 

[Martyn]

f**k buteliar
Came out 2 years ago, showed them 30 calves, told me they'd be about x, remittance came back nearly 30 quid a head lower
Needles to say I went mental

Meadow quality did the same to us several years ago, these schemes often off good price on first group then sh!t then on.

 

[sidjon]

Meadow quality did the same to us several years ago, these schemes often off good price on first group then sh!t then on.

Blade are no better

 

[Beef farmer]

Land avalible, cut them, run cheap all summer, outwinter them and then sell @18months old April 2023

 

[Headless chicken]

Land avalible, cut them, run cheap all summer, outwinter them and then sell @18months old April 2023

Our wintering might be less of our strong point. Distance to blocks shitty neighbours on rented blocks could cause hell. unless I can persuade the heifer rearer to take them too.

 

[davidroberts30]

I always think buyers pay for what they are getting on the whole: If you don’t put hard feed in them now, don’t expect much when you sell. Tb calves sell best as stores to a finisher who buys them on merit not their tb status.

This!!
I know of plenty of dairy guys with tb calves and they just get silage to eat then grumble they worth nothing
Even a fresian steer will make money in mart if it's a good shape
If your not going to feed them get them gone as soon as
Or use sexed semen

 

[Spudley]

We were on stop with TB for nearly 10 years. At the beginning we were rearing some of the beef calves and the more freisian type bulls. We just found they ate the heifers food and took up space in their shed and there were too many to look after and we weren't doing the heifers well enough and we certainly weren't making any money on them. So now we use sexed only and a beef bull. If we go down again (very possible as we have 3 IRs to retest next month) the calves will go to meadow when they're 3 or 4 weeks old.

We have a very large dairy nearby who have been under TB since the 1990s. They rear every calf. They are renting and buying land all over the place to keep them and then carting slurry all winter. I'm personally not very happy to see them moving infected cattle all around us. And then plastering the slurry everywhere. But maybe I'm just bitter we have been clear until they moved in up the road.

 

[Farmer Keith]

Cut them and do as stores keep simple, bit of cake till spring turn out then just keep cheep on grass, review mid summer.

Done this for a few years but the ones I’ve just sold were not so hot, for whatever reason they were back £50 on the year whereas all the other beef stock will be £100 up at least. 15 14m old b&w bullocks £650 average. Maybe a reflection on how much feed is going up as for some reason most of my b&w’s go to units that fatten them off the back of a feed lorry whereas the AAs tend to go east and get fed by products. Fortunately there’s only 2 been born this year with sexed semen so won’t have to worry about it for much longer.

Keeping spring born stuff to 18 months is one thing but autumn calves have to do 2 winters to get there, if you can find somebody to buy them I’d cash out now I think failing that cut them and hope for the best