Trying to keep kgs before moving

[T7.wab]

Not a bashing market scale thread.

What are people doing to try keep weight on store cattle before moving to market?
Is it a case of nothing more you can do as there not eating and drinking for hours?
500kgs at home normaly about 20kgs less by time in ring how does that compare?

 

[M-J-G]

I usually count about 3% for gutfill

 

[Fendt516profi]

Had some lambs in today checked scale this morning with a feed block. Some weighed 38 upto 43.5 went over auction scale at 38. Two weighed 39.5 went over scale at 40

 

[Werzle]

Not a bashing market scale thread.

What are people doing to try keep weight on store cattle before moving to market?
Is it a case of nothing more you can do as there not eating and drinking for hours?
500kgs at home normaly about 20kgs less by time in ring how does that compare?

Put the s##t and p##s out of the trailer and pen on the scales and you will see where your 20kgs have gone

 

[T7.wab]

Put the s##t and p##s out of the trailer and pen on the scales and you will see where your 20kgs have gone

Yes im aware of where it is going. Was wondering if that number was about right with everyone else

 

[Northeastfarmer]

If they’ve been on ad lib hard feed they will stand better...not a lot you can do really

 

[T7.wab]

If they’ve been on ad lib hard feed they will stand better...not a lot you can do really

100% grass fed at this time of year. Shut in shed overnight with silage. On a decker 200 miles next morning. Yeah its just when you think of a decker load losing 20kgs trying to get some to stay fairly adds up

 

[Northeastfarmer]

100% grass fed at this time of year. Shut in shed overnight with silage. On a decker 200 miles next morning. Yeah its just when you think of a decker load losing 20kgs trying to get some to stay fairly adds up

I wouldn’t worry about 20 kilos...I’d say that was pretty standard

 

[JD-Kid]

dryer balage a for a few days before hand will slow movement of stuff passing though gut grass and water. falls out of them fast
see it with lambs here if sorted up and standing un yards for a few hours then re weighted can easy loose 2 kgs on a 30 kg animal

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I wouldn’t worry about 20 kilos...I’d say that was pretty standard

I used to see the figures on the screen between when cattle were delivered and weighed "in" and when they were hooked to the chain, they lose quite a bit.
Good call there; at a rough average they'll lose 15-30kg depending on the size of the gut - big grassfed dairy culls maybe 35kg but it's rare to find a dairy cull that's been emptied properly out before being loaded, I suppose dairy farms have plenty of sh!t to spare?
Then a few more kg of blood loss before they hook onto the chain, we get paid on carcass weights so no advantage sending them with a bellyful or not.

You can definitely tell which farmers stand their stock properly before transport though, as their stock lose much less weight

 

[Top Tip.]

I used to see the figures on the screen between when cattle were delivered and weighed "in" and when they were hooked to the chain, they lose quite a bit.
Good call there; at a rough average they'll lose 15-30kg depending on the size of the gut - big grassfed dairy culls maybe 35kg but it's rare to find a dairy cull that's been emptied properly out before being loaded, I suppose dairy farms have plenty of sh!t to spare?
Then a few more kg of blood loss before they hook onto the chain, we get paid on carcass weights so no advantage sending them with a bellyful or not.

You can definitely tell which farmers stand their stock properly before transport though, as their stock lose much less weight

When you say stand their stock properly what do you mean?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

When you say stand their stock properly what do you mean?

Fast them, for transport. Otherwise it puts them at risk of heart failure etc when penned up, general rule of thumb here is:
AM pickup, 12 hours off feed
PM pickup, 12-16 hours off feed

Hence transporting dairy cows is a PITA as they generally get stood in the yard for 3 hours waiting for DCT, an hour waiting for the truck to arrive and get loaded up
then go down on the truck, from milk fever ?

 

[Timbo]

I wouldn’t worry about 20 kilos...I’d say that was pretty standard

20kg would be nothing to loose. Go worry about something else!

 

[Fendt516profi]

20kilos is nothing when you times it by a decker loader it's adding up when you times by £/per kilo it's a bit of money.

 

[T7.wab]

20kilos is nothing when you times it by a decker loader it's adding up when you times by £/per kilo it's a bit of money.

Yeah 40 quid a head over 400 in the year adds up. Even if i can half that its alot of money to me maybe not timbo

 

[Derrick Hughes]

20kg would be nothing to loose. Go worry about something else!

Had cattle lose well over 50 kg

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Yeah 40 quid a head over 400 in the year adds up. Even if i can half that its alot of money to me maybe not timbo

Sell dead then

 

[T7.wab]

Sell dead then

Im in a area where feed is expensive like to let the big finnishers worry bout that

 

[Timbo]

Had cattle lose well over 50 kg

Yep same here.

 

[z.man]

Store cattle of grass will more than likely be a lot more than 20kg lighter than they were when you started to gather them unless they are getting well done on hard feed as well, if you want to minimise weight loss sell them full of feed at 10 months old you may make less profit though ........ who knows?