Young bulls

[johnspeehs]

What's everyone's approach to finishing their own suckler bulls? What age and weight do you like to wean and what's you're management after this stage?.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Don't do bulls but I would of thought wean as normal and ad lib from birth to slaughter

 

[johnspeehs]

Well that's what I would have said but I was told today id be better make some rocket silage and not go down the adlib route?. Like yourself I've little experience of bulls except for odd ones that get missed castrating or something but I never thought it would be a paying proposition to do big batches going by them and I'm sure unless you do it right its probably a good way to loss a bit of money.

 

[jed]

AD lib barley from 6 weeks old via a calf hopper .
Wean and house at 7 months .
Vaccinate for pneumonia
AD lib hopper till slaughter
Straw ahead of them at all times.
Cheque was just over £7600

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Well that's what I would have said but I was told today id be better make some rocket silage and not go down the adlib route?. Like yourself I've little experience of bulls except for odd ones that get missed castrating or something but I never thought it would be a paying proposition to do big batches going by them and I'm sure unless you do it right its probably a good way to loss a bit of money.

I would of thought you would want bulls on ad lib to get them away before the 16 month deadline but as I say I only do steers, someone who finishes bulls will be a long shortly

 

[Northeastfarmer]

View attachment 538380 AD lib barley from 6 weeks old via a calf hopper .
Wean and house at 7 months .
Vaccinate for pneumonia
AD lib hopper till slaughter
Straw ahead of them at all times.

E1??

 

[johnspeehs]

Thanks @Northeastfarmer , Its something I know nothing about either really and I wont be entering into it lightly but I would like to get them away and save a second summers grass that the bullocks need.

 

[jed]

E1 7/8 blue that's one of the down sides using the blue bull the other being getting the buggers out!

 

[Northeastfarmer]

E1 7/8 blue that's one of the down sides using the blue bull the other being getting the buggers out!

Did you get docked for it being a 1?

 

[jed]

Actually they changed it to a 2 as it had a ripped flank
But yes I think a 1 is minus 20 off base.
We seem to be struggling to get the fat cover on the bought in dairy cross blue bulls so may have to start cutting these .But this means more grazing and extra housing

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Actually they changed it to a 2 as it had a ripped flank
But yes I think a 1 is minus 20 off base.
We seem to be struggling to get the fat cover on the bought in dairy cross blue bulls so may have to start cutting these .But this means more grazing and extra housing

Some firms aren't keen on blues as they're lean as wood especially the best bred ones

 

[johnspeehs]

Some firms aren't keen on blues as they're lean as wood especially the best bred ones

A cpl of biggish finishers here try and stay away from blues as they say they are too hard to get covered and to slow to put weight on.

 

[harperfarmer]

If finishing continental bulls they want ad.lib cereal/concentrates plus straw for roughage. I don't really think silage has a place in bull beef production but that's just my opinion. Ideally they'd be built up to ad.lib in creep feeders whilst still on the cows, that way you don't have to spend time building them up after weaning. You also have a bigger heavier calf to start with, if well bred they should be 400kg+ (up to 480kg with the right breeding). The issue as has been alluded to is fat cover. If I was still finishing my own bred cattle I'd be using the bull beef finishing system but castrating them. Greater fat covers and lighter weights rather than great big 450kg carcases that are still only a 1 or 2 fat grade.

 

[wellingtonfarmer]

If finishing continental bulls they want ad.lib cereal/concentrates plus straw for roughage. I don't really think silage has a place in bull beef production but that's just my opinion. Ideally they'd be built up to ad.lib in creep feeders whilst still on the cows, that way you don't have to spend time building them up after weaning. You also have a bigger heavier calf to start with, if well bred they should be 400kg+ (up to 480kg with the right breeding). The issue as has been alluded to is fat cover. If I was still finishing my own bred cattle I'd be using the bull beef finishing system but castrating them. Greater fat covers and lighter weights rather than great big 450kg carcases that are still only a 1 or 2 fat grade.

I wouldn't recommend casttrating them, don't do half as well. And lose half a grade.