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Where cattle have been stored over winter, with a target slaughter date in late spring, it is now time to start increasing concentrate levels in finishing animals.
When transitioning cattle from the store period to the final finishing phase, there are several factors to consider so that animals perform to their potential.
Outlined are five tips to manage cattle transitioning into the intensive finishing period.
During the finishing period, cattle need energy to start laying down fat cover. Therefore, feed a ration high in energy and low in protein.
Target a ration with energy content around 0.92 to 0.95 UFV (12.5 to 13 Mj ME) and keep protein levels to approximately 12% to 13%.
Rolled barley will also suffice, but make sure you provide plenty of fibre, as there is an increased risk of acidosis.
In this instance, split feeds to twice or three times per day, with no more than 3kg/head per feed.
When changing the ration, do so over the course of one week. Start by feeding 75% of the growing ration and 25% of the finishing ration.
After two days, move to a 50:50 mix between the two rations, then 25:75 after another two days and finally move to 100% of the finishing blend.
Build feed rates up as quickly as possible to maximise performance. Feed levels will depend on silage quality and cattle type.
Finally, always feed concentrates at the same time, morning and evening.
During the finishing period, it is important that all cattle in each group can access concentrates at the same time.
This way, there is less bullying and all animals will get an even share of the concentrate allocation.
If all cattle cannot feed at the same time, stronger animals will eat more than their allocated concentrate allowance, while shy animals will be underfed.
If necessary, now is the time to regroup animals. Alternatively, hang portable troughs in the pen at feeding time to increase feeding space.
Finishing cattle on a high-concentrate diet will have a greater water requirement. As a rule of thumb, for every 1kg of meal, cattle will drink between five and six litres of water.
Make sure flow rates in water troughs is sufficient to satisfy demand. If cattle are queuing at the trough, they are not getting enough water. Therefore, feed intakes and weight gain will drop.
Finally, keep water troughs clean at all times.
During the finishing period, cattle will perform at their maximum potential for a period of 70 to 100 days. After this period, weight gain will tail off quickly, making it uneconomic to continue feeding.
For continental heifers, finishing periods should be no more than 70 to 80 days, increasing to 90 to 100 days for continental steers.
For traditional beef breeds, shorten the outlined timeframe for steers and heifers by around 20 to 30 days.
Weighing cattle at the start of the finishing period and at 30-day intervals is highly recommended. This way, you will know that animals are meeting target weight gains and covering feed costs.
During the intensive feeding phase, steers and heifers bred from index terminal sires should be gaining 1.1kg to 1.3kg/day over the time periods outlined.
Weighing cattle is the only way to accurately determine how well they are thriving. At 8kg/day of concentrate costing €240/t, plus 20kg of good silage at €20/t, feed costs amount to €2.32/day.
At a weight gain of 1.2kg/day and 57% kill-out, cattle will be gaining 0.68kg of carcase every day. Taking a beef price at €3.60/kg, at the outlined weight gain, cattle will be covering daily feed costs.
But at a daily liveweight gain of 1kg/day, cattle will not be covering feed costs. Weighing cattle will flag this up quickly, meaning you can alter the diet and housing space, as well as offloading inefficient animals as early as possible.
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