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It was hoped to keep the 2019-born heifer calves out until the end of the month but with heavy rain all week, the decision was made to house them on Tuesday.
They were just standing around the backs of ditches and damaging areas along fences so they were taken in. They were housed on straw and they will go on to the best-quality silage (76 DMD bales) and 1.5kg of our weanling ration.
This feeding rate will be continued for a few weeks until January when they will be pulled back to just silage before turnout.
Bull calves have settled well. They were clipped last week and are all up to date with pneumonia vaccinations.
Weanling heifers in and on 2kg of meal now, keep this up to after Christmas and cut back the meal, weather permitting they will hit grass in mid February.. looks like there’ll be good frames to some limousin and Simmental heifers pic.twitter.com/7f0mP3S8uc
— Shaun Diver (@diver_shaun) November 15, 2019
Cow condition score
Cows were body condition scored and a few thin cows were pulled out to be fed better-quality silage for a few months. We killed seven cull cows this week and they came into 380kg carcase at €3/kg or €1,140 each. A further six cull cows are being fed 5kg of meal/head/day along with ad-lib silage. It is hoped these will be slaughtered in the next three weeks.
I said two weeks, Mother Nature said one and ya have to do what she says.. in ye go pic.twitter.com/LCDZE28LrW
— Shaun Diver (@diver_shaun) November 12, 2019
Ewes
Ewes continue to breed, with 98% tipped after three weeks. Raddle is being changed every 12 days. Rams will be left in until 26 November after five weeks' breeding. Ewes will hopefully be left outside until close to Christmas.
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