All cows in the autumn calving herd have been served to AI and the breeding season has now finished after a nine-week period.

The first cow was inseminated on 17 October with the last animal served on 25 December. In total, there were 28 cows and eight home-bred heifers inseminated.

There were also three cows in the autumn herd that were no longer suitable for breeding, so these animals will be culled after weaning.

All being well, the autumn-calving cows should start calving in late July and be finished by the end of September.

Sires used on the autumn herd include Limousin, Simmental and Stabiliser bulls. Cows were observed to natural heats in the shed and I carry out all inseminations myself.

The plan is to scan the autumn cows in early February. Any animals that scan empty will be separated for additional feeding with the aim of slaughtering these cows once weaned.

Another job that will be completed in the coming days will be to separate all of the autumn cows with bull calves from those with heifers calves.

After this is done, creep feeding levels will increase for the bull calves to drive weight gain ahead of turnout to grass.

Diet

After housing and during the breeding period, autumn cows were fed good quality silage and 2kg/day of concentrates.

However, now that breeding has finished, concentrates have been cut from the diet, with cows on silage and minerals for the rest of the winter housing period.

First-cut silage was analysed during the summer and results show 70 D-Value at 21% dry matter. Protein and energy levels are good and this forage will maintain milk production in autumn-calving cows during late lactation.

A group of 12 bulls born during spring 2019 are eating high-quality baled silage and 5kg/day of concentrate. The bulls will be finished in May.

Maiden heifers

I was in a fortunate position this winter when choosing replacement heifers for the autumn herd.

There were 20 heifers born during August and September 2018 that are currently on-farm. All heifers in this group are bred from proven maternal sires and are ideal for breeding.

I had considered inseminating all 20 heifers with the aim of selling the in-calf heifers which are surplus to requirement during the summer.

However, after considering the pros and cons of this option, I decided against it, as I would be tight for grazing and therefore would not have the housing space if the herd was closed.

The remaining 12 animals will be sold live this spring and will make ideal breeding replacements for a spring-calving herd. These heifers are still getting 2kg/day of concentrate, to prepare them for sale this spring.

Autumn bulls finished

There were 10 bulls born during the 2018 autumn period and all animals have been finished, with the last animal killed on 10 January and the first bull drafted on 20 November.

Across the 10 bulls, the carcase weight averaged 366.1kg, with age at slaughter just over 15 months old. This converts to a daily lifetime carcase gain of around 0.8kg for every day on farm.

Carcase weights ranged from 311.1kg for an Angus-bred animal up to 426.5kg for a Simmental-bred bull. The equivalent group of bulls killed last year averaged 378.5kg carcase weight across 11 animals.

The bulls performed well at grass last year, with daily liveweight gain averaging 1.5kg/day. Concentrates were introduced on 27 July, with the bulls housed on 15 August.

Concentrates were gradually stepped up over the housing period and in total, the bulls consumed an average 1.35t of meal from July until slaughter.

While the bulls were slaughtered at a slightly lighter weight compared to 2018, they consumed less concentrate during the finishing period.

To cut down on meal feeding, high-quality baled silage made from surplus grass on grazing paddocks was targeted to these animals.

Across the 10 bulls, the carcase weight averaged 366.1kg, with age at slaughter just over 15 months old

There is a group of 12 bulls born during spring 2019 that are now being pushed for slaughter in May.

High quality silage bales are being fed to these animals along with 5kg/day of a growing ration. The bulls are due to be weighed, but they have performed well since housing.

Feeding top-quality silage from paddocks is helping to save on concentrate feeding with one bale lasting five days across the group.

Along with the bulls, there are 16 spring-born heifers coming up on 12 months old. They are being wintered on silage and 2kg/day of meal.

My plan is to start cutting the meal levels back in February to prepare these animals for turnout to spring grass. I will keep replacements for the spring herd from within this group, with breeding taking place in May.

Any heifer not kept for breeding will likely be sold live. Just like the surplus maiden heifers in the autumn herd, the spring-born heifers are all bred from proven maternal bloodlines and will make ideal cows.

Preparing for spring calving

Spring calving is due to get underway in late February, with 30 cows set to be calved down, including seven heifers.

These animals are in-calf to Simmental, Limousin and Stabiliser bulls, with heifers calving to Salers and Angus sires.

Cows are on a silage-only diet over the winter period, along with pre-calving minerals, and these animals are in ideal condition for the upcoming calving period.

Cattle health

Spring calving cows were treated for fluke shortly after housing. However, their calves were dosed with a product that targets both fluke and worms along with the autumn cows at calving time.

These animals need a follow-up drench and will now get a flukicide that targets the parasite at the mature stage to make sure they are healthy before turnout.

Lice have been a bit of an issue earlier this winter and all cattle have been treated twice this winter.

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