Beef and Sheep Notes October 2011

Suckler cow benchmarking results show very clearly the benefits of producing a calf per cow per year.  An improvement in calves reared per cow from 0.8 to 0.9 equates to an approximate increase of £60 per cow in gross margin for a suckler to weanling enterprise.

It is also essential to achieve a good calving index.  This is the average calving interval for your suckler herd and should ideally be 365 days.  By providing your herd number to your local Beef and Sheep Adviser, you can obtain information on individual cow calving intervals along with the herd calving index, calving spread and other useful fertility information.

Condition score has the greatest impact on cow fertility.  Cows should be managed so that they are condition score 3 at weaning and 2.5 – 3.0 at calving.  It is important that cows are not above condition score 3 at calving as this often leads to increased calving difficulty and potential fertility problems.

Pregnancy diagnose your winter and spring calving cows and complete your culling plans before housing.  Condition score the herd at housing and feed accordingly, paying special attention to heifers and second calvers.

Do you know the feeding value of your silage?  A silage analysis costs £19.40 and provides useful analytical information on energy value, crude protein, dry matter and predicted intake values along with feeding recommendations for your livestock.  Silage analysis, along with an estimate of winter silage tonnage and stock requirements, are part of good preparation before housing.

If calf scour has been an issue on your farm or there is a risk of infection, scour vaccination should be a routine treatment.  Now is the time to discuss this with your Vet.

If not already carried out use a long acting wormer for young cattle ideally well before housing to allow calves time to cough up dead lung worms.  Complete Pneumonia vaccines before housing.  Check ventilation using a smoke pellet, and that warm air can rise freely and escape through the roof spacing and that there are adequate fresh air inlets above cattle height without draughts.

Calf weaning should be handled carefully to avoid calf stress and achieve a suitable cow condition before housing.  Wean calves from heifers and thin cows first and remove the other cows in stages over a two week period. Ideally calves should be on concentrates eating a minimum of 1KG per day for one month before weaning.  Avoid carrying out any other treatments at weaning, such as housing, transport, castration or dehorning.

Calves should be treated for worms and ectoparasites before weaning.  The calves should have a settled period at grass before housing.  A well ventilated bedded house is preferred for housing weaned calves.  Ensure that calves have adequate space (3m² per head).

Ewe lambs for breeding should be at least 60 percent of mature body weight (40 – 45KG liveweight).  Keep mature rams with ewe lambs for two cycles and change raddle colours after 14 days.

Clostridial/Pneumonia and Fluke drenches, and dagging should be completed well in advance of the tupping period.  Check the manufacturer’s instructions when using veterinary products.  For example, there is a wide range of practices used in the sheep sector in relation to Clostridial/Pneumonia vaccination programmes, yet there are clear instructions on product labels.

Ewes in good condition (3.0 – 3.5) should be maintained in good condition while ewes in poorer condition (2.5 or less) will need a flushing period on good quality swards (2250 – 2650KG DM per hectare).

Using a ram raddle for mating provides very useful information, along with scanning results, for lambing management and control of nutrition in later stages of pregnancy