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Beef and sheep notes September 2009

Beef

Finishing cattle

Good autumn grass on its own will only give 0.6 to 0.8 KG per day weight gain which results in delayed finishing or even worse, failure to finish before the grass runs out.   Finishing cattle should get the best grass available, but even this will need to be supplemented with concentrates to achieve target weight gain.  Beef finishers realise that even with a good supply of autumn grass there is a response to feeding concentrate to finishing cattle with the level fed dependant upon the type of animal and grass supply.
A 650 KG finishing steer should get about 3 KG concentrate per day with good grass. However, if grass is scarce or of poor quality, 6-8 KG concentrate is needed to maintain performance at 1 KG per day.  A simple energy ration, for example, barley and citrus or beet pulp, is adequate as there is sufficient protein in autumn grass.  
The economics depend on the cost of concentrate and the price of beef.  For feeding up to 3 KG of concentrate per day, you can expect a conversion to carcass of about 12:1, that is,  every 12 KG of concentrate fed will give 1 KG carcass.  At current prices there is a positive margin of 45 – 55p per KG carcass gain to feeding at this level.
Those with forward stores, such as early spring born 1.5 year old steers and heifers should check if some could be finished before housing.  The heifers should fit into this category more easily, but some of the more forward steers may also be suitable.  Feeding 4-5 KG concentrate on grass for six to eight weeks could leave a better return than finishing indoors.

Weaning suckled calves

Suckler calves are very vulnerable to loss of thrive and prone to viral infection, for example, Pneumonia if removed from their mothers abruptly without careful planning.
Key factors to consider:
  • Handling and transport of calves at weaning should be kept to a minimum. Routine practices such as dehorning, castration [if not leaving entire], dosing and vaccinations should be carried out at least five to six weeks prior to weaning.
  • Introduce creep feed four to six weeks prior to weaning. A palatable coarse mix should be fed, for example, a 16 percent protein mixture based on citrus pulp. Feed up to 1 – 2KG per head per day as this will reduce the dependency on milk and produce heavier calves. For every 4KG of concentrate, a calf can gain an extra 1KG liveweight when grass is scarce.
  • Allow calves to forward creep graze into a field or paddock ahead of their mothers by means of a creep gate or electric fence set at a height which allows calves through and restricts the cows. This helps to weaken the cow/calf bond and greatly lowers the calf’s dependence on milk. Calves also get the benefit of better quality grass.
  • Removing cows gradually reduces the upset caused by weaning. Up to one quarter of the cows can be separated from their calves on any one occasion. This means that the remaining cows have a calming influence on the weaned calves.
  • Check twice daily for signs of ill – health after weaning. Watch out for calves that are slow to come to feed or stay away from the rest. Check the temperature of calves if you have suspicions of respiratory diseases.
  • Adopt a vaccination programme for respiratory diseases if there is a history of pneumonia on the farm. Vaccines are available for IBR, RSV, PI3 and Pasteurella. Consult your vet regarding the best approach to tackle the problem. The cost of an outbreak in terms of poor growth performance, mortality, treatment costs and extra labour costs could be in the region £80 - £100 per affected calf in suckler herds.

Autumn tetany

Grass tetany can be a problem in suckler cows in autumn. Provision of a readily available magnesium supplement during the danger period is essential, especially after weaning or when weather conditions deteriorate. A homemade mixture of calcined magnesite and molasses in equal parts by weight is satisfactory and cost effective. Place the mixture in a number of containers around the field to encourage intake. Stir the mixture daily to prevent suspension.

Sheep

Store lambs

Purchased store lambs should be managed to maximise performance and reduce mortality.  In most situations you will not be aware of the dosing history and so on, so it is important that you give the animals quarantine drenches on arrival on your farm.  Treat lambs for fluke, stomach worms and external parasites.  The fluke drench should be effective against immature fluke.  In the case of stomach worms it is important to guard against resistant worm species and therefore you should use both an injectable avermectin/macrocyclic lactone type product (this will also eliminate scab) and a yellow/levamisole based drench sequentially.   Where you have had problems in the past with clostridial diseases (for example, Blackleg and so on) or with Pasturella – the lambs should be vaccinated on arrival and a repeat vaccination given four to six weeks later.  The second vaccine is important to get full protection.  In areas with known cobalt deficiency the animals need regular cobalt supplementation every three weeks if drenching is the method being used.  
suckled calves
Suckled calves offered creep feed prior to weaning helps to reduce stress