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BEEF NUTR I T ION
Will adds: ‘The fertility results were very
good for the cows and heifers but much
poorer for the first calvers and thinner cows.
When we investigated, we could attribute
this to two factors; one bull being run with
65 cows, which was too high a number.
Secondly, many of the not-in-calf animals
were Aberdeen Angus cross Holsteins – these
were putting too much of their energy into the
calf and not their own body condition, so I
advised Tom to avoid this breed type.’
Further improvements were made in 2015
with the move to a single spring calving
block; it also took only 3 weeks (21 days)
for 50% of the herd to calve (an improvement
of 31% on the previous year’s 21 day
calving rate). Tom ran bulls with the cows for
only 13 weeks, and initial PD results indicate
an even tighter calving period this year.
Separate groups
Another key change has been to manage the
herd as two separate groups.
The main herd of cows continues to be
extensively grazed on the range. They are
buffer fed with silage to help manage their
body condition scores.
‘But heifers will still be growing and need
more feed than cows, yet grazing on the
range is poor quality,’ explains Will. ‘So
now Tom has increased the proportion of
grassland in his arable rotation, so they can
graze better quality leys, and be more
readily accessible.
‘As a group of younger animals, there is
also less likelihood of bullying from older
cows. Any thin cows and second lactation
cows needing special care are also put into
the heifer group.’
Mineral deficiencies
resolved
In the spring of 2013, Tom noticed that
many of the calves born did not have the
vigour to get up and suckle as normal. Then
in the autumn batch, there were a dozen
cases of congenital dwarfism in calves born
to cows that had been housed and fed only
on grass silage for the last trimester of
pregnancy. This was potentially indicative of
manganese deficiency.
‘Indeed, blood tests on the dams revealed
not only a severe iodine and manganese
deficiency, but also borderline selenium
deficiency,’ says Will. ‘In severe cases,
iodine deficiency can give rise to stillbirths,
but in mild cases it is enough to prevent
calves from getting going when born.’
Tom now gives all cows a mineral bolus in
January. It is timed to cover them for calving
and for the first two months of service.
‘Since adopting this strategy, there have been
no retained cleansings at calving, and it has
markedly improved calf performance,’ says
Tom. ‘It takes a long time to get a dopey calf
to suckle. So it has freed more time up for
other things. It also means we can get them
outside again in a couple of days.’
Will adds: ‘By being in the calving pen for a
shorter time it also reduces their exposure to
disease challenge.’
Bull testing
Tom puts Limousin and Angus bulls onto the
heifers, and uses Charollais bulls for the
cows.
Will explains: ‘A bull can be fertile one year,
but not the next. So every breeding bull
should be given an annual MOT test – or
Bull Breeding Soundness Examination –
which includes semen testing and checking
their feet.’
Will tests all Tom’s 11 bulls in March,
sufficiently in advance of the breeding period
so that there is time to source replacement
bulls, if needed.
Bulls are run with the cows at a ratio of
1:30, and not exceeding 1:40. For 100
cow groups, at least 4 bulls are put in.
Where cow groups are small enough for
a single bull to be run with them, Will
recommends that a new bull is rotated into
the group partway through the breeding
period.
Benefits
Moving from two extended calving
blocks to one much tighter block has
made herd management a lot easier for
Tom. He has changed from selling stores
in March and April at Frome market, to
now finishing cattle to sell them dead-
weight in January and February. He has
also ventured into a contract to supply
bull beef.
Will says: ‘With the tighter calving
pattern comes easier management of a
larger group of animals. Jobs such as
calving, weaning, PDing, etc don’t take
so long, freeing up time to invest in other
business opportunities such as the huge
increase in bull beef this last year.’
Tom adds: ‘With a similarly aged group
of calves, it’s a lot easier to make plans
on using the available shed space. I can
buy in bull beef to avoid having empty
sheds, not making any money.’
Will adds: ‘Nowadays there are more
calves weaned per cow per year, which
is a direct increase in income. And
having a tighter, more even group of
calves means health is better and growth
more even, ultimately resulting in a
healthier, heavier and more saleable
group of cattle.’
SPRING 2016 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
12
Tom’s cattle
Heifers and calves are grazed on good quality
leys which are part of the arable rotation
Tom and Will in front of some Charollais crosses that are nearing being finished