The spring 2023-born dairy-beef cattle on the ABP Demo Farm have been gaining 1kg/day since Christmas, and now have an overall average weight of 306kg.
Advantage Beef Programme team member, Sean Maher, explained that the heifers have an average weight of 298kg, while the bullocks have an average weight of 313kg.
Maher said that the 2022-born cattle had an average weight of 328kg in early February as yearlings, but acknowledged “it’s not fair to compare last year’s calves to this year’s, due to the different circumstances they’ve encountered”.
He said that while the average yearling weights are behind last year, the cattle “are starting to make great progress” after the wet summer they encountered on their first grazing season.
“On the ABP Demo Farm, 216 of the weanlings are over 300kg, and the heaviest is an Angus bullock sired by AA7821 weighing 428kg and born on February 12, 2023.”
The table below gives an overview of the average weights of the 2023 born yearlings on the ABP Demo Farm by breed:
Breed Average weight Angus 304kg Aubrac 299kg Belgian Blue 303kg Friesian 339kg Hereford 314kg Limousin 298kg Shorthorn 313kg
The team member explained that these cattle are being fed on a diet of grass silage, red clover silage, 3kg beet and 2kg concentrates/head/day.
A second lice treatment was applied to weanlings recently, and as these cattle approach turnout to grass for their second season, concentrates will be totally removed from the diet.
The second batch of weanlings are being trained on the GreenFeed bins, and these cattle will be finished training in the coming weeks.
“When this group is finished its training period, we plan on getting our third and final group to the machines.
“This would mean over 360 of our weanlings would have had access to the GreenFeeds over the winter. How long the final group can spend on the machines indoors will largely depend on the weather as we hope to get an early spring,” he added.
Preparations are currently being made on the ABP Demo Farm for the arrival of the 2024-born calves. Sheds are being washed and pens and drinkers are being set up.
Lambs are being drafted for slaughter on the farm also. A total of 33 lambs went to the factory last week, with an average carcass weight of 22.5kg. More lambs are due to go this coming week
These lambs are being supplemented with concentrates and silage at grass and the aim is to have most of these lambs gone by St. Patrick’s Day.