The Derrypatrick Herd at Teagasc Grange is gearing up for weaning season, following strong performance across both breeding and calf growth rates this year.

That’s according to Dr. Peter Doyle, Beef Research Officer in Teagasc Grange, who joined Catherine Egan on a recent episode of the Beef Edge podcast.

Pregnancy scanning, completed in late August, confirmed a 90% pregnancy rate after a nine-week breeding season starting May 1. Of those, 85% of cows are expected to calve within the first six weeks of the 2026 calving season.

Calves born in 2025 have performed well. Weighing completed in early September show heifers averaged 275kg, having gained 1.26kg/day since birth, while bulls weighed 290kg after daily gains of 1.37kg.

“I am very happy with the performance. It probably has been our best year over the last five years for calf growth rates and across other areas of the country people are seeing that as well,” Dr. Doyle explained.

Derrypatrick weaning preparations

Weaning is planned for early to mid-October, depending on grass growth and supply. Key preparations to reduce stress, Dr. Doyle explained, include early castration in August, booster vaccinations for pneumonia, IBR, and clostridial diseases, and ongoing monitoring for lungworm. Calves are also being creep grazed ahead of cows and supplemented with 1 kg of concentrate/head daily.

A gradual weaning process will be followed, removing 25% of cows every five days to complete weaning over three weeks. After removal, cows will be housed to dry off and may return to grass – ground conditions permitting – to clean out paddocks after weanlings. Calves are expected to remain at grass until early December, but again this will depend on grass availability and ground conditions.

Special attention is being given to cows with lower body condition scores, particularly first-calved heifers, who may be weaned earlier to allow for recovery before winter. However, overall cow condition across the herd is reported to be strong (body condition score > 3.0).

For full insights, listen to the full episode of the Beef Edge podcast below:

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