Dairy Beef
- Preventing summer scour disease
- Using CBV when purchasing calves
- Slaughter performance of 2024 born u16 month bull finishing system
Ed Curtin – May/June update 2025
- Addressing reducing weaning weight
- Selecting heifers for breeding
- Preparing heifers for sale
Suckling Herd
Dairy Calf Enterprise
In total, 68 dairy beef calves were purchased this spring. Out of the 68 calves 2 died. One was a sudden death and the other with a stomach obstruction.
The dairy beef calves are all weaned off milk replacer. They are now on 2 kgs of a 17% crude protein calf ration containing a buffer and high quality 70+DMD silage to help prevent summer scour syndrome. The calves are turned out to hen harrier ground in the next week or two. This has an older type sward which has not been reseeded on the home farm. Once calves are accustomed to grazing, Ed moves these calves to an outblock where they will remain until housing.
Ed like many rearing dairy bred calves has had issues with summer scour syndrome in the past. He has found, as is often the case, that prevention is better than cure. Turning calves out to lush grass covers which have received nitrogen seems to lead to increased levels of the condition. Ed has found that the lifetime performance of affected calves was poor and they never fully recovered. By weaning the calves and keeping them indoors a on meal and silage diet Ed has been able to prevent this problem from arising.
The calves purchased this spring are mainly AA X HOFR type with some Hereford also included. As well as the early maturing breeds Ed purchased 21 mainly CH X HOFR calves with some Belgian blues also included.
The average CBV of the calves purchased was €110. The sires of the calves purchased are mainly AI bred including AA9849, AA4638, AA4442, CH4321 and BB7272. Ed has noticed that calves with higher CBVs have out performed their lower CBV counterparts (see figure 1). With this in mind Ed tries to source calves with as high a CBV as possible. The calves are up to date with their viral pneumonia vaccinations and have received their clostridial vaccines before turnout.
Ed sold 19 2024 born dairy calves as under 16 month old young bulls on the 19th of June. The bulls were 15.7 months old and had a average carcass weight of 369kg. These bulls were mainly Charolais and Belgian Blue x HOFR. This is Ed’s first year finishing bulls. The bulls were finished on a 16% crude protein ration ad lib. High DMD silage was also fed.
Figure 1 – Comparison of high and low CBV steers finished
Figure 2 – 2025 born weaned dairy beef calves
Autumn Born weanlings
The suckler weanlings were last weighed on the 1st of Feb. The bulls weighed 219kg and gained 1.11 kg/day since birth. The heifers averaged 197kg and gained 0.94kg/day since birth. Ed sold the weanling bulls on the 23rd of April after being weaned beforehand. The heifers were retained and are currently being prepared for sale out on grass.
Ed has noticed that calf performance has started to dip recently. From the weaning performance report the average daily gain has dropped. The 2022 born autumn bull calves averaged 1.25kg/day. This dropped to 1.21kg/day for the 2023 born bull calves and to 1.11kg/day for the 2024 born bull calves. A similar trend has been seen in the heifer weanlings. The daily gain has dropped from the 2022 born autumn heifer calves from 1.15kg/day to 1.01kg/day for the 2023 born heifer calves to 0.95kg/day for the 2024 born heifer calves.
Milk Yield
Ed has noticed that the milk yield is starting to reduce within the herd and this can be seen from the herds Eurostar report see figure 3. The daughter milk sub index for the herd is down at 1.7kg. Ed noted that the heaviest bull weaned was by a Limousin cow 978, this cow had a daughter milk sub index of 8.7kg, see figure 4. Ed plans to retain replacement heifers with high daughter milk sub indexes. 2 such heifers were bred by a red Angus bull ZEP, see figure 5. Both of these have daughter milk sub indexes of 5.9 and 3.4 kgs. Another suitable heifer was bred by EBY she has a daughter milk sub index of 4.3kg, see figure 6.
Figure 3 Suckler cow Eurostar profile
Figure 4 – Eurostar profile for cow 978
Figure 5 – ZEP sired replacement heifer with a daughter milk sub index of 5.9kgs
Figure 6: – Heifer 624 EBY sired heifer with a milk sub index of 4.5kg of milk
2024 born autumn heifer calves have been retained and will be sold from July onwards in the autumn weanling sales. These heifers were vaccinated for viral pneumonia prior to weaning and were let out to grass following weaning in April. The heifers are currently grazing after grass and are receiving 1.5 kg of ration at grass (see figure 7,8, 9)
Figures – above show 2024 born Autumn heifers
Silage and Winter Fodder
A winter feed budget was completed and Ed requires almost 700 bales of silage for the winter period. The 1st cut was made on the 10th of May and the second cut received slurry at a rate of 2500gallons per acre. The nitrogen was topped up to 80 units using protected urea. Ed should make enough of silage as the second cut is growing well across the farm.
The bales are stored on hardcore and as a result they are only stacked 2 high and placed away from watercourses and drains, see figure 10. This year as a result of the ad lib feeding of ration, the bales had to be protected from bird damage, this was done using a net to cover the bales. The second cut will be made in early July weather permitting.
Figure – 10 bales protected by net and stacked no more than 2 high on hardcore