Breeding
- Replacement heifers selected
- Criteria for selection
- Sensehub collars fitted on heifers
- Forage yields so far
- No turnips, rape and kale available for this winter
- Grass paddocks will be set aside for grazing instead
- 2023 born cattle weighed before finishing
- 2024 born cattle also weighed
- Weights are ahead of last year’s ones
Animal Nutrition
Performance
Breeding
Fifteen of the 2024 born heifers have been picked for breeding this autumn. They were selected on the following criteria:
- Average replacement index of €161 (range: €132 to €212)
- Average daughter milk figure: 5.7kg (range: 4.2 to 9.3kg)
- Average carcass weight: 16kg (range 12.4 to 25.1kg)
- Average daughter calving interval: -3.9 days (range: -0.14 to -5.38 days)
- Average age at finish: -7 days (range: +3.1 to -20.7 days)
- Good weight for age, i.e. over 350kg on 11th August
Ken’s reason for picking the heifers is to improve the genetics within the herd. Although they are already very good at €144 on the replacement index, with 11kg carcass weight, 7.4kg daughter milk, -3.23 days on daughter calving interval and 0.05 for docility, he feels that there is more that can be done. The daughter milk figure of the heifers coming into the herd is slightly lower than what the cows are currently at, so he will be sure to breed them to an easy calving bull with a high milk figure when selecting AI bulls.
These will now get collars for the Sensehub system that Ken installed on 24th June. This will allow the system to detect heats and adjust to the heifers before breeding starts in October/November.
Figure 1: Eurostar details of the herd as of May 2025
Figure 2: Heifer #1747 is one heifer picked for breeding with a replacement index of €158
Animal Nutrition
There are no turnips, rape and kale crop available to Ken due to the crop rotation this year. However he plans to close up grass paddocks in August and save them for grazing in November/December. Bales of grass/red clover silage will also be fed to the cattle on it.
Ken has updated his fodder budget to allow for this. So far this year he has made:
- 69 bales grass silage
- 93 t dry matter of grass silage in the pit
- 101 bales red clover 1st cut
- 86 bales red clover 2nd cut
- 105 bales pea/barley bales
This will provide him with enough silage for 136 days over winter, but he would prefer to have more. A third cut is due to be done on the red clover silage which will help, and Ken also has the option to sell the spring born cattle from 2024 if he wishes to reduce demand.
Figure 3: Ken and local advisor Paul Gibney examining the spring oats which will be cut in August
Performance
Ken weighed all the 2023 and 2024 born cattle on 11th August. The 2023 born beef heifers (10) averaged 566kg and gained 0.89kg/day at grass since 26th February. They had a lifetime gain of 0.76 kg/day since birth.
The 2023 born bullocks (42) averaged 636kg and had gained 0.94kg/day since 26th February. They had a lifetime ADG of 0.83 kg/day since birth.
Figure 4: Bullock #1666 weighed 654kg and gained 1.02kg/day at grass since February. He has a lifetime ADG of 0.85 kg/day. He graded R3 at 336.5kg carcass weight at finish, achieving a 51% kill out off grass
Ken has separated the breeding heifers from the beef heifers for the autumn 2024 group, and the beef heifers were also weighed on the same day. Sixteen of them averaged 345kg, and they gained 0.98 kg/day at grass since 11th March.
The 2024 born bullocks (30) averaged 378kg and they gained 1.06 kg/day at grass since 11th March.