Kildalton Agricultural College Update May/June 2026

Breeding season

The 2026 breeding season started on 3^rd April and will run through to mid-to-late June. Heat detection is carried out with use of tail paint and vasectomised Friesian bull yearlings. The teaser bulls are fitted with a chin-ball harness which is combined with regular observations 3-4 times daily.

This year, there are 13 replacement heifers due to calve down at 24 months. A fixed-time A.I. protocol using sexed semen was implemented through an 8-day synchronisation programme. Twelve heifers were showing signs of heat on the day CIDRs were removed, and on day 8 those heifers were A.I.’d. Five of these held to the sexed semen, while the remaining eight were inseminated using conventional semen.

From a total of 53 suckler cows, 22 of the top maternal cows were selected for A.I. to high maternal index sires. The remaining 31 cows identified as top terminal index cows were bred to the Charolais stock bull or to a Belgian Blue A.I. sire. Over the six-week period, 51 out of 53 cows were served. We had an 80% non-return rate (NRR) during that period.

Replacement heifers with FR Teaser bull fitted with chin-ball harness

Suckler Cows with CH Stock Bull

*Euro-star rating = across breed

Kildalton Stock Bull

*Euro-star rating = across breed

Performance

There were 19 bulls born in Spring 2025 that are eligible for the U16-month bull beef system and will be slaughtered later this year. The bulls were housed in early November 2025 and fed 5 kg 14% crude protein concentrate with silage. At this stage, they averaged 432 kg, achieving an average daily gain (ADG) from weaning to housing of 1.7 kg/day.

From early February 2026 the bulls were gradually increased to ad-lib concentrate and straw diet. They subsequently averaged 508 kg, with an ADG of 1.3 kg/day during the housing period. When weighed on 7th May, the group averaged 691 kg, achieving an ADG of 2 kg/day during the ad-lib feeding phase. The first of the bulls are due to be finished in the coming days.

BB9725 sired U16 month bull

Weigh date 7th May U16 month

CH stock bull sired bull weighing 772 kg ADG/Ad-lib 2.04kg/day

Grassland

The red clover silage was cut on the 5th of May for baled silage, it yielded 8.8 bales per acre off 3000 g of slurry and half a bag of MOP, this was reseeded last April. Last week that received 23 units of N from 38% pro urea plus sulphur and 85 units of K from MOP, the plan is to cut again in 6 weeks. It is index 4 in P so we are trying to save the remainder of our slurry for 2nd cut low P index silage fields.

1st cut silage ground on the dry stock unit was grazed and closed in early April, index 4 fields received 100 units of N from 38% pro urea plus sulphur. Lower index fields received the same with 300 kg/ha of 0.7.30, where silage ground received 3000 g of slurry a reduced rate of chemical N was applied. It is hoped to cut silage once the weather allows. Hay ground was closed and fertilised last week, it received 65 units from 38% pro urea plus S and 200 kg / ha of 0-7-30.