Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science Two a Half Year

Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science Two & a Half Year Calf to Beef System

Learning Outcomes. . In this unit you will learn about • A two and a half year calf to beef system • Which entails. . . Feed, Housing/grassland management, Disease control for a beef animal from birth to slaughter.

Two & Half Year Calf to Beef System In a beef herd calves are allowed suckle the cow until about 8 months. Calves are born without antibodies. NO Immunity- very subjected to disease Colostrum must be consumed within 6 hours of birth as this is when the ability to absorb antibodies is at its highest. If weak hand feed. Should be fed for 3 -4 days as it is high in nutrients, very digestible and has a laxative effect. Animals that do not get colostrum will have very little resistance to disease

Purchasing Calves Points to look for when purchasing calves at the mart: Conformation: ◦ Shoulders wide ◦ Wide Hind Quarters ◦ Deep Barrel Health: ◦ ◦ ◦ Eyes Bright and Clear (no discharge) Ears Pricked Up Nose Clear (no discharge) Naval clean, no swelling Anus should show no sign of scour. Generally lively and alert.

Care of Calves After Purchasing Care should be taken not to stress the calve during transport. Calves should only be fed water and glucose for the first 24 hours. This is done to clear the contents of the stomach. After 6 days the calve should be on full strength Milk Replacer. The calf will subsequently weaned onto Hay and Concentrates and later grass when available!

Weaning onto hay/grass etc A calves rumen is not fully developed, hay/silage/conc. Should be introduced gradually as soon as possible. The silage/hay introduce microorganisms into their rumen which digests the cellulose His consumption of grass will increase as he gets older 4 weeks old= 500 g/day

Calf Housing & Bedding Ventilation- good supply of fresh air- removes pathogens. Dry bed- 80% of its time lying down – reduces heat lossstraw, shavings. Good floor drainage. Draught free-prevents pneumonia Floor space- adequate- according to their size Lighting Aspect- away from prevailing winds Dung Removal

Dehorning/Disbudding must be completed within 3 weeks of birth unless buds have not developed

Disease & Pest Control Newly purchased calves should be isolated from others to observe signs of ill health. Buy from known source- insure they were fed with colostrum Flush system out with glucose & water & gradually introduce on to milk replacer over a period of 2 -3 days Feed colostrum Dose Look for lice, etc Isolate sick animals Vaccinate- protect against

First Summer out on grass Turnout date depends on • Weather. • Soil conditions. • Availability of Grazing.

Weaning on to Hay and Concentrates By the time the calf is four weeks old, he / she should be eating 300 -400 g of concentrates daily. When the calf is weaned from milk replacer, he / she should be eating 500 g a day. At this time the calf is allowed onto grass, but is still fed concentrates, hay and water.

The Calves first summer on Grass Calves should be allowed onto grass until the weather is warm. The change from warm housing to cold outdoor conditions can cause a shock and can disturb the calf’s growth. Meals should be fed for 2 – 3 weeks after being put onto grass, to help the calf adjust to the new diet. Calves are selective grazers, and should always be kept on fresh, palatable grass and certainly should not be left graze pastures bare.

The Calf on Grass Continued. . They should graze under a leader – follower system. They should always graze in advance of older cows. This also inhibits the spread of stomach and lungworms. When grass is scarce at the end of the summer, concentrates should be fed. When calves are housed for the winter, they should weigh 200 kg.

Stocking Rate May/June 25 calves/ha July/August 12 calves/ha September 5 calves/ha October 2. 5 calves/ha

Feeding Creep feeding- access to both cow & fresh grass & Conc. When grass is scarce should be fed conc. again. Small weak calves should be separated & fed better to achieve target weight

Parasite control Leader follower system Calves first out onto grass followed by weanlings followed by yearlings, etc Calves are more susceptible to picking up diseases than older cattle so calves are introduced first to avoid stomach worms etc Rotational grazing- pastures are rested 3 weeks Wormed & vaccinated before turnout

Rotational Grazing

1 st Winter – Weanlings 1 st Nov When to house Weather Breed Soil type Stocking rate Grass supply Housing: mid November 1. 4 m 2 Floor space 0. 7 m 3 Air space Slatted unit, cubicle, etc Adequate space Good flooring, as before

Feeding Weaned off milk/milk replacer Silage 0. 75 tons/month Good quality silage is capable of giving 0. 5 g/day weight gain Conc fed if poor quality silage 0. 5 g conc. = good silage 2 kg conc. = bad silage Should be grouped according to size for ease of feeding.

Parasite & Disease Control While out on grass calves will pick up stomach worms, liverfluke, mange & Lice= cause setbacks Dosing & parasite control Lice infestation cause 30% setback Lameness can be a problem due to overcrowding, poor floor conditions, etc.

2 nd summer out in grass- Yearlings As before Grass growth has be fertilized, N is spread once animals are removed Soil sampling

Disease & Parasite Control Less susceptible to disease than younger animals Rotational grazing Liverfluke Stomach worms Dosed Vaccinated Tested for TB & Brucellosis Veronica Walsh

Feeding LWG 0. 8 kg/day As before

Housing & Feeding for 2 nd Winter 2. 0 m 2 floor space 10 m 3 air space Silage Disease & pest control as before Ready for slaughter

Selecting Cattle For Slaughter 1. 2. Weight. Fat Cover, Excess is wasteful and expensive. Condition Scoring is carried out. .

Abbatoir Animals are fasted to: Allow the rumen to be emptied prior to slaughter. Decrease the chances of meat hygiene risk. The glycogen in the muscle turns to lactic acid if the animal is stressed, this results in poor meat quality. Hanging the carcass: Allows the blood to drain. Also the enzymes breaks down tough fibres in meat. Overall it results in better meat quality.

Killing Out % Is the dead weight of an animal expressed as a percentage of its live weight.