Two & a Half Year Calf to Beef System. In this unit you will learn about A two and a half year calf to beef system Which entails...Feed, Housing/grassland.

Two & a Half Year Calf to Beef System

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.

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

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 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!

A calves rumen is not fully

developed, hay/silage/conc.

Should be introduced gradually

as soon as possible.

The silage/hay introduce micro-

organisms into their rumen

which digests the cellulose

His consumption of grass will

increase as he gets older

4 weeks old= 500g/day

Ventilation- good supply of fresh air- removes

pathogens.

Dry bed- 80% of its time lying down – reduces

heat loss- straw, shavings. Good floor drainage.

Draught free-prevents pneumonia

Floor space- adequate- according to their size

Lighting

Aspect- away from prevailing winds

Dung Removal

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

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

Turnout date depends on

• Weather.

• Soil conditions.

• Availability of Grazing.

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.

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.

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 200kg.

May/June 25 calves/ha

July/August 12 calves/ha

September 5 calves/ha

October 2.5 calves/ha

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

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

When to house Weather Breed Soil type Stocking rate Grass supply Housing: mid November 1.4m2 Floor space 0.7 m3 Air space Slatted unit, cubicle,etc Adequate space Good flooring, as before

Weaned off milk/milk replacer Silage 0.75 tons/month Good quality silage is capable of

giving 0.5g/day weight gain Conc fed if poor quality silage 0.5g conc. = good silage 2kg conc. = bad silage Should be grouped according to size

for ease of feeding.

While out on grass calves will pick up stomach worms, liverfluke, mange & Lice= cause setbacks

Dosing & parasite control Lice infestation can cause 30% setback Lameness can be a problem due to

overcrowding, poor floor conditions, etc.

As before Grass growth has be fertilized, N is spread

once animals are removed Soil sampling

Less susceptible to disease than younger animals

Rotational grazing Liverfluke Stomach worms Dosed Vaccinated Tested for TB & Brucellosis

Veronica Walsh

LWG 0.8kg/day As before

2.0 m2 floor space 10m3 air space Silage Disease & pest control as before Ready for slaughter

1. Weight.2. Fat Cover, Excess is wasteful and

expensive.

Condition Scoring is carried out..

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.

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