Beef and sheep notes September 2007

Prevention of Pneumonia in Housed Cattle

The main respiratory problem affecting suckled calves and store cattle at housing is pneumonia. Pneumonia is caused by viruses (RSV, IBR and PIS) or bacteria (Pasteurella). Several options are available to help reduce the risk.

Vaccinate against RSV IBR and PIS, preferable before housing.
Discuss a vaccination programme with your veterinary practitioner
At housing do not mix suckled calves with older store cattle in the same air space
Do not over-stock houses. Overcrowding will stress cattle and increase susceptibility to pneumonia
Avoid feeding dusty feeds
Provide adequate ventilation. Keep a careful watch on calves during cold, windy and wet conditions.
Introduce meal feeding to stock before housing.

High feed costs this winter

The current year is challenging and turbulent on a number of fronts, not least feed prices. The costs of common ingredients in cattle feed from 2006 to time of writing have increased by 30 to 70 percent or up to £83/tonne.

What can farmers do?

Back to basics – making high quality silage and maximising quality of grazing swards can significantly reduce concentrate requirements.
The price differential between high and low quality ingredients is quite small so aim to use high quality rations – they will be cheaper in the long run.
Exercise caution when purchasing alternative feeds – spoilage and low dry matter content may make an apparently cheap food expensive.
Budget carefully when purchasing store cattle this autumn.

Management of Ewes at Mating

Good management around mating is critical to ensure a good lamb group next spring. Troublesome ewes should have been culled and the breeding flock checked for soundness of teeth, feet and udder. Minimise stress and keep the dogs away. Dipping, dosing and vaccination (including EAE and toxoplasmosis if appropriate) should be carried out at least 4 weeks before introducing rams.

Batching Ewes

At tupping aim to have the ewes at body condition score at least 3 to encourage higher ovulation rates and rear more lambs. Move thin ewes onto good grass swards if possible (sward height 6 to 7 cm) while, very fit ewes (BS 4+) should be restricted and offered poor grazing. Ewes in good condition should be maintained on swards 5 to 6 cms for about 6 weeks after mating. Where grass is scarce feed thinner ewes up to 0.5 KG per day of a cereal based ration. Mineralised barley is ideal.

Rams

Check rams have no feet problems and are fit and fertile. It is worthwhile getting your rams fertility checked by your veterinary practitioner. Where rams cover too many ewes, lamb numbers next year will be reduced. As a guide, use 1 mature ram per 30 to 40 ewes, with 15 to 20 ewes per ram lamb. The use of one vasectomised teaser ram/100 ewes introduced 17 days before the stock rams can help to stimulate the ewes and increase ovulation rates. Raddling rams is a useful procedure for predicting lambing dates and identifying infertile rams. Change the raddle colour every 14 days.

Finishing Store Lambs on Grass and Forage Crops

Typically lambs should be within 5 to 7 KG of their optimum slaughter weight and capable of quick finishing with adequate grass.

Assess lambs by handling prior to purchase. Select well-fleshed lambs with a body condition score of 2.5 or above.
Dosing for both worms and fluke and vaccination against clostridial diseases are essential in most situations. This will cost around £1.50/lamb.
Stocking rates from October onwards will depend on lamb breed and condition of the swards and will vary from 20 to 30 lambs/hectare. Lambs of 35 KG lightweight stocked at 25 to 30/hectare on swards with good grass cover should be ready for slaughter about 8 to 10 weeks.
Catch crops such as stubble turnips, rape or kale have the potential for 2500 to 3000 grazing days/hectare with 50 to 70 percent utilisation. Meal supplementation may be required when grass becomes scarce. Cereals or sugar beet pulp would be suitable up to 0.5 KG/head/day.