27/01/2025
Mark McFarland from Lallemand brought his collegue Bruno to give Parklands clients a talk on finishing beef cattle and Wayne Acheson of Foyle meats kindly agreed to host the meeting at his farm. The talk and discussions were very good and the main points are summarised below:
One clean water bowl/trough per 10 cattle, ideally 2 bowls per pen each with a minimum flow rate of 0.7 litres per minute.
5m squared floor area per heavy bullock is recommended.
Free access to salt licks increases water intake and salivation keeping stomach healthy.
Roughage like staw should be chopped to max 1 inch and preferably closer to 1 cm to encourage chewing the cud!
Minimum of 30cm of feed space per animal, the more space they have (ideally 90cm each) means better intakes and less stress !
Lower group size is better for stress, 20 cattle or more will tend to reduce intakes, 10 cattle is better.
Good quality diet with minimum heating is important to maximise intakes and minimise rumen acidosis
Signs of acidosis are:
Loose faeces and straining as the a**s is irritated.
Laminitis characterised by lameness/stiffness, reddened feet and high incidence of fouls.
Increased vocalisation/roaring.
Reduced feed intakes
Mild to severe bloating.
If you have any queries about these topics please contact a Parklands vet.
