It is impossible to accurately estimate cattle and lamb performance without regular weighing, writes CAFRE’s Nigel Gould.
Individual underperformance can indicate health issues or inadequate milk yield of dams.
Group underperformance can be due to poor grass quality or a particular breeding line of stock.
Where issues are identified, put a plan in place to improve performance.
Live weight gains of 0.9 and 1.0 kg per day for yearling heifers and steers respectively are achievable on good-quality grazed grass alone.
Pre-weaning targets for heifer and bull weanlings of 1.1 and 1.3 kg per day can be achieved where grass quality and milk yields of dams are good.
