FOR Pinnaroo Angus breeders Ron and Mat Cowley the decision to use the Elders Livestock Management Solutions (ELMS) weaning protocol has paid handsome dividends with their stud bulls’ average daily weight gain an impressive 2.53 kilograms per head per day.
Their heifers also put on 1.96kg a day and are looking almost too good – now on a maintenance ration to avoid them laying down too much fat.
“It was way more than we expected – when we wean the first 10 to 14 days they normally go backwards but these bulls and heifers didn’t go backwards,” he said.
“Compared to other weaning years this was the first time they didn’t miss a beat.”
In mid February the six-to-nine month calves, part of the Roseleigh stud, received the recommended treatments of 5-in-1, B12 and Vitamin A, D, E.
They were then yard weaned for 31 days using ELMS weaner pellets after Mat heard about the program while attending a workshop with Livestock Central veterinarian Rick White.
The average weight of the 59 bull calves at weaning was 308.4kg. Before being turned out of the yards on March 21 they put on an average of 78.5 kg/hd.
The cost of feeding the weaner bulls added up to $1.88/head a day including the ELMS product.
The bulls have not been reweighed but Ron expects they will have 11 month olds weighing around 500kg which should make them very competitive weights for the stud’s annual bull sale next February.
Weaning using the ELMS protocol will now become standard procedure at Roseleigh.