re you making the most of today’s buoyant cattle market?
Maximising the returns in beef breeder herds requires matching the reproductive cycle to available feed. In this region the time of most abundant nutrition is late spring and summer. Grass growth and nutritional value usually tails off in autumn and through winter when only grazing native pasture.
Cow facts
Check that the hutch you are purchasing provides sufficient space and shelter, if a hutch is too small it could restrict your rabbit’s movement. Rabbits should be able to stand fully on their hind limbs and take at least three hops in their enclosure. A hutch should be as large as possible to accommodate active and inquisitive bunnies, with an area to provide protection against weather and a secure sleeping place. Hutches ideally should only serve as an intermittent shelter,your rabbits need a few hours a day of exercise outside of their hutch.
All hutches should be well ventilated.Rabbits are extremely sensitive to the hot summer temperatures we experience in Australia and may die of heat stroke if their hutch is not in a cool, shady position.Enclosures with wire floors may damage their feet - the floor of your rabbit's hutch should be covered with newspaper, with a layer of bedding material like straw, grass, hay or shredded paper for warmth, comfort and to prevent pressure sores on your bunny’s feet.
As we have no control over rainfall and thus pasture availability it makes sense to control the cow’s reproductive cycle to fit peak energy demands to peak pasture availability. In highly productive herds this is achieved by setting a mating start date, when bulls are put with the cows, and then at the earliest opportunity ageing pregnancies by pregnancy diagnosis and foetal aging to check if the breeding strategy for the year has been successful. Only then do we remove bulls from the breeding herd to set up for the following year so that a concise calving pattern is achieved.
This systematic approach to management of the breeder will
The cost of implementing this type of sustainable breeder management system can be much less than the savings made on reduced cost of feed, supplements and labour alone while enjoying the benefits of improved productivity and income from your cattle.
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