[CameronS]

hello,

Not really a question on how to look after cows, as i have no intention of keeping them, but as part of my college course i have been asked to to an annual calender of events of a beef farmer. i was hoping you guys would be able to help me out on this one.

i know some things but, expert information is allways great.

Cheers
Cameron 

[SallyintNorth]

Hmm, Cameron - there's quite a bit of variation.  Some calve in the autumn, some in the spring, some year-round.  Some bring all stock in over winter, some only the cows and young calves, some outwinter everything.  Some farm where it's flukey so have to give fluke meds.  Some sell weanlings, some a bit later as store cattle, some finish on the farm.  Some grow their own barley and other feeds, some make and feed a lot of silage, some use hay.  Some send all their calves off in one big batch to one big sale, some sell a few at a time throughout the year.

So you've asked a rather big question there!

[Rosemary]

Yes, it's much less of an annual timetable than sheep.

[CameronS]

i gathered my question was vague, i was basing my ideas on the farm near us, calves early in the year March time i think, bulls out in april, back in september, and calves separated from mothers october november.

i have got the basics such as when the grass is cut bailed and wraped for silage, as i helped out this year,

it was more the medication side, such as TB testing - is their a set time in the year or anything else, despite living around cows i really am clueless 

thanks for your reply Sally, it's given me more to work with i have added more to my "time table"

[SallyintNorth]

it was more the medication side, such as TB testing - is their a set time in the year or anything else, despite living around cows i really am clueless 

TB testing is another big question.  Different parishes have different testing intervals (1, 2, 4 years) , a farm which has had a reactor will have to be tested again in 60 days, etc.  We're a TB4; every 4 years Defra tell us they want us to be tested, we arrange a mutually convenient day with the vet in the next couple of months.  I assume that if you are tested every year or more frequently, you will have more of a schedule - but perhaps someone who knows can tell you that.

Meds will depend a bit on the area; it's flukey here so cows are fluked as they come in for the winter and may be fluked again during the late summer if it's a wet one.  We put a bolus into the stirks as they are turned out, this is a slow-release wormer and will keep them covered for their first season outdoors.  Lungworm is a problem with cattle, especially youngstock, in addition to the same types of worms sheep get.  We're mineral-poor soils here, so most cattle will get a mineral drench at some point - on turnout perhaps.

If the beef breed(s) are horned, there may be disbudding and / or dehorning to think about.  Disbudding is done on young calves less than two months old, dehorning not in summer (flies) or winter (frosts) and cannot be done on a very young animal as there is not enough horn to grab hold of.

Most farms will castrate the male calves, either with rubber rings like lambs in the first week or using a burdizzo at about one month old.  Any older than two months and it's a vet job.

HTH