Intake and annual performance of Limousin × Holstein-Friesian and Simmental × Holstein-Friesian beef suckler cows, and pre-weaning growth of their calves Beef cross dairy heifers remain a significant source of replacement breeding stock for the suckler herd in Ireland. Previous studies at this centre have compared Hereford × Friesian beef suckler dams with Charolais × Friesian and Limousin × Fr...

BACKGROUND There have been few studies published internationally which document herd health management practices in suckler beef herds and no published Irish studies. The study objective was to document herd health status and management practices on sixteen Irish suckler beef herds over a two year period (2009-2010). The farms used in the study were part of the Teagasc BETTER farm beef programm...

Ten cows in a suckler herd totalling 60 sickened after grazing parkland which was heavily covered with acorns. Two died. The main clinical signs were dullness, anorexia and constipation. The main pathological findings were severe nephrosis and some intestinal ulceration. After removal to an acorn-free pasture, the remaining eight animals made a full recovery.

A 4-year study comparing Hereford × Friesian (HF) and Limousin × Friesian (LF) spring-calving cows and two grass silages on the performance of suckler cows and their progeny was undertaken using 163 cows. Cows were offered, to appetite, grass silage of either low (L) or moderate (M) digestibility in late pregnancy and early lactation. Cows and their calves spent from April until weaning in Octo...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect genetic merit national Irish maternal index and genotype (i.e. beef vs. × dairy [BDX]) cows subsequent performance their progeny. With exception that high produced 0.57 kg more milk tended have 0.04 a lower body condition score (BCS), no significant differences were observed between diverse merit. Differences contrasting cow apparent. Be...

Out-wintering beef cows reduces annual housing costs and bedding requirements and there is less exposure to diseases associated with housing. However, to counter these benefits cows may be exposed to conditions that pose a significant challenge to welfare, and ways of assessing this are required. Two feeding treatments were applied to four groups of 10 cows (two groups/treatment), one to mainta...