Signpost: Spring breeding kicks off in Carrigeen with tech-driven heat detection

Eamonn and Donnchadh McCarthy on their farm at Carrigeen, Youghal, Co. Waterford. Photo: Patrick Browne

The finishing bulls are well settled on their ad lib finishing diet. The bulls are eating approximately 12 to 14kg/day of a high-energy 13% coarse beef ration mixed roughly 50:50 with home-grown rolled barley. They also receive ad lib access to silage as opposed to straw. 

The bulls were weighed on Friday, April 25, and the top 50% weighed 610 kg liveweight and were gaining 2.42 kg liveweight per day since their last weighing. The weight ranged from 533kg to 692kg. In 2024, the bulls averaged 392kg carcass weight, graded U-3- and were finished at 15.4 months of age.