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The first young bulls of 2017 were slaughtered over the last 10 days at Slaney Foods International, Bunclody, Co. Wexford. The progeny were sired by 41 different AI sires across 8 different breeds. It consisted of eighty-two Jan/Feb/March 2016 born bulls.

They average carcass weight for the group was 420 kilos.  They average daily gain for the group during their 90 day performance test period was an exceptional two kilos per head per day. Average growth rate within the group ranged from 1.47 kilos to 2.53 kilos per head per day. The average kill-out for the group was 58.5%, with kill-out ranging from 55% to 65%. Overall the animals graded extremely well with 16 of the bulls being of E grade conformation, 61 grading in the U grade class and the remaining 5 were R grade for conformation. 80 of the 82 bulls met the carcass fat specifications of 2+ or higher with the majority of bulls grading 3= or more for fat.

The average dry matter intake (DMI) per day for the group was 13.11 kilos, with bulls consuming from 9.27 to 15.96 kilos per head per day on a DMI basis. The bulls were fed hay and concentrates ad-libitum. Overall the bulls performed exceptionally well and were gaining 1.2 kilos of carcass for each day they were on test at Tully.  The data demonstrates the large variation in performance between progeny in a young bulls system. However, it also shows that carcass fat spec can be achieved across all breeds. Achieving carcass fat spec is one of the main concerns for farmers finishing young bulls. Some of the main ways adequate carcass fat cover is achieved at Tully is through diet, consistent feeding times and adequate floor space. Also, all animals are purchased directly from farms which helps in minimising stress and allows the animals to acclimatise quicker to their new diet and environment. See below photos of some of the progeny slaughtered.

All individual data on animals slaughtered recently can be found under the G€N€ IR€LAND section of the ICBF website (www.icbf.com). You can access the G€N€ IR€LAND section by clicking on the “services” tab which is located at the top of the homepage.