Joe O’Boyle Testimonial: Calves reared on Compumate hit lifetime performance targets

Calves at a Randalstown beef fattening unit are achieving significantly higher liveweight gains and reaching their lifetime performance targets since a milk replacer designed for computerised fed calves was introduced into the system.

Joe O’Boyle, who farms with his son and daughter at 34 Cranfield Road, runs a large-scale system with over 500 cattle. The family buys in strong and well-fleshed black-and-white males and Continental calves, which are reared on milk replacer via two computerised feeders.

Although Joe has been using the feeders for over 10 years, he says he only began to see their full potential since introducing Compumate to the system.

Before using Compumate, Joe always struggled to keep flesh on the calves, especially in the first weeks after they arrived on the farm. The calves often lost weight and suffered a brown nutritional upset. Joe says Compumate enables calves to keep their thrive, bloom and flesh.

“This gives us more options for the stock and has significantly reduced rearing costs,’’ he says.

Eliminating early growth setbacks

Previously, poor calf performance in the early weeks meant Joe had to extend feeding plans, limiting his ability to sell stock younger and making it harder to finish cattle on time.

“Before feeding Compumate, we struggled to get all cattle to finish on time but we no longer have this difficulty,” he says.

Compumate is digested in the same way as cow’s milk, removing the nutritional stress calves often face post-arrival. Joe’s previous replacer was totally different from cows’ milk and had been the root cause of setbacks in both calf health and performance.

With advice from Joe Murphy of Bonanza Calf Nutrition, manufacturer of Compumate, and Basil Bailey from John Thompson and Son, Joe adjusted his computer feed plan and youngstock rations. The result has been a marked improvement in lifetime cattle performance, through eliminating nutritional stress.

Stronger performance to finishing

Joe now fattens bulls at 16 months, achieving average carcase weights of 315 kg in black and whites and 340 kg in Continentals.

He credits not only Compumate for giving calves the best possible start, but also the finishing diets supplied through Thompsons.

“The advice and feed range available from Basil Bailey and Thompsons beef feed range are second to none. Thompsons Supreme Gold grader nuts played as important a role in finishing animals reaching targets on time as Compumate did with starting animals.’’