February 2016

After the welcome rains in January February turned out to be a very hot month. We were able to cut 20 hectares of lucerne for silage which we have made into a stack to feed some weaner deer on this winter. It should be very high quality, rocket fuel!

Stock performance was exceptional in February with the heat and feed. Weaner deer grew at an average of 500 grams/day with one mob growing at 540 grams/day prior to weaning on 20 February.

After weaning the mixed age hinds were put in one mob out the back of the farm and had plenty of feed to go onto so we are hopeful that they will cycle early and be ready for the stag. We continued drilling paddocks of winter feed throughout February. Those drilled at the end of January all struck but the heat by the end of February had burnt much of it off again, or the weeds were more vigorous at establishing.

All sire stags have now been introduced to the hind mobs and we are very pleased that our yearling hinds average 114kg live weight.