What is fattening Calves?
What is meant by fattening calves is to rear them to an economically feasible weight, instead of slaughtering them on small weights that do not exceed 50-60 kg, as slaughtering them on these weights is a waste of the amount of potential profit.
The goal for Mohamad Al Sheikh Suliman in fattening calves
The goal for Mohammad Sheikh Suliman in fattening calves is to obtain the maximum growth in a short period, and thus the breeder obtains the highest level of profit, and of course, secures a good quality and sufficient amount of meat for the consumer. This can be achieved by feeding the calves balanced diets that cover all their nutritional needs.
Other factors to take into account regarding calf rearing and fattening
Heifers, need to be taken good care of to ensure optimal economic growth as well as to make them able to calve at only 24 months old. The first 2 to 3 months of their age is extremely critical and will have a tremendous effect on their ability to reproduce as well as on the quality of the reproduction.
Another thing that Mohamad Al Sheikh always keeps in mind is that the availability of space on the ranch, expertise, or capital needed to feed calves and take care of them until the end of the fattening stage for the lack of any of these components may affect the quality of the reproduction negatively.
Feeding system
There is a special feeding system which starts 2 months before calves are born. When the heifer is close to giving birth, it is closely monitored by a team of experts available on Al Sheikh's ranch, to prevent any complications. When the heifer is due, the team provides the correct birth environment which should be spacious and clean.
When the calves are born, and because they have a very weak immunity, they need a lot of support to be able to resist diseases. This support can be provided via the mother's first milk for the first few weeks. A special formulated calf-starter is, then, fed to the calves starting at four days old to provide the necessary protein, minerals and vitamins.
