Operations
The finishing programme
What decides the carcass. Here is exactly what happens to lamb and cattle between the off-loading ramp and the loading ramp.
What happens, in order
Four phases- 01Day 0
Intake & induction
Animals come off the truck into holding pens with water and clean bedding, and are given time to settle before anything else happens.
- Rested and watered first
- Weighed and tagged
- Vaccinated and dosed
- 02Day 1 – 14
Adaptation
The step up from veld to a high-energy ration is done slowly, across four blends, so the rumen has time to adjust instead of being shocked.
- Four-step ration ladder
- Roughage stays in the mix
- Intake watched pen by pen
- 03Day 15 – 50
Growth
The stretch where the carcass is actually built. Feed in front of them all day, shade over their heads, and someone walking the pens every morning.
- Ad-lib finishing ration
- Daily pen walks
- Sample weighing every fortnight
- 04Day 50 – 65
Sorting & dispatch
Nothing leaves on average. Animals are sorted individually on weight and fat cover, and only the ones that are ready get loaded.
- Sorted on weight and fat score
- Withdrawal periods confirmed
- Loaded at first light
Nutrition
Fresh ration, delivered daily
Feed is mixed fresh each day on a maize and hominy-chop base, with lucerne for effective fibre and a species-specific mineral and buffer pack.