Compensatory growth: Compensatory growth occurs when animals are moved on to a diet rich in energy, such as spring grass, after a period of restricted intake or growth. The target growth rate for weanlings over the winter is somewhere between 0.5kg/day and 0.7kg/day in order to avail of maximum compensatory growth after turnout. On many farms, weanlings will have been offered 1-2kg of concentrate/head/day over the winter to achieve target growth rates and this supplementation can now stop in advance of turnout.
If weanlings gain too much weight over winter and become fat, it has been shown that they subsequently lose this fat at grass and the extra weight is not carried through to slaughter or sale at the end of the second grazing season. Weanlings should be offered a silage-only diet from now until turnout. The earlier they are turned out, the higher the compensatory growth will be. Have a think about where weanlings could be turned out first and take a quick check at drinkers