Weight gain for calves

[tnwalkingred]

Looking to background some calves on a grain, pasture, and hay diet. I hope to buy around 300-350 lbs and sell around 550. I wanted to know exactly how much weight a calf should gain a day and how much grain you will need to provide in order to make this happen. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Lane]

We put together truckloads of the 3 wt. calves. Typically calves are grouped into traps and fed a
high fiber ration free-choice. My usual average gain is about 2-2.2#/hd./day. Conversion is about
6.5:1. To gain 250# would take about 1625# feed. Your pasture and hay should change your feed
conversion somewhat. Hope this helps.

[agmantoo]

tnwalkingred
I marketed steers this month and there certainly was very little money between the 3 wts and the 5 wts. I know that the markets are fluctuating a lot but with the feed costs your profit margin will be minimal at best. I sold some 6 weights that brought no more the the 5 weights. The buyers were looking for light calves.

[Lane]

I purchased 3 wt. calves for $ 1.86/# in April and May. Total cost av. $ 558 + $ 25.00 Frt. + $ 25.00
Drugs, + $ 146.00 Feed (@$ 180/ton) = $ 754.00.

Market for 6 wt. (Ok. City this week) $ 1.66/# = $ 996.00/hd.

That makes for a $ 242.00/hd. profit.

I admit there will be a freight differential, commission, etc., but with pasture you might be able
to decrease some of your feed costs and this is for about 4 months work. Over the last 20 years I
have worked on less profit many times.

[agmantoo]

Here is a copy of the sale for feeder steers. I am just suggesting to be cautious.
Cattle Receipts: 1184 Last Week: 909 Last Year: 1033

Slaughter cattle trended mostly 5.00 lower. Feeder cattle trended mostly 12.00 lower
week before, the forth grain future falling has caused cattle to fall.

Slaughter cows made up 20 percent of the offering, slaughter bulls 2 percent,
replacement cows 0 percent, other cows 1 percent, and feeders 76 percent. The feeder
supply included 34 percent steers, 37 percent heifers, and 29 percent bulls. Near 24
percent of the run weighed over 600 lbs. (Figures in parentheses are weighted average
weights and prices for each category)

Feeder Steers: Medium and Large 1-2 200-245 lbs (223) 170.00-200.00 (183.48); 295-295
lbs (295) 144.00-180.00 (164.75); 300-345 lbs (325) 144.00-180.00 (166.74); 350-395 lbs
(372) 140.00-184.00 (155.70); 400-435 lbs (413) 140.00-150.00 (146.73); 450-485 lbs
(464) 130.00-153.00 (141.32); 500-548 lbs (530) 125.00-146.00 (137.92); 560-595 lbs
(568) 145.00-153.50 (149.19); 600-640 lbs (619) 137.00-148.00 (145.17); 655-690 lbs
(677) 114.00-140.00 (125.46); 720-730 lbs (725) 114.00-115.00 (114.50). Small 1-2 260-
275 lbs (267) 107.50-135.00 (117.77); 300-345 lbs (334) 104.00-140.00 (125.57); 355-380
lbs (372) 120.00-145.00 (133.13); 430-435 lbs (433) 110.00-135.00 (121.67); 465-490 lbs
(477) 100.00-117.00 (107.24); 560-585 lbs (575) 124.00-130.00 (128.05). Medium and Large
3 355-385 lbs (369) 124.00-142.50 (130.08); 415-445 lbs (430) 120.00-140.00 (130.35);
515-540 lbs (524) 102.00-120.00 (109.69); 555-580 lbs (568) 98.00-120.00 (109.24).
Holstein Large 3 255-295 lbs (271) 110.00-146.00 (122.44); 300-345 lbs (317) 110.00-
140.00 (123.58); 355-390 lbs (379) 101.00-142.00 (121.30); 400-445 lbs (424) 98.00-
138.00 (109.65); 465-490 lbs (478) 104.00-105.00 (104.51); 505-545 lbs (523) 92.00-
109.00 (101.42); 550-570 lbs (558) 97.00-109.00 (102.29); 610-625 lbs (618) 88.00-96.00
(92.05).

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I just checked the results for our local barn and saw a downward trend as well.

[bird dog]

Mr Lane,
Were you calves all steers and all the same type and color? Also did the OKC sale barn sell them as one lot?
Thanks

[Texas PaPaw]

Mr Lane,
Were you calves all steers and all the same type and color? Also did the OKC sale barn sell them as one lot?
Thanks

I'm not Lane but I sell most of my calves at OKC. I use Ben Hale at western commission. He sorts them by size sex & quality. Need a minimum of 3 similar for a draft. If you need more info pm me. Have been selling there for several years. I net much more selling there after paying for a 275 mile haul than selling locally.

Just my 2 cents worth

[bird dog]

Thanks PaPaw. I do indeed would like more information. Let me get my questions together and I will send you a PM.

[Lane]

Sorry bird dog, I haven't been around a computer. PaPaw told you right. Typically I group calves
of similar weight and sex into pot loads. I do send mixed loads when I am cleaning up. Any one of
my loads may be sold as one or several groups. This is supposed to be why we are represented by
commission companies. It is their job to represent our cattle. I give them all the information on
vaccinations, feed, etc. to try to help them present our cattle better.

I buy whatever fits my order at the local salebarns. I buy bulls, steers, and heifers and try to get
blacks, black baldies, black mottleface, smokes, yellow charlais-x, whites with black noses. I stay
away from much ear, and try to stay kind of middle of the road with no spots, shorts or exotics.

Hope this helps.

[tnwalkingred]

Thanks yall for the good advice. I hope to buy all my calves from one guy who lives about twenty minutes away and then sell them back to him once I have kept them for 120 days. I plan to only purchase steers. My friend down the road has been dealing with this guy for a few years and has had good luck with him. He tags, vaccintates, and worms each calf when you pick them up. I produce my own hay so my costs there is minimal. I also plan to keep each group of 20 on at least ten acres of good pasture. This should reduce my costs for part of the year when the grass is growing good. I too was hoping to acheive at least 2lbs per day of growth by feeding 6lbs of grain per head per day. At 240 dollars a ton for feed I should have about 88 dollars a piece in feed. I hope to attain at least a 200 dollar profit margain. I'm curious as to the 6.5:1 ratio you were talking about Lane? I have always heard 3 in and 1 out when feeding calves. If I was having to feed twice that much grain then costs would double and profit would be cut in half. Is the 6.5:1 ratio include hay and pasture or is that strictly grain????? I plan to buy 20 calves the first go round and if all goes well get 60 the next so that I have a full truckload. Thanks again for all your help and comments.

[Texas PaPaw]

Thanks yall for the good advice. I hope to buy all my calves from one guy who lives about twenty minutes away and then sell them back to him once I have kept them for 120 days. I plan to only purchase steers. My friend down the road has been dealing with this guy for a few years and has had good luck with him. He tags, vaccintates, and worms each calf when you pick them up. I produce my own hay so my costs there is minimal. I also plan to keep each group of 20 on at least ten acres of good pasture. This should reduce my costs for part of the year when the grass is growing good. I too was hoping to acheive at least 2lbs per day of growth by feeding 6lbs of grain per head per day. At 240 dollars a ton for feed I should have about 88 dollars a piece in feed. I hope to attain at least a 200 dollar profit margain. I'm curious as to the 6.5:1 ratio you were talking about Lane? I have always heard 3 in and 1 out when feeding calves. If I was having to feed twice that much grain then costs would double and profit would be cut in half. Is the 6.5:1 ratio include hay and pasture or is that strictly grain????? I plan to buy 20 calves the first go round and if all goes well get 60 the next so that I have a full truckload. Thanks again for all your help and comments.

Been my experience with this size cattle, on warm season grass or free choice hay, they will need to eat close to 2% of bw in a medium energy (ie, corn gluten/soy hull mix) supplement to gain 2#/day. Thats 9# hd on avg 450# wt calves. Not sure 6# would get over 1.5# adg unless the supplement is really high energy.

Just another 2 cents worth.

[Massey135]

Should get better results limit feeding those peewees a high energy ration.