2011 Creep Feeding?

[Stocker Steve]

The annual free pizza for listening to a creep feeding program was held recently. Bottom line was high feed conversion with accuration based creep along with high calf prices - - was positioned as a profitable combination even with current corn prices.

I am thinking about some local options like first crop balage or whole oats. Do you have any tips on these?

 

[TexasBred]

The boys with the "Checker Boards" can make anything work with a Power Point display. Accuration is a good product but I'd hate to try to turn a profit with it right now. Whole oats are high as a cats back down this way.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I am not buying any corn currently.
I have heard estimates of oats costing between $3.00 and $4.60 per bushel this fall. Usually we import oats from Canada and that drives down the price. Hard to know...
I think high energy balage is a low cost creep or back grounding ration, but it could also be a high labor situation.

 

[Amo]

What Ive been hearing is with the high price of corn, they feedlots are going to want them as green as they can for compensatory gain, and be willing to pay up for it.

I use to creep. As long as you can put it on for less than it costs...it should pay. I wean and sell after the first of the year. I always wondered how much the compensatory gain was vs creeping. You would think the bigger they are the less they have to put on, plus you sell by the pound. I quit creeping 4 years ago. I think Im better off in the long run. They are greener, and dollar up the same or even better because no feed bill in them. They tried using Bovatec and Rumensin to controll consumption, but they got fleshy on me. Accuration is the way to go if you do it, but I don't think Ill ever go back. Just wish I could find some accual #'s on how much compensatory gain accually is.

 

[TexasBred]

I'll just take consistent gain. Compensatory means you're trying to make up for lack of gain at some time in the past. Keeping up is often hard.....catching up is often impossible.

 

[Amo]

I see your point. What I have pondered was the theaory of them gaining better post weaning if they havn't had anything but milk and grass vs weaning heavier because of a sulipment and say your shooting for a 3# ADG on both groups post weaning. How much more would the first group gain over the crep fed ones provided post weaning both groups are treated the same. If compensatory gain is bull, then creeping isn't a bad thing....a pound is a pound.

 

[Till-Hill]

Accuration will get your calves too fleshy. Hate the product. See people stick a bunch of money into calves only to see all their work and cash go out the door on sale day. ADM has rough and ready and Land 'O Lakes has Pasture gest 14. I have commercial calves and some club calves and I usually spend $50-$100 a head on creep and my calves are born in March-May and sold in Oct @ 700. They look green and always sell great. If you are going to use Accuration you have to pull corn and add more accuration every load you dump in as intake increases or you will end up kicking yourself.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Accuration will get your calves too fleshy. Hate the product. See people stick a bunch of money into calves only to see all their work and cash go out the door on sale day. ADM has rough and ready and Land 'O Lakes has Pasture gest 14. I have commercial calves and some club calves and I usually spend $50-$100 a head on creep and my calves are born in March-May and sold in Oct @ 700. They look green and always sell great. If you are going to use Accuration you have to pull corn and add more accuration every load you dump in as intake increases or you will end up kicking yourself.

What if you only creep them for 60 days?

 

[TexasBred]

Accuration will get your calves too fleshy. Hate the product. See people stick a bunch of money into calves only to see all their work and cash go out the door on sale day. ADM has rough and ready and Land 'O Lakes has Pasture gest 14. I have commercial calves and some club calves and I usually spend $50-$100 a head on creep and my calves are born in March-May and sold in Oct @ 700. They look green and always sell great. If you are going to use Accuration you have to pull corn and add more accuration every load you dump in as intake increases or you will end up kicking yourself.

Sounds like maybe you haven't yet found the right one. Get one of the Accuration complete feeds with higher fiber. A much milder feed, very little grain and intake can be limited by moving from one level of limiter to the next. Intake limiters are designed to start with one with a low inclusion rate and as the calves get use to eating it you increase the intake limiter to maintain consumption where you want it. It does require more work on "our" part.

 

[Till-Hill]

Stocker Steve 60 days will be allright. TexasBred I said that yes you have to add more limiter (accuration) and take out corn to keep intake down. Makes no sense tho. Drive intake and gain up but I DON"T WANT FLESH. When you get them calves gut's expanded and on full feed later in life you will be impressed! Just what I do. Don't make it right but it works awesome for me

 

[jedstivers]

What about just oats and nothing else?

 

[TexasBred]

Stocker Steve 60 days will be allright. TexasBred I said that yes you have to add more limiter (accuration) and take out corn to keep intake down. Makes no sense tho. Drive intake and gain up but I DON"T WANT FLESH. When you get them calves gut's expanded and on full feed later in life you will be impressed! Just what I do. Don't make it right but it works awesome for me

"Drives intake and gain up but I DON'T WANT FLESH"......I don't understand that comment. You say you add accuration and cut back on corn to keep intake down" but that is the result you get??? Yet you want to expand the gut to prepare them for full feed later in life? Are we talking compensatory gain again?? :lol2:

 

[Till-Hill]

I sell my spring calves in early fall, usually wean them 45 days onto a TMR of 94% forage. They gain 2-3 pounds a day on that and still look green. If I had them on Accuration before weaning they would lose weight because they would be so fleshy and plain fat when they hit my grower diet I would lose my butt!

Point of creep feeding is to get calves started on feed and stretch your feed, but don't go broke doing it. Feed a high roughage one that drives intake and makes them efficent. My opinion.

 

[TexasBred]

I sell my spring calves in early fall, usually wean them 45 days onto a TMR of 94% forage. They gain 2-3 pounds a day on that and still look green. If I had them on Accuration before weaning they would lose weight because they would be so fleshy and plain fat when they hit my grower diet I would lose my butt!

Point of creep feeding is to get calves started on feed and stretch your feed, but don't go broke doing it. Feed a high roughage one that drives intake and makes them efficent. My opinion.

94% forage? I'm assuming that's just grazing or are you feeding soemthing that has been cut and processed?? Just trying to figure out your feeding plan. ;-)

 

[Till-Hill]

After weaning when they get TMR ration consists of per day per day for 700# growing animals

1# dried distillers
9# cornsilage it is about 68% moisture
8# haylage 20% protein and 135 RFV and about 52% moisture
27# ryelage 8% protein and about 78% moisture (way to wet) there is also some oatlage and some weedy new seeding hay in the bunker
3.5# dry hay
.24# of a mineral mix

I guess right now the ration is 97% forage.

 

[TexasBred]

After weaning when they get TMR ration consists of per day per day for 700# growing animals

1# dried distillers
9# cornsilage it is about 68% moisture
8# haylage 20% protein and 135 RFV and about 52% moisture
27# ryelage 8% protein and about 78% moisture (way to wet) there is also some oatlage and some weedy new seeding hay in the bunker
3.5# dry hay
.24# of a mineral mix

I guess right now the ration is 97% forage.

They should do well on that and develop very well. DDG seems a waste when you have that kind of protein available in your forages.

 

[Till-Hill]

Maybe it is but it's in a bulk bin right next to bunkers to why not put er in if the ration calls for it. Does help gring up the hay and sweeten the mix a little to I think.

 

[TexasBred]

Maybe it is but it's in a bulk bin right next to bunkers to why not put er in if the ration calls for it. Does help gring up the hay and sweeten the mix a little to I think.

I reckon...corn silage is low in protein and so is the hay. Can't figure why "Haylage" is 20% protein at 52% moisture and "Rylage" is 8% protein at 7% moisture. 8% sounds more correct for either or both "as fed". But as you said "it's balanced". ;-)

 

[Till-Hill]

We cut our rye real late to get tons vs quality and our haylage is mainly for dairy farm so we try to put up ROCKET FUEL!

 

[TexasBred]

We cut our rye real late to get tons vs quality and our haylage is mainly for dairy farm so we try to put up ROCKET FUEL!

The haylage must be 20% on a dry matter basis but was 52% moisture AS FED.