i am not a cattle person, my kids raise and show 4 h steers. we weight our steers today and had one that is a little to small. was wondering if someone might know of some supplements or advice on how to gain weight. also is it possible for a steer to gain 5 pounds a day. I have asked locally but most of the steer show people don't give out much info. thanks for any advice. the steer is 525. pounds just got over cocco sidiosis and we are feeding it purina performance and hay.
4 h steer project
- Thread starter nidaho
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I am not a cattle person either. Our girls showed dairy feeders at the fair, as 4h members. We never won! but hay was a no,no just enough to keep the stomach working good and hi quality hay is a must. There was a rate of gain contest and the highest I remember seeing was 4.25 lbs a day. The best advice I can give is talk to your 4h adviser, local feed supplier, and a vet. A 144 days should get you a nice looking steer. good luck.
It can be done... but you'll have to feed like a feedlot does, not like the typical 4H kids do.
What's your minimum weight?
You're looking at needing to feed grain at 2-3% of his body weight, and grain will make up 85-92% of his diet. You'll want him on a grain with a coccidiostat like Rumensin to even out intake, and if possible Tylan to prevent liver abscesses. You'll probably be feeding hay or silage at 2-3 lbs per day. His feed schedule will need to be very strict to prevent bloat and acidosis - fluctuations in feed type and amount and time of arrival are really bad when they're on a hot ration. It'll take 3-4 weeks to get him up to full feed. You're probably not going to be finished at 144 days unless he has some serious compensatory gain he can make up (and he might, recovering from coccidiosis), but he can be 1100 lbs and have the fat cover to look finished to someone without feedlot experience.
Weigh your options, risks/benefits, and then make your decision - but don't wait too long!
ETA - how important is it for this calf to make weight? do your kids have a backup option? If you're really not a cattle person I'd be really reluctant to advise you to push the calf that hard. There's a lot of things that can go wrong with a calf.
Shucks I'd have a backup steer, just in case, if I were pushing a calf that fast.
What's your minimum weight?
You're looking at needing to feed grain at 2-3% of his body weight, and grain will make up 85-92% of his diet. You'll want him on a grain with a coccidiostat like Rumensin to even out intake, and if possible Tylan to prevent liver abscesses. You'll probably be feeding hay or silage at 2-3 lbs per day. His feed schedule will need to be very strict to prevent bloat and acidosis - fluctuations in feed type and amount and time of arrival are really bad when they're on a hot ration. It'll take 3-4 weeks to get him up to full feed. You're probably not going to be finished at 144 days unless he has some serious compensatory gain he can make up (and he might, recovering from coccidiosis), but he can be 1100 lbs and have the fat cover to look finished to someone without feedlot experience.
Weigh your options, risks/benefits, and then make your decision - but don't wait too long!
ETA - how important is it for this calf to make weight? do your kids have a backup option? If you're really not a cattle person I'd be really reluctant to advise you to push the calf that hard. There's a lot of things that can go wrong with a calf.
Shucks I'd have a backup steer, just in case, if I were pushing a calf that fast.
thanks for the info. we usually do push pretty hard. once we are fully going the steers get 18 - 22 pounds of purina performance steer chow and a flake of hay. they also have a ruminsen block to lick. we do not have a alternate steer and the minimum weight is 1000 pounds. I heard that wheat germ oil will help fatten them up. also has anyone heard of adding wind and rain by purina, to the feed, its supposed to add a half pound of gain a day. also what is the best probiotic to help settle the stomach, we use a probios gel that is blue. thanks again for any info
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
I use the powdered Probios in the blue and white tub. Sold at Tractor Supply, and pretty much everywhere.
Fire Sweep Ranch
Well-known member
Go to www.steerplanet.com, and post in the big show forum. That chat board is more designed for show cattle, and steer jocks that get incredible gains.
I personally would not add mineral to the grain... He is likely going to turn his nose up at it and eat less, thus gaining less. Free choice mineral is a good option though.
I personally would not add mineral to the grain... He is likely going to turn his nose up at it and eat less, thus gaining less. Free choice mineral is a good option though.
