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<blockquote data-quote="farmerjan" data-source="post: 1398864" data-attributes="member: 25884"><p>I can agree with Nesikep. We have bought a few bulls over the years and they have been "FED" to the "n"th degree. When they go out with the cows, on our forage/grass/get out and rustler your own grub kind of pastures, and then have to breed the cows, they fall apart. So we are VERY interested in whether that bull was crept fed as a calf, and what kind of feeding program he has been on since weaning. An old friend once said that if the cow can't make enough milk to wean a good calf, and the calf needs to go in to get extra feed to grow, then you need new cows. We have gotten to where we do pay alot of attention to that premise. </p><p> We will do a little cheating for some of our old "good" cows and offer some extra feed to the calves, but I am talking feeding 1-2 lbs of grain per calf a couple of times a week. Gets the calves more friendly, come into the pen through a creep gate, and they are easier to work around. But we don't do the creep feeding that is available to them 24/7. The cows have to calve, make MILK, breed back, and gain on grass. And the calves need to grow on momma's milk and start eating grass. </p><p>I also will offer some creep feed to calves on first calf heifers that we calve in the fall; same routine as above. We normally don't calve first calf heifers in the fall, and they won't get as much out of the hay as they would good grass pasture, so I guess you could say I cheat a little and "treat" the calves to a little extra. We have tried supplementing, with silage, the heifers too, but it hasn't made a big difference, so now they will also get some grain 2-3 times a week to the tune of maybe 1 lb per head. It also keeps them coming and I can work around them easier. The spring calving heifers only get a mouthful of grain once or so a week. so that when I want them in the pen, they come running when I call them. The calves might get a couple weeks worth of a little feed in the pen, before they get moved and go out to summer pastures. The grain is more of a "hey aren't you glad to see me, look at the treat I have for you"...kind of thing.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="farmerjan, post: 1398864, member: 25884"] I can agree with Nesikep. We have bought a few bulls over the years and they have been "FED" to the "n"th degree. When they go out with the cows, on our forage/grass/get out and rustler your own grub kind of pastures, and then have to breed the cows, they fall apart. So we are VERY interested in whether that bull was crept fed as a calf, and what kind of feeding program he has been on since weaning. An old friend once said that if the cow can't make enough milk to wean a good calf, and the calf needs to go in to get extra feed to grow, then you need new cows. We have gotten to where we do pay alot of attention to that premise. We will do a little cheating for some of our old "good" cows and offer some extra feed to the calves, but I am talking feeding 1-2 lbs of grain per calf a couple of times a week. Gets the calves more friendly, come into the pen through a creep gate, and they are easier to work around. But we don't do the creep feeding that is available to them 24/7. The cows have to calve, make MILK, breed back, and gain on grass. And the calves need to grow on momma's milk and start eating grass. I also will offer some creep feed to calves on first calf heifers that we calve in the fall; same routine as above. We normally don't calve first calf heifers in the fall, and they won't get as much out of the hay as they would good grass pasture, so I guess you could say I cheat a little and "treat" the calves to a little extra. We have tried supplementing, with silage, the heifers too, but it hasn't made a big difference, so now they will also get some grain 2-3 times a week to the tune of maybe 1 lb per head. It also keeps them coming and I can work around them easier. The spring calving heifers only get a mouthful of grain once or so a week. so that when I want them in the pen, they come running when I call them. The calves might get a couple weeks worth of a little feed in the pen, before they get moved and go out to summer pastures. The grain is more of a "hey aren't you glad to see me, look at the treat I have for you"...kind of thing. [/QUOTE]
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