Average Daily Gain

[BigBear56]

I wanted to get some feedback from you seasoned cattlemen (and women) on average daily gain. We're a small operation and feed out 6-8 head for freezer beef every year. We purchase 5-6 weight heifers in the spring (usually early April) and send the group in to be butchered in mid March the following year. Ideally, we would wait until they are in the 12-1300lb range but with butcher dates hard to come by, we pretty much have to send them in when we can get slots. March works well for a lot of our customers because they have tax return money they can use to fill their freezers. Its worked great for us since we started doing it.

I always get black-white faced heifer calves (mainly because i don't want to pay steer prices LOL). No dairy influence from a local cattle jockey who's always got what i need when i need it. Some are sale barn calves and some are right off the farm. When i get them home, i start them on a small ration of grain (cracked corn) once a day. Like a small coffee can once a day. We will also introduce brewers grain early on when we have it available. About 90 days from butchering we start ramping up the corn and eventually get them to a finishing ration of (2) 5 gallon buckets of cracked corn and a full 5 gallon bucket of brewers grain twice a day (that would be a ration for 6 head). Obviously hay, water, and loose mineral are always available.

Here's my issue. We have averaged over the last 5 years less than 2lbs a day ADG (usually about 1.7lbs per day). I am limited on space and really need to get better gains out of what i can hold. I will not implant them either. Is my issue feed or buying heifers? I've been told starting them on grain so early on slows their frame growth and doesn't help facilitate larger hanging weight. That does make some sense to me but i also feel like we could get that much gain just on grass? This year we will be buying all steers (black white faced) just to see how much better they do. We have solid demand for our beef and i have already informed customers of a substantial price increase next spring due to the price of calves.

Any advice or feedback is much appreciated!

 

[Warren Allison]

I wanted to get some feedback from you seasoned cattlemen (and women) on average daily gain. We're a small operation and feed out 6-8 head for freezer beef every year. We purchase 5-6 weight heifers in the spring (usually early April) and send the group in to be butchered in mid March the following year. Ideally, we would wait until they are in the 12-1300lb range but with butcher dates hard to come by, we pretty much have to send them in when we can get slots. March works well for a lot of our customers because they have tax return money they can use to fill their freezers. Its worked great for us since we started doing it.

I always get black-white faced heifer calves (mainly because i don't want to pay steer prices LOL). No dairy influence from a local cattle jockey who's always got what i need when i need it. Some are sale barn calves and some are right off the farm. When i get them home, i start them on a small ration of grain (cracked corn) once a day. Like a small coffee can once a day. We will also introduce brewers grain early on when we have it available. About 90 days from butchering we start ramping up the corn and eventually get them to a finishing ration of (2) 5 gallon buckets of cracked corn and a full 5 gallon bucket of brewers grain twice a day (that would be a ration for 6 head). Obviously hay, water, and loose mineral are always available.

Here's my issue. We have averaged over the last 5 years less than 2lbs a day ADG (usually about 1.7lbs per day). I am limited on space and really need to get better gains out of what i can hold. I will not implant them either. Is my issue feed or buying heifers? I've been told starting them on grain so early on slows their frame growth and doesn't help facilitate larger hanging weight. That does make some sense to me but i also feel like we could get that much gain just on grass? This year we will be buying all steers (black white faced) just to see how much better they do. We have solid demand for our beef and i have already informed customers of a substantial price increase next spring due to the price of calves.

Any advice or feedback is much appreciated!

When you say black-white faced heifer calves, are you talking about Ang X Herf black baldies? Why black..do you market it as certified Angus beef? If not, why not try other calves? Simmental will be bigger and are noted for marbling as well as Angus, And Charolais have a rep for being the fastest growing. If you just like the looks of BWF, there are plenty of bwf Simms out there, but red and rwf would work just as good in your case. And around here, you can buy smokies ( Char x Ang) for a LOT less than you gonna pay for black baldies. Also, a lot of folks on here say WSC is better than cracked, and it is usually a little cheaper.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

When they reach one year of age the steers will run off and leave the heifers. Would probably be more economical to run them on grass until they get about 800 lbs then go to feed.

 

[BigBear56]

When you say black-white faced heifer calves, are you talking about Ang X Herf black baldies? Why black..do you market it as certified Angus beef? If not, why not try other calves? Simmental will be bigger and are noted for marbling as well as Angus, And Charolais have a rep for being the fastest growing. If you just like the looks of BWF, there are plenty of bwf Simms out there, but red and rwf would work just as good in your case. And around here, you can buy smokies ( Char x Ang) for a LOT less than you gonna pay for black baldies. Also, a lot of folks on here say WSC is better than cracked, and it is usually a little cheaper.

Yeah Angus/Hereford or Angus/Simmi. I'm in Ohio. Extremely limited on what you can find in the way of feeders. I think the average herd size is 18 head for the entire state. Too much valuable farm ground that sells for $15-$20k/acre.

I always go for the crosses to get the advantage of hybrid vigor and i think on the averages, they tend to grow better that a straight bred angus calf. I would also not be afraid to get into some colored cross calves depending on what's available. I just need to rule out weather or not the way I've been feeding is hindering their growth to maximize my ADG. Thanks for your response

 

[BigBear56]

When they reach one year of age the steers will run off and leave the heifers. Would probably be more economical to run them on grass until they get about 800 lbs then go to feed.

I'm thinking that's the case too. All the steers we've raised have been fair steers out of AI sires and yeah, they're 11-1200lbs at a year old but they're on show feed too. The minimal profits from the freezer beef help to cover some of the cost of the kids show feed. That's really why we do it and with strong demand, it makes sense for us to continue doing it

 

[WFfarm]

Mostly corn feed is great for energy and fattening, but it's only about 9% protein. You might want to use a 14-16% protein grower feed to start and use the corn for final finishing.

 

[mwj]

They need to have protein for growth. What are you calling brewers grain and what is its protein level. You need a balanced ration for the feeding period with an increase in starch (corn) at the end.

 

[BigBear56]

Mostly corn feed is great for energy and fattening, but it's only about 9% protein. You might want to use a 14-16% protein grower feed to start and use the corn for final finishing.

When we first got going, we used loads of mixed feed with Purina steak maker, mineral, and molasses. We did not see much frame growth when feeding that ration. They just got fat. As wide as they were tall. And that could likely be because i started them on it too soon and didn't give them a chance to get some frame on them.

The feed costs got so high we just went back to plain old cracked corn and we've fed that ever since.

 

[Travlr]

Yeah Angus/Hereford or Angus/Simmi. I'm in Ohio. Extremely limited on what you can find in the way of feeders. I think the average herd size is 18 head for the entire state. Too much valuable farm ground that sells for $15-$20k/acre.

I always go for the crosses to get the advantage of hybrid vigor and i think on the averages, they tend to grow better that a straight bred angus calf. I would also not be afraid to get into some colored cross calves depending on what's available. I just need to rule out weather or not the way I've been feeding is hindering their growth to maximize my ADG. Thanks for your response

If you're a consistent buyer, why not look around at some of the bigger outfits in your area and find one of them to make a guaranteed buy from them at market prices? Find someone that has heavy weaning weights and the kind of animals you want. I'd be cutting out the middleman if I could and doing both you and the seller a favor.
I've seen some dairies that cross with easy finishing beef bulls and they will put frame on and still finish.
If you're wanting better gains... always start with genetics. Only a small amount of grain until they are feedlot ready, about 800# if you are looking at 1200+ finishing weights.

 

[BigBear56]

They need to have protein for growth. What are you calling brewers grain and what is its protein level. You need a balanced ration for the feeding period with an increase in starch (corn) at the end.

Brewers grain is the spent grain from brewing beer. And we have a local craft brewery that gives us about 500lbs of it a week. Depending on what beer they're making, it changes periodically with different grains.

I have no idea what the protein level is in it. I have never looked at brewers grain as a tool to get them to gain. Only filler to reduce hay intake. Maybe I am looking at that the wrong way?

 

[mwj]

The brewers grain could replace some corn but it leaves you short on protein.

 

[BigBear56]

If you're a consistent buyer, why not look around at some of the bigger outfits in your area and find one of them to make a guaranteed buy from them at market prices? Find someone that has heavy weaning weights and the kind of animals you want. I'd be cutting out the middleman if I could and doing both you and the seller a favor.
I've seen some dairies that cross with easy finishing beef bulls and they will put frame on and still finish.
If you're wanting better gains... always start with genetics. Only a small amount of grain until they are feedlot ready, about 800# if you are looking at 1200+ finishing weights.

I 100% agree with what your saying here but the big outfits around me sell nothing but pot loads of fats and some direct-to-consumer freezer beef. Cow/calf/finish operations, all in house. Not saying that i couldn't find a good calf supplier and yeah 100% genetics play a huge roll in it. Honestly its just easy for me to text my local cattle jockey and get what i want when i want it. He's an honest guy and has never done me wrong.

I'm thinking i could/should adjust my feeding schedule, add more protein and quit buying heifers. Just wanted to get some opinions and i appreciate them!

 

[mwj]

The heifers are just fine. They will just finish at a lighter weight. Most families do not want or need a beef that hangs 1000 lbs on the rail. Figure a more balanced ration and you will do just fine.

 

[Travlr]

I 100% agree with what your saying here but the big outfits around me sell nothing but pot loads of fats and some direct-to-consumer freezer beef. Cow/calf/finish operations, all in house. Not saying that i couldn't find a good calf supplier and yeah 100% genetics play a huge roll in it. Honestly its just easy for me to text my local cattle jockey and get what i want when i want it. He's an honest guy and has never done me wrong.

I'm thinking i could/should adjust my feeding schedule, add more protein and quit buying heifers. Just wanted to get some opinions and i appreciate them!

One thing to think about is how big you want your animals at finish. Heifers will finish earlier and at lighter weights in my experience. But you'd have to do your own math on costs versus finished product/inputs per pound of gain.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I wanted to get some feedback from you seasoned cattlemen (and women) on average daily gain. We're a small operation and feed out 6-8 head for freezer beef every year. We purchase 5-6 weight heifers in the spring (usually early April) and send the group in to be butchered in mid March the following year. Ideally, we would wait until they are in the 12-1300lb range but with butcher dates hard to come by, we pretty much have to send them in when we can get slots. March works well for a lot of our customers because they have tax return money they can use to fill their freezers. Its worked great for us since we started doing it.

I always get black-white faced heifer calves (mainly because i don't want to pay steer prices LOL). No dairy influence from a local cattle jockey who's always got what i need when i need it. Some are sale barn calves and some are right off the farm. When i get them home, i start them on a small ration of grain (cracked corn) once a day. Like a small coffee can once a day. We will also introduce brewers grain early on when we have it available. About 90 days from butchering we start ramping up the corn and eventually get them to a finishing ration of (2) 5 gallon buckets of cracked corn and a full 5 gallon bucket of brewers grain twice a day (that would be a ration for 6 head). Obviously hay, water, and loose mineral are always available.

Here's my issue. We have averaged over the last 5 years less than 2lbs a day ADG (usually about 1.7lbs per day). I am limited on space and really need to get better gains out of what i can hold. I will not implant them either. Is my issue feed or buying heifers? I've been told starting them on grain so early on slows their frame growth and doesn't help facilitate larger hanging weight. That does make some sense to me but i also feel like we could get that much gain just on grass? This year we will be buying all steers (black white faced) just to see how much better they do. We have solid demand for our beef and i have already informed customers of a substantial price increase next spring due to the price of calves.

Any advice or feedback is much appreciated!

So if I'm following correctly they're only getting roughly 10.4lbs of corn/day plus brewers grain? That's only about 1% of their body weight in concentrates. That's a growing ration.
That's great for up to 900 lbs on hfrs and 1,000lbs on strs (roughly) . Then turn them on. 2% of their body weight, limit their roughage . At that point you have got most of the frame growth out of them and your just adding muscle and fat.

Like others have mentioned adding a little protein would be good too.

 

[BigBear56]

So if I'm following correctly they're only getting roughly 10.4lbs of corn/day plus brewers grain? That's only about 1% of their body weight in concentrates. That's a growing ration.
That's great for up to 900 lbs on hfrs and 1,000lbs on strs (roughly) . Then turn them on. 2% of their body weight, limit their roughage . At that point you have got most of the frame growth out of them and your just adding muscle and fat.

Like others have mentioned adding a little protein would be good too.

You are correct. The last group i took in last week had an average hanging weights of 726, 684, 668, 664, and 640 for an average of 676lbs which would put them at roughly 1000lbs each live weight. I would like to get that hanging weight closer to 800lbs each or a live finish weight of 1250. That would be my ideal weight.

And i purchased that group at 2700lbs on the nose. Angus/Hereford cross heifers. Ave weight of 540 each. I feel like i could do better with having them for 11 months.

 

[Travlr]

You are correct. The last group i took in last week had an average hanging weights of 726, 684, 668, 664, and 640 for an average of 676lbs which would put them at roughly 1000lbs each live weight. I would like to get that hanging weight closer to 800lbs each or a live finish weight of 1250. That would be my ideal weight.

And i purchased that group at 2700lbs on the nose. Angus/Hereford cross heifers. Ave weight of 540 each. I feel like i could do better with having them for 11 months.

With Angus/Hereford crosses those weights would be more like 11/1200 pounds live weight unless they were exceptionally well muscled, meat to bone/offal ratio.

 

[SDgrampa]

I wanted to get some feedback from you seasoned cattlemen (and women) on average daily gain. We're a small operation and feed out 6-8 head for freezer beef every year. We purchase 5-6 weight heifers in the spring (usually early April) and send the group in to be butchered in mid March the following year. Ideally, we would wait until they are in the 12-1300lb range but with butcher dates hard to come by, we pretty much have to send them in when we can get slots. March works well for a lot of our customers because they have tax return money they can use to fill their freezers. Its worked great for us since we started doing it.

I always get black-white faced heifer calves (mainly because i don't want to pay steer prices LOL). No dairy influence from a local cattle jockey who's always got what i need when i need it. Some are sale barn calves and some are right off the farm. When i get them home, i start them on a small ration of grain (cracked corn) once a day. Like a small coffee can once a day. We will also introduce brewers grain early on when we have it available. About 90 days from butchering we start ramping up the corn and eventually get them to a finishing ration of (2) 5 gallon buckets of cracked corn and a full 5 gallon bucket of brewers grain twice a day (that would be a ration for 6 head). Obviously hay, water, and loose mineral are always available.

Here's my issue. We have averaged over the last 5 years less than 2lbs a day ADG (usually about 1.7lbs per day). I am limited on space and really need to get better gains out of what i can hold. I will not implant them either. Is my issue feed or buying heifers? I've been told starting them on grain so early on slows their frame growth and doesn't help facilitate larger hanging weight. That does make some sense to me but i also feel like we could get that much gain just on grass? This year we will be buying all steers (black white faced) just to see how much better they do. We have solid demand for our beef and i have already informed customers of a substantial price increase next spring due to the price of calves.

Any advice or feedback is much appreciated!

My opinion is you need to start pushing feed earlier corn is your friend, you should get double the gain you do

 

[SBMF 2015]

You are correct. The last group i took in last week had an average hanging weights of 726, 684, 668, 664, and 640 for an average of 676lbs which would put them at roughly 1000lbs each live weight. I would like to get that hanging weight closer to 800lbs each or a live finish weight of 1250. That would be my ideal weight.

And i purchased that group at 2700lbs on the nose. Angus/Hereford cross heifers. Ave weight of 540 each. I feel like i could do better with having them for 11 months.

Hfrs are tricky. Once you start cranking them on feed they quit growing and just put on fat, but if you grow them to long before you really start pushing them they will get agie or cowie looking.

 

[StrojanHerefords]

The brewers grain could replace some corn but it leaves you short on protein.

No, brewer's grain has a higher level of protein When beer is brewed maltase converts starch to sugar which yeast convert into alcohol. All the protein and minerals in the grain remain, so the percentage of protein in the grain is increased. Because the mineral levels are higher, I would add some oyster shell to balance the calcium to phosphorus ratio and act as an antacid.