BigBear56
Well-known member
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!
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!