Beginning Steer Feed

[Angus Cattle Girl]

I was just wondering what you guys use to start your show calves off on?

I know every calf is different and they should be fed differently.

In my case, we need something to make our steers thicker.

But what do you start your calves out on, aside from free-choice hay?

 

[cowgirlxupx1034]

Well we start our calves off real easy, corn, hay and supplement that has rumensin in it. We don't use any special show feeds until around March. Hope I could have been of some help!

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Get some Acco Grower and start them on that.

 

[showkid1200]

ACCO IS THE BEST! down south in Florida we call it showmaster. Acco just puts that name on it but its the same thing its Acco show calf starter

 

[Colorado2008]

I don't know if ther is Acco here in CO. If there is, I'm not real sure where the dealers would be. Angus Girl, what part of CO are you from, maybe I can point you in the right direction of someone who carries a good feed ration.

As for how I start them out. We usually start with just a few pounds of grain at first, usually like 4-6lbs/day. They stay on that for a week or so, then we add another 2lbs or so. Keep adding some grain every week until they are at 2-2.5% of their body weight. If they havn't had grain before you want to take it slow. If your steers need to be thicker, the only thing that is going to help that is fat, and that will come along when they get bigger and older.

 

[Angus Cattle Girl]

I am from Wetmore, near Canon City.

Last year, I tried Acco Showmaster and it did not work well for us. All it did was break my wallet.

Any other suggestions?

 

[AAOK]

Please check your PM. I have sent you a Feed Program & Ration.

 

[*Cowgirl*]

coop 176 and ultra care till around ~ March, then Cornerstone maybe a little beet pulp and maybe a little ultra care

 

[Texas26steerjock]

it depends on what type of calf it is. usually we just start them all out on finisher and adjust accordingly.

 

[*Cowgirl*]

Forgot to mention that this is for heifers.

We don't play the steer game

 

[Texas26steerjock]

i have fed all different kinds of feed and never have found one to be the "best." acco showmaster, martindale feed, lyssy and eckel, and some others are all really good feeds. There are many good kinds out there and some that are not so good. read the labels and ask around. but most importantly find what works best for your program.

 

[phillse]

Back when I showed steers. I started them of on a ration I had ground at the local feed store.

Stared them out on free choice hay and fed them twice a day whatever they would consume in 15-25mins. As they began eating more, I decreased their hay intake and increased feed intake. It varied year to year but a my rule of thumb was 2 squares out of a suare bale of Alicia or costal bermuda grass hay ofr 2 steers, and however much grain they could celan up in 25 mins. twice a day. This equates to a 1/2 a 5 gal bucket starting off untill increased to roughly 75-100# a day of grain for 2 steers.

The steers (shorthorn x Angus or Shorthorn x Simmental) consistently gained 3.5 -3.96 lbs/day on feed.

I can't rember the formula for the feed and the conversion rates of feed per # of live weight right off hand.

I will look up my old notes and get back to you on those two things.