butcher calf question

[nocows]

I have a calf that was born March 17th long story short his momma is just a thin poor cow even worse he has something wrong with his hind leg he's lame in it. He isn't growing as fast as the other calves but he's not doing too bad considering the circumstances. My plan is to wean all the calves like normal then just keep him back to butcher, what kind of timeline should I expect? I plan to just let him graze with the herd then maybe towards the end of it supplement some feed. I know there are a mountain of variables that come into play I am just looking for some rough estimates.

I am not sure about other areas but our butcher shops are booked solid some even a year out....... I'd like to get mine scheduled so I am trying to get a rough idea when I may be able to have him ready.

 

[CG1]

Well if you wanted veal you could process him whenever you wanted...most veal calves around here go at 8-11 months.

I would defiantly start supplementing him with grain now if you aren't. Calves need grain too. Not sure if that's what you meant. Especially if he isn't growing well. Id be offering him lots of calf starter. If you don't want to feed him send him when your grass runs out.

I usually feed an animal to 18-24 months. Lots of my little guys like this catch up tho. Once they are out in the field they tend to level out with the rest of the herd.

 

[nocows]

All of the calves have access to grain I feed them every other day. I just thought once weaned I would just let him run with the herd. So realistically this time next year he "should" be ready to go. So what's the difference if I switch him over to full feed? Will that speed up the process?

 

[Dsth]

18 - 24 months should get you to a good butcher weight. switching it over to full grain will speed up the weight but you also have to worry about frame size. A small frame with a lot of fat is not a good butcher candidate to me. I like to feed enough grain with free choice pasture or dry hay until 3 - 4 months before butcher and then increase grain to add marbling and weight. I am no expert, but that is what I like to do and meat has so far been really satisfying.

 

[SBMF 2015]

These guys are right on target. 18-24mos is what it will take. Once you wean him 1% of his body wt is the amount of grain he needs. Once he's around 1,000lbs work him up to 2% of his body wt to put on finish.

 

[nocows]

Thanks everybody for the input, I believe I will call the butcher and get my name on the schedule

 

[BigBear56]

These guys are right on target. 18-24mos is what it will take. Once you wean him 1% of his body wt is the amount of grain he needs. Once he's around 1,000lbs work him up to 2% of his body wt to put on finish.

That is exactly how I feed mine. Beef is always excellent.

 

[pricefarm]

These guys are right on target. 18-24mos is what it will take. Once you wean him 1% of his body wt is the amount of grain he needs. Once he's around 1,000lbs work him up to 2% of his body wt to put on finish.

That is exactly how I feed mine. Beef is always excellent.

What protein % do you feed?

 

[BigBear56]

These guys are right on target. 18-24mos is what it will take. Once you wean him 1% of his body wt is the amount of grain he needs. Once he's around 1,000lbs work him up to 2% of his body wt to put on finish.

That is exactly how I feed mine. Beef is always excellent.

What protein % do you feed?

16%

 

[pricefarm]

That is exactly how I feed mine. Beef is always excellent.

What protein % do you feed?

16%

Do you feed 16% the entire time to finish?

 

[SBMF 2015]

What protein % do you feed?

16%

Do you feed 16% the entire time to finish?

We feed a 34% all natural w/ bovitec until we start finishing then switch to a feedlot 40% w/ Rumensin.

 

[BigBear56]

What protein % do you feed?

16%

Do you feed 16% the entire time to finish?

I do. I've sourced some brewers grain so I'm curious to see how much grain that will save us early on and still get the growth I'm after.

 

[JMJ Farms]

16%

Do you feed 16% the entire time to finish?

We feed a 34% all natural w/ bovitec until we start finishing then switch to a feedlot 40% w/ Rumensin.

40% supplement? Or 40% actual protein?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

40% protein - I don't think so! You might be using a product that is 40% protein added to a pizz poor ration to get it up to a decent protein %.
A young calf (like under 500#) might need about 17-18% protein RATION, but when they get up around 800#, they only need around a 12-14% protein RATION.
If he is a March calf and you wean this fall, my calves would be ready to butcher in April/May next year - but I push them and don't wait til they are 18 months old. Mine are 12-13 months of age with 750# carcass. I start them off with 1% of their body weight and slowly build to 3% of their body weight (if I can get them to eat that much). I never feed over a 15% ration, quickly dropping to around a 12%. Every body has their own way to feed. Mine works for me. And I feed whole shell corn with a protein supplement and full feed good grass hay. Cheapest, healthiest way to finish one out.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Do you feed 16% the entire time to finish?

We feed a 34% all natural w/ bovitec until we start finishing then switch to a feedlot 40% w/ Rumensin.

40% supplement? Or 40% actual protein?

40% supplement. Pound per Hd per day + alfalfa haylage + corn silage + cracked corn.

 

[BigBear56]

40% protein - I don't think so! You might be using a product that is 40% protein added to a pizz poor ration to get it up to a decent protein %.
A young calf (like under 500#) might need about 17-18% protein RATION, but when they get up around 800#, they only need around a 12-14% protein RATION.
If he is a March calf and you wean this fall, my calves would be ready to butcher in April/May next year - but I push them and don't wait til they are 18 months old. Mine are 12-13 months of age with 750# carcass. I start them off with 1% of their body weight and slowly build to 3% of their body weight (if I can get them to eat that much). I never feed over a 15% ration, quickly dropping to around a 12%. Every body has their own way to feed. Mine works for me. And I feed whole shell corn with a protein supplement and full feed good grass hay. Cheapest, healthiest way to finish one out.

Thanks for the info Jeanne! I've contemplated switching over to whole shelled corn and adding the protein pellets myself. What brand protein supplement are you using if I might ask? My mill carries Purina. Steak Maker I believe

 

[JMJ Farms]

We feed a 34% all natural w/ bovitec until we start finishing then switch to a feedlot 40% w/ Rumensin.

40% supplement? Or 40% actual protein?

40% supplement. Pound per Hd per day + alfalfa haylage + corn silage + cracked corn.

That's what I figured. Wasn't sure. Been fooling with cows all my life but never fed any to finish. Pa in law always did that but now he's gone so I'm fixing to learn how to do it myself. He always mixed a 40% or so supplement with whole corn, which is close to the same as your ration. Worked well for him so I think I'll do the same. We don't have access to any alfalfa but we have some good peanut hay. Thanks for the reply

 

[SBMF 2015]

40% supplement? Or 40% actual protein?

40% supplement. Pound per Hd per day + alfalfa haylage + corn silage + cracked corn.

That's what I figured. Wasn't sure. Been fooling with cows all my life but never fed any to finish. Pa in law always did that but now he's gone so I'm fixing to learn how to do it myself. He always mixed a 40% or so supplement with whole corn, which is close to the same as your ration. Worked well for him so I think I'll do the same. We don't have access to any alfalfa but we have some good peanut hay. Thanks for the reply

I used to manage a elderly neighbors feedlot. We grew them on silage and shell corn then once I got them up to around 25lbs of shell corn a day we would turn them loose on a self feeder of straight shell corn with a little 40% supplement. They would get limited access to corn stalks just for some scratch to keep their stomach working.
It was always a little "hotter" ration than I really like, but this neighbor had fed cattle that way all his life. And you can make them FAT if you don't burn them out. If they weren't 15-1,600lbs and yield grade 3-4 he wasn't happy.