Calves newly weaned weight gain

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Ken - word for seed that doesn't germinate - OH CRAP.
@faster horses could you give me a link to that article. Sounds very interesting. -- Oh, I just reread your comment and it was not an article.
As I've told everyone, I have fed WSC for maybe 40 years. Hubby was a nutritionist and he is the one obviously that got us feeding WSC - because it was cheapest
I finish steers in 12-13 months of age on WSC with 750# carcass. I feed it to my replacement heifers from weaning to getting bred - 5#/hd/day thru the winter.
I feed it to my show string - which I have to admit I do pretty well in the ring. I am always amazed at HOW MUCH other exhibitors feed their animals. But, I don't push them. I try to just utilize their natural ability to grow.
LOL - maybe WSC has been my secret weapon! LOL LOL

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I had a small patch of lucerne (alfalfa) that I tried on a number of occaisions to drill some summer grasses into it and another time some winter oats and rye. All attempts failed, the seed just didn't want to germinate. There is a word for that but just can't think of it at the moment, ali something maybe someone can help.

Ken

allelopathy? when a plant prevents other plants from growing near it usually through some kind of chemical. does alfalfa do that? for years "experts" claimed mesquite, whitethorn, creosote etc did this. on a fun field trip where apparently nobody told the plants, we found plenty of grasses and forbs growing under all of them. sometimes experts forget to get out of the lab and go look at real conditions.

 

[faster horses]

I feed cake after weaning after I get them started on grass hay. Cake is 23-28% protein and some fat, so if you have alfalfa, they probably don't need cake. Oats and corn is what I go with to add energy to the ration if feeding alfalfa. They only need 3-4# of corn and oats to give them a little extra kick without getting too fleshy. If selling backgrounded calves through the sale barn, you don't want them to be fleshy or the price goes down and you've spent good money getting them fleshy only to take a hit on price.

The old saying is "feed grain (corn) at less than 5# or more than 10 for efficient rumen function. Starch vs fibre.

It seems like, and excuse me if I am wrong here, but we were shown years ago, whole corn that had been digested and showed up on the ground. If you look at a kernel, there is a hole in it where the nutrients had been digested but the shell was pretty much intact. We just didn't feed whole corn; when we tried there was not enough of a smell to get them to eat it. Many producers in our area do feed cob corn to cows in winter. It's interesting watching an old cow learn to eat it. Soon she is chewing with her nose in the air so the corn goes down the hatch and not on the ground.

 

[bbirder]

Jeannie
I'm not sure what you mean by WSC corn. I have used crimped corn in the past thinking that passed more to the animal then whole corn before they pass it through. Haven't seen crimped corn mentioned. Wouldn't use cracked corn or what they sell here as cracked corn for chickens.

 

[WFfarm]

The old saying is "feed grain (corn) at less than 5# or more than 10 for efficient rumen function. Starch vs fibre.

It seems like, and excuse me if I am wrong here, but we were shown years ago, whole corn that had been digested and showed up on the ground. If you look at a kernel, there is a hole in it where the nutrients had been digested but the shell was pretty much intact. We just didn't feed whole corn; when we tried there was not enough of a smell to get them to eat it. Many producers in our area do feed cob corn to cows in winter. It's interesting watching an old cow learn to eat it. Soon she is chewing with her nose in the air so the corn goes down the hatch and not on the ground.

We hand feed earn corn (cob corn) to our cows year round. They only get it once or twice a week and a handful per head. It's mainly for a treat and to keep them coming to a rattling pale when we want to lead them somewhere. Had a bull get out in the road and a couple neighbors called but were afraid to try moving him. Just rattled a pale with a few ears in it and he followed right back thru the gate. It's getting harder to find anyone that still picks ear corn.

 

[wbvs58]

What's your process on developing these bulls?? I've got 4 10 month old bulls I need to start. Thanks

They are weaned early autumn and weight range of 3-400kg. I feed a 14% grain mix through a lick feeder that I can accurately control the rate of feed usually around the 1.5% BW/day. They have to leave it when their saliva dries up so then go and graze and then come back to it. They are on low quality stockpiled grass.
I weigh them every 2 weeks to make sure the rate of gain is OK, usually I like about 1-1.5kg/day and aim to have them all at least 600kg for when I market them in early spring as yearling bulls ready to do some work.

Ken

 

[wbvs58]

allelopathy? when a plant prevents other plants from growing near it usually through some kind of chemical. does alfalfa do that? for years "experts" claimed mesquite, whitethorn, creosote etc did this. on a fun field trip where apparently nobody told the plants, we found plenty of grasses and forbs growing under all of them. sometimes experts forget to get out of the lab and go look at real conditions.

Yep, that's the word thankyou. In my experience it seemed to happen with the lucerne.

Ken