Choosing/starting prospects?

[ScuffedBoots]

(Originally posted in the Beginner Board. Trying it again here.)

We have a pretty good crop of calves this year, but were only small hobbyists. There's a few calves I'm quite fond of, and wondering how young most of you start working with prospects, or if you do any work until their weaned. When I showed 4H here locally, our first show was the end of June, the provincial 4H show was the long weekend in September, and our county fairs were during the summer. So we always halter broke young and showed them as junior calves when they were 4 - 6 months old (had to be born after January 1 of that year calf). Anyway, I'm no longer in 4H, but working calves because I miss it. I'd like to know what people think of this one, she's a Feb 19/11 heifer, Limousin Sire, Dam has like 1/8th Charolais in her. She's bum high at this point, taped 215 lbs a week ago, still just on mom with hay to nibble on. And yes, our cattle are indoor at this point until the pasture is ready, and we don't have free stall facilities.

Would like to know if she's worth the time and energy, and what kind of feed program I should start if she is? Everything I can find online is for weaned and older it seems. I never went about it right in 4H, but also just didn't know any better. I know it's still hard to judge since she's young but just wondering. Thanks!

April 6/11 - taped 215 lbs

These were last night. Got our first stretch of warm weather the last two nights so got a bit of the runs going through the barn.

 

[showing71]

You shouldn't have to start feeding her yet. Mom should be giving her enough at this point since she is so young. Are you planning on showing her in some open shows? If you're not planning on showing her, I wouldn't even worry about feeding her.

When we show babies (usually 5-6 month olds, we have started earlier like 4 months), we "day-wean" them. In the a.m. we separate mom and calf, and bring the calf in the barn under fans and mom gets kicked out to the pasture. The only big animals we show are breeding animals, so they have a light ration, which is light enough to feed to our calves. It has a little bit of cracked corn, beet pulp, cottonseed hulls, oats, and some other stuff that escapes me right now. Basically it's enough to fill them out without adding a lot of fat. We feed this to the calves while they are separated from mom. In the beginning, until they like to eat our show feed mix, we will give them a calf starter ration to get the used to eating grain (calf starter is sweet to get them to like feed), and gradually mix the "big calf feed" in with it.

It is a little early to tell what the heifer will look like for sure, but she looks like she has a nice, clean front end.