creep feed
- Thread starter plbcattle
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We do and don't creep feed. Sometimes we do if we need to stretch our pasture a little. Have noticed that calves go on grain at weaning a little better but still practice the "you'll eat when you're hungry enough" method too.
I did creep feed on my last calves. Too expensive and I didn't think I got that much out of it. I have good grass so I'll just stay with that. All the cows look healthy on grass and no other problems, so grass it is. Besides, that bull calf put on too much weight and actually was too fat to take to the salebarn. I'm bringing him back down to an acceptable weight before I sell him.
Dick
Dick
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
icandoit":6ox8nzyd said:
Dick sounds like your learning fast grass and hay operations you have the potential for making money in the future. Now for the bull calf you hauled to the barn you should have run him through the ring. Cost of fuel, chancing another injury during penning and hauling. Take this from a Jerk Cattleman you get to the barn sell em you win in the long run everytime.
Campground Cattle
Well-known member
Caustic Burno":1lxxngg1 said:
Caustic when did you find a nice bone, to fat so he is going to keep him at the Ranch put him on a diet and haul him latter. Wow that is smart make two trips to the salebarn and the second one to haul one calf. If it takes half a tank of fuel he lost on that calf.
Caustic, your right. I should have sold him the first time around. He was a b___ to pen too. So now I have to do it all over again just for this one calf. Not again though. If they get to the barn, they get sold.
Dick
Dick
certherfbeef
Well-known member
icandoit":2wayhoyc said:
You guys must have a whole lot different sale barns than we do.
Something goes thru a sale barn here...consider them "contaminated". I will not even consider brining something home from the sale barn.
Salebarns 7 miles away. Jeesh, I'm learning for C_____s sake. The guy that owns the salebarn is my mentor and I might add a very knowledgeable man. He's going to pick it up for me, no cost, no harm, no foul. If you think they're "contaminated", well, I can't help that. My mentor is very highly regarded around these parts.
Dick
Dick
certherfbeef
Well-known member
icandoit":26g2fmus said:
WOAH there buddy. :stop:
Didn't mean to make you mad. I'm a far cry from picking on you. Pretty quick on the trigger there. I'll make sure not to comment under your posts in the future.
certherfbeef was commenting on the conditions of the barns in her area, and nothing was said about the cleanliness of your local barn or your mentors knowledge nor how respected he is or not.icandoit":1cu464ou said:
I'm not mad at all. I have a thick skin. Didn't mean to make it sound like that. I apologize for any hair lifting. I don't normally respond or ask questions on this board. I like to read and learn. When your typing responses or asking questions, the looks on your face or the tone of the response or question cannot be "read" by anybody. Unfortunate. I would be glad to take any advice you have under consideration. I don't want to become a "pariah on this board. I like to read the responses from other people that are more knowledeable than I, which is about everybody on this board. Great info. can be found here.
Dick
Dick
Daybreak
Well-known member
Howdy,
Most of the cow-calf operations will always have cows going out.
So, that means you do not have possible conveyance of diseases coming to the farm.
I would suggest that any farm that makes a sale ring purchase, to quarantine that purchase from your herd for at least 2 weeks. Process for vacinations and such.
Multi animal sale rings are hard to keep clean.
Most of the cow-calf operations will always have cows going out.
So, that means you do not have possible conveyance of diseases coming to the farm.
I would suggest that any farm that makes a sale ring purchase, to quarantine that purchase from your herd for at least 2 weeks. Process for vacinations and such.
Multi animal sale rings are hard to keep clean.
El_Putzo
Well-known member
We use creep feed to help our calves along. We usually creep for about 60-90 days before weaning, then wean and feed them for about 45 days, then sell the 2/3 or so that weigh 650 lbs or more. Then we hold the rest till they get around 650 lbs, usually, another 30-60 days. I subscribe to the thinking that anything you can do to ease the burden on the cow and get her in good shape for the next calf, plus get the calf eating grain sooner, is a good thing. My dad works at the MFA, but he doesn't get discounts on feed. It still pencil's out for us to creep the calves. Just what works for us.
There was a few years in their when money was real tight that we couldn't creep the calves and we could tell a difference come sale time.
There was a few years in their when money was real tight that we couldn't creep the calves and we could tell a difference come sale time.
G&L Cattle
Well-known member
What kind of feed do you creep, El Putzo?
Thanks,
G&L
Thanks,
G&L
El_Putzo
Well-known member
We had been feeding Cattlecharge, which is a 13% pelleted feed from the co-op my dad works at. I think it runs about $7 per cwt.
The last two years we've been using Trendsetter, which we get from the same place. It is a 16% pelleted feed at about $8.50 per cwt. They are supposed to grow better on less of this. I'm not sure what the ingredients are but they don't want to eat much, but they do better on it. It may have some type of salt or other limiter in it.
I can get the exact prices if you like.
The last two years we've been using Trendsetter, which we get from the same place. It is a 16% pelleted feed at about $8.50 per cwt. They are supposed to grow better on less of this. I'm not sure what the ingredients are but they don't want to eat much, but they do better on it. It may have some type of salt or other limiter in it.
I can get the exact prices if you like.
G&L Cattle
Well-known member
We feed a 14% bulk feed, probably about like the Cattlecharge you mentioned. The calves seem slow catching on and dont eat much in the feeder. I wondered if the feed was OK. Sounds like yours do well on it.
Thanks for writing!
G&L
Thanks for writing!
G&L
El_Putzo
Well-known member
Back about 5-6 yrs ago before we started using Cattlecharge, we used to feed a bulk mix of about 12% that consisted of corn, sbm, turbo 32 pellets, molasses and some supplements. It seemed as though the calves wasted more of the bulk feed than the pelleted we feed now. Plus I guess it just wasn't as palletable, because they eat more and seem to start quicker on the cattlecharge.
I see comments about the calves not getting into the grain very well. Ours see grain when the cows are borught up to AI whoever is due to be bred. They see the cows eating the stuff, the calves being maybe 2 1/2-3 months old at the time and learn to fight their way up to the feeders to get a taste. When weaning time comes they belly up to the bar and eat like they;ve been doing it their entire life, even though at that point the haven;t seen any grain for 3-4 months. One year we set up a creep and the calves never much got into it, they preferred fighting with the cows for the stuff in the other feeders.
But as in all else, different management has different affects.
dun
But as in all else, different management has different affects.
dun
got a question guys i have just put several calves and cows on lots of good burmeda grass they were used to having no grass they seem to be loving it but is that gonna be enough or do i need to still feed them grain i'm new and learning at this its knee high good grass
stocky
Well-known member
i creep feed according to conditions and prices. i normally dont creepfeed from april 1 until around july 1 when the fescue and other grasses get tough. the rest of the time, if feed is cheap enough and calves are high enough, i creep feed. right now, i get 13 percent pellet feed for 5.50 per hundred unless i want an antibiotic in it and it is 50 cents per hundred more. that is a cheap way to put on pounds that bring back 1.25-1.50 each from a calf that i take to market. i feel like i can put on extra pounds for a fraction of what i am getting back. when feed is high and calves are cheap, i dont creep feed. i would recommend it to people right now with the cheap feed and high calf price
