creep feeding

[M-5]

yall are making this more complicated than It has to be. I used 2 bucks as a round number. the only thing is you have to do is figure what your cost for feed is and estimate ADG and do the math if you feed 50.00 worth of feed and the calf brings 75.00 extra its a gain in profit no matter the price per pound. Im not finishing these calves I am only trying to get them heavier sooner. the sooner you are able to market a calf the more money you make when you consider year round operating cost.

the argument of they should grow just fine on mamas milk is fine but how much more feed/grazing is mama gonna consume during this time.

 

[LRTX1]

Ok...

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

yall are making this more complicated than It has to be. I used 2 bucks as a round number. the only thing is you have to do is figure what your cost for feed is and estimate ADG and do the math if you feed 50.00 worth of feed and the calf brings 75.00 extra its a gain in profit no matter the price per pound. Im not finishing these calves I am only trying to get them heavier sooner. the sooner you are able to market a calf the more money you make when you consider year round operating cost.

the argument of they should grow just fine on mamas milk is fine but how much more feed/grazing is mama gonna consume during this time.

But isn't this momma's job?

 

[pricefarm]

yall are making this more complicated than It has to be. I used 2 bucks as a round number. the only thing is you have to do is figure what your cost for feed is and estimate ADG and do the math if you feed 50.00 worth of feed and the calf brings 75.00 extra its a gain in profit no matter the price per pound. Im not finishing these calves I am only trying to get them heavier sooner. the sooner you are able to market a calf the more money you make when you consider year round operating cost.

the argument of they should grow just fine on mamas milk is fine but how much more feed/grazing is mama gonna consume during this time.

But isn't this momma's job?

It is mommas job but even the best cow can only do so much and the extra grain will make the calf grow faster if the cost per pound works out which right now with calves high and corn cheap it does. But if your buying feed by the bag then it might not.

 

[Andyva]

Cow gestation is nine months, roughly. The way I see it. mama has some time to kill. Making the calf hit the target weight a month earlier is not really going to make or break you. If the cow can't do the job, I need to invest in better genetics, not feed.

 

[M-5]

Cow gestation is nine months, roughly. The way I see it. mama has some time to kill. Making the calf hit the target weight a month earlier is not really going to make or break you. If the cow can't do the job, I need to invest in better genetics, not feed.

There is now right or wrong answer, My math and lxtr1 math are completely different when figuring actual value of creep feeding. but as I told him there is value added in saving money. We all want efficient trucks to save fuel. we want efficient appliances to save electricity, and we go to great lengths to achieve these things.

an animal has a cost to be in your pasture per day. a mama that is raising a calf requires a certain amount of nutrition each day. that nutrition cost money whether you place a value on it or not. any time you can achieve a goal in a shorter period of time it adds value. You have to figure the savings you have along with the expense of getting there. Sometimes the value is not a great deal of money but if you increase that calves price by one dollar you saved that beef check off fee. if you increase it by 40 bucks you saved the barn fees. I'm not an educated man and never claimed to be. If im wrong I will admit it but I suspect every single one of you will pick up a penny laying one the ground but add a penny to your end product doesn't make sense to you.

 

[gus2121]

You are saying your cost over 120 days is around 80.00 per head and only gaining 1/2 to 1lb per day. I pulled my calve sales from last fall. They sold the same day same place in groups at OKC. The calves that weighed 124 lbs more only brought $82 more per head. So if you invested 80 in them and they only gained 1/2lb more he lost money or maybe broke even if they gained 1lb????

I see advantages to creep other than money, but if I have my calves weighing more quicker then that puts me weaning in July or August when the market is not that strong. Maybe I should start creep feeding later and not as long to help wean and transition??

 

[TexasBred]

You are saying your cost over 120 days is around 80.00 per head and only gaining 1/2 to 1lb per day. I pulled my calve sales from last fall. They sold the same day same place in groups at OKC. The calves that weighed 124 lbs more only brought $82 more per head. So if you invested 80 in them and they only gained 1/2lb more he lost money or maybe broke even if they gained 1lb????

I see advantages to creep other than money, but if I have my calves weighing more quicker then that puts me weaning in July or August when the market is not that strong. Maybe I should start creep feeding later and not as long to help wean and transition??

If you know that you simply move your calving period. I never keep a calf to weaning. Sell at 450-500 lbs., get them off the cow and off my place and let someone else worry with them. They cow needs the rest the pasture needs the rest and so do I and the money is not that much different either way.

 

[Tbrake]

Im wanting to start creep feeding here shortly. I have 35 angus calves that were born arround the first of feb. I have never creep fed any of my calves before. Im wanting to do it mainly to help the cow retain body condition, and supplement the calves a little extra, since they are all out of heifers. At what age do you recommend I need to start feeding them? What is a good method to get them to start eating? Also what do you recommend for feed? Thank you

 

[M-5]

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publi ... ionId=1348

read this cause I'm as confused as a termite in a yoyo right now

 

[Tbrake]

Wow that is pretty confusing, it sounded much better as I was typing it lol. Thanks for the link, it helped a bunch

 

[skyhightree1]

Im wanting to start creep feeding here shortly. I have 35 angus calves that were born arround the first of feb. I have never creep fed any of my calves before. Im wanting to do it mainly to help the cow retain body condition, and supplement the calves a little extra, since they are all out of heifers. At what age do you recommend I need to start feeding them? What is a good method to get them to start eating? Also what do you recommend for feed? Thank you

This is just me but they start early at my place as I don't train them the calves train each other just as calves watch there mamas and others eat grass or hay and they pick it up. I feed a few things jumpstart fine screen corn and commodity pellets.

 

[TexasBred]

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1348

read this cause I'm as confused as a termite in a yoyo right now

Them ol' boys contradict themselves several times in that article. Also use some unimaginable examples for "creep feed" mixtures.

 

[Lazy M]

Im wanting to start creep feeding here shortly. I have 35 angus calves that were born arround the first of feb. I have never creep fed any of my calves before. Im wanting to do it mainly to help the cow retain body condition, and supplement the calves a little extra, since they are all out of heifers. At what age do you recommend I need to start feeding them? What is a good method to get them to start eating? Also what do you recommend for feed? Thank you

This is just me but they start early at my place as I don't train them the calves train each other just as calves watch there mamas and others eat grass or hay and they pick it up. I feed a few things jumpstart fine screen corn and commodity pellets.

Others may disagree but with heifers I think that it would pay in the long run to creep the calves and supplement the cows at least until grass comes on. You'll have much better breed back success if you spend the extra $ to keep the heifers in good condition. The water content in early spring grass is so high, they can have plenty to graze and still lose weight.

 

[TexasBred]

Fertilize it though and what they do get to eat will run close to 30% crude protein on a dry matter basis.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I creep my calves . Here's my two nickels on it . The calves will start hitting the feeder at about 6 to 8 weeks old . Sometimes sooner. I have a more uniform calf crop from feeding. I know you should cull under producing cows. But it takes years to build a herd . In a cow calf operation it's about selling pounds . When I keep heifers there is no transition to feed . They go strait to the feed bunk the first day . They don't eat as much but they don't stand there for 3 days bawling . I can sell my steers a month early usually which gives my cows a longer rest putting them in better shape going into winter. This also gets some traffic off the pasture. My calves are born in feb. no grass until march/ April . Unless its rye grass .But this puts the calves eating good pasture for the last couple months .our pastures loose nutritional value pretty fast in the summer . It allows me to sell earlier in the season taking advantage of the higher prices of summer . Vs selling when most others do in the fall. This is why I do it . May not work for everyone or in every area.