creeping calves

[circlew]

Does anyone creep feed their calves? Do you do good with it?

 

[jscunn]

We do, it all depends on what your plan for the calves is. If you are gonna just sell the calves at the salebarn after weaning, then in these high prices then the math probably doesnt work out. Raising your own feed (hay, corn, oats, etc) certainly helps keep the price down.

If you are gonna sell the steers as fat steers, then it probably pencils out, the more they grow on the cow the less time they have to spend in the feedlot later. If you are gonna purchase feed, buy as much as you can store at one time. Semi loads are a whole lot cheaper than going to the coop and getting a ton or 2 at the time. Check multiple sources, be flexible with the ingredients (corn gluten, soyhull pellets, corn, or oats).

If you are selling the heifers private treaty, you might want to consider creep feeding them just before weaning, helps reduce the stress of weaning, the heifers will "look" better to the buyers coming by to look at them.

JMO

 

[tripleBfarms]

Does anyone creep feed their calves? Do you do good with it?

Not worth it for me. Spend the money on feed and you MIGHT get it back over the scales, or make a little. Might even lose money. Calf prices can drop 5 or 10 cents in a week. $25 to $50 / head and that adds up with a load of calves. A lot of it depends on time of year I suppose. For me, the risk is not worth the potential gain.

Spend more, MAYBE get more is a risk

Spend less, get less is a safer bet, and they both net about the same.

Some may disagree, but if she's a good milker, the calf doesn't need creep IMO.

 

[plumber_greg]

Listen to jscunn, that's probably as good an answer as you can get. gs

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I don't creep feed. Can't afford to - but I have to compete (in the showring or in the consignment sales) with heifers that have been creep fed, and it can be tough. In the PB business, when you are asking a high dollar for heifer calves, it probably could pay. Luckily, I have really really good milkers and I have really really good grazing.
If you have small frame cattle, you can ruin heifers if they put on fat in the udder, so be careful about that.
A problem that the industry associates with creep feeding, is that you don't have a good handle on what cows are "doing their job". A poor milking cow can be masked by creep feed.
"Generally" creep feeding can pay for itself if provided a few weeks prior to weaning.
In a drought situation, I've always been told, it's cheaper to feed the calf early weaned off the cow so the cow will dry up. Too expensive to provide feed to the cow to feed the calf.
jscunn had good points also.

 

[hillbillycwo]

I have been creep grazing two heifer calves born in September and they are really growing. I raised the temp wire around a tobacco pathc and they get after the Wheat that is there. We also put out some feed in the field so they can get to it. About 3-6 pounds a piece every other day. I like the way they are growing and it seems to take a little off the mommas as our fall graze was nonexistent. Probably all in my head and not really helping but the cost is minimal so guess I'll keep doing it.

 

[circlew]

I would be creeping the calves while they are still on their mommas. My calves won't be on the feed for a few months. I'm just seeing what other folks think before I invest in it.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I would be creeping the calves while they are still on their mommas. My calves won't be on the feed for a few months. I'm just seeing what other folks think before I invest in it.

I can't justify creeping calves for a long term
I do creep my calves about 2-4 weeks before wening so they will know how to eat at weaning time and they don't stress as much causing shrink
I would rather feed the cow a good quality hay and let her feed the calf than feed the calf and not know what the cow is doing
JS did give you a really good answer
If I had corn or other grain available at a cheap price I would say hand feeding or maybe creep feeding calves would work but in my case it doesn't

 

[bannedagain]

Doesn't anyone lock in prices anymore? It seems everyone is flying by the seat of thier pants, blind folded with no concern as to what is ahead of them. Can you say red ink?

If you can turn a a couple pounds of feed into feeder cattle dollars and make a profit how do feedlots turn even more pounds of feed into even lower live cattle dollars yet still make a profit?

 

[Stocker Steve]

If you can turn a a couple pounds of feed into feeder cattle dollars and make a profit how do feedlots turn even more pounds of feed into even lower live cattle dollars yet still make a profit?

Feed conversion is a huge factor. Some of the high fiber creep suppliers claim 5 to 1 or better. :nod:
Feed price is a huge factor. Feedlots get it for less.
Cattle price is a huge factor.
So creep did not pay in 2009, but it did pay in 2010, and I not sure about 2011.
I started calves on creep in December :dunce: I choked on the feed bill but it is going to be 29 below tonight and they are wintering in red willows... :shock:
No scours here. :banana:

 

[bannedagain]

If you can turn a a couple pounds of feed into feeder cattle dollars and make a profit how do feedlots turn even more pounds of feed into even lower live cattle dollars yet still make a profit?

Feed conversion is a huge factor. Some of the high fiber creep suppliers claim 5 to 1 or better. :nod:
Feed price is a huge factor. Feedlots get it for less.
Cattle price is a huge factor.
So creep did not pay in 2009, but it did pay in 2010, and I not sure about 2011.
I started calves on creep in December :dunce: I choked on the feed bill but it is going to be 29 below tonight and they are wintering in red willows... :shock:
No scours here. :banana:

Corn is the same price per bushel regardless who buys it. I don't follow you on the feed coversion,surely you are not telling me it will be less because the calf is on the cow.

 

[upfrombottom]

Corn is the same price per bushel regardless who buys it.

I believe you have bumped your head.

 

[bannedagain]

Corn is the same price per bushel regardless who buys it.

I believe you have bumped your head.

Considering your location, I understand your inability to understand the corn market. Would you like someone to explain?

 

[upfrombottom]

Corn is the same price per bushel regardless who buys it.

I believe you have bumped your head.

Considering your location, I understand your inability to understand the corn market. Would you like someone to explain?

Go ahead and give it a shot. I would like to hear your theories on the subject. I will then give you mine which come from actual experience.

 

[bannedagain]

Lets start with you not understanding the price of a bushel costing the same how do you figure that?

 

[upfrombottom]

I would like to hear where you can go purchase a bushel of corn, at the same price that a feedlot will get a boxcar load.

 

[bannedagain]

I would like to hear where you can go purchase a bushel of corn, at the same price that a feedlot will get a boxcar load.

Any of the 100's of local coop's give em a call. CME price less the basis plus 10 cents FOB. 1 bushel or a thousand they don't sell more for less, it all costs the same.

 

[upfrombottom]

The ones I've always bought from always quote prices in quantities. 1-10, 10-50, 50-100, 100-...... and so on.

 

[bannedagain]

Never been sold that way here. A bushel is a bushel. The ethanol plants are the biggest buyer of corn and they pay the most. The days of buying more for less are gone. If anything you will get a better deal as the small guy because the coop doesn't need to pay trucking to the ethanol plant it is FOB to the small guy.

 

[jscunn]

In reference to the booking of feed, a couple of years ago (the last time corn was going up alot) we tried to book our winter feed in the summer (like the coop told us to do the winter before) and they wouldnt accept booking more than 15 days before delivery. I would assume the voilatility of corn has got the feed companies in the same boat as then. I can probably tell you within a couple of tons of how much feed we are gonna need but it doesnt matter if they wont allow you to book it.

As far as a bushel of Corn is the same price everywhere, you are so wrong. I can give you a phone number were you could buy it $0.50 bushel higher than another place 20 miles away. If you think the ethanol plants pay the highest price you are mistaken there as well.