Creep Feeding Calves: Creep feeding is generally used for nursing calves but can be used for purchased replacement heifer calves put into the home herd. Milk from a lactating beef cow furnishes only about 50 percent of the nutrients that a three-month-old calf needs for maximum growth. Additionally, milk production in beef cattle is maximized in the first two months after calving and then quickly declines. Obviously, the requirements of growing calves quickly exceeds the nutrition provided by nursing and so creep feeding must be considered.
Another aspect of creep feeding or supplemental feeding of calves is ensuring the proper nutrition and weight gain of young replacement heifers to ensure that they reach sexual maturity at 14-15 months of age and are around 65 percent of their expected maximum weight at first exposure to bulls. This will help prevent calving problems with first time calver and ensure that heifers long term breeding success. It is also important to remember that calves will only gain as fast as their genetic makeup allows and if they have been bought and were not preconditioned they may take a little longer to make the transition.
Three major considerations must be made when selecting creep feed rations: 1 — Cost; 2 — Palatability; and 3 — Nutrient content or quality. It is obvious that weight gains can be realized with a creep feeding program but a producer must consider potential weight gains with and without a creep program, current calf prices and the overall cost of a creep feeding program. Depending on these factors it may not be economically feasible to creep feed and could be an option that causes you to lose money. If cost is a factor consider mixing your own ration or supplementing it with cheaper ingredients. Some ingredients you could consider include: cracked shelled corn, whole oats, rolled barley, soybean meal, dried brewers grain, alfalfa pellets, soybean hulls and molasses. Also, medication and salt are important components in a creep feed mix and should be considered. If you want more information on this topic you can go online to http://beef.tamu.edu.
Another aspect of creep feeding or supplemental feeding of calves is ensuring the proper nutrition and weight gain of young replacement heifers to ensure that they reach sexual maturity at 14-15 months of age and are around 65 percent of their expected maximum weight at first exposure to bulls. This will help prevent calving problems with first time calver and ensure that heifers long term breeding success. It is also important to remember that calves will only gain as fast as their genetic makeup allows and if they have been bought and were not preconditioned they may take a little longer to make the transition.
Three major considerations must be made when selecting creep feed rations: 1 — Cost; 2 — Palatability; and 3 — Nutrient content or quality. It is obvious that weight gains can be realized with a creep feeding program but a producer must consider potential weight gains with and without a creep program, current calf prices and the overall cost of a creep feeding program. Depending on these factors it may not be economically feasible to creep feed and could be an option that causes you to lose money. If cost is a factor consider mixing your own ration or supplementing it with cheaper ingredients. Some ingredients you could consider include: cracked shelled corn, whole oats, rolled barley, soybean meal, dried brewers grain, alfalfa pellets, soybean hulls and molasses. Also, medication and salt are important components in a creep feed mix and should be considered. If you want more information on this topic you can go online to http://beef.tamu.edu.
