Do I continue to feed them or butcher them now????

[Bcollins]

I have three jersey steers that weight about 700pds right now. I know they are not finished but they seem to never gain any weight. Currently feeding them a grass/alf mix and protien blocks. The Holestien is doing great but jersey seem to stay the same. The question is do I grain them for 30 days and butcher them or wait until next spring? Do you think graining them will do any good? I'm I fighting a losing battle because of genetics?

thanks for you opionions!

 

[BlackBaldyMan]

We had good luck feeding a corn ration to the holstiens, yea they grow like crazy, and forever lol, I talked to alot of feedlots in the area that DO feed holsteins and they said they kill em about ~1300lbs, as for the jerseys prolly not so much but far as I could tell to get enough meat on the holsteins they would have to be at least 12-1300lbs, JMO

 

[mnmtranching]

I think a few more calories in their diet would be OK. I would work them up to 10-12 pounds of cracked corn per day along with what your feeding them now. Maybe try that for a couple months.

 

[hayray]

they won't hardly fatten at all on that high of rouphage diet. You need alot more energy and need to limit the hay in the diet alot. I would get them built up to 12 to 15 lbs. of corn a day and a couple flakes of alfalfa a day. I know alot of people who finish out holsteins have them built up to 95% of the diet is corn, some of those get up to 1500 lbs. Get them fat and feed them until there is a lot of fat over the back and around the tail head.