Embarrassed to be asking this....how to re-start calves

[ILfarmersdaughter]

I have not been feeding my own cattle for about 7 years now. Before that I had about 65 cows where I kept replacements, sold a few show steers, and fed out a few. So I was confident in how to feed.

Now I am not so sure! I am very limited in what and how I am feeding since I am working with my Dad and he is not real excited about most of my ideas.

He ground some corn and oats today after a week long argument that I lost over the usefulness of a very used TMR.

I was feeding weaned calves, weaned about a month averaging about 600 lbs, 90 lbs. of oats, 70 lbs. of shelled corn, and 11 lbs of 34% protein for 11 head. I was limit feeding average grass hay. Free choice mineral and salt.

So now I am suppose to be feeding this ground corn/oat mix. The grinder is ancient and in one handful it is ground too fine, cracked, and whole. He ground a ton and it is probably 95% corn and 5% oats only. He does not know how much of each but this is my guess from looking at it.

Plus he then puts out one of the round bales that is grass on the outside and fine stemmed, leafy alfalfa on the inside for them free choice. He locked them away from the hay tonight because he thought they were too full. Well yeah.

How do you recommend I start them out on their new feed? I am not sure which I am more afraid of: feed ground too fine, all of the waste of the expensive hay, or ruining these calves before they are sold!

The goal is to sell them at the 7-8 weight range. These are 3/4 Maine with some Angus and a tad bit of Chi in them.

Thank you for any help.

 

[bigbull338]

i looked at the old mix you was feeding the calves.an that came out to 15lbs a day or a tad more.so on the new feed mix id start them out on 5lbs a hd a day.an slowly increase their feed to where you want it.an your right they was filling up on the grass alalfa mix hay.id limit feed that hay.

 

[milkmaid]

Watch them closely if they're being fed too much finely ground grain... it can be digested too quickly, resulting in acidosis.

 

[ILfarmersdaughter]

I was guessing the 5 lbs. and that is what I fed yesterday. I am only giving them access to the hay during the day but it is still way too much alfalfa IMHO.

They were doing really well before this but yesterday started coughing almost immediately after feeding. One of the bigger steer calves is hanging an ear today and was slow to the bunk. Of course I can't temp him but can crowd him to treat.

I would like to add some molasses to try and take down the dust but 1) to find it in small enough quantities will be difficult in this area and 2) the bigger battle will be my Dad who does not see anything wrong with the feed. He is a really good hog man.

 

[Francois]

Watch them closely if they're being fed too much finely ground grain... it can be digested too quickly, resulting in acidosis.

Would whole corn be a better choice?

 

[msscamp]

Watch them closely if they're being fed too much finely ground grain... it can be digested too quickly, resulting in acidosis.

Would whole corn be a better choice?

Generally speaking, whole or cracked corn is a better choice because the resulting feed is bigger, requires a little more chewing, and takes longer to digest. Francois, maybe I have you mistaken with someone else, but I believe you own a feed lot, so I'm more than a little surprised that you don't know the answer to your question. :?:

 

[IL Rancher]

Whole, cracked or rolled is generally what feed cattle and I actually like using whole, seem to have less problems with getitng them started on it and than we move to cracked.. We don't feed a lot of steers grain out on the place a year but a few..

You don't have an elevator or a farm store that sells bagged molasses over there? Or liquid for that matter? We can generally get real small quantities of liquid molases at Farm and Fleet or a 50 pound bag of the "dry" stuff.

 

[Francois]

Watch them closely if they're being fed too much finely ground grain... it can be digested too quickly, resulting in acidosis.

Would whole corn be a better choice?

Generally speaking, whole or cracked corn is a better choice because the resulting feed is bigger, requires a little more chewing, and takes longer to digest. Francois, maybe I have you mistaken with someone else, but I believe you own a feed lot, so I'm more than a little surprised that you don't know the answer to your question. :?:

You have me mistaken for someone else. I don't have a feed lot. I am in the process of feeding out one steer for a land owner. I have been feeding it the same ration as I give the weaning steers, a mix of ground corn, gluten and soybean hulls but recently swithched it to ground corn.

 

[Francois]

Whole, cracked or rolled is generally what feed cattle and I actually like using whole, seem to have less problems with getitng them started on it and than we move to cracked.. We don't feed a lot of steers grain out on the place a year but a few..

You don't have an elevator or a farm store that sells bagged molasses over there? Or liquid for that matter? We can generally get real small quantities of liquid molases at Farm and Fleet or a 50 pound bag of the "dry" stuff.

Not sure about the molases. It's several miles to the feed store and am only feeding one steer. I was under the standing that molases had very little feed value anyway.

 

[Moocow11]

you would use mollase to keep the dust down, if you can get dryed molasses, that would be better, easier to handle, and you can add a cup to a gallon of water and mix it with the feed

 

[msscamp]

Watch them closely if they're being fed too much finely ground grain... it can be digested too quickly, resulting in acidosis.

Would whole corn be a better choice?

Generally speaking, whole or cracked corn is a better choice because the resulting feed is bigger, requires a little more chewing, and takes longer to digest. Francois, maybe I have you mistaken with someone else, but I believe you own a feed lot, so I'm more than a little surprised that you don't know the answer to your question. :?:

You have me mistaken for someone else. I don't have a feed lot. I am in the process of feeding out one steer for a land owner. I have been feeding it the same ration as I give the weaning steers, a mix of ground corn, gluten and soybean hulls but recently swithched it to ground corn.

My apologies.