Feed ration

Help Support CattleToday:

redsimangus

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 22, 2014
Messages
87
Reaction score
0
I would like to no wut you guys would suggest as far as a grain ration for light weight calves around 350 to 450. These calves would be on a drylot without pasture and would be getting a decent quality prairie hay bale fed free choice. I would like the calves to gain at LEAST 1.5 lbs/ a day but more would definately be better. I just want to know what you would recommend as far as feeding grain i would probably be implanting but not all the time. Thanks for any input :kid:
 
redsimangus":80iv8ry6 said:
I would like to no wut you guys would suggest as far as a grain ration for light weight calves around 350 to 450. These calves would be on a drylot without pasture and would be getting a decent quality prairie hay bale fed free choice. I would like the calves to gain at LEAST 1.5 lbs/ a day but more would definately be better. I just want to know what you would recommend as far as feeding grain i would probably be implanting but not all the time. Thanks for any input :kid:
Need a bit more information. Kind of cattle, how big do you want to get them, quality of the hay, "weather" and where you're located.
 
The calves would be beef calves most of them would be angus but it would vary a little located in central kansas the calves i would probable run for about 120 to 180 days. hay is not quite the best prairie hay but is basically weed free. Ive read of some people getting 2 to 21/2 pounds a day is that to much to expect of them to gain?
 
500 wts gaining 2 lbs per day [11.5% protein] 13.1 lbs dm divided by 6:1 feed ratio = 2.18 lbs per day
5-7 lbs of grass hay
7 lbs corn
1 lb soybean meal
free choice dical and trace mineral salt block

I would guess 400 weights would gain 1.7 lbs on....
5-6 lbs of grass hay
4.25 lbs of corn
0.75 lbs of soybean meal

some one should check my math...but i don't think i'm too far off.
 
Math is good but I'd probably add a pound of corn to the first mix, delete at least one pound of the hay to lower the fiber and feed it to both size animals to begin with then slowly increase the feed and lower the hay over several weeks. A bag of any good mineral would work fine. Might be less expensive to mix a bag of high quality pig finisher with a bag of corn to make the grain mix. The pig feed is basically nothing but corn and soybean meal anyway.
 
OK I've been wedding the feed mix you guys recommended but was thinking of doing ddgs instead. how many pounds ddgs should I feed to make up for 1lb. of soybean meal.?
 
I'm always looking for cheaper ways for backgrounding calves. I would like to know how many pounds of a 14% pellet I would have to feed to average at least 2 pounds adg a day? I buy the calves as 4 weights an keep them till 7 weights. I also feed free choice good quality grass hay with that.
 
redsimangus":2q18houv said:
I'm always looking for cheaper ways for backgrounding calves. I would like to know how many pounds of a 14% pellet I would have to feed to average at least 2 pounds adg a day? I buy the calves as 4 weights an keep them till 7 weights. I also feed free choice good quality grass hay with that.
Red unfortunately most 14% creep is not what we would consider a "high quality" feed, however, if you can find one with a crude fiber level of not more than 8% it will be much better than most. Assuming you can find a really good creep you should get 2 lbs. of gain from 12-14 lbs. of feed along with the hay. Break the grain feeding into a minimum of two feeding per day. You might also look for a feed containing Bovatec or Rumensin.
 
Before it got so high I fed newly weaned calves Purina Pre-Con. You could order it in bulk blended with Bovatec or Rumensin. Or with AS-700. But not both the growth stimulant and the anti-viral medication. Fed at about 2% of body weight per head per day I was getting average daily gains between five and ten pound range during the usual 21 day feeding period. It was expensive, but it got the calves to eating and the gains were outstanding. Never lost one to bloat.

About a half dozen years ago Purina priced it over $250/ton in bulk and I said that's enough of that. So I just put them on the usual ration of ground corn, soybean meal, soybean hulls and free choice hay. I blended a balanced mineral with Bovatec to the ground corn/sb meal mix and top dressed with AS-700 for 18 to 21 days. You don't want to go over 21 days with the AS-700 or you might cause damage to the kidney. I feed the corn mix and soyhulls starting at 4.5 pounds per head per day. I increase the feed in the steers and bulls 1/2 pound every two to three weeks up to 7.5 pounds of each. I usually never let the heifers have more than 5.5 pounds, so that they don't get fat.
 
NWMoAngus":1lp9dbdj said:
Before it got so high I fed newly weaned calves Purina Pre-Con. You could order it in bulk blended with Bovatec or Rumensin. Or with AS-700. But not both the growth stimulant and the anti-viral medication. Fed at about 2% of body weight per head per day I was getting average daily gains between five and ten pound range during the usual 21 day feeding period. It was expensive, but it got the calves to eating and the gains were outstanding. Never lost one to bloat.

About a half dozen years ago Purina priced it over $250/ton in bulk and I said that's enough of that. So I just put them on the usual ration of ground corn, soybean meal, soybean hulls and free choice hay. I blended a balanced mineral with Bovatec to the ground corn/sb meal mix and top dressed with AS-700 for 18 to 21 days. You don't want to go over 21 days with the AS-700 or you might cause damage to the kidney. I feed the corn mix and soyhulls starting at 4.5 pounds per head per day. I increase the feed in the steers and bulls 1/2 pound every two to three weeks up to 7.5 pounds of each. I usually never let the heifers have more than 5.5 pounds, so that they don't get fat.

Wow Nellie. :bs: :bs:
 
Weighed them on and off. And you have to understand it was only for 21 days. Those gains were experienced every time I fed it. That being said, I only fed the Pre-Con to my registered calves that were mostly from AI sires. I fed the cheaper MFA Cattle Charge to the commercial calves. It's not for everyone.
 
NWMoAngus":3hi2dfjh said:
Weighed them on and off. And you have to understand it was only for 21 days. Those gains were experienced every time I fed it. That being said, I only fed the Pre-Con to my registered calves that were mostly from AI sires. I fed the cheaper MFA Cattle Charge to the commercial calves. It's not for everyone.
You must have weighed them before and after they ate. Feed lots don't get that kind of gain on a TMR. The MFA Cattle Charge looks like junk just looking at the guaranteed analysis and list of ingredients. High fiber, mostly by-products, very little grain products, very high ADF and a half the normal amount of Lasalosid. It does contain several strains of yeast but you never know if the inclusion rate is really sufficient.
 
I have a supply of low priced rice brand I am feeding as a supplement to the pasture grass which has basically stopped growing because of the fall. How much do you think I should feed? I' m feeding about one pound per head every other day. My pasture still has plenty of grass, just starting to brown. Thanks for your reply.
 
Pointer1160":2u88ghoz said:
I have a supply of low priced rice brand I am feeding as a supplement to the pasture grass which has basically stopped growing because of the fall. How much do you think I should feed? I' m feeding about one pound per head every other day. My pasture still has plenty of grass, just starting to brown. Thanks for your reply.
That's hardly enough to even bother with....give them enough to make it worth while IF they really need it.
 

Latest posts

Top