Feed Rations - Specific - not too scientific please :)

[throwm]

I have 5 - 250 pound steers on my property. I used to feed out Holstein steers but I bought them at 500-800 pounds to finish. I quit raising them for about 8 years and now am trying to figure out a good feed mixture (that store bought stuff is too expensive). I have about 2 acres of field grass (mainly blue grass and some clover). Want to know exactly what I need to give them to supplement the pasture (per hundred pound weight). I am currently giving them about 3 pounds each of the 16% medicated protein starter with the grass and seem to be doing OK with that but will get really expensive soon. Thank for any advice in advance

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

3# is about right for them to get started on. You slowly increase the amount to 3% of their body weight for maximum grain fed.
I feed whole shell corn with protein pellets added. They need about a 14-16% protein feed now, dropping to 12-14% by around 700#. Your feed mill can mix it or tell you how much pellet to add to the corn.
Yes, you will see whole shell corn in their manure, but they have digested all the nutrients out of it. If you filtered their manure, you would find as much cracked corn in it, it just get's hidden better. This is what I feed my replacement heifers from weaning til grass and also for our showstring.

 

[throwm]

Thanks for the information... Also do you have to give them hay when they are on pasture? They seem to be doing pretty good with the feed and the field grass... Was thinking about going like this until the pasture is ate down a little... About October. Thanks again.

 

[TexasBred]

3# is about right for them to get started on. You slowly increase the amount to 3% of their body weight for maximum grain fed.
I feed whole shell corn with protein pellets added. They need about a 14-16% protein feed now, dropping to 12-14% by around 700#. Your feed mill can mix it or tell you how much pellet to add to the corn.
Yes, you will see whole shell corn in their manure, but they have digested all the nutrients out of it. If you filtered their manure, you would find as much cracked corn in it, it just get's hidden better. This is what I feed my replacement heifers from weaning til grass and also for our showstring.

ONLY if they were able to break the outter skin kernel of corn. If not they got nothing from it. The undigested corn usually runs about 10-12% of the amount fed, so if you can buy whole corn that much cheaper than cracked corn then I'd feed the whole corn as well. If not I'd use the cracked corn.

 

[Howdyjabo]

The whole corn that comes out in the manure has most of the nutrients absorbed unless the rate of passage was fast. Feeding it with grass would keep the rate of passage slow.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

TB - not arguing - just that I always heard if you can buy it 8% cheaper, it penciled out because it was 8% less efficient. Around here, it is absolutely impossible to get just "cracked" corn. It always comes out like corn mean with a few chuncks mixed in. All the mills are set up for dairy rations. Of course, I "could" buy steam flaked corn. Cattle LOVE IT, but my pocket book would be screeming. Not exactly a profitable way to feed anything. But, man does it look good - and it tastes good also (for people).
You know more about a ration. Do you agree with the # and protein???

 

[TexasBred]

TB - not arguing - just that I always heard if you can buy it 8% cheaper, it penciled out because it was 8% less efficient. Around here, it is absolutely impossible to get just "cracked" corn. It always comes out like corn mean with a few chuncks mixed in. All the mills are set up for dairy rations. Of course, I "could" buy steam flaked corn. Cattle LOVE IT, but my pocket book would be screeming. Not exactly a profitable way to feed anything. But, man does it look good - and it tastes good also (for people).
You know more about a ration. Do you agree with the # and protein???

Me neither Jeanne....Corn is corn so protein is same whole, cracked or fine ground but digestability will be different as is the amount of energy obtained. Actually the lower the protein in corn the higher the energy. I only use 8.2% crude protein for formulating. Flaked corn is great and I too love it but down here folks are now charging a big premium for it. You'd think the added weight from moisture would be enough for them "profit wise". Pass thru of whole kernels will vary but I always use 12%. Was at the feed store last week and they were charging $9.20 for whole corn and $9.45 for cracked or fine ground corn. Your mill probably pelletizes a lot of feed so they run mostly fine ground corn thus the "fine ground corn" only from them. As to utilization, unless the outer skin is broken the cow gets none of the nutrients from that grain of corn. Calves will usually eat more slowly and utilize more of the whole corn consumed than mature cows who do not break this skin in ruminating. I know you feed a lot of whole corn and it works well for you so I wouldn't change a thing. As for the original post I'd probably mix about 1-1.5 lbs. of soybean meal with 10 lbs. of corn to get just a bit more protein into the calves, start them out slow and then increase the grain as well as making sure they get adequate roughage.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

TB - that must be why it works so well for us - only calves are fed corn/grain. Cows don't get that luxury! Calves actually seem to prefer the whole corn - they like chewing their food. :lol:

 

[marksmu]

I am feeding out 2 steers at the moment.....I cant find any feed mills near me (Houston) so I bought a bunch of 50lb bags - I am feeding a mix of buzbee mills ultimate drymix 12% and cracked corn. The dry mix is oats/cracked corn/alfalfa pellets and costs $8.15/50lbs, and then cracked corn is $8.35/50lbs....I feed 60% corn 40% dry mix. I am almost upto feeding 3% of their body weight now...I am going to take them from 700lbs now to 1100 or 1200 lbs on this mix and with free choice millet hay and then have them slaughtered.

I did the math on this, if I feed for 130 days at this mix it will be $360 in feed per cow....Its probably more expensive than getting it from a feed mill in a jumbo bag, but I just flat out could not find a feed mill anywhere near me ...I think the closest was near college station (90miles) and I did not have the time to make that drive. The cows both love the feed, and are gaining weight at a very fast rate...I dont have a scale, but you can see them getting heavier after only 3 weeks.

 

[TexasBred]

Not familar with the dry mix but with that much added corn they should do something. 50:50 mix might work a bit better.