Feeding a load of steers for 90-100 days

[tncattle]

Tell me if I'm figuring this:
70 five weight steers on starter ration for 30 days at $275 a ton.
Then on feed ration for next 60-70 days at $170 a ton.
They should eat 3% of their body weight on both rations.
So about 13.50 lbs. feed per head for first 30 days and then 15-16 lbs. feed per head for the next 60-70.
Without going any further does that sound right?

 

[Bigfoot]

Not to me. Too much feed, not enough roughage.

 

[tncattle]

They have all the grass they want, plenty of pasture they will be in during those 90-100 days. I'm trying to get an idea of how feed by the ton they will go through and I'll need to buy.

 

[talltimber]

I had the whole shebang typed out, with total feed/costs/cog/vog everything, just for my own enjoyment and to compare what others were coming up with. I lost it. iirc, the value of gain was somewhere in the mid 80's. Feed was a bunch, I don't remember exactly something like 60 tons or something like that, beginning at 550 lb calves. If I figured wrong I'll be very embarassed, and if I figured correctly, astonished at the amount it would take. I don't deal with these kind of numbers, so it was an eye opener for me. Maybe someone who deals with this kind of volume will jump in.

I do see a problem with your math so far. You didn't say what they weighed exactly, but at 500 even, 3% is 15 pounds. If they gain at 6 to 1, in 30 days that's adding 75 lbs. Beginning the last 65 days at 575 lbs, at 3%, that's 17.25 lbs/day. So, I would say,

15 lbs/day(70)(30) is 15.75 tons
17.25 lbs/day(70)(65) is 39.24 tons

at the very minimum, with the above given information. I am curious as to what you will be feeding in each segment, and how the price is so far apart? I am wondering if that is normal to start calves at 3 percent, and continue at that same rate, adjusting the energy or protein within that 3 percent throughout the backgrounding period?
I keep my calves a while, but I am not feeding that much feed. Not even close. But, I am not trying to get them too fleshy as I will not be retaining ownership of them yet, and buyers are wanting a certain amount of compensatory gain when they buy them. If I was retaining them I suppose it may pay to feed them more, as I would be the benefactor of the increased feed bill during backgrounding. I have heard what I am trying to do referred to as growing frame.

If you don't mind, what are the particulars of your situation? Custom backgrounding? If your own calves, will you be retaining ownership?

 

[tncattle]

Custom backgrounding. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth to do this. I can lock in the sale price as soon as I get them or take my chance with the market when they're ready to sell. The yard charge is .50 a day per head.

 

[LLBUX]

What are your plans for the calves after the 100 days on feed?
They should be between 800-900 pounds at that time.
Too light to kill and too fleshy to bring a good price at the sale barn.
I also see about $150/head in feed already invested.

Based on local numbers-
500 pounds at $1.65= $825 purchase price (estimated) plus $150=$975 in direct costs.
850 pounds at $1.25=$1065

That leaves about $90 per head to cover death loss, labor, yardage, vet, transportation, and sale fees.

Looks like you may only lose $100 per head.

Seriously, after 100 days on feed the cattle will be in a position where few people will be interested. They have already made the cheap gains and will be fleshy and not attractive to people looking to feed them to market weight.

You may be stuck feeding them another 100 days to market weight.

You might consider feeding them 1-1 1/2 % of body weight to encourage growth. They will be efficient on that and gain about 2 pounds a day (assuming grass is also available) Sell them at 700-750 and get about $1.40/pound as framey feeders. Almost the same total dollars coming in, but half the feed costs.

Good luck-

 

[talltimber]

Custom backgrounding. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth to do this. I can lock in the sale price as soon as I get them or take my chance with the market when they're ready to sell. The yard charge is .50 a day per head.

I may just be slow, idk, but in my mind, if you are custom backgrounding, you won't have to worry about pricing them. Unless, you are partnering with the owner of the cattle, on gain vs. yarding, and have a say in the price protection aspect of it?
I know it's none of my business, but I am very curious as to the arrangement. To me, custom is yarding, or splitting gain, one or the other. If you are a straight yardage, then you are not at risk price-wise unless there is additional provisions to the project? There is probably several ways of doing it, but those two are the only ones I have heard/read about. I am curious because that may be an option for me one of these days, if Plan A goes down in flames.

 

[tncattle]

I'm sorry I meant to say I'm planning on buying at around 450 lbs and selling at 700-750 lbs.