Feeding program

[Central Fl Cracker]

I am currently running 60 bred cows on 135 ac. utilizing rotational grazing. My fixed cost for the lease and fertilizing twice a year is $9,037 per year which equates to $ 150.61 per cow not including Hay , Molasses, vacination etc.
My thoughts were if I pulled the calves off their cow's at 300 lb's and pen fed them to 600 lb's I could decrease my fixed cost and also take stress off the cow's and pasture. Based on Tuesday prices I would make an additional $185 in weight gain. My question 's are as follow.
1. What would be the best and cost efficent feed to use?
2. How many lbs of feed per day per calf?
3. Should I also feed them free choice hay and how many lb's per day per calf?
4. Should I pen all of them together or seperate them in smaller pens?
5. Should the area be shaded or water mist?

The total concept is I am trying to lower my fixed cow/calf business and run more cattle. A friend of mine buys thin cows and feeds them culled tomatoes and pasture grass. I do have access to free citris pulp in the Fall through early spring.

 

[Bez>]

Why not pull them off at 400 pounds and sell immediately?

Compare the prcing - you might like it.

Bez>

 

[msscamp]

The total concept is I am trying to lower my fixed cow/calf business and run more cattle.

I'm missing something here, because I don't for the life of me see how you can feed these calves cheaper then their mothers can. :?: Help?

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

We are going through a drought and I am trying to take some pressure off the mother cows. Selling at 400 lb's does not leave me with much profit.

 

[Howdyjabo]

If you can wait on the citrus pulp to wean you might do real well. I'd rather feed the pulp to the cows and calves to stretch the pasture .And wean straight off the cows. Feeding it to the weaned calves you'll probably have to add some protein to it.

Keep in mind that selling at 4 or waiting till 6 - the price of calves could easily drop- then you'd be out all the time,work,risk(they can still die)and money you invested.So getting more for them isn't a slam dunk just because they weigh more.

Heat waves are tough on feed conversion/health.I wouldn't wean in heat- so July Aug are out IMO
you'll have a drop of wieght and slow growth rate when you first wean- the heat will make it worse and if they do get sick its tough on the lungs when its hot and humid too.

Shade is good-know lots of people that do it without. Misters are awful unless you really know how to do it. I wouldn't mess with it .

Small pens are always better(35 is my goal)-- need to make sure all the calves are close in size or you can have problems.

Before you wean work them up and start creep feed at least 30 prior- will make a big difference in health and ADG.

Think about next year making a silage pit to store that pulp in (I am assuming its wet) and use it to stretch your pasture for both the cows and calves/year round if needed.
If you lack equipment(ie loader) you can make a creep fence for them to eat it out of the pit- It wastes alot but if you are not paying much for it....................

Do a search on Citrus pulp-- its good stuff
I wish I had some close to me.

 

[dieselbeef]

i sell it in pellet form.

by the way if you sell them earlier the price per/lb comes out pretty close once yer over the 400-450 mark. smaller calves will bring more per but are smaller..but gone earlier. the opposite is true of keepin them longer to gain more wieght. more on the hoof but less per/lb..
i sold a calf and the momma as she recovers poorly but the calf brought 1.81/lb.

 

[Jogeephus]

I have a hard time trying to figure out where any extra profit is going to come from feeding the calves anything other than grass. Your definitely in a tough situation cause I'm there too. But if you're sure feeding them is the right thing for your setup, you might want to look into brewers grain. Last I priced was $22/ton delivered. Good luck and may the rains wash these troubles away.

 

[KNERSIE]

how well light weaners sell is a regional thing, but Bez's suggestion seems the more logical one to me. I know Caustic Burno does it the same way, you might want to send him a PM and discuss his methods.

To feed calves to save pasture is going to make a very small contribution to your pasture. As a rule of thumb you reckon the calves' share of pasture as the extra 10% you need. In other word if you need 135 acres to run 60 cows with calves (theoretically), you could run 60 dry cows on 122.7acres.

I know its nonsensical, but my point was to show you that you will win very little in weaning the calves that young in terms of pressure off your pasture.

if you are set on feeding them out, give me a PM and i'll make my suggestions, but in my opinion its unlikely to pay according to your calculations.

 

[HerefordSire]

I am currently running 60 bred cows on 135 ac. utilizing rotational grazing. My fixed cost for the lease and fertilizing twice a year is $9,037 per year which equates to $ 150.61 per cow not including Hay , Molasses, vacination etc.
My thoughts were if I pulled the calves off their cow's at 300 lb's and pen fed them to 600 lb's I could decrease my fixed cost and also take stress off the cow's and pasture. Based on Tuesday prices I would make an additional $185 in weight gain. My question 's are as follow.
1. What would be the best and cost efficent feed to use?
2. How many lbs of feed per day per calf?
3. Should I also feed them free choice hay and how many lb's per day per calf?
4. Should I pen all of them together or seperate them in smaller pens?
5. Should the area be shaded or water mist?

The total concept is I am trying to lower my fixed cow/calf business and run more cattle. A friend of mine buys thin cows and feeds them culled tomatoes and pasture grass. I do have access to free citris pulp in the Fall through early spring.

This may be too late for you....err...uh....instead of buying fertilizer if the fertilizer is more than your land lease, could you not buy fertilizer and lease more land equivalent to the cost of the fertlizer less thansportation costs?

For example, if you are paying $25 per acre for the land lease or 135 * 25 = $3,375. $9,037 - $3,375 = $5,562 - transportation of $1,000 = $4,562, or 182 additional acres for a total of 317 acres / 60 pairs. I think this do what you are trying to accomplish.

 

[novatech]

Is it necessary to fertilize twice a year? Do you do a soil test?
It is my understanding that 80% of the fert. goes back into the pasture. Maybe by dragging it you could cut some cost out on the fert.

You may also find that cutting down on the number of cows can help turn what may be a loss into a profit. More is not always better.

 

[shorty]

We started feeding our calves on creep feeder a few years when it was dry, they are still on the cow but I think takes some stress off the cow , and it makes for some nice calves. We've been doing it ever since. Now that grain prices are higher it may not pay as good as it did but we just weaned 6 fall calves here in spring that averaged 750 lbs. I think that's pretty good.