mudfork
Well-known member
My experience is not as extensive as that of most of you folks, so I throw this out for your debate and my education.
We started last year setting up a system for finishing a few steers for the freezer for myself and friends. We started in May with 3 on a neighbor's field that faces south and starts greening early. We moved them around the first of August to my field that faces north to take advantage of it's cooler temperatures and better grass growth. The field has good grass and clover growth, but still has weeds and multifloral rose. In August we got them going on about 5lbs each a day of cracked corn and protein. We also cut and fed alot of garden sweet corn stalks as gardening started to wind down, some with milky ears still attached. They LOVED the corn stalks. We butchered the first of October with on the hoof weights around 900 or so pounds, and the meat is yummy.
The main question I have is if the corn stalk feeding is a good practice. They sure loved them, and it kept them on their bellies chewing cud. However, what I don't want is them over filled on the stalks when they would be finishing better on grass, clover, and grain. I wondered what was driving their love of the corn stalks, so I cut a piece of stalk off and tried it myself. It was sweet as a candy bar.
So what do yall think of the corn stalk feeding? I gave some other details of my fledgling operation so you guys can critique it as well. Fire away.
We started last year setting up a system for finishing a few steers for the freezer for myself and friends. We started in May with 3 on a neighbor's field that faces south and starts greening early. We moved them around the first of August to my field that faces north to take advantage of it's cooler temperatures and better grass growth. The field has good grass and clover growth, but still has weeds and multifloral rose. In August we got them going on about 5lbs each a day of cracked corn and protein. We also cut and fed alot of garden sweet corn stalks as gardening started to wind down, some with milky ears still attached. They LOVED the corn stalks. We butchered the first of October with on the hoof weights around 900 or so pounds, and the meat is yummy.
The main question I have is if the corn stalk feeding is a good practice. They sure loved them, and it kept them on their bellies chewing cud. However, what I don't want is them over filled on the stalks when they would be finishing better on grass, clover, and grain. I wondered what was driving their love of the corn stalks, so I cut a piece of stalk off and tried it myself. It was sweet as a candy bar.
So what do yall think of the corn stalk feeding? I gave some other details of my fledgling operation so you guys can critique it as well. Fire away.