Finishing or feeding a yearling steer

[steer new]

Hello! So I am completely new to cattle so this might seem rudimentary. :?:
I am getting an around 600lb angus steer that is approximately a year old. I will have him for 10 months and need to get him between 1350-1550lbs. It was suggested that I put him on a finisher, but I don't know in what daily portion I should feed him :help: . Someone told me to start him with alfalfa for 3 days then introduce a pound of sweet feed and increase the portion of feed by 1 pound daily until at around 25lbs of feed is being given a day (while still giving him alfalfa). I've also tried to google and research such, but the answers I get are conflicting and, frankly, confusing :?: Can anyone tell me if the formerly mention feeding plan sounds appropriate or provide a different feeding plan?
:tiphat:
I hope you are all having a wonderful day!!! Thank you!

 

[OwnedByTheCow]

That doesn't sound too bad of a plan. If it works for you great. Don't feed the steer a completely different diet without giving it time to get used to the new amounts of protein.

 

[TexasBred]

Hello! So I am completely new to cattle so this might seem rudimentary. :?:
I am getting an around 600lb angus steer that is approximately a year old. I will have him for 10 months and need to get him between 1350-1550lbs. It was suggested that I put him on a finisher, but I don't know in what daily portion I should feed him :help: . Someone told me to start him with alfalfa for 3 days then introduce a pound of sweet feed and increase the portion of feed by 1 pound daily until at around 25lbs of feed is being given a day (while still giving him alfalfa). I've also tried to google and research such, but the answers I get are conflicting and, frankly, confusing :?: Can anyone tell me if the formerly mention feeding plan sounds appropriate or provide a different feeding plan?
:tiphat:
I hope you are all having a wonderful day!!! Thank you!

Just make sure you buy a good high quality feed and not some of this commercial junk sold at most feed stores. Really don't see the need for the high price alfalfa when good quality grass hay would work just as well.

 

[skyhightree1]

Hello! So I am completely new to cattle so this might seem rudimentary. :?:
I am getting an around 600lb angus steer that is approximately a year old. I will have him for 10 months and need to get him between 1350-1550lbs. It was suggested that I put him on a finisher, but I don't know in what daily portion I should feed him :help: . Someone told me to start him with alfalfa for 3 days then introduce a pound of sweet feed and increase the portion of feed by 1 pound daily until at around 25lbs of feed is being given a day (while still giving him alfalfa). I've also tried to google and research such, but the answers I get are conflicting and, frankly, confusing :?: Can anyone tell me if the formerly mention feeding plan sounds appropriate or provide a different feeding plan?
:tiphat:
I hope you are all having a wonderful day!!! Thank you!

Just make sure you buy a good high quality feed and not some of this commercial junk sold at most feed stores. Really don't see the need for the high price alfalfa when good quality grass hay would work just as well.

Maybe I just read too much into a 600lb angus steer being a year old and him planning to keep him another 10 months. I would worry about a steer being 600lbs and a year old personally. That weight at a year you may have some serious issues of it growing to the finish weight that you want in your time frame.

 

[steer new]

Thank you all for your help! The steer is a happy and healthy fellow, and I am too thanks to all your guys' help!!!

 

[Anonymous]

yea year old just 600lb hes a slow grower you may be wasteing money on feed .

 

[kenny thomas]

Very first thing, a 600 lb calf even after 25 days will not eat 25 lb of feed a day. At 1000 lb he might.

 

[steer new]

In case of you were wondering, I revised the feeding plan to not go so rapidly. We plan to have him at about 26lbs of feed in months not days. He is growing well and is quite the stud. Thank you all again.

 

[Son of Butch]

He is growing well and is quite the stud.

Are you sure he's a steer and not a stag?
Steers make lousy studs... so do stags, but at least it would be within the realm of possibility.

 

[Kingfisher]

You seem astute. Show us Studley

 

[Banjo]

Maybe the calf just never got all the milk he wanted.
Years ago my Dad culled this cow he didn't like for some reason and she had about a 300lb. calf on it. Kept the calf, but it never grew worth squat....not getting enough protein. He was a runt beside the other calves. Fast forward a year and that years calves were bigger than he was when they were about 6 months old.
Dad decided to creep feed that summer and that runty calf did a 180 degree turnaround, he started filling out grew good from them on. He was just not getting enough protein is all I could figure.