Finishing Ration

[bhooper]

What all do you look at when mixing your own ration for finishing a steer and how long do you feed before slaughter? What percent DM, TDN, NEm, NEg and crude protein? Is there anything else i should be looking at? How much of the finishing ration do you feed with free choice hay and mineral?

Merry Christmas to everyone!

 

[sim.-ang.king]

1200 pound ground corn
350 pounds 32% pellets
12 pound mineral
Don't know what the nutrient facts are but that's what the feed man said he used about 15 years ago so it stuck. :lol2:
If it's a month to slaughter, and they have plenty of finish just 15 pounds a day will get them by in good weather, more in cold weather. If they still need more fat put them on full feed, and don't hold them back, but I still watch them for bloat, and very very runny manure which then cut it back for a couple days to straighten them out. (Also be sure to use cheap long stem hay) That's what we've been using for sometime on the steers.

 

[bhooper]

What do you look for to know if they have plenty of finish? Why do you use "cheap" long stem hay, is it just a filler?

 

[sim.-ang.king]

The hay is for roughage, and cheap long stem hay helps keep from acidosis, and bloat, real good hay can cause more problems. Usually feed sudan or old grass hay, know of some that just feed corn stalks for roughage.
Feel their ribs and if you can feel a lot rib bone then they still need more feed, if you feel plenty of fat covering the ribs then they don't. Also look at there tail head, and utter region, fat builds up in those areas.
Made this up for another forum, pretty much gives a plain and simple example of a finished steer.

 

[alohacattle]

What do you look for to know if they have plenty of finish?

Scrotum sac.