finsihing steers on corn

[tncattle]

I am going to finish 5 steers on corn. They are all around 850-900 lbs. now and have been on pasture and some grain about 3-4 days a week but a small amount. How slow do I need to introduce the corn to them?

 

[dun]

What besides corn will you be feeding? Ground, chopped, rolled or whole?

 

[tncattle]

I was thinking of feeding whole corn as it's cheapest. Do I need to continue to provide good mineral? They will still have their pasture also.

 

[dun]

Whole corn is fine and would have fewer possible problems with acidosis then the others. Start at about 1/2 % of body weight and work it up slowly to about 1 1/2 - 2 %. Make sure they have good minerals and adequate grass/forage to go along with it. We've quit trying to finish calves this time of year because of the heat. For some reason they don;t really like to eat that much grain and especially corn when it's this hot. But like everything else, your mileage may vary

 

[tncattle]

I wasn't going to actually start with the corn until Sept. 1 and go until Nov. 1 but I can adjust that if need be.

 

[Farmerjon]

Whole corn might be cheapest option up front, but the amount actually utilized by the calf is less than if you at least crack it or grind it. Introduced into the body in the form the body can use easiest gives the most percentage of gain for your dollar. If you are going to feed whole corn, I would suggest running a batch of chickens with the calves so you can raise some great poultry at the same time on the same corn, only the chickens get it after it has been softened in the calve's intestines. Figure out how many pounds and how many days you will be feeding, then check with a few feed suppliers even a local farmer that grinds his own feed, you may be able to purchase a lot cheaper and in a more useable form by buying in bulk. It will not spoil so easily that time of the year as it would in August.