funny eating steer

[Anonymous]

I have had a 4-h steer for 4 months now. I have been feeding him grass hay with grain. His grain is part COB and part barley. He will eat good sometimes and then go off his feed really easily. I just dont know how to get him to start eating good and im worried that he might not make weight for the fair. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Please help.

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[Anonymous]

Feeding your steer grass hay, corn/cob and barley is leaving him starved for protein. You also are probably short of calcium, phos and all minerals. You could contact a local feed supply store and get a complete balanced ration in a bag. If you have access to whole soybeans you could feed him two and a half to three lbs. per day along with the other feeds and a good mineral that has 19% calcuim at a feeding rate of 1/2 lbs. per day.

His going off feed may just be that you over feed because he cleans the bunk. Try to feed him 22-25 lbs per day until he steadies out then when he cleans up the feed only increase the amount by 1 lbs. every other day.