Good base feed for mixing at home

[herefordhandler16]

What is the best simple base feed for show calves, my calves are never senior yearlings, so they are usually youngsters, so this year I want to kick this pickiness in the butt. I need to get the calves in and start feeding them. So I want to know what a good base feed is that can be used to start out and later to mix with. My usual feed in soybean hull pellets, corn gluten pellets, crimped corn, and oats. I don't think that this is quite working for me, but I am going to be working on a budget.
Also, this year I am going to start using alfalfa as we started planting it this summer and had a few fantastic cuttings off of it.
I am going to switch from beat pulp to depth charge this year to reduce feed bulk and sugar levels, how many bags of is would last four calves for three months? How early before the first show do you start feeding it. Does anyone add surchamp or powertubs along with depth charge? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[RoppFamilyFarm]

I have had great success with starting the show calves on Purina Precon 5 Creep Feed when just a couple weeks old. They will take to this like candy and it has helped them maintain/gain weight thru weaning. When they are weaned I just feed Honor Show Chow Fitters Edge and add Power Fuel vs depth Charge. When I have needed an extra boost I added some Finishing Touch to the ration.(didn't add more, just replaced some of the Fitters Edge with Finishing Touch). If they were getting too fat, I would do the opposite and cut the Fitter Edge with some Stocker Grower. I'm not a big time showman, but with the heifers and steers that we do show this works well for us.

 

[shortybreeder]

Agree with the Precon. We usually use Precon and the "store brand" version of Purina's Honor Chow. If you want to mix your own, check out the AAOK ration on Steerplanet.