Growing out

[bambi_boy]

Not for slaughter, just making sure that I am feeding what I should be. I have 4 (yes from one to 4 in one year) 1 Holstein/Jersey(4 months old) 1 Holstein and 2 beefmaster (all 3 months old). I just stopped the "Startena" and they are on Purina Calf Grower (16%) (free choice) and just started Creep pellets (12%) along with great pasture as well as a few pats of fertilized coastal. Scrubbed out water barrel full every day & mineral block.

Is there anything else that they should be getting? Weights are good, other than on of the beefmaster is thought to be a midget (picture added tomorrow) 3 mths old and weighs 50 pounds. That was the reason that she was pulled and the mother was culled. I ended up with her becasue the farmer knew that I would take good care of her. She is a doll.

The big holstein boys are about 250 pounds. The other beefmaster (bull calf) is almost 100 - his mother did not produce enough milk, got him at a month old, milk replaced him another month until I felt he was eating enough grain.

Anything additional that I should be doing?

kelly

 

[bigbull338]

feed them 6lbs grain each everyday.since they are on pasture they dont need the hay.

 

[msscamp]

I just stopped the "Startena" and they are on Purina Calf Grower (16%) (free choice) and just started Creep pellets (12%) along with great pasture as well as a few pats of fertilized coastal.

The only reason to feed hay would be if the pasture was poor or short. If you are feeding the creep pellets as a part of their total daily ration, you are reducing the protein delivered by the Purina Calf Grower.

Scrubbed out water barrel full every day & mineral block.

I would loose the mineral block, and give free access to a good loose mineral formulated for your area. Mineral blocks are generally only trace mineral, and they will not meet the needs of these calves. Rather than scrubbing out the water tub every day, I would hit it with a 50% bleach/50% water solution in a spray bottle as needed to kill the algae, rinse, and refill.

Anything additional that I should be doing?

Talk to your vet about any vaccinations that are needed to keep them healthy.

kelly

 

[TexasBred]

If you have the extra money I'd probably leave them on the calf starter since you want to keep their condition up and maybe add a few pounds. It's going to be a much higher quality product than the 16% Grower. Get rid of the creep....... They should get the vitamins and minerals they need from the feed but if you have a covered feed trough I'd put 2-3 cups at a time in it and see if they eat any of it. If they don't lick on it I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't put out any more.

 

[grannysoo]

Minerals are a must. I throw some in the feed every day with mine.

 

[TexasBred]

Minerals are a must. I throw some in the feed every day with mine.

Your purchased feed doesn't contain vitamins and minerals???????

 

[msscamp]

Minerals are a must. I throw some in the feed every day with mine.

Your purchased feed doesn't contain vitamins and minerals???????

There are a lot of purchased feeds out there that don't contain/don't provide enough minerals. Think about it for a minute - how could any feed manufacturer formulate a ration that would satisfy the mineral requirements for every area in which they sell that feed?

 

[TexasBred]

Minerals are a must. I throw some in the feed every day with mine.

Your purchased feed doesn't contain vitamins and minerals???????

There are a lot of purchased feeds out there that don't contain/don't provide enough minerals. Think about it for a minute - how could any feed manufacturer formulate a ration that would satisfy the mineral requirements for every area in which they sell that feed?

Most of those big guys have a feed mill in each of those areas or at least in the "general area". They will include the vitamins and minerals needed according to NRC standards and feeding instructions tell you how much to feed in order for the cattle to have these requirements met. If your area is deficient in selenium then you may want to supplement selenium....or copper.....but why feed her a buckshot load of the things she does not need?? That in itself can be harmful, not to mention very expensive. It's also why bigger and better operators use custom minerals formulated to compliment the feeding program and address the known vitamin/mineral deficiences in the herd.

 

[turbo]

DEworm twice a year .The cheapest feed you'll ever buy.