Hey, I'm new to this.

[10year4Her]

Hello, I am relatively new to these boards, so I hope this is in the right place for this.

This year is my last year in 4H, and I have always wanted to show a steer (we used to have the occasional freezer steer when I was younger, but got rid of them before I was in 4H). After much pleading, I convinced my parents to buy an angus cross steer from a guy down the road. While he is not a great cow, he is enough to give me a project over the summer, and thats all I wanted. Anyways, I have no experience show (any) cattle, and was hopping you guys could give me a few pointers towards feeding and training. I have him halter broke and calm enough that I can let go of his halter, walk around back and set his legs by hand. Right now he is in a 20x40 pen with about half of it in full shade. He is eating a 14% mix that the man who mixes our sheep feed recomended, with a little of the farm and fleet brand sweet feed mixed in so he will eat it. He has 3rd cutting alfalfa grass mix hay available at all times, and fresh water available at all times.

I think I have all the bases covered, but like I said, I really have no idea what I am doing, and thought I would ask you guys. Any input is very much appreciated.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Isn't your 4H Beef leader helping you?
For starters, you may want to post some pictures so the experts on showing steers can tell you what they think he may need to make him look his best. You will want to high tie him, with his head up, for a while each day. (Work up to it gradually.) He will then need to learn to lead with his head held high. You will need him to properly "set up" by using a show stick.
There should be some good teaching videos on line to demonstrate for you.

 

[chippie]

We are a 4-H family too and live in Texas. The following link has helpful information for youth with beef projects. Like branguscowgirl said, Youtube videos may be able to help you with training your steer. However the best help is usually finding a mentor where you live. Either your 4-H agent, or another adult who is a Beef Leader. You can ask your club manager to help you find someone if he or she is not able to help you with your project.

It is awesome that you have halter broken him. Something else that is important is that he learn to stand tied. Good luck with him and I hope that you have fun with him too.

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/youth-projects/#Youth

This is a good publication too.

http://fillmore.unl.edu/c/document_...cf-826c-4849-89f5-b75f81e76288&groupId=134939

 

[10year4Her]

My beef leader has been very helpfull, but our beef program has almost doubled for some reason this year, so hes spread pretty thin. I have some cousins who have done pretty well with cattle themselves, but they are 5 hours away, and can't really help me much, so one of them suggested I try posting here. Anyways, this is my steer.

(sorry for the quality, only camera I have is on my phone)

 

[I luv herfrds]

Not bad looking. Are you giving him salt and mineral?
Are you brushing him every day?
Looks like he is ready for his first clipping.

Just got done with a Show Clinic with Kirk Stierwalt. Was really interesting.

 

[Nesikep]

Yes, a mineral mix is important for him, and I would pay attention that is has sufficient copper in it for your area.. Around here we're very low on copper, and my mix has about 2600mg/kg copper, this will help him get a nice BLACK fur and prevent red from showing in it. Around here a bag is about $30 bucks, and it'll last him his lifetime

Good luck with him... I wish I had been able to participate in 4H when I was younger, but there's none in my area

 

[10year4Her]

I wash him down daily, but haven't been brushing him. He has a salt mineral block we picked up from farm and fleet, but I don't know what the copper content is. We have high copper salt for the color on our goats, so I could start giving him that. Thank you all for all your help.

 

[Alan]

Welcome to CT! Goat minerals have a high copper content, it may be too high for your steer. Just my two cents, you may want to make a short list of questions and write them down and then approach your 4H leader with them. While this board is a great place to get info, it's info, some good some bad, but one thing for sure there will be lots of different opinions on any subject. The trick is to sift through it.

If I were you one of the best people to listen to on this board for 4H questions is Chippie, sorry to volunteer you chippie. :mrgreen: . She is very experienced, from what I have read, with 4H.

Be careful giving cattle goat minerals, and good luck.

:welcome: again,
Alan

 

[shortybreeder]

I wash him down daily, but haven't been brushing him. He has a salt mineral block we picked up from farm and fleet, but I don't know what the copper content is. We have high copper salt for the color on our goats, so I could start giving him that. Thank you all for all your help.

After you wash him down, brush the hair up at an angle towards the front of the animal (hopefully VCC can give you more specific instructions) and then blow dry the hair in the same direction. Brush and blow legs up to make them appear bigger. Looks good so far, very similar to my black show steer! :welcome: and good luck with him!

 

[VCC]

He looks to have all the right parts, would like to see a little more middle to him. You should be feeding him 2-3 % of his body at this time, so if he weighs 800 he should be eating about 20 to 24 pounds a day of grain, grass hay without the alfalfa would be better; your feed has all the protein he needs.

As far as rinsing and brushing (I assume you do not have a blower) You need to rinse him daily and then take a rice root brush and brush him upward at a 45* angle from back to front, the legs from hoof to knee/hock in an upward direction. You want to brush him until dry, if you have a fan put that directly behind him while you brush, it will help keep the hair going in the right direction and dry him faster. We only use soap on them once a week. They do not need to have long hair (even though it helps) trained hair that has a little pop make then look fresher and a little softer made then calves who are flat haired.

Keep working with him, do your best and have fun, hard work always pays off in the end.

 

[10year4Her]

I do have a blower that we use on our sheep. I also will start brushing him tonight. We got him after we had bought hay for our goats, and the milking does need the alfalfa, but I will talk to dad and see if we can get him some grass hay. On the topic of grass, every night after I walk him, I tie his halter off to a brick (he loves testing the fences otherwise) and let him graze some in the pasture as there is no grass in his pen. Yesterday, the man i bought him from stopped by to check up on him, and told me that he shouldn't be getting any grass at all. Is there any particular merit to this, or would it be okay to continue letting him have some while I do my other chores?

 

[bigbull338]

grass vs no grass is a personal thing.to me a show steer having access to grass doesnt hurt at all.as long as the steer is eating lots of feed.you might wantr to mix oats in with his feed to get his hair coat nice and shiney.

 

[shortybreeder]

If he is eating 25-30lbs of feed a day then the grass isn't hurting him.