Hello, I'm curious if anyone has advice to give on how much grain (and maybe what type) to feed a four month old calf who is still nursing? The calf is a Jersey cross bread with a Swiss and he is a big boy already at four months old. He is penned up away from his mama only at night (as I milk her in the a.m.) and he gets free choice hay. We plan on butchering him when the time comes. I've already made him into a steer. Also, if he is grain fed at an early age, will he be ready for butchering sooner (12 months old) vs. later?
How much grain to feed a 4 month old calf who is still nursing?
- Thread starter Lovemycow
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I will defer to others about how much grain he should be fed (if any). But I don't think a Jersey/Swiss cross will be ready to process at 12 months no matter when you start him on grain. My guess it would be closer to 18-24 months.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
You can start feeding grain to any calf at 1% of his body weight. And every 7 days you can increase it IF he is cleaning up everything. Keep GOOD grass hay available 24/7
I feed out a couple each year, but mine are beef calves. I do finish mine at 12-13 months old - but I have no experience with dairy. I know they should marble very well at any age.
I feed whole shell corn with a protein pellet added so that they are getting about 14% protein.
Remember, if you start him on sweet feed (feed with molasses), it is very difficult to get them off of it. Do you have any big farms around that you could buy corn directly from them? Like a pickup load - or they may have a gravity wagon they could deliver to you??
We now buy WSC by the ton and I have a 6-ton bin - but I used to buy a pickup load and hand shoveled/bucketed it into a wooded box we built for it for our daughters 4-H steers.
Buying bag feed is expensive vs bulk.
At 12 months old, your calf will be good to eat, but will he give you as much meat as possible?? I don't have any idea how fast they will grow. Brown Swiss is a pretty meaty animal compared to a Jersey. The younger you can finish him, the more tender he will be.
I feed out a couple each year, but mine are beef calves. I do finish mine at 12-13 months old - but I have no experience with dairy. I know they should marble very well at any age.
I feed whole shell corn with a protein pellet added so that they are getting about 14% protein.
Remember, if you start him on sweet feed (feed with molasses), it is very difficult to get them off of it. Do you have any big farms around that you could buy corn directly from them? Like a pickup load - or they may have a gravity wagon they could deliver to you??
We now buy WSC by the ton and I have a 6-ton bin - but I used to buy a pickup load and hand shoveled/bucketed it into a wooded box we built for it for our daughters 4-H steers.
Buying bag feed is expensive vs bulk.
At 12 months old, your calf will be good to eat, but will he give you as much meat as possible?? I don't have any idea how fast they will grow. Brown Swiss is a pretty meaty animal compared to a Jersey. The younger you can finish him, the more tender he will be.
farmerjan
Well-known member
@Jeanne - Simme Valley is right on the amount of feed. 1-2% of body weight. So a 4 mo jersey/bs cross should be weighing in the 250-300 lb range right now. So I would shoot for say 5 lbs right now.....a little over half a gallon bucket of feed. If he cleans it up then increase a little. A 5 gallon bucket holds APPROX 25 lbs of feed to give you an idea.
The jerseys will grow and start to flesh out at a younger age but a swiss takes much more time to grow bone before they will put on much meat/muscle. The fact that he is nursing is good as he will gain more milk fat/body. The biggest problem with most dairy cross animals is they will get a "hay belly" or pot belly if they don't get enough grain to keep their bones/body growing. It is typical in holstien calves that do not get the concentrates they need and eat mostly hay.
I raise jersey crosses for all my meat. I have several nurse cows that I put calves on to raise up and I will let them nurse for 5-10 months before weaning. Often doing as you do, and locking the calves away from the cow so I can milk for the house. I have raised a couple of swiss x holsteins. They just grow slower than the jersey crosses.
It is unlikely you will get enough meat on him to eat at 12 months. 18-24 months will be more likely. But if you can get him on good grain for the first 6-8 months and then add in more corn, you might be able to push it a bit. Just because of the nature of the swiss and the way they grow bone and body before they flesh out, it will take longer.
If you are milking your cow, are you breeding her AI?... is she the jersey or the swiss??? I would suggest if you want her calf to be beef for eating, to breed her to an angus or other beef breed. The calf will "fatten up" quicker. Most of mine I breed to a beef bull if I want to sell calves for raising for beef. If I am looking for a replacement heifer then I use whatever breed she is ( in my case jersey or guernsey) and I will use sexed semen so I have a better chance to get a heifer calf for a replacement.
The jerseys will grow and start to flesh out at a younger age but a swiss takes much more time to grow bone before they will put on much meat/muscle. The fact that he is nursing is good as he will gain more milk fat/body. The biggest problem with most dairy cross animals is they will get a "hay belly" or pot belly if they don't get enough grain to keep their bones/body growing. It is typical in holstien calves that do not get the concentrates they need and eat mostly hay.
I raise jersey crosses for all my meat. I have several nurse cows that I put calves on to raise up and I will let them nurse for 5-10 months before weaning. Often doing as you do, and locking the calves away from the cow so I can milk for the house. I have raised a couple of swiss x holsteins. They just grow slower than the jersey crosses.
It is unlikely you will get enough meat on him to eat at 12 months. 18-24 months will be more likely. But if you can get him on good grain for the first 6-8 months and then add in more corn, you might be able to push it a bit. Just because of the nature of the swiss and the way they grow bone and body before they flesh out, it will take longer.
If you are milking your cow, are you breeding her AI?... is she the jersey or the swiss??? I would suggest if you want her calf to be beef for eating, to breed her to an angus or other beef breed. The calf will "fatten up" quicker. Most of mine I breed to a beef bull if I want to sell calves for raising for beef. If I am looking for a replacement heifer then I use whatever breed she is ( in my case jersey or guernsey) and I will use sexed semen so I have a better chance to get a heifer calf for a replacement.
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faster horses
Well-known member
Don't forget free choice mineral for the cow and the calf.
BFE
Well-known member
What pellet are you feeding, like a range cube?
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
LOL - no, people around here have no idea what a range cube it!! Can't buy them.
I use BioZyme Ration Builder - I think 20% protein, plus has Amaferm in it.
I use BioZyme Ration Builder - I think 20% protein, plus has Amaferm in it.
