How to get heifer to gain weight?

[bubchub]

I have my 9 month old heifer that I am feeding 16 pounds of show feed to as well as an armful of hay to daily. When I first brought her home a week and a half ago she refused to eat and lost probably 50 pounds. She is now eating but still has not gained the weight she still needs. She just seems to barely have an appetite. Is there any way get her gaining more and increase her appetite?

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

She probably just stressed out from being moved to a new place. Try giving her some probios to get her rumen going again.

 

[Colorado2008]

I have my 9 month old heifer that I am feeding 16 pounds of show feed to as well as an armful of hay to daily. When I first brought her home a week and a half ago she refused to eat and lost probably 50 pounds. She is now eating but still has not gained the weight she still needs. She just seems to barely have an appetite. Is there any way get her gaining more and increase her appetite?

Keep feeding her the same. Since you brought her home only a week and a half ago, it will take some time to gain the weight that she lost, especially if she just started back on grain. If she is eating good, don't worry about it right now. She will come around. She probably just needs some time becuase of the stress of coming to a new home. ;-)

You could trying giving her some Probias or Cellulator, this should help her gut get into line and back on track.

Good Luck

 

[bubchub]

Thanks. :cboy:

 

[Kelly]

Is she with another heifer or just alone? They tend to settle in better when they are not alone. I always give Probiotics with change , stress and especially feed changes or when medicated.
Is she drinking good? It could also be water loss you are seeing.

 

[AAOK]

Was she on full feed when you brought her home? If not, she should have free choice hay, and gradually be brought up to about 10 lbs. of grain twice a day. If she was on full feed, are you feeding her the same ration? If you have switched her to another brand or mixture, do the same as above. As mentioned in earlier posts, Probios is a good idea. Free choice hay is also a good idea until she is really going strong on grain.

 

[bubchub]

She and another calf are in a pen with a divider and I feed them next to each other. She was "supposed to" be on full feed though I doubt she was. She seems to be eating well it just seemed the weight wasn't coming fast. She is drinking water and I have now put out salt and minerals to encourage her to drink more.

 

[AAOK]

She and another calf are in a pen with a divider and I feed them next to each other. She was "supposed to" be on full feed though I doubt she was. She seems to be eating well it just seemed the weight wasn't coming fast. She is drinking water and I have now put out salt and minerals to encourage her to drink more.

Get rid of the salt, and the mineral if it's a block. Get you some quality mineral, ADM/Alliance, Vita-Ferm, Vigortone, and top dress her feed at each feeding 1-2 oz.

Also sounds like she may need to be wormed.

 

[bubchub]

It is loose minerals and salt. I forgot the name. I have tried to topdress her feed with minerals but she refuses to eat the feed after I add them. I just gave her a dose of Probios as directed by an FFA mom that I trust very well. She has given me some pointers and I am going to try them and see how it works.

 

[SKF Show Cattle]

You could try showboost. Good Luck!!!!

 

[AAOK]

It is loose minerals and salt. I forgot the name. I have tried to topdress her feed with minerals but she refuses to eat the feed after I add them. I just gave her a dose of Probios as directed by an FFA mom that I trust very well. She has given me some pointers and I am going to try them and see how it works.

Bubchub,
Glad to hear you are using loose minerals, however, several branded minerals really aren't worth the time it takes to dump a sack into the feeder. Make sure you are feeding a quality mineral. When feeding a good mineral, you don't want any added salt. I would continue to mix the required amount of mineral into her feed (1 ounce per feeding). I've never seen a calf refuse a top dressed mineral, but just mix it into her feed if necessary. When she is getting the proper amount of minerals and vitamins into her system, she will get the maximum nutrition possible out of her available feed.

 

[EAGLE-94]

Give her time and some B-12.

 

[cowman92]

Proper Feed will do it

 

[rk]

If you're feeding a good feed, there is very little/no need for additional mineral.