I need a miracle

[AngusSenorita]

please, the amount of hay he is consuming does not have a relationshp to his appetite

 

[AAOK]

You're getting way too stressed. Some things are just out of our control. Certain calves just don't do well on feed once they get bigger. They just don't seem to want to eat. I suggest feeding him grain morning and evening (pick one feed + supplement, and stay with it), have him haltered, give him 20 minutes, then remove all that he has not eaten. Keep the good hay out free choice. Don't rinse, comb, blowdry, or mess with him for two weeks, and see if his eating has improved.

 

[jkwilson]

please, the amount of hay he is consuming does not have a relationshp to his appetite

You are lucky to just be in FFA and know more about cattle than people who feed them for a living. You are be given the answers, but you won't listen.

 

[SKF Show Cattle]

What is your steer's ADG? If you have tried everything that has been suggested and nothing works then take him to the market. Some steers gain just fine without eating a ton of feed. Has he ever been a good eater?

 

[AngusSenorita]

maybe you are not in the situation. Maybe you have not followed me every step of the way like my friends, teachers a breeders have, maybe I've tried all the answers that have been given. I know he is a tough calf to feed but just because everything I have tried, which includes everything that has been mentioned and more, doesn't work doesn't mean I am going to sit back and let things continue on the way they are. I am going to keep trying untill I succed or untill the end.

Thanks for the input. now unless you have something OUT OF THE ORDINARY not regarding any idea already posted please do not tell me that it is something that I have already investigated.

 

[SKF Show Cattle]

How much does your steer weigh? How much does he need to weigh to make weight for your fair? What is his average daily gain right now? And how long ago did he go off feed?

 

[6M Ranch]

First off, I would lose the attitude. If you don't want help, don't ask. Have you tried treating for parasites? Deworming? Rations need to be changed slowly over a couple of weeks before you can tell if that's going to work. It's also possible his rumen is "dead" from pushing the grain too hard. If that's the case, there's nothing you can do about it. We've fed show cattle for several years, and sometimes they just stop eating. We went through this ourselves. Tried everything, nothing worked. Finally got him up to the minimum weight.

 

[Keren]

If you are wanting a suggestion OUT OF THE ORDINARY, I have found that the odd animal that wont do well on hard feed and hay will eat silage. BUT once they are on it, it is almost impossible to get them off, so unless you want to be taking silage to the shows with you . . . also I have only used this for seed stock animals, I doubt a steer would put on enough weight. It would not be my choice for a show steer, but as you have disregarded all other suggestions :?:

Bear in mind some steers just do not do well in a lot fed situation. I have attempted to feed some like this, and it is pointless. If you have exhausted all options I would think your steer is just not cut out to be fed. Send him to the freezer and get a new one.

 

[Scotty]

maybe you are not in the situation. Maybe you have not followed me every step of the way like my friends, teachers a breeders have, maybe I've tried all the answers that have been given. I know he is a tough calf to feed but just because everything I have tried, which includes everything that has been mentioned and more, doesn't work doesn't mean I am going to sit back and let things continue on the way they are. I am going to keep trying untill I succed or untill the end.

Thanks for the input. now unless you have something OUT OF THE ORDINARY not regarding any idea already posted please do not tell me that it is something that I have already investigated.

I am a former AG teacher. I have been in your steps as a student with all sorts of cattle. Hay has evry thing to od with this. Your steer honey is a grass eater. Let him eat some. Grain upsets the stomach. G oto the nearest dairy and aks how much sodium bicarbinate they feed to their cows. And maybe I am RIGHT and there are people in this word that do NOT NEED ANIMALS. They are not capable of caring for their needs much less another breathing animal. This is from experience of children that do not listen and will not listen.

 

[AngusSenorita]

thanks for the advice but am I mistaken or are you insulting me, calling me irresponsible and uncapable of raising an animal. I will wait for you response before I continue

 

[Colorado2008]

I hate to say it, but I would cut my losses. Don't get me wrong, it would be really hard to do, but in the end this steer is going to get to nowhere. You can give him anything and push him as hard as you can but there are some cattle who simply do not eat grain. Thats all there is to it.

 

[Scotty]

thanks for the advice but am I mistaken or are you insulting me, calling me irresponsible and uncapable of raising an animal. I will wait for you response before I continue

No insults. Are you capable? I do not know. I know you asked a question and did not like the answers. You asked for out of the ordinary. You got tried and true. You act as if you are the first one to have an animal go off feed. You try this, try that. Like I said befor. He was created by God to eat grass. You are asking him to eat grain. You may has just hacked him off. My advice is still the same. Get soem coastel hay and feed him that for a week. Then slowly reduce the hay and introduce the grain slowly. Get a set schudule. Same time every day feed this cridder. i do not care if you have a date or a game to got to, so what. Feed him the same time. Start now. Shows are coming up and you still have time to condition one well enough for Ft. Worth.

 

[la4angus]

Follow Scottys advice, but also be sure to keep good quality coastal or other good quality hay and keep it in front of the animal free choice. This will keep the bacteria in the rumen working the way they need to work. Feeding the AmaFerm will probaly help too.

 

[AngusSenorita]

Please understand this, he is fed 7 am 7 pm every day, he has been on hay for a week then slowly put back on grain 3 or 4 times, if I could go back and put him on hay for a month and let his stomach reset I would, but at that time I only did it for 1 week. I am thinking that if at my county show he does not make premium auction(we get to keep the animals they just take out the market price) I will ship him off, I'm still not sure, I am in this to learn not to make money so if it just depends on if it would be more beneficil to keep going

Sorry for getting annoyed, I am just tired of my steer, today he did not finish his feed in the am and did not eat a bite in the pm. but last night I gave him 12 cc b 12 orally and 20 cc probios and he ate, but I can't do that every day. I think I need a way to supplement his stomach with probios( in large amounts) but I do not know if that is fesable. I tried protocol but no matter what I did he would not touch it due to the smell

I don't know if it is a simmental thing or not but I know a few people who in the past have raised simmental or simmental influenced animals and had trouble getting him to eat


The only thing that I can think could cause this is that when I bought him he was on mfm grower, after we bought him he went out to my teachers place( we had to take them off our breeders hands but we could not bring them to the school barn untill they changed the sand) and she switched them immediatly to Hi Pro finisher in the middle of the summer.

He has never been a great eater, he gains weight but still needs more weight and finish.


The ideas I am looking into right now are baking soda, amaferm, and leaving his feed out all day long and turning him out at night, that way he doesn't have to eat large amounts in a small time period and upset his stomach.

My teacher also recommended adding potatoes because they are high in carbs. Right now we are trying to pack as much energy dense feed into him as possible, I am also giong to look into Milk replacer

He is on golden flo, I drench him with 16 oz a day(he will not eat it on his feed, yes I did try working it up very slowly)


Thanks for reading this long post and for your help

 

[chambero]

I'll guarantee you that you are giving him too much "stuff". Relax and let him be a steer. You can't make him do anything.

You aren't getting any "out of the ordinary" suggestions because this type of problem has been figured a long time ago by a whole lot of people. You've rattled off numerous different names of feeds, supplements, etc. etc. That is THE problem.

Pick something and stay with it and be patient. Get him off feed for a few days and give him hay. Then start him back on feed slowly, maybe a grower ration. You've burned his stomach up is my guess by switching around too much. If he is eating good enough hay and at least some grain, he will gain.