I need a miracle

[AngusSenorita]

Okay my steer is worthless. he eats less than 4 scoops a feeding now. I've got him on antibiotics, I just pulled him off hay a week ago I've done everything by the book. He won't eat and need weight and finish.

My plan load him up on probios(I mean like 3-4 tubes) it may sound crazy but after all I have tried I don't care if it is crazy

put baking soda in his feed to control the pH in his stomach and possibly give him Mylanta or something to coat his stomach before he eats

If you have any crazy Ideas let me hear them. We are implanting him the 1st week of december and I assume that will help his appetite. our show is the 2nd week of jan.

don't bother asking what I am feeding that has no relation to how he eats, I've tried combo's of everything and anything I've even sat there and squeezed his tail for 3 min before he eats to see if that would help. ( it is supposed to according to research but I didn't notice anything.

Sorry if that sounded rude but I am at the end of my rope with this steer
Melissa

 

[AAOK]

Does he have plenty of room to exercise? If he is in an area smaller than 1/2 acre at night, find a way to get him more room and some grazing area; 2-3 acres.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Okay my steer is worthless. he eats less than 4 scoops a feeding now. I've got him on antibiotics, I just pulled him off hay a week ago I've done everything by the book. He won't eat and need weight and finish.

My plan load him up on probios(I mean like 3-4 tubes) it may sound crazy but after all I have tried I don't care if it is crazy

put baking soda in his feed to control the pH in his stomach and possibly give him Mylanta or something to coat his stomach before he eats

If you have any crazy Ideas let me hear them. We are implanting him the 1st week of december and I assume that will help his appetite. our show is the 2nd week of jan.

don't bother asking what I am feeding that has no relation to how he eats, I've tried combo's of everything and anything I've even sat there and squeezed his tail for 3 min before he eats to see if that would help. ( it is supposed to according to research but I didn't notice anything.

Sorry if that sounded rude but I am at the end of my rope with this steer
Melissa

You should have already implanted him with that kind of appetite.

 

[AngusSenorita]

he does have room to exercise, he is turned out to a small pasture every night rain or shine. and he has free choice hay during the day and a round bale at night

Thanks for replying

 

[*Cowgirl*]

Your plan sounds ok. Have you tried putting some molasses on his feed or having a vet check him.

 

[AngusSenorita]

thanks, but I have tried molassas, like I said it has nothing to do with what he is eating. And the vet doesn't know anything I've already talked to them

I am also going to try amaferm

 

[*Cowgirl*]

Is this the black brockle face you posted on another thread?

 

[ffamom]

Do you leave out his feed or do you pick it up? One of our heifers basically had to be creep feed. To help her put on weight quickly we also cooked barley for her. I know some people that cook corn. A pain, but it did help.

 

[6M Ranch]

Assuming he's healthy otherwise, have you tried: 1) Corn oil, Golden Energizer, or something similar? 2) Try feeding once a day. Give him 1/2 hour, pull uneaten feed until the next day. 3) Will he eat roughage? Put him on free choice hay, and start the grain feeding protocol from the beginning. These are some things we've tried that worked.

 

[AngusSenorita]

sorry but as I said its not what I am feeding him, how much hay he gets, or how long he has to eat. It's his stomach and I can done everything I cna afford to do time wise to get it back in shape. I've tried protocol he didn't like the taste

I'm going to try Amaferm

 

[joe]

can you put another calf in with him. competition at feed time sure seems to help for us.

 

[la4angus]

can you put another calf in with him. competition at feed time sure seems to help for us.

This is also my suggestion.

 

[AngusSenorita]

Sorry I can't do that, he does eat side by side with my heifer, but they are seperated by a fence

As I said I have tried all the common solutions, he needs a type of medicine or supplement, if there is anything that is not commanly thought of please tell me, I have exhausted all the common options

 

[Scotty]

If you pulled him off the hay a week ago, is he getting enough fiber. IMO if the fiber in the diet is not met all the grain in the world is useless. Also why are you giving him antibiotics jsut because he won't eat? Did I miss something? Is he running a temp or have a cough? Is he even sick? I am not trying to sound bullyish. Some thing kicked him off feed. IMO hay and slowly getting him back on a grain ration is the key. Most show cattle I have been around like eating hay. It is good for them.

 

[SKF Show Cattle]

Manna Pro makes an liquid fat that is for horses that smells like butterscotch. We used it on steer that was a picky eater and it was the only that was the only we could put on his feed to get him to eat and we tried everything.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Have you tried giving him beet pulp? My calves won't hardly eat their feed unless I give them their beet pulp. Like SKF said, those liquid fats have good smells and flavors and calves will usually eat it up.

 

[jkwilson]

I've got him on antibiotics, I just pulled him off hay a week ago

If you want a steer to go off feed, that will accomplish it.

 

[chambero]

You are way too quick to say its not what he is eating. I imagine you have tried too many different things on him. Pick a feed and stick with it. He has probably gotten his whole digestive system upset. It can easily happen when trying to push a calf. You might should stick with a grower ration and add some type of fat supplement to it.

First step, as someone alluded to a couple of posts up, take him completely off feed and feed him high quality coastal for about a week. Then start him back up. Do not remove all hay from him, that will probably exascerbate the problem. If I gave him anything other than hay, it would be B-12 shots which might help a little. Are you weighing him regularly?

 

[AngusSenorita]

he has already been on hay for a week 3 or 4x before. All you have mentioned I have done before or I continue to do now(like b-12 and probios)I have switched from Hi-pro to Acco a long time ago and all went well.

Please If you suggest something do not suggest:
B 12
Probais
Switching feeds
adding something to make feed taste better
adding another calf for competition
using protocol
Taking him off grain for extended periods of time
taking him off hay ( I have never done this, I think hay should be avalable 24/7)
exercising him more(he is turned out every night rain or shine)
taking him to the vet
feeding antibiotics(I already do)

thats all I can think of right now

Please advice OUT OF THE ORDINARY, I have tried all the common methods of getting him to eat and no I did not switch products or feeds on him too quickly( I have only used 1 supplement so far and 2 diffrent types of feed)


When I say i pulled him off hay I ment to say I put him back on grain, he has access to hay 24/7

 

[Scotty]

OK, I thought you ment no hay at all. Free choice, may sound crazy, could be the problem. He wants to wat only hay. Can you monitor how much hay he is eating. When I had calves I fed the grain in the AM and PM and Dad hayed at noon. They usually had all they wanted but not always.