Is this steer underweight?OPINIONS

[poultryrancher]

My 4-H steer is 1000 as of last weekend. I've had him since the end of march. He is 3/4 angus, 1/4 shorthorn. Everyone else I've been talking to have steer that weigh 1010, 1020,1040,1100,1180,1200,1300. They all got theirs in January at a big steer show in Phoenix. I picked mine out by myself at a ranch. I had no idea what to look for in steer, and I just picked one. He was $850 and 800 LBS. I also knew the person I bought from, but now, it looks like the price I paid was kinda high for what he weighed, and him being a cross, with so-so confirmation!
And now rumor's going around the county as we prepare for fair time that if your steer isn't Grand or Reserve Champion, you may just get .50 a pound, due to economy and so many steer.
So, does it sound like my steer's underweight? For his breed?
It's just kinda depressing, because I've invested just as much time and money as all the other 4-Hers, and I'm actually gonna LOSE money! What do you cattlemen tell yourself when you've put alot time and resources into an animal and you're going to lose money?

 

[farmwife]

What's his birthdate?

If you got him in March and weighed 800#, which was 5 or so months ago, he should be weighing quite a bit more than 1000# now. Can you get a pic of him?

What does your county agent/FFA Advisor think?

 

[SKF Show Cattle]

First of all $800 for a calf that is 850lbs is a good deal. That's a little over a dollar a pound. So I don't think you over paid. Your rate of gain is not what it should be. You should average at between 2-3lbs a day. What are you feeding your steer? How much are you feeding him. Is he kept in a stall or is he turned out at all times? Is it really hot where you live? Does he have lots of hair? How often do you worm him? Does he get exercise everyday? Do you give him hay everyday. What is his frame score? Do you give him fresh water everyday? There's a lot of factors that play into how big your calf will get. As far as how much money you will make at the fair you never know. If you are just raising a steer for the money I suggest you find another project. No one can guarantee that you will make a profit every year. Some years we broke even, lost money and some years we made money. We had the same rumor at our fair this past year and thankfully our buyers came though and we broke even. My suggestion for making money with your steer is to not sit around and wait for buyers to find your steer get out there now and start finding a buyer. Remember the economy is down and there's a lot of people hurting financially that have never had problems in the past. My daughters fair is not until Jan. and she already has a buyer lined up and now she is working on back up buyers. Good Luck

 

[poultryrancher]

We were ESTIMATING his weight at 800. We weighed him on the leader's scale last weekend. The scale was pretty old, plus the steer would not hold still, so it kept bouncing between 1000 and 1020. I have been feeding him Purina Fitter's edge....And alot of timothy hay. My dad always says I "don't give him enough hay" so he would give him more...We found out from the leader that I was RIGHT. My dad was giving him TOO MUCH HAY!! :lol2: So we've cut back on hay.I weighed the feed scoop,and it holds about the same as a coffee can. I started back in March w/ just giving half a scoop, and working up slowing. He got screwed up in may (the feedstore ran out of fitter's edge) when he had to go without grain for a couple days, and then I had to work him back up slowly. He now gets 8 scoops a day. And where we live, it has been a rather HOT summer. He has alot of fur.

 

[ed bob]

First of all I would ignore the rumors about the cattle selling for .50 per pound, fat cattle are $1.01 on Ag web right now. If they are selling for that buy as many as you can, haul them to the yards and double your money less trucking.