HEY, I AM IN NEED OF SOME HELP. MY SON HAS A STEER HE WILL BE SHOWING AT OUR COUNTY FAIR THE 3RD WEEK OF AUGUST. HAS TO WEIGH 900 LBS, RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT 705 LBS. THE TROUBLE IS WE CANNOT KEEP THIS STEER ON FEED. HE IS EATING (WHEN HE'LL EAT) ABOUT 8.5 LBS TWICE A DAY. HE IS ON A MIX WE HAVE MADE, A 12% PROTEIN, 4% FAT, 12% FIBER, RATION. WE HAVE SHOWN STEERS BEFORE AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS MUCH TROUBLE KEEPING ONE ON FEED. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. HE GETS PROBIOS AND B12(5000) WEEKLY.
keeping a steer eating good
- Thread starter SHOWMOM
- Start date
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What ingredients are in the feed? like corn, barley, oats, pellets, beet pulp, cottonseed... the list goes on. What are you attempting to feed him now?
How about hay? how much and what type?
Does he have another steer in the pen with him?
Exercise?
Have you been weighing him on a regular basis, and if so, what's his previous average daily gain (ADG)?
What breed is he?
200lbs in 3 months shouldn't be that hard, IF he'll eat. First thing to do is determine WHY he's not eating. It appears that when he does eat, he's eating a little over 2% of his body weight (2% would be 14lbs), so that's good. He just needs to eat at least that every single day.
Also, do us all a favor and take your caps-lock off; it's hard to read all posts written in all capitals. I'd rather have all letters in lowercase than caps if it came down to it. :lol: Thanks!
How about hay? how much and what type?
Does he have another steer in the pen with him?
Exercise?
Have you been weighing him on a regular basis, and if so, what's his previous average daily gain (ADG)?
What breed is he?
200lbs in 3 months shouldn't be that hard, IF he'll eat. First thing to do is determine WHY he's not eating. It appears that when he does eat, he's eating a little over 2% of his body weight (2% would be 14lbs), so that's good. He just needs to eat at least that every single day.
Also, do us all a favor and take your caps-lock off; it's hard to read all posts written in all capitals. I'd rather have all letters in lowercase than caps if it came down to it. :lol: Thanks!
The feed has corn, oats, alfalfa pellets, soybean meal, cottonseed hulls,yeast, vitamins, minerals, I believe that is all. He gets walked every day from 1/4 to a 1/2 mile, plus he is let out at night. He gets a limited amount of hay, ( fertilized coastal) 1 block after he eats. He is a chi, maine, angus, cross. We had only weighed him one other time, so it's been hard to check his "adg" we have never had one that is so hard to feed. He doesn't have any calves in with him at feeding time they're close he can see them. We have tried turning them all together at feeding time, sometimes he eats better, sometimes he don't. Oh yeah, we do mix some beet pulp in with his feed, probably 1 1/2 pounds.
The temps have been fairly mild, mid to lower 80s. We live in SW Arkansas, so we do have a lot of humidity. He gets fed around 7 or before in the a.m. and around 7or 7:30 in the p.m. All day he is under a big "butt" fan and when it gets really hot we hook up the mister system. We've had steers before, but they have never been this hard to feed.
Maineshowgirl
Well-known member
Try taking him to the wash rack before each feeding and cooling him off. My heifer I had this year WOULD NOT eat until she was rinsed off. And keep the fans on. Did you Deworm him if not try that sometimes that helps. Then again you may need to change feeds some calves get tried of the feed and just will not eat it.Plus if the show is a slick shear show and the calf has hair you may wan't to shear him to keep him cool. But thats only if the show is a SLICK show.Then again some calves are like that and it just seems like they will not eat, it's sometimes just the calf. What breed is he??? Sometime that plays a big part the breed and who is he out of. GOOD LUCK
Thanks for the replies, he did eat better last night than he has been. I know he feels good because when my son turns him out at night, he butts heads and runs and bucks with my son's bull he is going to show. I know we still have 3 months till our county fair, and our extension agent told us this morning he believed our county weight was 800 instead of 900. 900 is our
district fair and they have to weigh 1000 at our state fair. This time last year our calf weighed 920 so I feel we're just so far behind. I know every calf is different, but this is the pits......As far as him staying cool we have got that pretty well under control. In Arkansas "HAIR" is the deal. We have clipped him down though, and my son bathes him twice and week. He gets rinsed down daily.
district fair and they have to weigh 1000 at our state fair. This time last year our calf weighed 920 so I feel we're just so far behind. I know every calf is different, but this is the pits......As far as him staying cool we have got that pretty well under control. In Arkansas "HAIR" is the deal. We have clipped him down though, and my son bathes him twice and week. He gets rinsed down daily.
WE have went through this but always end up ok at the end. With the weather being so crazy these days it dont help.
Have you fed the beet pulp all along or just added it the lately?
Somethings we have tried.
Wetting the beet pulp with hot water let it rise an mix in the feed right before giving it to him.
We have also cooked barley or corn.
I would not switch feed. Maybe skip a feeding an see how that goes.
How about his cover? I know you still have 3 months.
WE have also used Empower an or calf manna as a top feed.
Just be careful with whatever you add if you do.
Good luck!!
Have you fed the beet pulp all along or just added it the lately?
Somethings we have tried.
Wetting the beet pulp with hot water let it rise an mix in the feed right before giving it to him.
We have also cooked barley or corn.
I would not switch feed. Maybe skip a feeding an see how that goes.
How about his cover? I know you still have 3 months.
WE have also used Empower an or calf manna as a top feed.
Just be careful with whatever you add if you do.
Good luck!!
Mama_Mutschler
Well-known member
We used Cellorator with my daughter's steer and it worked on him. It also worked on another steer in our group.
I have seen cellorator mentioned before, but what is it ? I cannot find anything on it? We have added beet pulp wet, don't like it, he doesn't like cooked corn, tried that already, but my son has been adding the dry beet pulp and mixing it in with his feed. He eats it alot better this way. Thanks for the replies!!! :lol:
