Like a fool..........

[Bigiron]

I brought home a 250 pound angus heifer calf this weekend. I was wondering if you guys would give me advice on what I should be feeding it. The 3 days I have had it I have been giving it 1/2 cofee can of 12% stock feed per day and 1 flicker of hay. I hate to end up with a pot bellied calf so that is why I am asking, I started slow on the stock feed and didnt know if its stomach was developed enough to be feeding it hay so that is why I have only been giving it 1 flicker a day. Any advice sure would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[grannysoo]

I started slow on the stock feed and didnt know if its stomach was developed enough to be feeding it hay so that is why I have only been giving it 1 flicker a day.

How long has it been weaned or are you the one weaning it?

Good thought on starting slow on the stock feed, however 1 "flicker" a day? I don't know what you call a "flicker", but perhaps you should give the calf unlimited hay.

 

[Bigiron]

LOL "flicker" must be a local term here lol. I should have used a better term but it didnt even occur to me. When I say flicker I mean when you cut a bale open it parts in approx 10 sections or so we call each one a flicker.

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

we call it a flake

 

[grannysoo]

we call it a flake

:lol: I've heard of a flake.

 

[dun]

we call it a flake

:lol: I've heard of a flake.

I know quite a few flakes.
Gradually build the calf up to around 4-5 pounds of grain a day divided in 2 feedings and hay only after it has finished the grain. As the calf gorws the grain will need to be increased as it's weight increases.

 

[Brandonm22]

I brought home a 250 pound angus heifer calf this weekend. I was wondering if you guys would give me advice on what I should be feeding it. The 3 days I have had it I have been giving it 1/2 cofee can of 12% stock feed per day and 1 flicker of hay. I hate to end up with a pot bellied calf so that is why I am asking, I started slow on the stock feed and didnt know if its stomach was developed enough to be feeding it hay so that is why I have only been giving it 1 flicker a day. Any advice sure would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I don't mean to pick on you per se BUT we get a lot of posts like this one. I bought a calf and how much does it eat? I bought a cow and what does it eat? I got a calf and what do I feed it? I am having difficulty understanding why people go to a stockyard and don't already have all their research done BEFORE they get there and certainly before they buy anything. I don't want to highjack the thread, I just needed to say that.

On to the question, a flicker of hay or a flake isn't jack diddly and hay is relatively cheap. Give the calf all of the hay and forage it will eat. Best case scenario is a whole roll bale inside of a ring and plentiful forage in a paddock. The calf don't need to be sitting in a pen stressing out waiting for it's one "flicker" of hay a day. If it has to be in a pen and you have to feed by the flake give it every flake it can eat plus one. I don't drink coffee and have absolutely no idea how you make coffee so don't have any idea how much feed a half a coffee can is (I think I have seen at least two different sizes?). Get a scale! Give her 2.5 pounds twice a day. If she is a breeding heifer project and you aren't going to show her or some silliness feed her that for the next year. If she is meant to be grain fed steaks or some kind of show pony, gradually increase her by a pound every 3 weeks till she gets to 12 lbs a day.

 

[backhoeboogie]

we call it a flake

or a pat.

Now I am wondering what size coffee can he is using.

 

[dun]

we call it a flake

or a pat.

Now I am wondering what size coffee can he is using.

I thought it was a "pat" after it had been through the cow

 

[dieselbeef]

gonna make a nice little pet im sure..

 

[Earl Thigpen]

we call it a flake

or a pat.

Now I am wondering what size coffee can he is using.

I thought it was a "pat" after it had been through the cow

No, that's called a "pattie". :lol:

 

[dieselbeef]

gonna make a nice little pet im sure..

I reckon if they want a pet that is little they should get a poodle or something. Might have better luck raising it. Dogs are easy to care for. Leave dog food out for em and water and bingo. None of this what should I feed em crap and what not.

easy buddy...everyones gonna jump on ya again!! :lol2: :clap: :clap: im with ya...you know its a pet. no one even considers the damage thats dont to the tax base. maybe its an ag exemption too. its constant battle here cause people get one cow and wanna be ag exempt..makes it a real pita for a real ag to get one

 

[2/B or not 2/B]

gonna make a nice little pet im sure..

I reckon if they want a pet that is little they should get a poodle or something. Might have better luck raising it. Dogs are easy to care for. Leave dog food out for em and water and bingo. None of this what should I feed em crap and what not.

easy buddy...everyones gonna jump on ya again!! :lol2: :clap: :clap: im with ya...you know its a pet. no one even considers the damage thats dont to the tax base. maybe its an ag exemption too. its constant battle here cause people get one cow and wanna be ag exempt..makes it a real pita for a real ag to get one

I don't recall the poster saying anything about a pet or an ag exemption. Bigiron, you asked for advice and there was some good info given to you. Hopefully you'll be motivated to keep learning. Good luck with your heifer.

 

[Bigiron]

2/b LOL thanks, I knew the kind of answers I would get when I posted the question. I knew I would get 3 or 4 helpful answers and the rest would just flap there gums, so I was prepared for the ridicule. I have read alot on this site the past year, so I dont post too much after what I have seen. I only have 4 head of cattle on a little hillside farm. I just wanted to know what was best for the calf has nothing to do with being ag exempt or a pet, I eat most of what I have. I raise my own hogs and eat my chickens. I had just never bought one that young before. Thanks again to everybody that took time to answer.

 

[djinwa]

I'd say compared to cattle in feedlots or dairies, you're giving that heifer a pretty good life. Let me quote from my Merck Veterinary Manual regarding liver abscesses:

"Liver condemnation rates as high as 40% were recorded in a large survey of cattle slaughtered in the USA."

Yes, that is the result of the "experts" feeding their cattle high grain rations that burn holes in the rumen. Those here concerned about cattle welfare might better aim their comments in that direction.

By the way, we always called it a loaf of hay.

 

[Bigiron]

Thank you for your time. One of my concerns was feeding to much corn to a calf that small and also I didnt know at what time or even if there is a time in formation of the stomachs that they could handle the hay. For some reason I thought one of their stomachs for roughage such as hay developed at a later period. Thanks again.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Thank you for your time. One of my concerns was feeding to much corn to a calf that small and also I didnt know at what time or even if there is a time in formation of the stomachs that they could handle the hay. For some reason I thought one of their stomachs for roughage such as hay developed at a later period. Thanks again.

Without knowing how old the calf is, all I can say is by her weight, she sounds like her rumen as already developed completely enough to handle hay and grain. FYI, a calf can have their rumen fully developed by the time they are 120 days old. And, grain aids in rumen development because of the higher amount of protein and energy than what is found in hay, which is necessary for the microflora growth in the rumen.

djinwa has a point, though she's not being fed to gain weight quickly, as that's pretty obvious. She just needs enough feed to meet her demands to grow, to put on muscle, not fat because, again, it's obvious she won't be fed for slaughter until she's 750 lbs or more, IF she's going to be kept for the freezer. I'm with Brandonm2 on bumping up the amount of hay your feeding her. She's a growing girl and needs the feed.

That's my 2 cents. Good luck.

 

[TexasBred]

Thank you for your time. One of my concerns was feeding to much corn to a calf that small and also I didnt know at what time or even if there is a time in formation of the stomachs that they could handle the hay. For some reason I thought one of their stomachs for roughage such as hay developed at a later period. Thanks again.

Enjoy watching the calf grow up all the way to the dinner table. :clap:

 

[1982vett]

Anyone know how much a block of hay weights? :roll: :lol:

 

[TexasBred]

Anyone know how much a block of hay weights? :roll: :lol:

No idea...nor a flake....looks like the cow is still eating the remains of "most" of a square bale and definitely is not undernourished. The calf....give free choice and let him show you how much he wants.