Monitoring Proper Condition?

Help Support CattleToday:

splinter ridge farm

Active member
Joined
Apr 11, 2009
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Location
Indiana
Can anyone educate me on what the proper condition for a show heifer should be and how to determine when she is overly conditioned, properly conditioned and under conditioned? This heifer, I have been trying to put some weight on, but I am not certain exactly when there is "ample" condition. Here are some pics of her for review. What does she need? In addition, she has not been clipped. :tiphat:
 
Will she be a breeding or market heifer?

IMO- What I follow is if there is fat by the tailhead, there are fat deposits beginning on the back, and the brisket is full of fat, they are over conditioned for a breeding animal. For feeding a breeding animal, they get a lot of filler; beet pulp, cotton seed hulls, oats, barley, and grass hay, with a small amount of corn. Barley is a good way to add smooth fat, but won't make them get a fuller brisket or fat deposits on the tailhead. Putting oil (I use soybean) on the feed also helps. "Proper condition" is hard to determine. Some judges like them a little fatter, saying they are easy keeping animals, and the next judge doesn't because they aren't in breeding condition.
 
I would give an answer but for fear of the heifer people jumping in a steer feeder for not knowing what he's talking about, I'll keep it to myself.
 
Cowboy 2.0":3fjm4asd said:
I would give an answer but for fear of the heifer people jumping in a steer feeder for not knowing what he's talking about, I'll keep it to myself.

I think it's people that don't show that pipe up and criticize.
 
Keren":a29gp32p said:
cowboy, your heifers are as good as and better than others posted here, I'm sure you know how to feed em.

Your right, and they were fed like steers. No, they don't need to be sloppy fat but if you want to compete in any way they are gonna have to have plenty of fat.
 
CKC1586":39m7ms3t said:
Cowboy 2.0":39m7ms3t said:
Bump her feed a little more and start adding beet pulp to her feed.
Question on the beet pulp... It is used just for filler, right???

Correct. It will help fill an animal out and drop them down in their flank.
 
I think I am going to try a product called Full Tank. It is supposed to fill up better than Beet Pulp, is pelleted, and more palatable. The only downfall to it, is that it is not available at most feed stores. Closest one to me is about 85 miles away.
 
greatgerts":p510fjbt said:
I think I am going to try a product called Full Tank. It is supposed to fill up better than Beet Pulp, is pelleted, and more palatable. The only downfall to it, is that it is not available at most feed stores. Closest one to me is about 85 miles away.

Well, I would just feed the beet pulp then. I've yet to find a calf that doesn't like it. That other stuff won't be that much better to justify 85 miles.
 
Top