Questions on feeding replacement heifers?

[Wick]

I would like to know what some of you are feeding your heifers that you are growing out for replacements. If you could post what you are feeding and what the mix is and how much per day and weather it is hand fed or creep. What about for bulls do you use the same mix? Thanks Wick

 

[Limomike]

I have 4 replacements at the moment that I am just letting them graze a really good pasture set off from the rest of the herd. they also get some minerals / salt block, and 14% creep each day.

 

[dun]

At weaning they go into a 45 day weaning/preconditioning program with pasture and hand fed around 3-4 lbs a day of 13% ration along with pasture if we have it or hay if we don;t. After 45 days they're turned back in with the cow herd and treated the same as all of the others. If the pasture/hay really goes down the dumper during the winter they get Mix30 free choice, the same as the cows.
Our reasoning is, if they can;t grow adequately on what is available they don;t bewlong in the cow herd.

 

[novatech]

At weaning they go into a 45 day weaning/preconditioning program with pasture and hand fed around 3-4 lbs a day of 13% ration along with pasture if we have it or hay if we don;t. After 45 days they're turned back in with the cow herd and treated the same as all of the others. If the pasture/hay really goes down the dumper during the winter they get Mix30 free choice, the same as the cows.
Our reasoning is, if they can;t grow adequately on what is available they don;t bewlong in the cow herd.

I do pretty much the same thing. I prefer hand feeding rather than creep. Some calves will turn their entire diet into feed useing a creep feeder. I hand feed about 2% body weight.
Hand feeding also is used as a training tool for the calf. The calf learns to associate with people and calms them down. And in Duns case gives him a chance to catch up on his reading. :lol:

Duns most important statement.
"

Our reasoning is, if they can;t grow adequately on what is available they don;t bewlong in the cow herd."

 

[dun]

Another thing we do during the weaning/preconditioning phase is make them go though the alley and the chute to get to their grain. We've found that since we started doing that we have much less problem getting the4 girls to go through the facilitys to breed or do whatever we need to do.

 

[randiliana]

We feed our heifers whole oats and free choice alfalfa mix hay. They get about 7 lbs of oats handfed to them every day. With the cold winters we get, they can lose weight if they aren't getting enough to grow on. They are fed to gain a bit over 1 lb/day.

 

[Wick]

Thanks for the replys. I was kinda hoping for more responses. Also was looking more for what is in the mixes you are feeding and how much per ingrediant. For example:

700 lbs of this
200 lbs of that

and so on. Also those of you who creep how are you keeping from bloating. Due you use salt or the stuff you can mix in(forget the name) to limit what they eat. My replacements are fed free choice hay(mix grass) minerals free choice, and approx. 4-5 lb. per head per day of 14% beef mix. Mostly made up of corn, corn glutten, soybean meal, and couple other ingrediants. Would it be better to feed a pellet type feed or better use a mix that I'm currently using. Just want some input from others who raise replacements.

 

[Limomike]

As far as the ones I am feeding creep to, they get a 3 gallon bucket full of creep each day. They have plenty of really good pasture to graze on each day. Also minerals, and a salt block. no bloating at all. Just growing.

 

[HEREFORD ROADHOG]

500 barley or oats
100 dry molasses
200 36% pellets
1200 ground ear corn (if available)

 

[Wewild]

We feed grass or what is left of it. We will be moving on to hay and several will be leaving.