I am looking to get about 3.5#/day gain on some Gelbvieh and Balancer bull calves. We currently use a pelleted ration that run 14% protein and seem to get along alright on. We feel 1% of body weight per head per day. What is everyone else feeding growing bulls and what is your targeted ROG? Are you gettin this gain without puching your cattle too hard?
Ration and ROG
- Thread starter cleland
- Start date
TexasBred
Well-known member
What size are the calves now?? Are they getting that kind of gain already on 1%??
Currently the calves are just weaned and weighin between 550 and 700. I have not fed them long enough to know what they are gaining. Me fall bulls just seem that they did not gain as well this summer. I think its partly because of the bad winter and super hot summer that they had to fight. Im just curious whats working for other producers, I am happy with our performance but always trying to strive to be more efficient.
BC
Well-known member
1% will not get the ROG that you said you want. It takes about that much just to maintain. Somewhere between 2.5 and 3% of body weight is considered being on full feed.
TexasBred
Well-known member
I'd recommend getting away from the 14% pellets and using a textured feed so you can see what's in it. Might cost a little more but will do a better job for you too.cleland":34dc0t8x said:
DavisBeefmasters
Well-known member
BC":3ah727cg said:
:shock:
Dang! We only have to gradually work our way up to 1% body weight to fatten up a steer between 75-90 days... start at 2# a day for a few weeks then bump it to 4# a day... etc, until we get up to 10# a day for about the last 20-30 days and they really taste yummy, hang well and have the appropriate amount of fat layer. I can't imagine going up to 2.5% or 3% of body weight -- yikes!
TexasBred
Well-known member
You consider going from 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. to 10 lbs. gradual? But you should get a good 1.5 lbs. of gain per day on that 10 lbs.DavisBeefmasters":2nyq92ht said:
TexasBred
Well-known member
Worth at least that much more. Feed companies can and do hide a lot of crap in a pellet.MF135":1d65dxzx said:
BC
Well-known member
DavisBeefmasters":2e69xk9n said:
Please look at table 10 in this publication http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publica ... /MP391.pdf
Cleland stated that he wanted to get 3.5 lbs/day ADG on some 550 to 700 lb bulls. The nutritional requirements for a 600 lb bull calf expecting to gain 3lbs/day is a 14.5 lbs of dry matter intake. That is just under 2.5% of the animals body weight.
BC":3b7dta5m said:
In my world a young bull could have 1% of his body weight in feed, and be fed ad lib silage; wich in dry matter is likely to be some 1,5% of his body weight. All agree on this? `Cause 1 and 1,5 equals 2,5?
TexasBred
Well-known member
Much more to it tho than just getting a % of body weight into the animal. Please note the nutrient densities on the link provided in order to obtain that gain. Very high protein, very digestible protein and very high energies. An extremely high quality ration and expensive. Grazing and a low quality creep won't do it especially in the summer time. Those look like feed lot rations used in the trials.BC":32r6hjwf said:
BC
Well-known member
[/quote]
Please look at table 10 in this publication http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publica ... /MP391.pdf
Cleland stated that he wanted to get 3.5 lbs/day ADG on some 550 to 700 lb bulls. The nutritional requirements for a 600 lb bull calf expecting to gain 3lbs/day is a 14.5 lbs of dry matter intake. That is just under 2.5% of the animals body weight.[/quote]
Much more to it tho than just getting a % of body weight into the animal. Please note the nutrient densities on the link provided in order to obtain that gain. Very high protein, very digestible protein and very high energies. An extremely high quality ration and expensive. Grazing and a low quality creep won't do it especially in the summer time. Those look like feed lot rations used in the trials.[/quote]
They were feedlot figures. You are correct in that it was a high quality ration. You cannot get the kinds of gain that Cleland wanted wants with low quality feed or forage.
Please look at table 10 in this publication http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publica ... /MP391.pdf
Cleland stated that he wanted to get 3.5 lbs/day ADG on some 550 to 700 lb bulls. The nutritional requirements for a 600 lb bull calf expecting to gain 3lbs/day is a 14.5 lbs of dry matter intake. That is just under 2.5% of the animals body weight.[/quote]
Much more to it tho than just getting a % of body weight into the animal. Please note the nutrient densities on the link provided in order to obtain that gain. Very high protein, very digestible protein and very high energies. An extremely high quality ration and expensive. Grazing and a low quality creep won't do it especially in the summer time. Those look like feed lot rations used in the trials.[/quote]
They were feedlot figures. You are correct in that it was a high quality ration. You cannot get the kinds of gain that Cleland wanted wants with low quality feed or forage.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Please look at table 10 in this publication http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publica ... /MP391.pdf
Cleland stated that he wanted to get 3.5 lbs/day ADG on some 550 to 700 lb bulls. The nutritional requirements for a 600 lb bull calf expecting to gain 3lbs/day is a 14.5 lbs of dry matter intake. That is just under 2.5% of the animals body weight.[/quote]
Much more to it tho than just getting a % of body weight into the animal. Please note the nutrient densities on the link provided in order to obtain that gain. Very high protein, very digestible protein and very high energies. An extremely high quality ration and expensive. Grazing and a low quality creep won't do it especially in the summer time. Those look like feed lot rations used in the trials.[/quote]
They were feedlot figures. You are correct in that it was a high quality ration. You cannot get the kinds of gain that Cleland wanted wants with low quality feed or forage.[/quote]
Bingo :clap: :clap:
Ok So let me re ask the question.. WHAT are you feeding your growing bulls to get that target gain? What is your target gain? I understand the logistics of feeding Im just asking what rations others are using and what performance your getting from them.
