Shrink

[Anonymous]

Have a question on shrinking a steer prior to weigh-in at the county fair.

He weighs about 1420 lbs and needs to be around 1270 lbs – 1290 lbs. He is on a holding ration right now and looks pretty good. I read that there are two types of shrink 1) temporary & 2) permanent.

Since I have never done this before what are the best options and how much weight can I expect loose? If someone could outline the steps on how to do this, I would be very appreciative.



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[Anonymous]

You are too far past the target. Hold him off feed and water 12-24 hours before weigh-in but he'll only shed 3-5%, until he fills up again. Starving him now would only make him look terrible and possibly make him sick. If he is finished to the proper degree you might win with a better steer that will yield higher than the smaller ones.

Jason

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[Anonymous]

> You are too far past the target.
> Hold him off feed and water 12-24
> hours before weigh-in but he'll
> only shed 3-5%, until he fills up
> again. Starving him now would only
> make him look terrible and
> possibly make him sick. If he is
> finished to the proper degree you
> might win with a better steer that
> will yield higher than the smaller
> ones.

> Jason

Thanks for the information Jason. I have been told that it is possible to shrink a steer up to 100 to 150 lbs by managing feed and water during a 24-hour period. Seems like a lot to me and was wondering if this is even possible.



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