Starting a small backgrounding/feedyard

[scvfd_7241]

Me and my brother are looking into starting a small feeding operation. We currently run about 12 mommas in a cow calf operation that we are trying to convert to registered stock to maximize profits on the small amount of land we have, but that is another story for another time.

We are looking at adding 4 acres of pasture to our operation, and are considering starting a feeding operation. We are looking to buy about 25 bulls around the 400lb range. The plan is to bring them home and vaccinate, worm and cut them before turning them into the feedyard pasture. Where we plan to have some stock piled grass, too help with erosion and feed. We plan to feed a feeder blend pellet feed, or possibly a custom blend, of soyhulls, corn gluten, and gin fiber, we are wanting to put the feed in a creep feeder and offer it free choice along with free choice hay and free choice hi-mag minerals. We are hoping too keep then to around 600-650lbs, 90 to 120 days and then sale them. We are wanting to do 1 to 2 groups a year to let the land rest and will plant grass in between groups.

So the questions are,
How much grain feed can be expected to be fed per calf per day from a free choice creep feeder?
Can the creep feeder be used efficient enough to make a profit?
How much minerals per calf?
What am I missing, what else needs to be considered?

 

[littletom]

Mineral will go in the feed. Can put a limiter in the feed to some what control intact. Talk with your feed provider and vet. Grass not really gonna last on few acres

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Been my experience that given free choice medium quality hay and all they will eat mixed feed, the calves will eat about 2% of BW of mixed feed and 1/2% BW of hay. Wouldn't put any gin trash in mix using self feeder as will probably bridge. If using whole cottonseed can probably use 10% without too much bridging. Can probably feed them 45-60 days without getting too fleshy. Feeding a good ration over 60 days may get them too fleshy and using a diluted lower energy ration will usually drive up your cost of gain.

Suggest googling "osunrc2013". This is a ration formulation spreadsheet. Download the sheet and instructions then spend several hours running different mixes and daily feed amounts to come up with optimum mix/feeding level. My experience is if accurate info is entered into sheet, the actual daily gains and cost of gain will be very close to what the sheet calculates.

Just another 2 cents worth.

 

[snoopdog]

All you're doing from 400 to 650 is building frame. You do'n't give your location so its hard to know the severity of your winter, but I'll tell you this, 25 head on 4 acres is too many, period. Pushing for 2-2.5 lbs a day gain is gonna take a lot of feed, and you're going to be buying unweaned calves and putting them through more stress right off the bat and not expecting them to lose weight? Your vacs may not work as good under those conditions and you end up with mortality, there goes any profit. The market may not cooperate. I've rode this train, and I can tell you its a tough row to hoe. My advice is this, buy 6 - 10 weaned and vaccinated steers, do what you want to do, and see if it's profitable for you. The margin is pretty good sometimes and non existent other times.

 

[scvfd_7241]

I'm located in the foothills of nc, I have looked into buying from special feeder sales where the calls are said to be weaned and vaccinated, but I would probably have to buy steers or hiefers and would probably be heavier calves. I plan to have the cakes on full feed in not relying on the pressure for any feed value. Thanks for the info so far, and anything additional.

 

[snoopdog]

I'm located in the foothills of nc, I have looked into buying from special feeder sales where the calls are said to be weaned and vaccinated, but I would probably have to buy steers or hiefers and would probably be heavier calves. I plan to have the cakes on full feed in not relying on the pressure for any feed value. Thanks for the info so far, and anything additional.

I think the heavier cattle are your better bet, that is what the market is supporting right now. With heifers , at least if the market tanks, you can breed them and 2 years later sell them as 3in 1s, and the margin will still be the same, I promise.

 

[5S Cattle]

Been my experience that given free choice medium quality hay and all they will eat mixed feed, the calves will eat about 2% of BW of mixed feed and 1/2% BW of hay. Wouldn't put any gin trash in mix using self feeder as will probably bridge. If using whole cottonseed can probably use 10% without too much bridging. Can probably feed them 45-60 days without getting too fleshy. Feeding a good ration over 60 days may get them too fleshy and using a diluted lower energy ration will usually drive up your cost of gain.

Suggest googling "osunrc2013". This is a ration formulation spreadsheet. Download the sheet and instructions then spend several hours running different mixes and daily feed amounts to come up with optimum mix/feeding level. My experience is if accurate info is entered into sheet, the actual daily gains and cost of gain will be very close to what the sheet calculates.

Just another 2 cents worth.

What is bridging?

 

[JMJ Farms]

Been my experience that given free choice medium quality hay and all they will eat mixed feed, the calves will eat about 2% of BW of mixed feed and 1/2% BW of hay. Wouldn't put any gin trash in mix using self feeder as will probably bridge. If using whole cottonseed can probably use 10% without too much bridging. Can probably feed them 45-60 days without getting too fleshy. Feeding a good ration over 60 days may get them too fleshy and using a diluted lower energy ration will usually drive up your cost of gain.

Suggest googling "osunrc2013". This is a ration formulation spreadsheet. Download the sheet and instructions then spend several hours running different mixes and daily feed amounts to come up with optimum mix/feeding level. My experience is if accurate info is entered into sheet, the actual daily gains and cost of gain will be very close to what the sheet calculates.

Just another 2 cents worth.

What is bridging?

Sticking together, forming a "bridge, and not flowing freely out of the feeder.

Southern terms: Getting stuck in the feeder and not falling out.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Hard to make money with a creep feeder when value of gain is cheap. Need to make money on the buy, and have reasonable feed costs, to come out.

Easy initial approach is to use your own vaccinated calves and measure feed conversion. Regardless of what you feed - - you will want to hand feed them for a couple weeks to make sure they are not sick and on feed.

 

[Lucky]

How much are you planning on making per head backgrounding them? You might could get in with a yearling man in your area and straighten out some calves for him to get started. I know some folks that do this. They run 600-1000 on maybe 300 acres. They have a small version of a feedlot and only keep calves for 60 days on average. They pretty much spend all thier time feeding with a mixer and doctoring sick calves. They have good years and bad like everyone else though.

 

[scvfd_7241]

So after the advice from here, and speaking with the fed nutritionist I have found a feed that the nutritionist recommends for the operation that I have mentioned,. She stated that the fed had minerals but supplying free choice hi-mag ws still recommended. With the cost of the feed, the cost of gain makes it unsustainable to keep the calves 120 days, and makes the profit margin small at 90 days, but is better at 60 days. Has anyone done a feeding program such as this for a time period of 60ish days? Is there any recommendations with a program such as this for 60 days?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Sounds like your creep feed is too expensive.
So either you come up with cheaper inputs, or you make a profit when you buy, or both.
What is the profit if you buy discounted fall run calves, and then back ground them 45 days?

 

[ddd75]

how much is the feed?

 

[Lucky]

In my experience unweaned calves grow very little for the first 60 days. Feed cost should be 12 cents per pound tops to make any money. You also need to have good facilities or be handy with a horse and a rope to run salebarn calves. Go to your vet and price some of the meds you will need before you get into this, it might surprise you what Draxxin or Nuflor cost. Not trying to discourage you just need to know the cost. I would also recommend keeping any troughs they drink out of very clean so they don't get coccidia.

 

[Bright Raven]

Been my experience that given free choice medium quality hay and all they will eat mixed feed, the calves will eat about 2% of BW of mixed feed and 1/2% BW of hay. Wouldn't put any gin trash in mix using self feeder as will probably bridge. If using whole cottonseed can probably use 10% without too much bridging. Can probably feed them 45-60 days without getting too fleshy. Feeding a good ration over 60 days may get them too fleshy and using a diluted lower energy ration will usually drive up your cost of gain.

Suggest googling "osunrc2013". This is a ration formulation spreadsheet. Download the sheet and instructions then spend several hours running different mixes and daily feed amounts to come up with optimum mix/feeding level. My experience is if accurate info is entered into sheet, the actual daily gains and cost of gain will be very close to what the sheet calculates.

Just another 2 cents worth.

What is bridging?

Bridging occurs when you fill a bin, hopper, chute or any container with loose material. The forces exerted between the particles and one particle against the other causes the loose material to "hang up" or "bridge". It occurs widely. One means to prevent it is to put in baffling to cause the particles to separate.

 

[scvfd_7241]

The feed that was recommended by the nutritionist is what I have been using to figure everything. I figured it at$300/ton which is .15/lb.. I also figured $15.00 a head for worker, and vaccines. I have tried to figure everything I buy a little on the high side and the selling price a little on the low side. But when I done this buying 400lb calves and keeping them 60 days a d selling at a weight of roughly 520lb shows to be profitable, as well as buying 600lb calves and keeping them 60 or 90 days, too weights of roughly 720lbs or 775lbs. The heaviest calves show to the highest profit at 90 days. Can anyone shed light on this. Also just to check my figures how much grain would you expect the 700 weight calves to consume daily from a self feeder.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Feeders want heavy calves right now, so they pay a premium.

 

[polledbull]

I know a guy that they feed loose soy hulls and hay , and nothing else , free choice in feeders , they buy cheaper kinda calves , and odd colored calves , cut them and vaccinate them , run them all the way through to slaughter, they send them to feed around 750 lbs , they will not buy top quality calves, he will average .80 cent in thier bulls , they have a higher mortality and treat more , but they can , hulls were as low as $50 a ton for a while ,it is not your typical stocker model but it works for him , and he has made alot of money doing it

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I don't think you are listening to all the comments. You will be buying unweaned calves. That alone is going to make for some sick calves - top that with castration, and you are going to be treating calves and calves may die.
You will NOT be looking at gain for first 2 weeks, maybe 4 weeks if sickness breaks out.
Glad you are optimistic, that is great - but you also need to be realistic. Calves get sick. Medicine that WORKS is VERY costly.