Steer Just Wont Eat!

[LaurenE]

Hello,
I am new to showing steers and this will be my first year showing at the county fair. I have a Limousin X Angus X Simmental steer who weighs about 650 pounds or so and he is 14 months old. I have had a really hard time keeping him on feed and whenever he finally gets back on feed it in not too long before he wont eat again. I have been feeding him approximately 4 1/2 (3 qt) scoops each evening and he gets about 2 1/2 scoops in the morning. We also add a small amount of wet beet pulp to his feed and weight builder and molasses. Oh, we feed him Purina show chow. The last couple of days he has been leaving most of his feed, but he is eating all of his hay and he is constantly doing this. He is quite tall, I would say his tail head is about 4 1/2 feet tall or so, but he just wont fill out.

Just some more stuff...
He is stalled most of the time and we let him out about 2 days a week for exercise. He eats very slow. If you need anymore info, feel free to ask.

Is there anything that you guys could recommend for me to do to get him back on feed and to stay on?

Thanks,
Lauren

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Don't know anything about showing steers and other livestock at fairs, etc...

However, if ANY bovine won't eat enough (by our human standards) could be due to one or more of the following:

1. Doesn't get enough exercise (24/7 pasture time) to work up an appetite.
2. May have worms.
3. May be an "easy keeper" (not requiring much food).
4. May be constipated (no pun intended, but intake is related to output on any animal).
5. May be a "slow gainer" overall.
6. Teeth problems??
7. Picky eater??
8. ??????

 

[Crowderfarms]

Lauren,
Dont you think he's a little small for 14 months? He oughtta be at least twice that weight.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Lauren, if you cannot turn him out except for 2 days a week, it might do some good if you can at least hand-walk him each day. Sounds like he may need to move around a bit more to get his appetite stimulated. Is he with any "buddies"? Or is he alone. Sometimes it helps if he has a buddy near by that he "thinks" will be competing for the food.

Katherine

 

[LaurenE]

Thanks for all of the input. I forgot to say that I do walk him at least 3 days a week as well for about 30 minutes or so. He is in a stall by himself, but there are steers in the stalls on either side of him. I believe that I am going to let him out to feed him, at least with one other steer or adult cow, so that he will be more apt to 'compete' for the food and also to eat faster. Since he is a show steer, my ag teacher does not want him to have too much pasture time (only a few hours a week) so that he is not running around and losing weight. He probably gets about 5-8 hours or so out each week, depending on the weather. Also he just got wormed about 3 weeks ago as well. I read somewhere that if they have a greater water intake that they will in turn eat more, is this true?

 

[msscamp]

I read somewhere that if they have a greater water intake that they will in turn eat more, is this true?

I don't think I would count on it. Cattle have a basic need for water. That need may be influenced by the feed they are getting, but the need for feed will probably not be influenced by the amount of water they are drinking, as they will not drink more water than they need under any given set of circumstances. Just my thoughts.

 

[ctlbaron]

Yep, he ought to be twice that size.

 

[jkwilson]

A 14 month old steer that only weighed 650 lbs has a serious problem. You can get a steer there at 6-8 months with a good milking cow and some feed.
Why are you splitting the feed unevenly? Give him 1% of his body weight morning and night, along with some hay. We usually give ours a flake morning and night along with the feed. Make sure he will have more fresh water than he can drink. Extra water won't encourage him to eat, but lack of water will shut down his digestion and make him stop eating. The beet pulp is mostly a filler and will make him full without really packing much fat on him.
You didn't mention what kind of feed he's getting, but normally show steers get about a 12% ration. Molasses makes it taste better, so they will eat more. Make sure the feed is fresh, because if it absorbs moisture, it will spoil.

 

[Susie David]

I bet you guessed at your steer's weight...right.
We weaned heifer calves that weight 650#....your animal needs free access to water and be fed at least twice a day...at 650 he will need at least 15lbs of dry matter (hay) which should have a protein content of at least 12%. This increases as he grows. We add minerals to the grain and have free choice feeders out in the pastures...
Good luck to you....DMc

 

[LaurenE]

He is definately 650 and this is why I am wondering why he is continuously coming off feed. He has plenty of water, I clean it out almost everyday and it is filled up twice each day if need be. He got really sick right after I got him and he hasnt quite made up for it yet. He is quite tall, but lean, and you can't see any ribs. He is a very picky eater though. Also, he has lost some weight recently because there is some sort of weed poisoning that has just hit my town and many of the livestock are coming down with the same thing, but no one is sure of what it is. Anyways, the pasture has been completely weeded, so we are hoping that we will not have any more problems with that. Also, one of the other exhibitors mentioned that her heifer grinds her teeth and I was wondering what would cause her to do this? Thanks.

 

[n i c c i]

I help to prepare our school steers for our Royal and our steers are outside in seperate paddocks 24/7. We constantly pump feed into our Limousin steer and he eats as much as he wants to, at whatever pace he decides to go at.

Some of the past steers have gained an appetite by being shedded but usually our steers eat more when they are out in pastures. We usually bring them all in together and it really is a site to see 5 different breeds of steers ramming, buck and carrying on. But after they're wasted some energy playing with the other steers and been walked for 50 minutes and brushed and handled for a further 25 minutes they go back to they're paddocks and guts they're feed down. I think it's a matter of stimulating them and giving them a reason to eat.

Or maybe Jenny Craig is just his idol

 

[Big D]

Hello Lauren,
The first thing that comes to mind with your steer is digestive upset. Big swings in consumption with cattle on feed is a sign that they were not brought up on the feed right or the management is not right for what you are trying to do. To bring your steer up on a high grain ration, feed a good quality long stem hay, all he will eat for about a week adding only about 5 lbs. of grain a day. I would also treat with probios. After doing this for a week I would increase the grain by 3-4 lbs. a week until the target consumption is met. I would prefer you keep the animal in a pen with at least 200 sq feet rather than letting him on pasture every now and then, that could be adding to your problems. If you can not get even daily consumption, and with the fact that your steer is only 650lbs. at 14 months, I would end this situation with giving him a trip to the sale barn.
Best of luck!!!