Stocker calves

[Cress27]

Ok so I’m new to the stocker calves I plan to buy steers around the weight of 350 to 400 pounds. I have stock piled fescue and some dried up warm season grasses. The grass is waist high. I haven’t had any cattle on the place for over a year. Not an abundance of weeds. My question is what should I do to potentially gain 2 pounds a day. What kinda feed or supplements should I consider. I only have access to wrapped ryegrass silage which I shouldn’t have to feed to much of I don’t think and what feed I can buy at the local feed store I will be implanting the calves. I’ve always had cows and I’m new to the stocker calves any advice on what kinda feed what kind of vaccinations I should use. I’m from central Kentucky if that helps any on recommendations.

Thanks and god bless

 

[farmerjan]

Several guys down closer to you with more experience... the only thing I can say is you are looking to buy in the most expensive stockers that are on the market right now... as far as price per pound... They are topping the $4.00/lb range around this area for steers.... Calves that small will need a little more in the way of protein to develop some....
@kenny thomas ???? Some of our other KY members????

 

[ClinchValley86]

I assume your stockpiled grasses are an all season long stockpile? Or was the fescue mowed this past summer? If it was mowed the protein and energy will be considerably higher. @kenny thomas is the fescue guru IMO for the Ky TN Va region.

On the warm seasons, youll 100% need to be supplementing protein and energy. I hear soybean meal is the best bang for your buck but I haven't ever used it.

I'm close to the KY/TN boarder a bit east of Knoxville.

Props to you for being able to stomach the $1,400+ 4 weights. Many were at or just below $4.00 this week in my area. Do you have an alternative market option in case prices were to take a dump? Just curious.

 

[kenny thomas]

By spring i hope i can buy 4 weights for 1400.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Watched some 380lb steers sell for $1881 a head down in Iowa last week...

 

[kenny thomas]

Ok so I'm new to the stocker calves I plan to buy steers around the weight of 350 to 400 pounds. I have stock piled fescue and some dried up warm season grasses. The grass is waist high. I haven't had any cattle on the place for over a year. Not an abundance of weeds. My question is what should I do to potentially gain 2 pounds a day. What kinda feed or supplements should I consider. I only have access to wrapped ryegrass silage which I shouldn't have to feed to much of I don't think and what feed I can buy at the local feed store I will be implanting the calves. I've always had cows and I'm new to the stocker calves any advice on what kinda feed what kind of vaccinations I should use. I'm from central Kentucky if that helps any on recommendations.

Thanks and god bless

Your dried up warm season grass dont have much to offer. The stockpiled fescue should be ok but calves need much more during the winter. This is going to be a hard year to decide what to do. Young 4wt calves sometimes get sick worse than older bigger calves. Loosing one from sickness now can cost you the profit on a bunch of them. Do you have access to any antibiotics that you might need? Pretty much everything now needs a Vet to get it. You cant wait days when a calf is sick.
A 4wt can eat 8 lb of feed a day and if the grass is good might gain 2lb. During the weather we have been having i doubt they will gain 1lb.
Anything is a gamble this year. If your buying several look into Livestock Risk Protection to put a bottom price on them. At $4 to $5 calves im not sure if it will work.
I think i will go fishing this year instead.

 

[gcreekrch]

By spring i hope i can buy 4 weights for 1400.

If anyone, you’ll find them and be prepared to add value to them.

 

[Cress27]

Your dried up warm season grass dont have much to offer. The stockpiled fescue should be ok but calves need much more during the winter. This is going to be a hard year to decide what to do. Young 4wt calves sometimes get sick worse than older bigger calves. Loosing one from sickness now can cost you the profit on a bunch of them. Do you have access to any antibiotics that you might need? Pretty much everything now needs a Vet to get it. You cant wait days when a calf is sick.
A 4wt can eat 8 lb of feed a day and if the grass is good might gain 2lb. During the weather we have been having i doubt they will gain 1lb.
Anything is a gamble this year. If your buying several look into Livestock Risk Protection to put a bottom price on them. At $4 to $5 calves im not sure if it will work.
I think i will go fishing this year instead.

Yes I’ll definitely be getting lrp definitely not taking that gamble. Yes I have access to medical supplies I also own a dart gun. I use to have 65 momma cows so a dart gun was a must. Thank you for the advice on what plan to get with lrp that stuff can get confusing.

 

[Cress27]

I assume your stockpiled grasses are an all season long stockpile? Or was the fescue mowed this past summer? If it was mowed the protein and energy will be considerably higher. @kenny thomas is the fescue guru IMO for the Ky TN Va region.

On the warm seasons, youll 100% need to be supplementing protein and energy. I hear soybean meal is the best bang for your buck but I haven't ever used it.

I'm close to the KY/TN boarder a bit east of Knoxville.

Props to you for being able to stomach the $1,400+ 4 weights. Many were at or just below $4.00 this week in my area. Do you have an alternative market option in case prices were to take a dump? Just curious.

It hasn’t been mowed since last fall. Most of the grass I have is fescue I mean I’m right in the heart of the bluegrass fescue country. As far as the 4 weights my local market the light weight “fancy” calves was 3.68 the not fancy was 3.31. Heavier 4s are bringing 3.89 fancy and 3.30 for regular price. Now as far as weight I’d like to get them to is around 650 to 7. Some 638 average price of 3.08 and some lighter 7 weights averages 2.94 added value price on both sets of number. Knock about 30 to 45 cents off if they aren’t added value calves.

 

[Ky hills]

Ok so I'm new to the stocker calves I plan to buy steers around the weight of 350 to 400 pounds. I have stock piled fescue and some dried up warm season grasses. The grass is waist high. I haven't had any cattle on the place for over a year. Not an abundance of weeds. My question is what should I do to potentially gain 2 pounds a day. What kinda feed or supplements should I consider. I only have access to wrapped ryegrass silage which I shouldn't have to feed to much of I don't think and what feed I can buy at the local feed store I will be implanting the calves. I've always had cows and I'm new to the stocker calves any advice on what kinda feed what kind of vaccinations I should use. I'm from central Kentucky if that helps any on recommendations.

Thanks and god bless

We are in east central KY, western east KY however anybody wants to consider it, My parents ran stockers bought in at around 400# years ago. I’ve ran several groups over the years too bought in groups anywhere from weights 300-600#
At the 350-400# size you’re talking about, they are going to be more apt to get sick than bigger calves, but with keeping them in a small area with feed and hay close by for a little while 2-3 weeks should get them transitioned to feed and accustomed to you feeding them. You can watch for signs of sickness coughing, snotty noses, heads down ears drooped etc and treat them very promptly recovery rates are pretty good usually.
I just feed a mixed ration of 1/3 corn, 1/3 soybean hull pellets, and 1/3 corn gluten pellets. I feed depending on availability and quality of forage anywhere from 5-8# of feed per head per day. I get it delivered in bulk from a local feed store, and store it in gravity wagons.
When first bringing in the calves after purchase, I like to start them on receiving ration, used to get Purina Receiving Chow, but now get one from our local Southern States Co op. It’s a bagged feed. I feed it for a week or two and then transition them over to whatever bulk feed I’m using.
When purchasing, you can usually talk to the vets at the stockyards and have the calves worked and vaccinated before leaving the stockyards. They should have a protocol for stocker calves, vaccinating, worming, implants, castrating, dehorn, tagging, and you could have them give them Draxxin as a preventative too. Most people I know that run stockers opt for a dose of Draxxin when initially working then.

 

[Cress27]

We are in east central KY, western east KY however anybody wants to consider it, My parents ran stockers bought in at around 400# years ago. I've ran several groups over the years too bought in groups anywhere from weights 300-600#
At the 350-400# size you're talking about, they are going to be more apt to get sick than bigger calves, but with keeping them in a small area with feed and hay close by for a little while 2-3 weeks should get them transitioned to feed and accustomed to you feeding them. You can watch for signs of sickness coughing, snotty noses, heads down ears drooped etc and treat them very promptly recovery rates are pretty good usually.
I just feed a mixed ration of 1/3 corn, 1/3 soybean hull pellets, and 1/3 corn gluten pellets. I feed depending on availability and quality of forage anywhere from 5-8# of feed per head per day. I get it delivered in bulk from a local feed store, and store it in gravity wagons.
When first bringing in the calves after purchase, I like to start them on receiving ration, used to get Purina Receiving Chow, but now get one from our local Southern States Co op. It's a bagged feed. I feed it for a week or two and then transition them over to whatever bulk feed I'm using.
When purchasing, you can usually talk to the vets at the stockyards and have the calves worked and vaccinated before leaving the stockyards. They should have a protocol for stocker calves, vaccinating, worming, implants, castrating, dehorn, tagging, and you could have them give them Draxxin as a preventative too. Most people I know that run stockers opt for a dose of Draxxin when initially working then.

You’ve hit the nail on the head what you described is along the line of what my plan was. Thank you for the advice. Like I said I have a dart gun and a bottle of draxxin already lol it’s not a matter of if one gets sick it’s when they get sick. I’ll be splitting there feedings up into 2 times a day half a pound in the morning and half a pound in evening until they get started good and coming to the feed. I’m turning them out into grass and feeding 1 pound in the mornings and 1 pound in the evening. And add more pounds as the calves grow.

 

[Dave]

I saw 400 lb steers sell for less than $1,400 last week. But if you plan to put on 2 lbs a day you better feed them pretty good. Not just old grass.

 

[Logan52]

The only time I ever did well buying the size calves you are looking at (at this time of year) was when I had several old tobacco patches sown in rye grain and already well established. We had moderate rainfall that year and the calves really performed on the rye . The lighter calves did not tear up the ground so bad and were able to use the high quality grazing.
While the year's growth fescue would be OK for bred cows, it would not be enough for light steers. February and March are the worst months for grazing around here.

High priced calves and a dart gun loaded with Draxxin do not seem to me, a plan to make a lot of money.

 

[ClinchValley86]

It hasn't been mowed since last fall. Most of the grass I have is fescue I mean I'm right in the heart of the bluegrass fescue country. As far as the 4 weights my local market the light weight "fancy" calves was 3.68 the not fancy was 3.31. Heavier 4s are bringing 3.89 fancy and 3.30 for regular price. Now as far as weight I'd like to get them to is around 650 to 7. Some 638 average price of 3.08 and some lighter 7 weights averages 2.94 added value price on both sets of number. Knock about 30 to 45 cents off if they aren't added value calves.

those 6 and 7 weight prices are really nice. Better than east TN.

I hope you hit a home run, my friend.

Good info on this thread.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

By spring i hope i can buy 4 weights for 1400.

Same here Kenny. I gave over $4 per lb on some 3 weights Saturday, that was a first for me.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

Ok so I'm new to the stocker calves I plan to buy steers around the weight of 350 to 400 pounds. I have stock piled fescue and some dried up warm season grasses. The grass is waist high. I haven't had any cattle on the place for over a year. Not an abundance of weeds. My question is what should I do to potentially gain 2 pounds a day. What kinda feed or supplements should I consider. I only have access to wrapped ryegrass silage which I shouldn't have to feed to much of I don't think and what feed I can buy at the local feed store I will be implanting the calves. I've always had cows and I'm new to the stocker calves any advice on what kinda feed what kind of vaccinations I should use. I'm from central Kentucky if that helps any on recommendations.

Thanks and god bless

This time of year I wouldn't be worried about daily gain. I would be more concerned with the health of the calves. My calves don't gain much this time of year, but they grow a lot of frame. But in spring flush its not uncommon for my rock solid healthy thin calves to gain 3 to 4 lbs per day on perennial ryegrass. If you wait until spring to purchase they will be higher, but the health will be better and death loss will be lower.

 

[Cress27]

The only time I ever did well buying the size calves you are looking at (at this time of year) was when I had several old tobacco patches sown in rye grain and already well established. We had moderate rainfall that year and the calves really performed on the rye . The lighter calves did not tear up the ground so bad and were able to use the high quality grazing.
While the year's growth fescue would be OK for bred cows, it would not be enough for light steers. February and March are the worst months for grazing around here.

High priced calves and a dart gun loaded with Draxxin do not seem to me, a plan to make a lot of money.

Better to have a dart gun and draxxin and not use it than to lose a 1,400$ calve because I’m over confident that I won’t lose one. Anyone that’s fooled with cattle know your gonna have sick animals eventually. So why not have a dart gun a draxxin on hand?

 

[Cress27]

I saw 400 lb steers sell for less than $1,400 last week. But if you plan to put on 2 lbs a day you better feed them pretty good. Not just old grass.

I definitely agree I don’t expect them do do much on the grass at this point it’s just a light protein filler to go along with the silage wrapped ryegrass. And some 14% feed. I don’t expect them to grow 2 pounds a day this time of year just looking for an average daily gain of 2 pounds for a 6 month period. Thanks for the knowledge everyone. Really good info from this thread.

 

[Cress27]

those 6 and 7 weight prices are really nice. Better than east TN.

I hope you hit a home run, my friend.

Good info on this thread.

Value added and bigger groups is what it takes around these parts to make the money. 30 to 40 cents difference for a guy that just brings singles in compared to someone bringing 30 or more. Wish the prices was more consistent across the board. A lot of stockyards around here is all about who you are or who you know.

 

[kenny thomas]

Value added and bigger groups is what it takes around these parts to make the money. 30 to 40 cents difference for a guy that just brings singles in compared to someone bringing 30 or more. Wish the prices was more consistent across the board. A lot of stockyards around here is all about who you are or who you know.

Which stockyard do you visit?