Straight corn weaning?

[fnfarms1]

So local farmer has 80acres of corn planted 1/4mile from our house. My feed bin is empty being out of butcher steers right now. Planned to wean calves mid-Oct but we are so dry and burnt up, thinking about weaning in 10days or so. That being said will calves wean very well on straight whole corn and free choice hay or do they really need the soy pellets and mill? I feed out calves so I understand soy is your protein, corn helps fatten but the corn would be cheap since I hadn't planned to feed extra like this

 

[SBMF 2015]

As long as you have hay and start slow you'll be fine.
Add some kind of protein. Just add it to the bunks on top of the shell corn.

 

[BFE]

That's basically what I do. I normally feed the calves wet wrapped hay, 12-14% protein, or the best dry hay I have.

 

[fnfarms1]

I bought some 18% all natural protein tubs because they were cheap. They had got hot and boiled over, real nasty. But that will be in pen with them and the hay. Corn be additional plus to help bunk break them and calm them down

 

[fnfarms1]

We are roughly 30days into this weaning. I currently have 22hd of steers/heifers on corn and top quality bermuda. Looking at them tonite, i feel good about this idea. Calves look good, seem satisfied etc. Still have an 18% protein tub in pen and gradually cutting back on some 17%teff hay.
i pulled 4 heifers off and put them with few bred heifers to feed them cubes vs the corn. I like my heifers to grow and not put on to much fat, afraid straight corn may do that.Probably 2-3 of these 4 will be retained.

Question being how much corn is safe to be feeding? Regular commodity mix i could push about as hard as they would eat. Trying to avoid bloat etc. currently eating 6.5-7lbs each. Im sure some getting 5lbs, some 8lbs. Ive increased gradually so fair from 2-3lbs each to 6.5-7 over 30days.one thing i know for sure is gradual changes are much better than big jumps.

 

[GoWyo]

We are roughly 30days into this weaning. I currently have 22hd of steers/heifers on corn and top quality bermuda. Looking at them tonite, i feel good about this idea. Calves look good, seem satisfied etc. Still have an 18% protein tub in pen and gradually cutting back on some 17%teff hay.
i pulled 4 heifers off and put them with few bred heifers to feed them cubes vs the corn. I like my heifers to grow and not put on to much fat, afraid straight corn may do that.Probably 2-3 of these 4 will be retained.

Question being how much corn is safe to be feeding? Regular commodity mix i could push about as hard as they would eat. Trying to avoid bloat etc. currently eating 6.5-7lbs each. Im sure some getting 5lbs, some 8lbs. Ive increased gradually so fair from 2-3lbs each to 6.5-7 over 30days.one thing i know for sure is gradual changes are much better than big jumps.

Bigger question is whether your value of gain is exceeding your cost of gain. Calves that age need to be framing up, not getting too fleshy if you intend to sell soon. They are probably getting enough corn for a grower ration.

 

[fnfarms1]

Bigger question is whether your value of gain is exceeding your cost of gain. Calves that age need to be framing up, not getting too fleshy if you intend to sell soon. They are probably getting enough corn for a grower ration.

Plan is to sell Dec1-ish.

 

[GoWyo]

Plan is to sell Dec1-ish.

I saw on a Facebook chat yesterday or maybe today that value of gain is around $.94/# on 5 weight calves. Need to keep COG down below that to make backgrounding pay.

 

[fnfarms1]

No scales to really figure how mine are gaining so is what it is I guess. Inknow theres equipment costs etc but if figuring off sale price, seems easy. If you figure $3/lb sale price. But my corn cost less than $8/100lbs, plus hay etc.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I would not even look at the straight grain myself, and I actually thought you meant this instead.....but I'm a grazing 'fanatic'. I actually thought you meant graze the 80 acres of residue in the field as you were out of hay.... I would ABSOLUTELY do this, and I've been telling individuals with livestock to do this given the aspect that we are now 3.5 months into D3 & D4 drought levels where I am! We finally got a good bit of rain just over a week ago, but we have got to let the pastures recover before we graze them. Otherwise, we will end up damaging the pastures by grazing them too soon and too hard now that the drought is breaking which will result in more pasture damage than the drought itself actually did. Also, The corn stalks won't last, but stockpile fescue that we grow now will.

 

[fnfarms1]

I would not even look at the straight grain myself, and I actually thought you meant this instead.....but I'm a grazing 'fanatic'. I actually thought you meant graze the 80 acres of residue in the field as you were out of hay.... I would ABSOLUTELY do this, and I've been telling individuals with livestock to do this given the aspect that we are now 3.5 months into D3 & D4 drought levels where I am! We finally got a good bit of rain just over a week ago, but we have got to let the pastures recover before we graze them. Otherwise, we will end up damaging the pastures by grazing them too soon and too hard now that the drought is breaking which will result in more pasture damage than the drought itself actually did. Also, The corn stalks won't last, but stockpile fescue that we grow now will.

Well i am feeding straight grain plus hay, not grazing stalks. If i had the access, sure would. But no such access. I agree with over grazing, we no tilled wheat but with no rain, im running cows in those pastures until it rains. Rolling hay in pastures not planted. If rains ill shut them out for it to grow up, but right now…..just surviving.

 

[BFE]

I would not even look at the straight grain myself, and I actually thought you meant this instead.....but I'm a grazing 'fanatic'. I actually thought you meant graze the 80 acres of residue in the field as you were out of hay.... I would ABSOLUTELY do this, and I've been telling individuals with livestock to do this given the aspect that we are now 3.5 months into D3 & D4 drought levels where I am! We finally got a good bit of rain just over a week ago, but we have got to let the pastures recover before we graze them. Otherwise, we will end up damaging the pastures by grazing them too soon and too hard now that the drought is breaking which will result in more pasture damage than the drought itself actually did. Also, The corn stalks won't last, but stockpile fescue that we grow now will.

Cheapest feed around. I graze stalks every year in the fall, cover crop cereal rye in the spring. Feed hay on the weak spots in the field or in places with little washouts to stop erosion.

 

[BFE]

Well i am feeding straight grain plus hay, not grazing stalks. If i had the access, sure would. But no such access. I agree with over grazing, we no tilled wheat but with no rain, im running cows in those pastures until it rains. Rolling hay in pastures not planted. If rains I'll shut them out for it to grow up, but right now…..just surviving.

You'll do fine on that shell corn with that high protein hay. You won't get them fat unless you're feeding a feedlot level ration, at your 7# a day you'll be in good shape.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Seven pounds is probably fine but I wouldn't push any harder than that. Dec 1 is six weeks away so you're probably looking at another 100-150lbs of gain.

 

[fnfarms1]

Seven pounds is probably fine but I wouldn't push any harder than that. Dec 1 is six weeks away so you're probably looking at another 100-150lbs of gain.

Thanks for input. I figure some of you guys especially corn country guys probably have done this

 

[fnfarms1]

You'll do fine on that shell corn with that high protein hay. You won't get them fat unless you're feeding a feedlot level ration, at your 7# a day you'll be in good shape.

Thanks

 

[BFE]

So local farmer has 80acres of corn planted 1/4mile from our house. My feed bin is empty being out of butcher steers right now. Planned to wean calves mid-Oct but we are so dry and burnt up, thinking about weaning in 10days or so. That being said will calves wean very well on straight whole corn and free choice hay or do they really need the soy pellets and mill? I feed out calves so I understand soy is your protein, corn helps fatten but the corn would be cheap since I hadn't planned to feed extra like this

I started supplementing today with Purina 40-20 pellets and an Accuration tub in addition to the shelled corn and pasture they are on. 1 pound of pellets to 4 pounds corn. The tub is for the smaller calves, make sure they get all the protein they need, and I'm sure it won't hurt the bigger calves. I'm holding until after the new year, hope to see some good results.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I started supplementing today with Purina 40-20 pellets and an Accuration tub in addition to the shelled corn and pasture they are on. 1 pound of pellets to 4 pounds corn. The tub is for the smaller calves, make sure they get all the protein they need, and I'm sure it won't hurt the bigger calves. I'm holding until after the new year, hope to see some good results.

Why 4020? Why not 36 OB 500?

 

[BFE]

Why 4020? Why not 36 OB 500?

The regional Purina man I talked with said to use either. I'm not really familiar with either, is there a reason you would use one or the other yourself?

 

[SBMF 2015]

The regional Purina man I talked with said to use either. I'm not really familiar with either, is there a reason you would use one or the other yourself?

The 40-20 we used to use was 40-20 RUM with rumensin. It was more of a confined feed lot setting.
Weaned calves and cattle on grass we used 36 OB 500. It's an all natural product with bovitec.
The 4020 uses urea.