sweet feed

[tucows]

just got a couple of little calves(about 250-300lbs) and i am feeding them good pasture grass along with some oats. Now i am wondering if i can or should give them any sweet feed. been told a little wont hurt but i dont want to upset their system. this is my first attemp at raising calves.

 

[msscamp]

I personally would go with COB or Startena rather than sweet feed, but I'm not a big fan of sweet feed. The startena has pellets of milk replacer along with corn and either oats or barley (drawing a blank on which it is)

 

[jerry27150]

i'd just give them grass & ground or cracked corn

 

[Medic24]

Jimmy cracked corn and I dont care...cus my master's gone away.............what ever you feed them....watch yr bottom line :cboy:

 

[ctlbaron]

They will be alright on just grass, but I give mine a little something every day to keep them coming to the barn for a count and check for any problems.

 

[TheBullLady]

They would be "alright" on just grass, but it depends on what your plans for these calves are. If you're planning on feeding them out for beef or using them for replacements, you'll probably want to put them on a decent feed supplement program to get a good "end product".

 

[Ryan]

If you are worried about upsetting their stomachs you could start out by giving them just a little bit of grain and then gradually increasing it as they become more used to it and as they grow.

Ryan

 

[Susie David]

I agree with Medic...sweet feed can get expensive while cracked corn sells for $140 a ton up here. Good pasture and a grain treat (a few of pounds) in the evening should show noticable gain in a couple of weeks...just watch the grain it is easy to over feed and you'll end up with fat calves not healthy calves and could founder them.
Good luck

 

[milkmaid]

I've got a couple calves just over that size. Raised on my nurse cow, weaned and started graining them between 250 and 310lbs or so - they're all pushing 400lbs now. I try to grain mine at about 2% of their body weight, sometimes less, depends how much weight I'm trying to put on them. Mine don't always grow right on just grass at that age; tend to get a little potbellied.

I start 'em on free choice when I wean, but they generally don't eat much more than a pound or two per head per day. At that size and weight, that's about 1% of their body weight.

As to grain - I've been putting mine on a mix of Purina Growena, barley, corn, and cottonseed - they've been growing really well on that. Right now my grain bill runs about $3/hd/wk. Might be a touch less. Reasonable.

 

[Crowderfarms]

You could give em' a little Calf Starter feed, we use an 18% medicated, Shoud'nt upset them. It will help keep them tame and do them some good.Ours has cracked corn, oats,soybean meal, and a little Molasses.