Thin cattle

[BRYANT]

I bought two cows this week that are very poor {and no they don't have Johnes the problem is what they have not had feed} there is lots of poor cattle coming through the sales now days.
1 is a short solid mouth cow ,around 8, with a 150 lb. calf and the other one is 5 yrs. and 8 months bred. They will have all the grass hay , range meal and mineral they want it stays out at all times but what else would you'll feed them to start putting weight on them
the cow is doing a pretty good job with the calf from what I can tell, I have them in a lot right now watching them they are kind of wild but by the 2nd day they were already waiting for me to give them some cubes. Would some sweet feed for a couple weeks help if so how much ???
as soon as this rain slacks and they get kind of settled in I will worm them and give them their shots.

As kind as I can say this I don't need people on here telling me how stupid I am for buying these kind of turn out cattle, this ain't my first time down this road. but thought someone on here may have some better ideas than me on how to make them start gaining weight before the grass starts coming on most of the time when we get grass they slick up and get fat and look like different cows.
Notice I said most of the time if they don't we ship them.

thanks

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I actually think you made a good move in purchasing them.

Other than plenty of feed, hay, minerals, and clean water I don't know what else they need. Green grass will certainly help when the weather turns.

 

[Cross-7]

That's the way I like them, cheap with lots of upside
Your location says Oklahoma and your statement about rain I'm guessing your in the eastern art of the state.
Can you can get whole cottonseed there ?
2-3# a day will really help

Edit
I just looked and it's raining in the NE part of the state too,

 

[M-5]

Sounds like u got a plan. Nothing wrong with buying them kind

 

[Williamsv]

My cousin buys cattle like that all the time and really does well with them. I think you were wise to buy them. With a good worm treatment, feed, and minerals and plenty of good grass in the spring , you will be surprised how fast they come out. Good luck.

 

[Tim/South]

Give them a pelleted feed or cubes. Then all the hay they will eat. The rumen will convert the protein into nitrogen and store it. The cows will crave roughage and eat more hay.
Clean water and minerals .
I would not turn them out just yet. Let them get their belly full and settle in. If they have to adjust to the pecking order of other cows, that will slow down their rate of gain.
We have a local who buys poor young cows, gets them straight and bred, then sells them as replacements. He is making more money in cattle right now than anyone I know.

 

[JMJ Farms]

That's the way I like them, cheap with lots of upside
Your location says Oklahoma and your statement about rain I'm guessing your in the eastern art of the state.
Can you can get whole cottonseed there ?
2-3# a day will really help

Edit
I just looked and it's raining in the NE part of the state too,

+1

 

[Nesikep]

Sounds like they just need good food, I wouldn't expect them to put on a whole lot of weight while milking, especially without good grass.

 

[bball]

Get them some corn for energy, CSM for protein. Maybe start them at 5lbs a day on the corn and work them up to 12-15 lbs each a day. Corn is cheap right now, so your timing on this purchase is pretty good. Maybe TB will offer his insight on this one.
Hope they make you some money.

 

[skyhightree1]

Bryant I like buying thin and cheap then fattening im not TB but what I do first is clean them up by soon as I get them worm the crap out of them and give immunizations feed good hay and I usually mix commodity pellets with cracked corn with sweet feed and mineral and cows get a 5 gallon bucket each a day calves I have gave the same but in a feeder that's full of it. They gain pretty well like that or atleast ones I got did. Congrats on the purchase. I have been feeding brewers grain too and now this month im trying corn meal pellets to see how some of my calves gain.

 

[bird dog]

They probably haven't had any minerals in a while. I would give them a shot of Mult-Min.

 

[coachg]

I might supplement the nursing cow with some extra feed but I would wait on feeding the bred cow till she calves. If you feed her you make the calf bigger and may have a calving issue. Wormer is the cheapest feed you can give them both. Sounds like you are on the right track and any groceries is more than they had !

 

[BRYANT]

The thin cows are doing good the red 5 year old was one wild girl she would run to back of the lot and act like she would fight, now she watches for me to come and is at the feed troth waiting for a hand out The black cow with the calf as calmed down also and doing ok but she is very poor she is eating good and calf looks slick and fat, I have been watching her because she has some matter in one of her eyes , looks kind of like maybe a cold ??? may have to give her a shot of something , but I hate to have to stir her up seem like she is getting used to me and they both are starting to trust me.
thank for all the advice

 

[branguscowgirl]

I would like to caution about hitting them with too much good food too fast. You need to work them up slowly or you can get a bloat, founder or acidosis. The only thing that I would give them free choice at this point is grass hay and mineral. Everything else, slowly work up to.
Sounds like you are on the right track though.

 

[BRYANT]

I would like to caution about hitting them with too much good food too fast. You need to work them up slowly or you can get a bloat, founder or acidosis. The only thing that I would give them free choice at this point is grass hay and mineral. Everything else, slowly work up to.
Sounds like you are on the right track though.

They are here at my house ,where they will stay till I am sure they are ok, then they will go to farm, As for amount of feed I give them small portions a couple times a day. It sure helps in calming wild cattle to take a few cubes in a bucket an pull down to corral and blow my horn and shake the bucket. They get 'pick-up horn and bucket broke real fast.

 

[greybeard]

yep, they'll be crawling in the truck with you as soon as you open the door if ya ain't careful. At least with older cows, you ain't got the worry of heifers and they probably already know what being momma is all about by now.

 

[BRYANT]

yep, they'll be crawling in the truck with you as soon as you open the door if ya ain't careful. At least with older cows, you ain't got the worry of heifers and they probably already know what being momma is all about by now.

I have bought several from sale barns that were pretty rank and MOST of them I can get settled down to where they are ok, but I have a good corral to hold them in while I work with them, I have a section in my corral that is around 8' tall that I can put them in and they ain't getting out ,I don't think they will anyways and if they do I always said just shoot them cause nothing will hold them. I did buy a nice heavy bred gray Brahman one time that I never could get calm down and had to sell her. I hauled her back to a sale and she would try to fight the semis as I passed them going down the hi way. I sold her and the next week she was back again that time the auctioneer recognized her and said were going to sale her slaughter. That stopped her fighting

 

[BRYANT]

One of my thin cows I don't know about ?? she eats, no scours, been wormed, grass hay and all the minerals and range meal she wants, small amount of grain most days when she sees me she goes to the lot for me to let her in so she can have a little grain. She is the SS mouth cow with a calf on her.
BUT she has started walking kind of like she is weak in her back hips ?? any ideas I hate to ship her she looks to have plenty of milk and calf looks fine

 

[bird dog]

If she is having trouble getting up, you need to ship asap. She sounds like she may be a downer cow in the making.

 

[Cross-7]

Depending on whether the calf is big enough to wean
If so I'd pull the calf off her and that should help her to fatten up before you sell her
If the calf is small you may have to help her some more so don't lose her
Unless of course it's johnes then that's a different deal