what should i do with this steer?!?

[beezus2141]

hey ya'll, i got an issue. i got this steer when he was a baby, the momma got struck by lightning, and i bottle fed em. i was gonna use him for 4H for a steer, but he has that bottle fed look.. round.
i have been told by my ag advisor that he won't fill out for a steer and that i should get him up to about 700 pounds and sell him after the first of the year.
i just hate to give up on ol petey, so if you guys have any suggestions please give em away!
thx-DeAnna

 

[Muratic]

Bottle calves will grow out of the "bottle baby" look. Put the grain to him and make sure he has access to lots of hay and he will come out of it in time.

 

[SKF Show Cattle]

How old is he? Is he on grain? One of best and biggest cows we have was a bottle baby and you would never know looking at her. You steer calf should be just fine. Good Luck

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

I would take him to the sale barn or put him in the freezer. It usually takes bottle calves too long to recover from that look.

 

[chambero]

As competetive as almost all shows from the county level on up are, to have a chance at winning almost everything has to go right for a calf. There are lots of good ones being produced. So, if you want to use your bottle calf for a show calf then you need to have appropriate expectations.

Can your calf have a chance to win champion - most likely not. Can he make a sale at a county show - maybe. At a state level show - probably not.

 

[beezus2141]

i got him on creep feed and sweet feed right now. he is about 450-475 pounds i would say. he's a hereford, my boyfriend always says that herefords are horrible show calves, i dunno anything about all that. he's a big baby and broke to lead. he's out in a pasture and gets 2 coffee cans of that mix in the mornin. anything else i could do?

 

[*Cowgirl*]

How much is 2 coffee cans? A show steer needs good quality show feed and LOTS of it. There is nothing with herefords. sometimes they'll get docked for color. depends on the judge. How old is he?

 

[AAOK]

Bottle calves will grow out of the "bottle baby" look. Put the grain to him and make sure he has access to lots of hay and he will come out of it in time.

How much is 2 coffee cans? A show steer needs good quality show feed and LOTS of it. There is nothing with herefords. sometimes they'll get docked for color. depends on the judge. How old is he?

This is all true, but first you need to decide if he is structurally anything like a show calf. Does he exhibit the correct muscle pattern, is he heavier boned than average, is he square at the hip, does he have a strong, level topline, are his legs straight enough, is he clean through the brisket and dewlap, etc.?

If you decide he could be show material, you DO need to get him on a branded Show Feed plus a quality mineral, along with good hay. Show Steers are fed by weight, not scoops or cans. He will need to be fed at least twice a day. Do NOT leave feed out in a trough for him to eat whenever he wants. He will need to be slowly brought up to about 20 lbs. of Show feed per day, by the time he is 7 months of age (I'm guessing he may be already beyond that). He will need to be pushed on feed pretty hard for 3 or 4 months to get the needed growth and muscle development. Being out is a pasture is OK. He will need room to exercise.

You need to begin rinsing, conditioning hair, and brushing his body hair and leg hair forward. Use a Rice Root brush, and lots of elbow grease.

 

[rancherswife]

AAOK,
I have a been reading posts on how to feed show steers and yours always seem to make the most sense. My Grandson is raising 2 steers for our county fair in May. They are up around 700 and 750. I know everyone feeds different and there are some people who don't want to give away their secrets but can I tell you what we feed and you tell me if there is anything else we should be doing? It's been quite a few years since we have fed show steers and things have changed alot. I just want my Grandson to be doing everything he can to raise his steers right. They are way different then feeding our Longhorns :lol: :lol:
They are both getting 16 pounds of Acco showmaster a day and showbloom. They get their grain, then some hay. We have to grain them first or they eat the hay not the grain. I think he said he's going to try to up the grain a little bit this weekend.
A couple of people have told him to not give them hay at all but I have a problem with that so I asked him to not take it away until I asked on here to see what all of you said.
I appreciate any advice you have to help him raise his steers right.
I welcome all of you to let me know what you think :lol: There is sooo much knowledge on this board and I really need everyones help.
Our county fair is very..Political if ya know what I mean and it is hard to get any answers from anyone. I don't know why, it's a big secret as to what they feed. I just want to help my Grandson do the best he can with his steers.
Thanks in advance and Have a good day everybody!!

 

[Colorado2008]

Im no expert on feeding. In fact i know that there are a few things that i need to get better at. We never completley take away hay though. Most grains anymore say that they are a 'complete' feed and there is no need to feed hay. I disagree. They always need something rough. When show season comes around we put a lot of stress on them and the hay helps them to not bloat.

 

[AAOK]

AAOK,
I have a been reading posts on how to feed show steers and yours always seem to make the most sense. My Grandson is raising 2 steers for our county fair in May. They are up around 700 and 750. I know everyone feeds different and there are some people who don't want to give away their secrets but can I tell you what we feed and you tell me if there is anything else we should be doing? It's been quite a few years since we have fed show steers and things have changed alot. I just want my Grandson to be doing everything he can to raise his steers right. They are way different then feeding our Longhorns :lol: :lol:
They are both getting 16 pounds of Acco showmaster a day and showbloom. They get their grain, then some hay. We have to grain them first or they eat the hay not the grain. I think he said he's going to try to up the grain a little bit this weekend.
A couple of people have told him to not give them hay at all but I have a problem with that so I asked him to not take it away until I asked on here to see what all of you said.
I appreciate any advice you have to help him raise his steers right.
I welcome all of you to let me know what you think :lol: There is sooo much knowledge on this board and I really need everyones help.
Our county fair is very..Political if ya know what I mean and it is hard to get any answers from anyone. I don't know why, it's a big secret as to what they feed. I just want to help my Grandson do the best he can with his steers.
Thanks in advance and Have a good day everybody!!

Gee, I think I may be blushing.

About those political County Fairs; the first piece of advice I like to offer is.......if you are going to show calves, get far, far away from the county fair. Go to the District, State, or better yet, the National Shows. A couple of National Shows, and you will know more than you will learn in ten years of county shows. I'll visit with you about feed in the PM with a PM.

 

[chambero]

In general, show steers should eat 2.5 to 3% of their body weight per day (divided over two feedings). Weigh them regularly and ajust up or down so that you are headed toward your target weight - which should be about 100 lbs above the weight you intend to show at.

If you used to feed show steers ten or twenty years ago, you generally have to get cattle fatter now than you used to. The extra fat is not so much for the final product, but it is now common to implant calves and feed optaflexx to build muscle during the last couple of months before their terminal show. Both implants and optaflexx take away an animals capacity to get fat and turn it toward building extra muscle.

Because you are trying to get them fatter, you have to push them harder at a younger age with higher fat feeds. This can easily cause a calf's digestive system to upset. Which is where hay comes in. We have always fed a small amount (a block or flake - whatever you choose to call it) of prairie hay (or low quality coastral) at night only after they are turned out of their pens. You don't want nutrients for the hay, just the extra fiber to keep their ruman working. I strongly recommend feeding just a little bit of hay. Too much and they won't eat enough feed. Feed none and you are asking for trouble (unless they have access to plenty of grass at night).

There are dozens of supplements out there now. Most of which I wouldn't waste my money on. I do feed Showbloom all year + some type of fat supplement shortly after switching to a finishing ration.

There are lots of tricks I probably don't know about feeding a steer. But this puts you in the ballpark.

 

[rancherswife]

Thanks for the replys :lol: It looks like my Grandson is on track by upping the grain this weekend. If my math is right
You reminded me about the implants. I meant to ask about them earlier and forgot to. What do you all think about them?
We have never used them, but like you said back in old days they really weren't needed. This is a whole new ballgame for me!! I have so much new stuff to learn. The first time I saw the steers at the fair standing on an incline I was floored. What the heck is that all about?? We will probably never get them fitted right
He does plan on going to some other shows. My daughter got him into the CJLA I think it is? I just pull the trailer!!!
The problem with the county fair is we are the farthest club away from it so we have always been the stepchildren!! :lol:
Most of the steers come from the same breeder and if you don't buy from them you are on the outside. I can't afford to pay their prices. I spent a pretty penny on the 2 we bought and had to drive almost to Oregon to get them. I just want them to be the best that they can be.
Sooo....thanks again for the help!

 

[aplusmnt]

On the Hay issue we have did it both ways. In past I would give a couple flakes of lower quality hay (prairie) a day.

But last year we started giving them access to hay free choice. We usually run some heifers and steer together. I did not notice much difference in the calves eating of the grain with free choice or flake a day.

I know some feeds advertise a complete feed, but to me I think a calf needs more roughage than just what is in the feed, to keep the ruminant working properly.

As far as feed goes I know Dan PM'd you. So just follow his advice. He helped us set up a ration and we have had good success with it. His ration and advice led us to Grand Market Steer last year at our county fair.

 

[chambero]

The implants are pretty necessary to compete at the state level in Texas. Talk to your vet if you'd like about them, but we use Revalor S about 60 days before terminal show.

We've always stood cattle on inclines if possible. I don't know how much it really helps, but theoretically it helps build a little more stifle muscle and makes them stand a little wider since more of their weight is put on their back legs.

There's always more than one place to buy calves. I know more and more breeders out there. I don't know him personally, but there is a guy names James Bright from Le Grande, CA that buys and consigns a lot of good club calf bulls at one of the sales in OK we frequent. Like I said, I don't know a thing about him other than I've seen some good bull calves he sends back our way.

 

[Jovid]

On the Hay issue we have did it both ways. In past I would give a couple flakes of lower quality hay (prairie) a day.

But last year we started giving them access to hay free choice. We usually run some heifers and steer together. I did not notice much difference in the calves eating of the grain with free choice or flake a day.

I know some feeds advertise a complete feed, but to me I think a calf needs more roughage than just what is in the feed, to keep the ruminant working properly.

As far as feed goes I know Dan PM'd you. So just follow his advice. He helped us set up a ration and we have had good success with it. His ration and advice led us to Grand Market Steer last year at our county fair.

Could have been the Coop you bought your feed from

 

[aplusmnt]

On the Hay issue we have did it both ways. In past I would give a couple flakes of lower quality hay (prairie) a day.

But last year we started giving them access to hay free choice. We usually run some heifers and steer together. I did not notice much difference in the calves eating of the grain with free choice or flake a day.

I know some feeds advertise a complete feed, but to me I think a calf needs more roughage than just what is in the feed, to keep the ruminant working properly.

As far as feed goes I know Dan PM'd you. So just follow his advice. He helped us set up a ration and we have had good success with it. His ration and advice led us to Grand Market Steer last year at our county fair.

Could have been the Coop you bought your feed from

Yea they do a pretty good consistent job with it.

 

[cattleluvr18]

ok for one---there is absolutely nothing wrong with a hereford!! but bak to the topic---i had a hereford steer for a bucket calf in 4-h and he did get grand champ but being bucket fed insted of by his mama he didnt fill out completely. he has no butt at all and just wouldnt be show quality. yeah sense u bottle fed him oviously hes already very calm but that doesnt make him show quality. but if he did happen to fill out go ahead and show him!