what to do?

[tracy]

i breed and show romagnola cross angus steers for hoof &hook shows but cant seem to get them fat enough would like to stay with the rommys but should i consider another cross or is there something i can try.? am breaking in 3 to get ready for may next year have won grand chapion on the hoof three years in a row but cant seem to get the hook award,any suggestions. :roll:

 

[Jovid]

You might try crossing with a Red Poll

 

[Australian Cattleman]

Try a South Devon they will add softness and scale to the cross. Romagnolas are good cattle to cross with. They do well with Brahmans too.

 

[Grand Chaser]

If you only need fat on them i can help you with that. i've got some tips on how to do it.

 

[tracy]

could you tell me or is it something you cant write ,please dont tell me it is rubbing fat between their ears like someone else told me!

 

[Grand Chaser]

No i have never heard of anyone rubbing fat between there ears. lol But we cooked corn for my one steer like lots of corn. not sure how much we gave him but we got a bag of whole corn boiled it drained it and fed it to him. we did like 1/2 a bag a day but froze it and deforsted it the next morning. it put fat on him and it was even fat too. but it gave him the runs.

 

[tracy]

thanks for the corn idea might give it a miss because my paddock where i fatten my steers is on the southern side of our house and we get a lot of southerly wind and im not shore the smell will be all that good but thanks anyway :roll:

 

[Colorado2008]

Have you tried lamb milk replacer? Despite it is a little expensive (at least here in the States) it puts the fat on like no other. Cooked corn is good too but it can really burn them up if you are not careful with it.

Hoped this helps......at least a little ;-)

 

[Keren]

What are the age limits for the shows you will be going to? Maybe you could take them at a slightly older age. Bear in mind they are not a breed that is prone to fattening easily at an early age. That being said, I know there are some limousins that easily fatten as well as british bred steers at 12 months. Perhaps you could find some genetics in the rommy breed which are more easily fattened.

Quite a few years ago, our bunch of school steers were all looking like they weren't going to make the fat specs. We mixed rice pollard (sp?) into the grain. Worked really well, but you have to be careful with it because I think it can make them really crook if you feed too much. Sorry I don't know much more than that about using this stuff.

Btw, I just :heart: the markings on those rommies!

 

[Keren]

Also, I find it really helpful to have them scanned two or three times before the show if you are able to do this. It gives you an idea of how they are going and what you need to do to get them to market specs for the show.