Why all the fancy feed?

[Tod Dague]

I have not shown any cattle. My oldest dtr. is already showing interest in showing when she is old enough. We are wanting to start learning now so we will be better prepared when the time comes.

Anyway, I am feeding my bulls and feeder steers up on shell corn, cotton meal, lime stone and free choice hay. According to the OSU cattle ration calculator it is a well balanced complete feed and they are gaining about 3.5 lbs/day.

What do the show mixes do that makes them special?

 

[CPL]

I have not shown any cattle. My oldest dtr. is already showing interest in showing when she is old enough. We are wanting to start learning now so we will be better prepared when the time comes.

Anyway, I am feeding my bulls and feeder steers up on shell corn, cotton meal, lime stone and free choice hay. According to the OSU cattle ration calculator it is a well balanced complete feed and they are gaining about 3.5 lbs/day.

What do the show mixes do that makes them special?

I think most put on more fat cover. You will have to find what works for you. Someone else could probably give you more detail as to what each and every ingredient does, but some of these supplements have "stuff" in them to grow hair, make hair do this do that. With some of this show stuff you could really go bankrupted. You will what to find out what is going to work for you. But when most people feed for show animals they are wanting them overly fat with lots of hair that will put on a good show for the first year or two of the calfs life. Sometimes that lifestyle isn't the best of a calf to then turn into a momma.

 

[Avalon]

I agree with CPL. Most show feeds are well balanced. The main difference is that what you are feeding your bulls more of a finishing ration. When we feed show heifers we feed a grower ration that has less fat in it. I prefer even a show heifer to have longevity. I want a little fat on her but not "cover". If Iam right a grower ration will have less fat or energy grains. We think we are smart at times and begin to use additives for hair coat and other such things. We will add beet pulp if we think they need more gut. Add a little soy bean meal for more protein. Gotta admit you can go broke following the fads. But there are things that you may want to add occasisonally. The best overall thing to do is feed them a grower ration with the right mineral blocks and plenty of hay.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Most showfeeds are also medicated.

 

[AAOK]

There are two things having to do with Show Cattle that few people ever master: Selection and Feeding

Both require a greatly different approach from just raising calves to sell at the local Sale Barn.

Selection is not that hard to grasp, but will present a tremendous cost if winning is your goal. Through selective breeding you can reduce the cost per show calf, but your total investment will likely soar.

Feeding Show Cattle is both a science and an art. Even many a nutritionist has fallen into the pit of mediocrity in their attempt to properly feed a show calf. Everything you see, hear, and read concerning "how to feed a Show Calf" has a bit of truth and validity to it. Even more so is urban legend.

I have a ration of corn, cottonseed hulls, oats, soybean meal, and molasses we have used for more than 10 years to fit Show Heifers. Most would say it is a Steer ration, which will not provide enough growth for a heifer, and will get a Heifer too fat. In certain calves, this would be correct. For 99% of our calves, it is perfect. (BTW:The thought that an overly fat show heifer can never become a quality productive cow is also a myth) It is, however, a fact that a Show Heifer must be a little too fat in order to win most shows today.

Every Show Calf will need need a custom Feed Program, designed for that calf. This does not mean one has to continually be changing rations, or adding high priced supplements. It does mean you can't just dump out a show ration into a trough for 2 or 3 calves and expect them all to perform to their potential. You may get lucky and have one make the grade. And, maybe not!

Mineral: Essential (optimum consuption of a QUALITY loose mineral at each feeding)
Mineral Blocks: A waste of money = more harm than good

Once you figure out your Feed Program, consistency is the key. Don't think for a minute you need to try each "miracle cure of the day". Concistency, concistency, consistency!!

Confuesed? You're not alone. Feeding, (The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly) most often will separate the the top few calves in each class from the rest of the pack.

 

[SHOWMOM]

We feed a 12-4-12 feed, it contains corn, oats, cottonseed hulls, soybean oil, yeast, vit a,e,d, minerals, molasses and i think that's it. We had real good luck with this feed for steers and heifers, our bulls we have a different feed mixed. The last two steers we have shown have hung 936 and 930 so we are well pleased. Plus they mix it here at our local feed mill you get it fresh and it's only 13.90 a hundred.

 

[Tod Dague]

Sorry I've been away a few days.

I guess what I'm getting at is it primarily about TDN and protein or is it truly something else? If the typical grower ration is 12% protein and 70% TDN could I use my basic ingredients (corn, cotton meal, lime stone, and hay) to produce a 12% protein and 70% TDN and get the same results?

Excluding the meds that are added, is there something that the other feeds (oats, molasses, cotton hulls, fat, beat pulp) do that makes a difference?

Is it the meds that make a difference?

What are they adding to improve hair growth?

 

[Heiferguy]

most of the feeds will have oats, corn, and cotten seed hulls, in them, some of the feeds have tasco, or dried seaweed to lower the calves body temp. and that equals more hair growth. some will have showboom in them also.

Sorry I've been away a few days.

I guess what I'm getting at is it primarily about TDN and protein or is it truly something else? If the typical grower ration is 12% protein and 70% TDN could I use my basic ingredients (corn, cotton meal, lime stone, and hay) to produce a 12% protein and 70% TDN and get the same results?

Excluding the meds that are added, is there something that the other feeds (oats, molasses, cotton hulls, fat, beat pulp) do that makes a difference?

Is it the meds that make a difference?

What are they adding to improve hair growth?

 

[Keren]

We keep it really simple. I know you guys are a lot more hard core than we are here, we dont go to all the hassel you do and our cattle turn out fine.

For steers we grow them out on 15% protein heifer developer pellets. I think you guys tend to start your cattle younger than we do, so you might consider a calf pellet with 18% protein. When they are closer to slaughter date they get put onto steer finisher pellets. This is given ad lib and supplemented with ad lib oaten hay.

For heifers, cows and bulls depending on the animal I give them a combination of 15% heifer developer pellets, oaten chaff, and flaked barley. For ones that need to do a lot of growing, they get lots of pellets. For ones that need a bit more fat, they get more barley. For ones that are pretty right and getting a bit too fat they get mainly chaff.

I also add a good quality horse grain mix, to improve the hair coat.

The main thing is not what you feed its how you feed. If you get the basics of what right, then you need to concentrate on feeding them individually so each animal gets enough to eat, and regularly (2 - 3 times a day). I usually restrict grain intake for breeding stock but give them ad lib oaten, wheaten or a stalky lucerne hay.

 

[Cowboy 2.0]

Showbloom is a great additive. Helps add hair and increases their appetite.

 

[rk]

"Basic" rations that are formulated to crude protein, TDN, fiber, Ca, etc. will do okay in alot of situations, maybe even great on occasion. However, there are a lot of things that can be put into a formula that can make quite a bit of difference. Consider that if a calf gets sick, even for a short time, that is lost performance. The right type and balance of trace minerals, vitamins, and amino acids will boost immune response, lessening that chance of cattle getting sick. It can even improve the efficacy of vaccinations. Amino acids and bypass proteins can enhance performance and muscle tissue formation.
A ration that is properly balanced can help maintain a healthy rumen and avoid digestive upsets, even at a very high performance level, as opposed to a ration that can cause problems (burnout for instance) and result in lowered/lost performance.

 

[ollie?]

ve fed a calf or two Tod. I don't feed anything fancy. My calves didn't realize they needed pixy dust in their feed. I've seen more than one champion fed strait oats or oats and corn or barley. AAOK is correct in the fact that every calf is different but only in the fact some need to carry more fat, some less. Some have a good apatite and some you have to hunt for different things to make them consume. The best feeders start early and are consistent and know how much condition it'll take to win a certain show and plan for that end on each calf. The biggest mistake I see made repeatedly is starting to put condition on too late. It tends to put on watery type fat and the stress of the road and show takes that bloom off pretty quick.

 

[TheBullLady]

I think Ollie's made a great point! I see a lot of youngsters especially that start feeding their calves too late. Our best "doers" are started out on a creep feeder from a couple of weeks and graduate to a grower type feed. The hardest thing I've found in feeding show calves is they don't always eat consistently. I've had calves that would eat 3 lbs one day, and 10 the next!