Weights of my Ayrshire steers ??? Up North or somebody else ?

[Middle River]

Ok, so i thought these boys seemed small to me, i used this site http://www.ruralheritage.com/ox_paddock/ox_weight.htm to put in my measurements to get a weight on them.

One is only 444 lbs, the other is 449 lbs according to that. These two are over a year old, i belive Up North said they were born 5/8/07. They were on goats milk/calf replacer mix and calf stater as calves till weaned, then over winter had a small amount of grain and hay. This spring we upped their grain for a while, but then money got tight and our small pasture had enough grass, so we took them off grain ( well they still get a small amount - mostly a treat ) and put them on grass - once the grass is gone they will be back on grain and hay.

my question is, are these two way smaller then they should be ? I really need them up to butcher weight sometime in Oct.-Dec. - the sooner the better - and i feel like that just won't happen now

Any idea how i could get them there ? They were wormed in March - should i worm them again ? I have ivermectin injectible. Anything i should do differently for feeding and then finishing them ? Money is tight, but we need the beef reguardless, so i may be able to figure out a way to grain them more - how much would they need ?

Thanks !

[Up North]

The good news is that they have reached the size where they have enough stomach capacity to process larger amounts of forage( be that grass or hay) and start to gain weight at a respectable rate. Taking dairy breed calves from weaned off milk to the 450 pound size is challenging, as they require high quality feed during that phase. They do not have the advantage that a beef calf on it's momma would.
From what I hear, your area had an unusually long and cold winter,and this may have slowed gains some as more of their feed goes to maintanance and survival under those conditions.
Over the next 60 days some form of insect control would make a difference in their gain rates. They don't eat much if it is hot and humid and they are standing there stomping fighting flies.
If they have all the grass or hay they can eat, I would think a modest amount of 3 pounds of grain/head/day and free choice minerals and salt would help you reach your goals for them. Good Luck.

[Middle River]

So they aren't puny ? It is an ok small size ? Any hope of them being butcher size by this fall ? Should i worm them again with ivermectin ?

We DID have a very long cold winter, it's still cold up here in fact - like 50 today, we have had just a few warm days of around 70. Our winter was awful though, very cold. They also didn't have a barn, just a run in shed.

What kind of fly control would you reccomend ? I have fly spray for the horses, but that doesn't always work well, though i've tried many, and now have a new one to try out too.

Any idea about how many pounds of grain is in a coffe can ?

Thanks !

[Up North]

My understanding is that Ayrshire breeders aspire to a goal of 650 pounds by 13-14 months as an acceptable breeding size for heifers. So your guys are a little behind, but I expect they will come around and be butchering weight by fall - early winter.
Lots of options on fly control. Some folks put in fly eartags. Some use backrubber ropes soaked regularly with a mixture of diesel fuel and fly spray.
The best and cheapest fly control is what the old timers did for their work horses. They would hang an old tarp over the entrance/exit of a run in shed or shelter, and cover all the windows making it totally dark inside the shed. The horses or cattle would hang out in the shed during the hours of day where insect load was highest, then go out and graze in the early morning hours and again in the evening.
A 3 pound coffee can will hold 3 pounds of grain mix, more or less.