What a surprise! Steer finishing ration Q

**Ross** · #1 02/27/09, 07:36 AM

I'm raising a holstein steer and a heifer that should be bred. I'm thinking she was a little small and thinking I shouldn't have introduced her to the handsome red angus bull down the road. Its been a while and the steer taped out at 750 lbs last spring the heifer was 680. He bulked up but then shot up to a respectable hieght 5 months ago.....but thin.

They were always on a good grain ration, but I bumped it up. OK I doubled it. 15 lbs of ground corn each and 18 lbs of 18 percent. I taped them again last night and the heifer is 1100 pounds and the steer has hit 1580lbs. Guess she'll be big enough for an angus calf. He is looking chunkier too but he's not where I want him. I cut the protein sup to a dairy ration 16%. Mostly so the heifer won't get too fat..... she is looking rounder and never got that thin look... so she is a little chubby.

Can't really seperate them, but I might be able to add some soy to the steers ration. I've never raised holsteins before is there a weight holstein steers finish well at? <-- I don't really like lean beef. Is 15 pounds of ground corn and 18 of 16% dairy ration a good approach?

**Ross** · #2 02/27/09, 07:37 AM

OH yeah they have free choice hay but its nothing special. Mix grass in a round bale probably over mature as last year was wet wet wet.

kscowboy · #3 02/27/09, 07:48 AM

you can butcher Godzilla now , Ha
Optimum from a cost , age , tenderness
15 months , 1150-1250 , will hang at 550-600

Holsteins never look quite right for butchering but they are really good

topside1 · #4 02/27/09, 07:52 AM

Cowboy is right, that weight is ideal. Get the old boy an appointment...Topside

topside1 · #5 02/27/09, 07:54 AM

To answer you other question. Steer seems well fed and I'm doubting whether feeding him more finishing grains is needed. I feed my freezer steers grain year round, never finish, never had a bad cut of beef...Load him up in my opinion...Topside

**Ross** · #6 02/27/09, 08:00 AM

He is about 15 months old now. Cost, well we stopped worrying about cost a while ago. I've seen fatter holsteins, truthfully he's the nicer animal of the two so hes no trouble. I have to get a picture or two up, so you can see what I mean

JKB07 · #7 02/27/09, 12:38 PM

Im with rest... have him butchered now... I wouldnt keep him around any longer just because he's no trouble... Sounds like you did a fine job in raising him up though!

Justin

Karin L · #8 03/01/09, 03:09 PM

Same as JK...I don't think we need a picture to tell if he's ready for the freezer! Matter of fact when I didn't take the other folk's opinions into account I thought that he was past the point of butchering, that you should've done it a while ago!

But, ditto on the feeding him up good part.

**Ross** · #9 03/01/09, 05:15 PM

Neighbor sez 24 months, we used to ship a simmintal bull calf for ourselves at 20-30 months. I sure don't expect simmintal gains or finishing weights. He's around for a bit yet. I gotta get a freezer ready........... they're full of chicken and lamb. Guess I need another freezer we are down to 5 and 4 of them are smaller ones.