First Steer - A Few Questions

[Safado]

Questions:
1. What kind of grain should I use to feed him?
2. What percentage of grain to hay should I count on to finish a steer
3. How should I go about feeding him?

Longer post:

I posted an ad the other day to sell some of our extra rams. I got a response asking if I would be willing to sell some of my ewes. I told her I've been interested in getting a steer, but wasn't sure if now was the time. She is from a cattle ranch, and just happened to have a steer she would like to trade.

So I am now down to 2 little rams, and a BIG steer. It will get cold enough to butcher him in the first or second week of November.

So I am deciding how much I need to feed him, and what I should buy.

She said he weighs 1,340 LBS (gave me the in and out weights of the truck), and hasn't been on much grain at all, mostly grass and alfalfa.

I called the local grain mill, and they recommended their "dairy" blend (18% protien) at nearly $22 per hundred. I don't recall what their "oat/corn mix with or without molasses" costs, but it was cheaper, and seemed to me the better way to go since I just want him to put on some fat, right?

I can buy bales of pretty good hay for 170 per ton, or great alfalfa cubes for 225 per ton.

Assuming he is going to eat 2.5% of his weight, and he'll convert 1 lbs for every 15 Lbs of food, I'll need about 1,600 Lbs of food, and he'll gain about 100 Lbs in the 45 days. How much of that 1,600 Lbs should be hay, and how much should be grain?

I understand that graining an animal too quickly can be bad for their system. how should I start adding grain to his diet? Should he always have hay available free choice? Do I need to feed him the grain throughout the day (split the daily total into 2-4 feedings throughout the day)?

Am I forgetting anything?

[Safado]

I called the feed mill today and the dairy mix is $21.50 and the COB is $21.00. I decided to go with the dairy mix. I will be picking up 500 Lbs of it today. I'll be filling a few garbage cans and old feed sacks, so 500 Lbs is about my limit. We'll buy more as we go through it and have a better idea of how much we'll need total.

Also, the dairy ration is 14% not the 18% that I thought earlier.

[G. Seddon]

I'm not certain how to answer you. That steer looks quite hefty to me. How old is he?

[myersfarm]

all I see is a hay belly.. ..do not see much meat covering his shoulders or hips ..for one getting ready to be slaughter in 5 weeks...wish I could help with what he needs ...but in that time frame you could only get 50 to 60 pounds on him..so what ever you spend on feed will cost bunches per pound of gain....

[Liberty's Ledge]

I am with G.... This steer is a biggen already. I think by some standards he would be considered obese. I wouldn't worry so much about which grain you put him on at this point. I do recommend you short chain him if you only have a month left before you send him to the butcher, otherwise he might be tough as an old boiled owl. I put mine on free choice hay and ration the grain to a portion in the morning and one at night. I really wouldn't push the grain to him to make him gain more weight at this point unless of course you want to pay for fat at the butcher. I like my cuts on the leaner side and just keep a consistent about of grain going in. I fed 6-8 pounds a day, with good quality hay, of an 18% grain and ended up with a fine piece of meat.

But you don't have to take my word for it.

I just went back and read the question again. I would gradually add grain over the first week. Start with a pound in the morning and at night. Increase incrimentally until you get to about 6-8 a day. You won't be disappointed. I would get him on a good routine and on a short chain and keep him for about 8 weeks before I'd send him, minmum. That way you know what went into finishing him. 700 lbs of tough grissley meat is a big disappointment when you could just hold him for a bit and have an awesome critter.

[Beef11]

The steer does have a hay belly but also has a decent amount of meat on him. He is far from obese. He needs added condition you don't need to think only in terms of added meat when feeding the steer but also think in terms of improving eating quality. Start him on about ten pounds of feed then gradually work him up to twenty and hold him there. Ideally this would have been done when he was about a thousand pounds instead of thirteen and change. Did you get the feed from Cache Commodities? IFA? or someone else?

[Liberty's Ledge]

So to my narrowly educated eye in the first photo the sterr looks like his head is attached directly to his shoulder with no definition. And the second photo, probably a shadow effect, his ass end looks like a honkey tonk badonkadonk. If Myers farm and Beef11 aka ------ say this critter's not fat then they are, and without doubt, correct. They both have more expertese than I and should be listened too. I can only speak to my own experience which is limited.

Beef11, what are you doing prior to the 1000 lbs mark?

[Safado]

Thanks for all the info!

Originally Posted by G. Seddon

I'm not certain how to answer you. That steer looks quite hefty to me. How old is he?

Born on 04/02/2010, so he is 17 months old.

A little more time would probably be better for us as far as temperature goes. pushing things out another month to December wouldn't be too bad. I am looking forward to not having large animals in the dead of winter, so for purely selfish reasons I'd want to have him gone by the first week or so of Dec.

Hay belly - I assume that is what it sounds like. I was wondering if he was too "pot bellied." Is it anything to worry about health wise?

Short chain - again, I assume this is what it sounds like. Should I just halter him to a post? How short is too short? I have a little pen (10X50) Could I just keep him enclosed there, or is the purpose to have him walk as little as possible?

I was debating the Cache commodities COB, but it has gone to $13+ for 50 LBS. Leland Milling is where I have priced it out (if you are familiar). I haven't bought the feed yet, so if you have a recommendation I'd appreciate it.

[Liberty's Ledge]

When I say "Short Chain" I mean that I dairy stall mine for at least the last 8 weeks. 4 foot wide area that he is chained in like a milk cow. The more you let em walk during the last few weeks 1) the harder it is to keep weight on them and 2) the generally tougher the meat is. I am sure that Beef11 and Myersfarm would agree, but I could be completely wrong there too.

[Liberty's Ledge]

Boy the feed price is all over the graph isn't it? I buy from 4 different places depending on which animal I am feeding and I coouldn't tell you what the price might possibly be at any one of the places a week from now. I wish I had enough land to grow a grain crop to offswet the cost and at least know what that batch of grain was going to cost.

[G. Seddon]

Something disturbing about the look of this animal. You might want to read this thread from the Cattle Today boards:

http://www.cattletoday.com/forum/vie...+belly#p857500

If you opt to deworm the steer, watch your withdrawal times (45 days I think if you use Dectomax Pour-on) but you'd best check this.

[oregon woodsmok]

I'd check the withdrawal times and give him a big strong dose of wormer. He looks wormy to me. Although could just be the angle of the camera.

1300 pounds is HUGE for 17 months. I wonder if you were told the correct age.

I've never finished one with just a month of ownership, but I'd introduce that grain gradually to get him used to it. You don't want to lose him to bloat.

I think he looks really nice. He could come to dinner at my house.

[Beef11]

I hate to disagree but i find the short chain idea a little on the more work than it's worth side. Judging by the picture he is on pasture and i would leave him on it and supplement with grain. Also you being in riverton would lead me to believe that he isn't having to travel a long way to water so the added travel is very minimal. The grain will clean up the hay belly and its not a big issue anyway as he is going to be a freezer steer anyway.

As far as what i do before a thousand pounds. The eat grass on lush pastures until 800-1000 lbs then get grain added to their ration to finish them.

[myersfarm]

1300 pounds is HUGE for 17 months. I wonder if you were told the correct age.

me also or the correct weight..he just does not look that big to me either.....

OK here is how I figure it....1300 now minus birth weight thats 1200 pounds at 17 months thats 510 days to get dayly weight gain divide and that equals......2.35 pounds a day...thats a lot on mostly grass and alfalfa...thats every day of his life...way to much from 100 pounds to 1300..
. my feed lot program says the average feeding ...for a 700 to 900 lbs is 3% of body weight most is 30 pounds of feed at 17 % protien. and that steer will only gain 2.5 to 2.9 during that weight change see why I say something is not right him gaining that mush just on mostly grass and alfalfa

If you wait till end of December you will have a whole lot better beef...with on feed 90 days will make a big difference in the WAY HE LOOKS....he might lose some of that hay belly he might even lose some weight but the meat will be better...trading hay belly for beef...

[G. Seddon]

safado, your current post is not consistent with what you posted before. Perhaps your circumstances have changed.

How Loud are Calves?

[Beef11]

1300 isn't really all that big for seventeen months. It is very doable depending on genetics and feed.

[myersfarm]

1300 pounds on grass is big FOR 17 MONTHS...I agree not on FEED

[MARYDVM]

Is he a Brangus? You can get that no neck, high butt, dipping topline when you cross in Brahma. They do get big though.

[Safado]

Originally Posted by G. Seddon

safado, your current post is not consistent with what you posted before. Perhaps your circumstances have changed.

How Loud are Calves?

It certainly isn't what we expected. I posted my yearly rams for sale and the owner of this steer asked if we would be willing to sell the ewes. When I told her we weren't really interested in selling the ewes, but had thought about a steer, she said they would trade a steer, which they had been raising for slaughter, for the ewes.

At the time she estimated that he weighed 1,000 Lbs. When they brought him to make the trade she showed me the in and out weights of the truck, and the difference was indeed 1,340 Lbs. It is entirely possible that they lied about the age, and even about what was in the trailer when they had it weighed a little earlier, but they didn't seem like the type, and didn't have much to gain by either lie.

The info I have from her is that it was born on 04/02/2010, that he is an "Angus," that he has been on "a little bit of grain, but mostly grass and alfalfa," and that they had originally estimated that he weighed 1,000 Lbs, but that the scales showed him to weigh 1340.

[Safado]

Originally Posted by myersfarm

me also or the correct weight..he just does not look that big to me either.....

I wonder if they accidentally were on the trailer when they took the "out" weight. 2 people could certainly increase it by that much. I guess for me the worry about it is just estimating the correct amount of feed. They have nothing to gain by it other than "look what a great deal you got on this steer."

My Brother In-Law judges steers in his county fair, and will be visiting us on Friday. He should be able to give us a few pointers when he sees him in person, and will probably be able to tell us if the weight is vastly different.