Question About Grass Fed

[InvalidID]

I have a few Holstein bull calves on grass right now. They appear happy and healthy, eat fine, move around, normal poo and all that.
BUT, when I look at them from behind they look like goats. By that I mean they have these really wide mid-sections but narrow hips and shoulders. Side view looks pretty normal, it's just the view from the back.

Is this about right?

[Ed Norman]

They are a dairy breed, bred to put all their effort into making milk, not meat.

[lonelyfarmgirl]

They will be all frame until they hit three or three and a half years old. They are dairy. All bone, no meat.

[InvalidID]

Oh I know that they are not going to fill out like beefs, I was just wanting to make sure it was normal for them to be barrel chested is all.

[Ed Norman]

http://www.ansci.umn.edu/dairy/docum...iry_cattle.pdf

[genebo]

Are they barrel chested or big bellied? Being grass fed, they could have what is called "hay belly". It's no big deal. It just means they are getting a lot of bulky food to eat.

If it was spring, when the grass was tender and juicy, they would probably have a case of the runs. If they were on dry hay and eating that much, their manure piles would stand up like bee hives.

Check them in the morning, to see if their bellies are smaller than in the evening. That's a sign that it's hay belly.

If you're raising them for beef, that's a good thing.

[InvalidID]

I know they have hay belly. All the cattle here have hay belly, the grass here is really nice. Varies from a nice deep green to a tender lighter shade. They seem to favor the darker stuff. There is also some kind of vine grass (I'm new sorry) that they LOVE. They'll eat it down to the roots if I let them.

From the PDF ED posted I'd say they have deep chests alright. Maybe it's a good thing then.

Also, I did get a look at the sire and he's huge. Maybe they are growing out before up?

[Mare Owner]

Not knowing how old they are, they can and will grow in spurts too. Hips higher than shoulders, then more even a few months later, they go up and look thinner for awhile, then fill out again.

If you have an auction barn near you, go to the cattle sales and just watch. Once you see enough cows you'll get a feel for how yours are doing comparatively.

[InvalidID]

Originally Posted by Mare Owner

Not knowing how old they are, they can and will grow in spurts too. Hips higher than shoulders, then more even a few months later, they go up and look thinner for awhile, then fill out again.

If you have an auction barn near you, go to the cattle sales and just watch. Once you see enough cows you'll get a feel for how yours are doing comparatively.

I should have mentioned age, my bad. While I don't know exactly how old they are, I know they are all just under 3 months. They out weigh most of the calves of the same age I've seen around here by a good 50 lbs. I don't know if that's good for the bred, or as a dairy, but for my purposes I'm pretty happy.

[oregon woodsmok]

Have they been de-wormed?

Holsteins have really scrawny butts and back legs. Don't expect to see any rump or hams on a young Holstein.

[tinknal]

Totally normal for 3 month old bottle calves. Remember that if these were beef calves still on their mothers that they would still be drinking massive amounts of milk.

In a normal bottle feeding program calves are on a starvation diet until they hit about 6 months old. I would be feeding some grain. Whole oats is a good way to start.

[InvalidID]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Totally normal for 3 month old bottle calves. Remember that if these were beef calves still on their mothers that they would still be drinking massive amounts of milk.

In a normal bottle feeding program calves are on a starvation diet until they hit about 6 months old. I would be feeding some grain. Whole oats is a good way to start.

Yeah, I started them on wet grain while they were on the bottle then transitioned to grass only. It's my intent to avoid grains except to finish my freezer beef. The others will be on grass alone so long as is feasible.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by InvalidID

Yeah, I started them on wet grain while they were on the bottle then transitioned to grass only. It's my intent to avoid grains except to finish my freezer beef. The others will be on grass alone so long as is feasible.

You really are doing yourself a disservice by avoiding grain at this stage. A 3 month old calf was not designed by nature to live on grass alone. It was designed to be on milk. Of course this is impractical when you raise bottle calves so you give them the next best thing, grain.

[InvalidID]

Originally Posted by tinknal

You really are doing yourself a disservice by avoiding grain at this stage. A 3 month old calf was not designed by nature to live on grass alone. It was designed to be on milk. Of course this is impractical when you raise bottle calves so you give them the next best thing, grain.

Will the cost of the grain be made up for at auction? I was figuring being as they are Holsteins it wouldn't.
I know they come from big stock, and as I mentioned they are bigger than anything else in their age range, in my area. Or at least that I've noticed anyway. So I wasn't concerned yet. Food for thought I guess.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by InvalidID

Will the cost of the grain be made up for at auction? I was figuring being as they are Holsteins it wouldn't.
I know they come from big stock, and as I mentioned they are bigger than anything else in their age range, in my area. Or at least that I've noticed anyway. So I wasn't concerned yet. Food for thought I guess.

I haven't done the math but here is an interesting site. It depends on the price of oats, and the price of feeder calves.

If you can achieve a pound of gain for less than the price of the grain it only makes sense. If you plan to raise calves long term it only makes sense to find out if the dollars and cents work out. Can you separate the calves into 2 groups and do a cost-benefits analysis?