Steer in need of fat?

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Annoth

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Aug 6, 2014
Messages
26
I need a good resource on how to estimate what a good fat coverage is like. Like with steaks & your arm, there's gotta be a trick to get it perfect. With most leg positions during training, his loin feels harder than it should but over his ribs, in his flank, and around his tail head it feels good. Most of the time though at prospects, the judges have only ever brushed the loin and down the very last rib if not just stared him down.

The show I'm going to has a video of their grand champion drive and all of them looked pretty decently jiggly. Since it's just the loin I believe I'm partially crazy after dealing with this boy but there's that voice of doubt that just says "no he's not fat enough". Should the rescources yall hopefully have, say to make him fatter, I'm thinking about modifying a footlocker box to be locked onto a fence and fill it so he can self feed. For every 20 lbs of Purina Finishing Touch, I'd add 8 lbs of cracked corn and top dress with 6 oz of Purina Heavyweight (I love Purina the most! No time to change!)

I've got some pics as well. Tell me what ya think. I absolutely love him! At auction we got a slightly discounted price (under $3500) because the only rival bidder got mixed up, didnt want him even! and was able to cancel his bids. The show pics are from this past mid December at his first show but the rest are much more recent being late January at the earliest. For size, in the show ring I am 5' 5'' & he WAS 915 ish with very little cover if my memory serves. Target weight no higher than 1275 so we can possibly wreck the middle weights.
 

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rrblack78

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Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
168
Type in stabilized rice bran into the search box at the top of the page. I will bring up the old threads about using it. I think it will help you.
 

SlickTxMaine

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Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
641
Location
Texas
Ditto on the Stabilized Rice Bran.  He definitely needs more cover.  When is your show?
 

Annoth

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Aug 6, 2014
Messages
26
Unfortuently in less than 20 days! March 19th is show day, we check in on the 16th :( He's on self feed in a way. I give him a full bucket of feed per feeding and have found about a pound left when I return so he's eating as much as he can stomach. Good find on the rice bran, we're going to the feed store tomorrow to switch out feed bags and will look for it. How much should I feed? He should be over 1200 by now, am weighing next week.
 

rrblack78

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Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
168
I would start him at 4oz in the morning, 4oz in the evening. Just put it on the feed like a top dress. Over about 3-4 days increase the amount until you are feeding 8oz twice a day. Normally you would introduce it more slowley but you don't have a lot of time. You might want to add some beet pulp or make sure he is on plenty of hay, it can make them loose. If gets too bad, back off on the amount of rice bran. It does work even on limited time. Our steer steer put on a much needed 64lbs in 19 days when we first started it. His gain leveled off the next week but he is still gaining about 2.5-3lbs a day.
 

Annoth

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Aug 6, 2014
Messages
26
Go figure the feed store is out for the month! No one expressed interest in it so they didnt order any last time and personal requests take 2 weeks

I have a gallon of Golden Flo and will be working up to 12 oz over the next few days. It's 90% fat so if this doesnt do it, I dont think the rice bran whould of either. If he goes off feed because he doesnt like it, it'll become my fat drench. I hope I havent screwed myself out of a nice ribbion! For some reason it just didnt register that show was so close and he wasnt fat enough until recently. Thanks for the input thus far!
 

SlickTxMaine

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Feb 11, 2009
Messages
641
Location
Texas
I usually get my SRB at Tractor Supply - if you have one close by.  Worth checking.
 

Annoth

Active member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
26
Yeah they had it online & at the nearest store (last time I went a few years ago I reliezed it wasnt a show animal place. Greenhand year, what can I say) but I'm actually really confident in this liquid. It made him bloat but to sum up my experience thus far: it's like paylean but for fat & cattle! He's already a bit squishier and this is only Day 3 or 4. I love it!
 

shortybreeder

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Feb 23, 2015
Messages
476
Sheep said:
He'd pass as a Stein
That would depend on how good the holstein steers are in your area... In our county we've had holsteins that could pass for beef steers (no joke, some people even try putting them in coolers (lol)), but when we go up to the state fair there are holstein steers that look like heifers.
 

Annoth

Active member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
26
Well I can garentee he aint no dairy boy. Full blown bred for beef as a Maine. This is HLSR we're talking about! Texas!  ;D You WILL know the difference between the dairy and the beef at a big show like this. I've actually never heard of holestiens being used like that. That's gotta be one of the funnier things I've heard about cattle lately  (lol)


EDIT: On a not so funny note, anyone using golden flo, be careful! My ag teacher today let me know his finish is good enough now so I am pulling it away from him. I've always figured it was the 90% fattner but after seeing it myself, I'm certain my push with it made him vomit. Around his pen are little spots where he's barfed before (if he ever eats grass, I've hand chopped it & his pen is nothing but mud right now. No chance of poison) He might of been doing a mouthful once or twice a day by the amounts. Situation is under control but.. ooo.. too scary for this close to show!
 
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