Steer Planet - Show Steers and Club Calves Forum

I was wondering how all of you get your calves to to going to the creep feeder and eating out of it.  What are some of your tricks or tips that everyone can share to get calves on feed quicker?   Also was wondering how soon do you start put feed in the creep feeder for the calves? how much feed would you start out with.. I dont want it to go bad.  I have four calves right now and 2 more on the way with in the next 2 weeks.   Thanks for all suggestions and tips or tricks in advance.

If your calves are at least a couple weeks old just put the feeder near where the cows loaf (near water, hay, etc).  Put a couple handfuls of your preferred show feed in the trough.  Now for the hard part:  don't watch and wait - it will drive you nuts.  They will eventually wander into the creep feeder, and when they do they will find the grain.  If it gets old and dry just replace it, but do not add much to start.   You might also want to throw a bit of good hay in it too.  

Patience is the only trick I know, but once they get going they will really go at it!

Calves are naturally curious, put the feeders in the pasture when you are ready to start them, not before. If they check out an empty feeder it takes them longer to find the feed when you fill it.

As someone above stated, calves are by nature born curious, so the sooner the better as far as when to start. It's OK to start them very early and then take it away again. They will not forget that there was feed in it. I think that it would be better to take it out of the pen also if not wanting to continue feeding for a period of time. As the calves get older they become more skiddish & wary of things and it will take much longer in general to get them to enter the feeder. I have sometimes put a really good square of hay in the feeder to coax calves in, but usually cows seem to work hard at getting that, but that in it's self can make the calves want to also ck out what momma thinks is good in there.

START THEM 2 WEEKS TO A MONTH after calving ,while the cows are confined or the loafing areas ,don't wait till they go to pasture ....