weigh-in weight shrinkage

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Oats

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Feb 25, 2010
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How long can you safely hold calves off of feed and water before weigh-in? Any suggestions or products that will flush them out?
 

Bradenh

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Jan 10, 2010
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Central Texas
we just hold them off for that whole day. our tag in is at six in the evening and thats how long we feel comfortable with no water
 

sgetz007

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Oct 7, 2010
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24 hours off feed and water is fine.  You can go a little longer on the feed, but it won't take much more off.  I wouldn't give anything to try to "flush them out". They will already be empty.
 

SongBird1232

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Oct 15, 2010
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United States-Illinois
we normally feed them the night before then holdoff water and food until after weigh in b/c they tend to get rather grumpy and it removes any risk of dehydration or stuff like that
 

Oats

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I usually feed them on Thursday night and then hold them off everything Friday morning if our weigh-in is on Saturday morning. I usually will give them just a little hay to keep their stomachs happy.
 

CAB

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Corning,Iowa
Just as important is how you get them back on feed and water. easy does it on both IMO. I don't like to just let them tank back up on the water.
 

Earthmover

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Mar 24, 2010
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I personally witnessed a family hold a steer almost a month. He only got gramola bars and ensure a couple times a day. This was for a terminal show at a county fair. Weigh Thur, Show Fri, Sell Monday, slaughter Tue. This is extreme but it can be done.
 

sgetz007

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Earthmover said:
I personally witnessed a family hold a steer almost a month. He only got gramola bars and ensure a couple times a day. This was for a terminal show at a county fair. Weigh Thur, Show Fri, Sell Monday, slaughter Tue. This is extreme but it can be done.


I don't get the granola bars, because first cutting hay would do just fine.  The ensure was to rehydrate him, but it makes no sense either.  You can pull water from one and take it off in a day.  Why keep a steer dehydrated for a month when he isn't losing any more weight???
 

Okotoks

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Earthmover said:
I personally witnessed a family hold a steer almost a month. He only got gramola bars and ensure a couple times a day. This was for a terminal show at a county fair. Weigh Thur, Show Fri, Sell Monday, slaughter Tue. This is extreme but it can be done.
Besides the fact that this is a cruel way to treat an animal what did they think they were accomplishing? I would think such a program would be hard on any marbling and wouldn't it increase the chance of a dark cutter?
 

Earthmover

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Mar 24, 2010
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Okotoks said:
Earthmover said:
I personally witnessed a family hold a steer almost a month. He only got gramola bars and ensure a couple times a day. This was for a terminal show at a county fair. Weigh Thur, Show Fri, Sell Monday, slaughter Tue. This is extreme but it can be done.
Besides the fact that this is a cruel way to treat an animal what did they think they were accomplishing? I would think such a program would be hard on any marbling and wouldn't it increase the chance of a dark cutter?
I think you all are missing the point of why they did it. First they paid 10k for the steer. Showed him at the state fair at about 1380. Got smoked at the state and tried to hold him for the county fair, he kept gaining. Imo they really didnt care how he hung or what he graded, they wanted to win. They had a bunch invested and were trying to recoup some of there money by winnning the county fair. Our fair usually gets about 5k give or take for champion. As for cruel, when the Dad would ask the steer if he was hungry he would turn in his stall and bellar, moan and snort. A real sad spectacle to watch. Showing competetive cattle is expensive so about anything goes. So before you all jump all over me on this maybe you should look around and pay more attention to what is really going on at these shows, and no it doesnt happen everytime or all over, but it does go on.
 

Okotoks

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Earthmover said:
Okotoks said:
Earthmover said:
I personally witnessed a family hold a steer almost a month. He only got gramola bars and ensure a couple times a day. This was for a terminal show at a county fair. Weigh Thur, Show Fri, Sell Monday, slaughter Tue. This is extreme but it can be done.
Besides the fact that this is a cruel way to treat an animal what did they think they were accomplishing? I would think such a program would be hard on any marbling and wouldn't it increase the chance of a dark cutter?
I think you all are missing the point of why they did it. First they paid 10k for the steer. Showed him at the state fair at about 1380. Got smoked at the state and tried to hold him for the county fair, he kept gaining. Imo they really didnt care how he hung or what he graded, they wanted to win. They had a bunch invested and were trying to recoup some of there money by winnning the county fair. Our fair usually gets about 5k give or take for champion. As for cruel, when the Dad would ask the steer if he was hungry he would turn in his stall and bellar, moan and snort. A real sad spectacle to watch. Showing competetive cattle is expensive so about anything goes. So before you all jump all over me on this maybe you should look around and pay more attention to what is really going on at these shows, and no it doesnt happen everytime or all over, but it does go on.

Sorry there, I wasn't shooting the messenger just commenting on what they had done. Out of curiosity did they win?
 

BuckJones

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Sep 2, 2010
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Sorry for the ignorant question, but why hold them off feed for weigh-in?
The only benefit I see from this is that, in weight classes, the animal has a better chance of being the fattest in the class.
This is opposite to what the kids at our show do, which is try and stuff them before weigh-in...I think so they can say they have the heaviest one. :p
 

Earthmover

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Mar 24, 2010
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No they ended up 3rd in class, then immediatly started whinning that they had been cheated.
 

showqueen95

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Oct 31, 2010
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Texas
Sometimes cattle get TOO fat your and the judges liking. Fatter/ bigger isn't always better so people hold the cattle so they want get too fat. As for weigh in some counties like mine have a weight limit such as 1,000  and your animals can't weight over so u would hold the calf so it gets under the weight limit. <beer> ;D
 

Oats

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Feb 25, 2010
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I was talking about initial weigh-in for the county and state fairs to try and get better rate of gains. It always look good to the judge if the animal can really gain well. Lots of good opinions. Thanks
 
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