Need a little advice. please

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COLEBABIE

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
19
Good evening!
So i have a calf that i am pretty pleased with, the problem is i just cant get the weight on him, now he is finally starting to gain at a decent rate per day which is about 5 lbs. problem is i have about 26 days until show. He is a iffy eater, if you know what that means..
he will eat very aggressively for about a week or so then he will go off feed for a day or two just taking about half the feed. I am not sure what the problem is but i just dont feel he is where he needs to be at today we weighed him and he is 1015 which i am pleasantly happy with because he has had a steady gain instead of nothing.
his feeding is this, this is each feeding twice a day
14 pounds of feed , finishing feed
1 pound of corn
1 pound of stabilized rice bran
1 box vitafirm surechamp pelllets
4 oz liquid fat
I do see he is gaining cover, however he is drawn in his flanks and his left side of course is the best and the right side just looks YUCKY!. i dont know at this point what i can really do to change him and get more weight on him that is more than what i am doing already or if what i am doing is working against me. I would love any advice possible thanks!
 

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COLEBABIE

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Messages
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HF CHARS

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
194
Location
South Dakota
Might be worth trying Vita ferm drench,,,makes cattle crave fiber and keeps em eating when they go off feed.  If your feeding sure champ  ask your dealer about it
 

Bradenh

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
2,646
Location
Central Texas
HF CHARS said:
Might be worth trying Vita ferm drench,,,makes cattle crave fiber and keeps em eating when they go off feed.  If your feeding sure champ  ask your dealer about it
ditto that, any vitaferm product you use is beneficial! and looking at those pics considering there is hair on the ground id say that steer isnt bad at all! most of them fall to crap with their hair and he is still pretty complete, i do agree he is underfinished but i think between what HF chars said, and what other knowledgeable inviduals on here say i would presume you are not too far up the creek without a paddle
 
C

crybaby

Guest
26 days is almost too late. 

v12 to make him eat better..

poor the fat to him-- I've seen high DDGS, bean oil, and fattier rations 'beef' one up in 2 weeks.
 

COLEBABIE

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
19
Thanks for each response. Let me just start off by this I have a wonderful group of people that we buy from but I do not want to constantly call them. Truth be know I am a little anxious feeding him! I'm a perfectionist and want things the way it should be. This is why I have reached out to this site.

I researched the vitafirm French yesterday and that is a strong possibility.

As far as  ddgs and bean oil I am not familiar can you elaborate for me a bit? This is our third year to feed a steer but I am still learning .
Thanks
 
C

crybaby

Guest
spelled v12 wrong.. meant to say b12.

DDGs- Dried Distillers Grain--super high in fat- forget the exact amount off top of my head. 

bean oil- soybean, corn, vegetable, liquid fat-=- whatever any and everyone uses.. most often added to cut down on dust.. but have seen it added in large ammounts as a 'fast fat'. 
 
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