Have a crossbred steer that is kind of picky about eating. He weighs 958 and only eats about half of his food. Its not like I'm giving him a ton of food either he just doesn't want to clean it up. Any suggestions?
Vet Tech,
If were only so easy. I feel compelled to respond because I have been in this spot a few times myself. I don't know what you target date or weight for this calf is, but let me tell you a few things we have used.
First, try the little things. The suggestions about adding pro bios to his food are good. But if a calf is a consistently poor eater - and some are - lots of times it's not that simple. If he is the only calf you are feeding, it could be he needs company. Many animals, including humans, hate to eat alone. Animals also tend to become more competitive if someone else is going after their food. Another thing I can tell you about animals, is that they like interaction with someone or something. If you stick a calf in a pen and leave them alone all day and only show up to feed for a few minutes in the morning and evening, they don't like it. I've seen pigs actually get depressed from situations like this. So, the more time you can spend with them, even a few minutes several times a day stimulates the appetite. You can also try exercise. Again, works for humans and animals alike. Even playing a radio during the day adds stimulation that may help. <party>
Once you get past the easier things that cost nothing or very little, look at your food. Some calves like certain feeds better than others. ;D Find something he likes to eat. I had a calf last year that was just a light eater. I ended up pushing him as hard as we could by adding oil and the purina high fat topdress to his food. But what really made him happy was good old green alfalfa hay. Each night he got a a small bat of it and boy they love it. Most steer people tell you to feed the grass and such because of the danger of bloat, but if you control what he is eating carefully, he should be fine. There are numerous high fat additives and the likes that companies promote research them and see if any might work for you.
Finally, one poster commented about taking his food away. This technique can be helpful. Take an evening and just feed him a small amount of hay and that's all. In the morning, he should be hungry. Give him his normal feed then and see what happens. I know several feeders that routinely "fast" their calves one evening meal a week to help stimulate the appetite.
Anyway, its tough to make one eat when there's no easily recognizable reason why they won't. Good Luck.