Steer wont eat new feed!

[Shortytyre]

Our feedmill that has been mixing our feed was out of corn and had a part broke,  So we had to go to another feedmill.  We were told by one of the well known show cattle farmers in our county to try there mix so thats what i bought.  I had to get a 1000 lbs minimum and now my steer will not even try it.  Is there any thing i can do to get him to eat it.  He was eating the bottom out of the pan with the old feed and started looking great, but now he is sucked up in the gut.  Out big state fair is only a week away.  Any suggestions?

 

[RyanChandler]

Don't give him any hay until he eats the grain. 

 

[vc]

I would try and find a feed similar to your old feed or just a plain old sweet feed (we call it 4-wayout here) and try to slowly introduce the new feed, strait up changing feed never works out well. It need to be done over a few days to a week or more to make a smooth transition. If they do eat the new feed with out slowly introducing it to them they will more times than not get loose or end up going off of feed with a belly ache or worse. For this next week just try and see if he'll eat plain old sweet feed, after the show, work on changing him over.

For changing him over, if he will eat the sweet feed, change out a pound of the sweet feed for the new feed every couple of days until he is eating the new feed fully, it takes time but leads to less problems.

 

[grandchamp58]

we recently had the same issue. just give him time, usually the calf comes around. If you dont mind me asking, which state fair are you going to?

 

[rackranch]

Try cutting the feed with beet pulp and some coton seed hull..

 

[Shortytyre]

Update......As of last night, they are eating the feed like crazy and eating every last drop and i even gave them a shot B12. 
The fair that we are going to is the Mississippi State Fair!  I cant wait!!!  I havent been in over 14 years!!