I have a heatwave steer that is a really picky eater. I was thinking a getting some appetite express to help with that. He seems to like the feed but just licks at it all day. Will AE help with this or not? Pros and cons? Any opinions welcome.
It is sure worth a try. We have used AE for three falls now and not sure if that is what keeps them eating or not but have calves almost running us over at feeding time. There is prob other feed additives but AE is def worth the cost of the bag from our experience. Last spring Lil Hilltops steer got very fusy and we started him on AE and he ended eating very good and we got him up to 1300lbs for achievement day. We will prob start her steer on it in the spring again before she starts showing, but as of now he is eating good. Is your steer by himself or with a buddy???
my sister's steer and him are penned together so lonliness is not the issue, he just seems to be a picky eater. my other questions are; should i feed it all year so that he doesn't fall behind in weight? does a bag of AE come with a measuring device? if not, how can a measure 1/2 an ounce of it? should i top dress or mix it in the feed?
Thanks in advance
It usually comes with a red plastic double-ended scoop. Kind of like Cracker Jacks -- you might have to dig around to find it. The big end of the scoop is what you give to cattle 1x/day or whatever the package says. Good stuff, but we have switched to Vitaferm Sure Champ and I think it might work better. Like to keep a bag of Appetite Express around though if one goes off feed or they just seem to have some digestive upset.