Just wanted to get some thoughts on this steer I'm helping my friends raise for their daughter on my farm since they live in town. First year doing it so we didn't get too fancy. I like how big footed and boned he is however I think he could deepen him in his flank a bit and need some suggestions on trying to do that. Do any of you think he could be competitive in a county fair (as in not get last so the kids feel good about what they are doing). Thanks in advance.
Thoughts on Steer
- Thread starter cyclone38
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Gargan
Well-known member
nowhere near a last place steer. Hes not bad at all for a county level steer. are u feeding him any cotton seed hulls or beet pulp in his feed mix?
mainegirl
Well-known member
Cooked feed will do wonders. Take a 4 quart crockpot, fill half way with barley, then fill the rest with water. feed each calf half a crockpot at each feeding. 30-60 days of this, you will see a huge difference. Barley will give a plump soft look and add a little depth. If you just want to add depth, use shell corn. Fill the crockpot about 2 inches from top and then fill the rest with water. Feed the same as you would barley.
What does he weigh and when is his final show?
I really do not worry to much about filling his gut up as much when their young, I am more concerned with getting them getting headed in the right direction. Many of the calves I have seen that are similar to the calf you have pictured tend to drop their flank as they mature. Once they stop growing and start bulking up the flank seems to drop. I also like to feed a good grain hay it seems to help fill them up naturally and still adds to weight gain.
The calf looks like he should be an easy feeder and by the end should do just fine.
I really do not worry to much about filling his gut up as much when their young, I am more concerned with getting them getting headed in the right direction. Many of the calves I have seen that are similar to the calf you have pictured tend to drop their flank as they mature. Once they stop growing and start bulking up the flank seems to drop. I also like to feed a good grain hay it seems to help fill them up naturally and still adds to weight gain.
The calf looks like he should be an easy feeder and by the end should do just fine.
mainecattlemother
Well-known member
The comments are all very good. Do you have access to Purina products? We feed a product called Depth Charge and it is not terribly expensive and we feel it is worth its weight in gold. It will make them look fuller and will drop the gut a bit. If you look on Purinas website I believe they may have a demonstration on what this product does but if you put a small amount of the product in a glass it will expand greatly in a quick period of time. We only feed about 1 1/2 to 2 lb per day when we get close to show season about the last 2 to 3 months. I think it is wonderful what you are doing allowing a city kid to learn about agriculture and what the farm goes through everyday!
I would just push the feed to him and see how he grows in the next 2 to 3 months and see if the flank does not start to drop. At 775 he probably just hit his growth spurt and will change as he starts packing on the weight. My concern with some of the fillers is keeping them gaining , he needs to gain 3 pounds a day over the next 163 days to hit the competitive range. He needs to consume calories and convert them right now.
How much feed is he eating per day? it should be around 21 to 23 pounds a day.
How much feed is he eating per day? it should be around 21 to 23 pounds a day.
mainegirl
Well-known member
cyclone38 said:
I let it cook between feedings. Say I had 2 calves so I'd feed 1 whole crockpot every morning and evening. I would start the crockpot every time I feed-6am and 6pm and let it cook all day. I have a croclpot with a timer on it. I set on 8 hours and then it switches to "warm" until I'm ready to feed it.
