appetite

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showstick09

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Oct 18, 2007
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220
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Texas
I show my steer in march, and he isn't gaining much weight because he doesn't have a big appetite. When I first got him and started him on a small ration, he ate it all fine. It is just that since I have increased it trying to get him to gain weight, he never finishes it. What could I give him to give his appetite a boost??
 

cowz

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Jan 10, 2007
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1,492
How much does he weigh?  Has he been wormed?  Is the feed dusty?  Is he on free choice hay?  Free choice water?

Presuming he weighs in the 600 - 800 range, I would start by using an ivomec style product to get rid of any creepy crawlers in the gut.  I would get a small bottle of Vitamin B-12, draw up 2-3cc, take the needle off and squirt under his tongue.  Do the B-12 every week until his appetite improves.

Do not allow free hay access.  Only give a small flake of hay twice daily after you attempt to get them to take in the grain. (2% of body wt/day).  Is he getting enough water.  Feed intake is limited to adequate water supply.  Let us know if we can help.
 

showstick09

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Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
220
Location
Texas
cowz said:
How much does he weigh?  Has he been wormed?  Is the feed dusty?  Is he on free choice hay?  Free choice water?

Presuming he weighs in the 600 - 800 range, I would start by using an ivomec style product to get rid of any creepy crawlers in the gut.  I would get a small bottle of Vitamin B-12, draw up 2-3cc, take the needle off and squirt under his tongue.  Do the B-12 every week until his appetite improves.

Do not allow free hay access.  Only give a small flake of hay twice daily after you attempt to get them to take in the grain. (2% of body wt/day).  Is he getting enough water.  Feed intake is limited to adequate water supply.  Let us know if we can help.

I am pretty sure he is in that weight range. He has been wormed, the feed doesn't seem dusty, he has free choice of hay and water at night. He doesn't get water during the day because he is kept in a small pen. I will surely get some B-12. Question though: when i turn my heifer and steer out each night, they stay in the same large area. How can I keep him from getting free choice, but still allow my heifer to free choice?
 

fluffer

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Sep 6, 2007
Messages
644
Location
Springfield, Ohio
showstick09 said:
I show my steer in march, and he isn't gaining much weight because he doesn't have a big appetite. When I first got him and started him on a small ration, he ate it all fine. It is just that since I have increased it trying to get him to gain weight, he never finishes it. What could I give him to give his appetite a boost??

If you can, I would try Fitters Edge show feed, I think Purina makes it.  I haven't found a calf yet that wouldn't gobble the stuff up.  We are feeding 3% of our steers body weight and they are sucking it down and want more.  I have honestly never seen cattle eat a feed so well.
 

CAB

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Mar 5, 2007
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5,607
Location
Corning,Iowa
  IMHO, I think we way over think and do as far as diet is concerned. That being said, I do agree that H2O is the most important ingredient. Simply put, if they're not drinking, they not going to eat. 11-12% protien is most natural for cattle. If you need to use probius, use it to get the "BUGS" right then let the calves take care of themselves. Many times on this & other boards people talk about feeding 2 to 3% of body wt. to the cattle, which is half correct. If you go out & just give your calf that amount of feed to begin with, you are more than likely going to have a varity of problems. You must start out @ 1%, and very gradually increase to the maximum levels. The quickest that this realalisticly can be done is 28 days,. That is if you don't ever have to back off & start back up. You can usually tell that the people asking for help do not have a great amount of experience, so please be careful as to what you are telling them, as it could potentially have devistating effects on their projects. I think that we all need to remember that most of the products that are reccomended here are very highly advertised products for the show industry, and guess what, someone's making very good money off of them. I have said B4, please go to some feed dealer in your area of the country and explain to him/her what you are trying to do. There are very capable people in all parts of the country that are familiar with what ingredients are readily avaiable to you in your area. YES you can burn off hair with certain ingredients @ certain times of the year. Talk to them about that also. The B12 vit. shouldn't have to be followed up weekly if the calf is feeling well he/she will be able to get adjusted from a balanced diet. I'm not saying that you shouldn't give it once, possibly twice, but not weekly. Too many people are over thinking diet and are easily sold products because we/they are uninformed and don't go talk to someone that they feel comfortable with or trust to buy from. Buyer beware, snake oil salesmen still working.

P.S., It is way harder in my opinion to feed 1 calf than 20-30-100. Example; If you are feeding 2 & one doesn't eat 1 evening, you can bet that the next day the other calf has over eaten because he got both calves share the night B4., If you are feeding 20 and 1 calf doesn't eat in the evening, 19 others divide his portion and everyone goes on normally the next day. If you are feeding 1, you MUST be very in tune with his appetite. You will have a tendancy to want to push too hard too fast. Make sense to you. Sorry for the long post, but every time that this subject comes up, it scares me with some of the replies.
 

CAB

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Mar 5, 2007
Messages
5,607
Location
Corning,Iowa
  Sorry, forgot to say that, if you feel strongly that for instance that you want cotton seed hulls or beet pulp, or sunflower oil, corn oil,(cherry flavor), your feed dealer will , if he wants to, be able to get it in.  He can make anything that you want. There have been many threads here with very good homemade rations.
 
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