Feeding a small Steer

[roper]

I have a 400 lb steer which I have him on 50% corn and 50% oats .  He is getting about 8 lbs a day. However his stool is loose and it seems like it goes out as fast as he takes it in.  He eats 2 flakes of hay per day and he always has a good appetite.  I have tried giving him half heifer feed half steer feed and the stool was even more loose.  Does this calf need some kind of probiotics?  Does a young May 450 lb calf have trouble digesting corn and oats?  Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Shorthorns4us]

Sounds to me like his diet is still a little too "rich" if he is loose.

If he was mine-- I would back him off the corn some and add Purina Receiving Chow or some other form of creep feed that has fiber.  this should help firm him up and then you can start adding a little more corn after he adjusts back to a more normal stool.
Just what I would probably do.

EF

 

[twistedhshowstock]

First, are your corn and oats whole, cracked, rolled? Whole grains are not digestible, this is why you see them in the stool.  The shell of the grain is not penetrable by enzymes or microbials, preventing them from getting to the germ which is the part that actually contains nutrients. Even animals with two sets of teeth have trouble cracking the shell on corn when chewing, its nearly impossible for ruminants that have only a lower set.  So when making diets for cattle it is important to make sure your grains are cracked, rolled, flaked, etc. As long as they have had some sort of processing which breaks the outer shell.
 Also if your ration consists of 50% corn and 50% oats then this is not a complete feed, and if a calf is not on complete feed then 2 flakes of hay a day may not be enough fiber in his diet to keep his stool firm.  I would also be concerned about the protein intake of your calf, with just corn and oats you dont have a good protein source.  Oats are pretty much just a filler in most peoples eyes.  I am no nutritionists, genetics is more my thing, but I have had to take a few nutrition courses. I would consider replacing some of the oats with a good protein source such as soy bean meal and adding a fiber source such as cotton seed hulls.  You also need to add some type of vitamin and mineral pack in there as well.

 

[roper]

Well after giving our steer 2 small boluses of probios and offering him all the hay he wants and feeding him heifer feed which has very little corn, he now has major diarhea .  His stool is very loose but it doesn't have any grain in it.  Has he got  a virus ? If so, what kind of medication does he need.  He has an excellent appetite.  Any help will be appreciated.  I've talked to 2 vets and they can't come up with a solution.

 

[HAB]

what kind of hay?  plain grass hay, or even some straw, will get the gut stableized.  Does the heifer feed have a lot of molasses?  When you said he was loose, how loose?  I was always told to keep the manure close to the consistancy of  soft serve ice cream.  We used to feed a lot of cattle 50 / 50 corn and oats, with soybean meal for protein.  But as twistedshowstock said, you need to crack it.  You don't want to be switching back and forth from feeds.  You had him at full feed with the 8 lbs, just maybe needed a little more fiber.

 

[roper]

The hay is orchard grass hay.  The corn is cracked and the oats is whole and it has 34% protein supplement in it.

 

[Bryan]

what cutting of hay is it? 1st cutting will help make him a little more solid. also you could drop the grain back just a little and give him all he can eat hay and that always works for us. i dont think he has a virus. but you could always worm him as a precaution if it hasnt been wormed yet

 

[roper]

The hay is last year's 2nd cutting.  I also wormed him tonight.  I sure hope he improves soon.

 

[twistedhshowstock]

try backing him off the feed quiet a bit and give him all the hay he will eat. See if that will get his gut balanced and firm up his stool.  If it does then slowly bring the grain back up to full feeding.  Without enough fiber and all that corn it was pretty rough on his stomach I bet and he just needs some time to regulate. What are you using as a protein supplement in the feed? Is he getting a vitamin/mineral supplement?

 

[roper]

He is getting 34%protein supplement and he gets 4 ounces of sure champ pellets 2 times a day for his vitamins and minerals.

 

[twistedhshowstock]

yes but what supplement are you using...adding those super high protein supplements doesnt work well for the main diet...those supplements are meant to add an extra boost to the protein source in their diet and you dont have a protein source in 50% corn, 50% oats...you need something like SBM in there as an actual protein source...a diet doesnt just have to have all the components, it needs to be balanced or else their body will not metabolize things properly...if your just throwing a protein supplement on top of corn and oats then his diet is not balanced and that can be a big part of his problem...what about minerals and vitamins...is he getting those, that can affect him also

 

[roper]

I suppose I'll have to talk to the guy that I buy the feed from.  Maybe he will have a solution.

 

[twistedhshowstock]

Trying to help with a solution man, but have to have the whole story so that we can help you.

 

[Top Knot]

Is he on an ionophore? If not, could be he's got some coccidia and the stools just aren't bloody yet. Putting him on corid or giving him some long acting sulfa boluses (Sustain) sure couldn't hurt.

 

[roper]

I gave him 2 sustain boluses Thursday.  Today his stool was halfway firm.  so,there is progress.  Sunday I will give him 2 more boluses and I also wormed him Thursday.  I do appreciate all your suggestions, but sometimes I don't understand your questions about the protein in his feed.

 

[twistedhshowstock]

I am asking what you are feeding as a protein source...you just keep saying you are giving him a protein supplement, I am asking what that supplement is...most supplements are not designed to be fed as the main protein source in their feed.  If the feed ration is not balanced then that can lead to gut issues, which will lead to looseness.