Feeding yearling heifers

Help Support Steer Planet:

Jill

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2007
Messages
3,551
Location
Gardner, KS
We have a pen of yearling heifers that up til now have been on full feed (not sure which ones we wanted to show).  We have never raised replacements we weren't showing, so what do you give them for the 2nd year?  Thanks
 

red

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2007
Messages
7,850
Location
LaRue, Ohio
Jill said:
We have a pen of yearling heifers that up til now have been on full feed (not sure which ones we wanted to show).  We have never raised replacements we weren't showing, so what do you give them for the 2nd year?  Thanks

Hi Jill, the biggest problem w/ replacement heifers is getting the growth w/o the fat. We are currently feeding ours a product thats has equal amounts of corn, barley & oats. It has an 11% protein. It provides good growth with them getting too fat. I don't like my heifers fat so probably why I am not as sucessful in the jackpot shows here. (lol) We'll then switch them to an 11% Heifer developer a little later that has more oats & barley for better fill. They also get free choice grassy hay. Of course minerals & salt are also provided.
After they have been bred & at about 18 months we will put them with the cows & they'll just get grassy hay. This way we know they aren't too fat for calving.
Hope this helps!
Do you know what the Money Man pen of 5 brought at the NCC sale?
Red
 

cowz

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
1,492
Here is the mix we use for heifer developer.  A lot of the protein comes from cotton seed hulls which we use as much as possible.  Dont know if you can get them in your neck of the woods.

  We feed this up until they weigh 800-900 lbs.

Guaranteed Analysis: Feeding Directions 

Crude Protein min 13%
Crude Fat min 3%
Crude Fiber max 17.0%
Calcium min 0.4% max 0.8%
Phosphorus min 0.30%
Salt min 0.10% max 0.30%
Potassium min 0.10%
Selenium min 0.10 ppm
Vitamin A min 2,500 IU/LB
One should start calves on 5 lbs/hd/day and every three days increase by one pound of feed until the cattle are eating approx. 2% of their body weight on an as fed basis. One should also feed approx. 1% body weight of hay each day.


 
 

Jill

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2007
Messages
3,551
Location
Gardner, KS
We feed Purina Grand 4 T Fyer and are very happy with our mix.  The heifers are at between 850 and 1000 pound now, I wasn't sure what to do with them at this point. 
Our show heifers we will continue to feed thru Oct. or Nov., but that really isn't the ideal fat wise.  For the replacements, I just wasn't sure besides hay, mineral and salt what you give them, from what Red is saying, bring them off of feed slowly, get them bred and send them to pasture( if we have any this year)-is that right?
 

red

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2007
Messages
7,850
Location
LaRue, Ohio
Jill said:
We feed Purina Grand 4 T Fyer and are very happy with our mix.  The heifers are at between 850 and 1000 pound now, I wasn't sure what to do with them at this point. 
Our show heifers we will continue to feed thru Oct. or Nov., but that really isn't the ideal fat wise.   For the replacements, I just wasn't sure besides hay, mineral and salt what you give them, from what Red is saying, bring them off of feed slowly, get them bred and send them to pasture( if we have any this year)-is that right?

that's what I do Jill, if I keep them on feed too long, they tend to get too fat. Plus it gets them used to being with the cows. So, we just gradually start cutting them back until they are off feed completely. I found that if you put them out before they're bred, the cows will ride them to death. Too much weigth from some of those cows to be riding a heifer.
The Purina is a good feed too.
Red
 

chambero

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
3,207
Location
Texas
We keep all of our own replacments - 50-60 per year.  We have a fall calving herd and are in Texas, so I don't know how relevant this is for you.

We wean in late June when they are roughly nine months old.

They go on summer pasture then.  The only supplemental feeding is "corn cake" - around 2 lbs per day.

This continues until winter.  In late November, we synchronize them and start breeding at around 14 months of age.

By mid-Dec. they go on wheat pasture.  They continue to get "caked" - about 4 lbs per day until spring.

Our heifers never have any problem getting bred, growing to their full potential, and calving ay about 2 yrs of age.
 

genes

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
392
Pardon my ignorance..I never grew up with corn, but what exactly is the "cake"  Is it a byproduct or just processed somehow?
 

chambero

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
3,207
Location
Texas
Sorry, its a cube.  I forget exactly what the nutrient content of our feed mill's specific recipe, but it is cube made from cracked and ground corn, cottonseed meal, and other "stuff".  We feed it out of automatic, bulk feeders mounted on the back of our feed pickup. 
 

genes

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
392
Thanks chambero.  Where are you located at? 

Definitely the geography influences what feed is most readily available to us.  I'm kind of amazed at all the differences I see from Sadkatchewan to Ontario.
 
Top