keep the answers coming........thank you

[CalifAngus]

AAOK........thanks.....I will look into the Bermuda.  We can take all the savings we can get. 

VC.........that was my next question.  He looks like he is getting a fairly round gut.  He is not bloated and we have been very careful not to increase his feed intake to fast (increase rate of 1pd per feeding, per week). We are a little behind as we stayed at the same rate for two weeks on more than one occasion.  I know this sounds stupid but do they grow rounder before they grow taller? The pictures I keep looking at for Black Angus cattle show them very muscular and boxey.  Do they go through stages of out and then up in size?  I really don't know.  We do walk him for about 1/2 an hour 2-3 times a week.  Now we have heard conflicting reports on walking and how much we should do.  Any suggestions on this topic?

The other question is what is a good finish weight for a Black Angus steer???

I appreciate all of the advice that has come in.............Please throw out anything you might think is useful. 

 

[knabe]

i don't know what the answer is to that question, but in about 1986-90, it was a shrunk weight of about 1100-1150 on the west coast based on showing at the LA county fair, the state fair and the cow palace, all of which are dismaingly small compared to  back then with all 3 shows probably no longer having that much of a college contingent if at all.  heavyweight classes (chi crosses) that acually finished were about 1350 (again shrunk weight), with an actual weight of over 1500 lbs.  i never saw a heavy weight win, most were extremely course, though some were actually fat.  I sold two heavyweights one year and both were done.  one chi cross steer had an unusually small ribeye considering his weight, though he still had a decent spring of rib.  steaks there were long and symmetrical.

i hope the answers can use both weights.

 

[vc]

If you can post a picture it will help, but his finish weight will depend on hisframe and what he can carry. You will have to watch his body condition, fat deposits around the tail head and brisket. What fair are you going to. What are your goals, A blue ribbon and go through the sale or winning the class and making a run at champion. Some people will wounder why I ask, at our county fair all blue ribbon animals sale, now if you know that he is middle of the road and a blue ribbon is all you want, you don't want to shrink him, that's dollars you wont be earning. If he is a real good one and has a shot at winning you want to bring him in empty and fill him after you weigh, this gives you an edge over the other calves in the same class, he will be bigger than the rest. Now if everyone in the class does this you are all in the same boat again. Best thing is figure out where he will best fit weight wise and work towards that, There are additives and things you can feed near the end to hold him at a wight or add some pop to him.
Good Luck.

 

[vc]

Some things else to watch for is his weight gain, see what he is gaining daily, if he's gaining good than he is probably still growing once he slows down he is more than likely starting to finish, this will help you determine what steps to take next. If all goes well, with the time you have left you should hit between 1225 and 1250 by your fair.

 

[CalifAngus]

If my math is right he has gained an average daily rate of 2.4pds per day for the first 55 days.  We will weigh him agian in 30 days and see where we stand.  I would like to stay at 2.5 pounds per day to take me to a finish weight 1235.  That way if we lose some weight at fair then we should come in at around 1200 pounds.  My research on Angus steers gives my a fairly large window of 1150 to 1250 live weight.  I will take some pictures and post them up.  As far as Angus goes he is totally middle of the pack size wise.  I need to measure him to check his frame size.  We still haven't done that. 

Thanks for the input.

 

[CalifAngus]

VC........sorry we're taking him to the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California in mid July. 

 

[vc]

Mid July, then you have about 130+days, you should have plenty of time to get him finished. If he finishes early then look into feeding him some of the Kruse's EZ-fill, it is a beetpulp and oat mixture, then we usually add calfmanna and some fastfat to hold them, check in later when you get close to the fair I'm sure someone will have good ideas for you when it comes to holding and maintaining your steers weight and condition.