Kid's 4-H steers with pics - comments welcome

[Davidsonranch]

Went and weighed the kid's 4-H steers today.  Our county fair is over Labor Day weekend so we have about 18 days until weigh in.  Kids insisted that they did not take a black steer this year, so here they are.

My 10 year old girl's PB Hereford steer.  This will be her first year.  His dam is a 29F and sire is Worldwide.  He weighed 1340 today with 18 days to go.  Might need some advice on holding him.  He is currently gaining right at 5 pounds per day.  We need to slow / stop that and hold him.  Comments welcome please.

This is my 12 year old boy's steer.  His dam is a HXC Jackhammer red angus and sire is Mill Iron A ranches "Tenacious" char bull.  Thanks to Tyler of Mill Iron A on this site for this calf and all of his help.  He weighed 1285 today and we are trying to push him hard to the end.  Would like him to be in the 1350 range.  Any help and comments are greatly appreciated good or bad.  Thanks!

 

[vc]

On the Hereford, I would substitute 4 pounds of grain with 4 pounds of beet pulp each feeding from now until weigh in, how many pounds of grain is he getting each day? Do you have a weigh back? If not, I would do the thing with the beet pulp and grain and then shrink him down prior to weigh in, then fill him back up. Pm me for help if you want to do this.
On the white steer,just keep feeding him but start bucket watering him, twice a day, all he will drink prior too and after eating. I would not water him at home the morning you head for the fair. I would haul at least 10 gallons of water from home to the fair and make sure he drinks and eats prior to weigh in. 5 gallons = 40lbs. 10 = 80 that plus if he is gaining 2.5 a day add 18 days he should gain around 45 pounds, he should weigh 1330 fill him up prior to weigh in he should hit 1350, most calves dump 3o to 40 lbs on the trailer if their full when they get in it.

 

[Mill Iron A]

They look good Ryan, what exactly are you feeding the herf? It helps to see a picture for sure. You have done an excellent job feeding them, the white steer should finish just right. The advice thats already been given is good. Ill call you this week and get more details. Does your fair do a carcass contest coinciding with the show with the same steers? Id be really interested to see how well that calf hangs.

 

[Davidsonranch]

Pat, right now we are feeding the steers a total of 30 pounds of feed per day each.  24 pounds of a 12% finisher (Bar Ale feeds from Williams, CA) 3 pounds of steam rolled corn, 2 pounds of rice bran, 1 pound of Purina Power Phat, and top dressed with Diamond V yeast and 8 oz of manna pro equine fat supplement.
I can't get shredded rice bran here in my tiny town.  Only pellet form.  Would oats be a good filler?  A feed regiment that might help would be greatly appreciated.
Our weight limit is 1500 so we are good to go.  Most calves at our fair are local ranchers / commercial type cattle.  Being so late in the year, most of the historic winners are in the 1350-1400 pound range.
Tyler, we do have a carcass of merit program.  Unfortunately all of our stuff is via a pre fair ultrasound.  Nothing on the rail.  They also have an award via rib eye, fat layers, marbling, ave. daily gain, etc.  But again, all using stats and ultrasound.   

 

[Davidsonranch]

I forgot, the white steer over the past 21 days has been gaining right at 3.5 pounds per day on the 30 pounds of feed listed above.  Hereford was right at 5 pounds per day.

 

[Tallcool1]

To me...and it's just me, I would NOT introduce anything new to the ration. The last thing you want is for them to go off feed.

Juggle the ration you already have...limit the red steer's fat and increase his roughage, within his existing ration. If he's getting any hay, it may be as simple as cutting the grain and go free choice on the hay. For sure stop top dressing any fat!

I like VC's advice on the white steer but only from the standpoint of getting him into a heavier class. I'm actually going to use that in a few weeks, but our steer is fat.

PM me and I will tell you how to get the white steer finished up without sacrificing any ethics or facing any moral dilemma.

I want to compliment you on listening to your kids and taking a red and white one. That's really cool. One of my boys says he is on the hunt for a red one, and i am determined to listen.  I really like the white steer, but I'm a sucker for a pretty one!!  Excellent job to you and your children!

 

[Davidsonranch]

I also forgot, the steers are on pretty much free choice of a mix of 50% plane jane grass hay and 50% tridicale hay. 
Should I cut all the fat supplements on the hereford (rice bran, rolled corn, fat pour on, power phat)?  Just feed him less of the finisher feed?  Like maybe 20 pounds a day? 

 

[vc]

It would be fairly easy to just pull the steamed corn from the Herefords ration. I have never had one go south by substituting beetpulp for feed, we just make the change over a couple of days. Has anyone ever soaked the pelletized beetpulp, does it come out as fines or look like beetpulp?

The white steer should be fine weight wise, just make sure he is full when you weigh him. If you have the ability to weigh, prior to the official weigh in (access to bar scales) I would suck the red calf down and then fill him up to where you want him. we pulled 80 pounds off the kid I helped steer by just limiting water the night before and feeding and watering after weighing-in the next day. He did give him a limited amount of hay just to keep him happy. He weighed 1383 on Sunday, Tuesday when they weighed-in he weighed 1301.

Calves look good, kids did a great job.

 

[Davidsonranch]

Thanks Pat,
I'm going to feed store today to see about beet pulp.  Wish I knew how they do with pelleted form if soaked.  At a minimum, I think I'm going to take away the rolled corn, pour on fat, and power phat pellets.  Just give him straight grain/feed and maybe a little rice bran.  Then see what he is doing in about a week??  I will also pump up his tridicale hay for maybe more fill / roughage?

 

[vc]

I do not see why that would not slow him down a bit, plus it wont set him back any, and if he will eat the tridicale hay it will help he stay full.
I find the challenging part to calves the last month or so is balancing the feed so they hit their peak at the right time, I kind of enjoy it, at least when you get it right. The times it does not go right, well I try and learn from it.

 

[Davidsonranch]

So our Labor Day fair is over. Kids did a great job.  White steer ended up weighing in at 1345 and took Res. Grand Champ market steer of the fair.  My little girl's Hereford (her first year) ended up weighing in at 1355.  She was placed in the middle of the class for market, but she made it to the final round of showmanship where she was the little girl competing with a bunch of high schoolers.  Very proud. 

 

[Gargan]

So our Labor Day fair is over. Kids did a great job.  White steer ended up weighing in at 1345 and took Res. Grand Champ market steer of the fair.  My little girl's Hereford (her first year) ended up weighing in at 1355.  She was placed in the middle of the class for market, but she made it to the final round of showmanship where she was the little girl competing with a bunch of high schoolers.  Very proud.

Nice!!! (clapping) congrats to u and your family

 

[Mill Iron A]

Congrats again, your kids did a great job!

 

[vc]

Great job, looks like you got them close to the weights you wanted. How do they class your calves, was the Hereford with other Herefords, British, or?. I think it is great, res grand is awesome.

 

[KSanburg]

Congratulations!!! Sounds like your kids had a great fair.

 

[Davidsonranch]

Thanks everyone!  My wife was crying / so excited she did not take very good pics of the final drive.  I ended up being the ring steward for judge (Dick Hubman).  Our 4-H market steer classes are broke down by weight.  We had lightweight, middleweights and heavyweight.  I can't remember the break down, I know heavyweight was anything over 1425. Both of my kids were in the same class of middleweights.
Both showed in the Junior class of showmanship.

 

[vc]

It takes a really great British bred calf to compete with the Cross bred steers, she did well. Our fair use to go by color but will going the to the weight class method this next year, they did it this year with the lambs and swine. I do not think it will effect the beef as much as it did the lambs and swine, but that is a different topic.
Just think it is about time to start looking for next years projects and start over. That is why I like the cattle better than the others, it just kind of rolls from one year to the next, no huge gap between projects.

 

[Davidsonranch]

No kidding.  Maybe a month or two break and it all starts over.  Kids are pretty set on trying to get another calf from Mill Iron A livestock again.  The white steer did need some more finish, but judge and others complimented that he was the most "correct" steer at the fair.

 

[Freddy]

great job of picking good cattle and presenting them very well.....