Lookin for a BUTT

[PinkOil Princess]

So I have a steer who looks awesome from a profile view is nice and level topped, big fronted and has good rib shape to him but is narrow from the hind view. He's currently eating 16 pounds a day of showmaster finisher and his last show with be fair in early August. Is there anything I can do to help him get more fill on his butt or will it fill in over time? Any tips?

 

[Sassy2899]

In my experience with this situation they calf usually is never gets wider.  You could make him look wider with a really good clip job, but any judge can look past that.  It all depends on the animal on how he will put on the pounds and where.  He will either have a Kardashian butt or not. Most of it goes back to his skeletal structure though.

 

[rackranch]

Could try putting him on ShowFlexx the last 30days or so but make sure he is sound and fat before you do...G-Luck

 

[PinkOil Princess]

I've heard about show flex and looked it up but I don't think it's in the market anymore

 

[AAOK]

In my experience with this situation they calf usually is never gets wider.  You could make him look wider with a really good clip job, but any judge can look past that.  It all depends on the animal on how he will put on the pounds and where.  He will either have a Kardashian butt or not. Most of it goes back to his skeletal structure though.

For the most part this is Fact, but you might have a chance by adding to your Showmaster 1 to 2 pounds per day of Healthy-Glo stabilized rice bran.  Studies show it triggers a natural occurring steroid in beef cattle.  If he shows any improvement, it will normally be in the Stifle area. 

 

[DLD]

I've heard about show flex and looked it up but I don't think it's in the market anymore

https://www.sullivansupply.com/cart/tx/p-1250-powerchamp.aspx  - I believe this is what rackranch probably meant.  This is the new version with the same active ingredient (Zilmax).  It will help.  Hair will help, too - even though most judges will realize that at least part of what they're seeing is hair.  I'd try Dan's rice bran suggestion for now, and work, work, work that hair.  If you're still not where you need to be 30 days out, try the zilmax.

 

[rackranch]

Let me try to clear this up.

Showflexx, active ingredient is Ractopamine or trade name Opitflexx, is different than Showmaxx, active ingredient Zilpaterol or trade name Zilmax.

Showmaxx is no longer available under that name but as mentioned above can now be purchased as PowerChamp.

Both products work the same way but some say Zilmax is better.  Just keep it mind it does have a three day withdraw period.


I would not feed either product to an animal that wasn't sound and fat.

 

[DLD]

Ah, my bad - you said Showflex, I was thinking Showmax.  I think of Optiflex when I think of the ractopamine supplements.  But yeah, either will work, but both can tighten up even a pretty good structured one sometimes.  Watch carefully, and if you think his structure is becoming compromised, stop feeding it immediately.

 

[PinkOil Princess]

He is super sound and we are working in fattening him up. I will look into these products though.
I wa told to look into showflex earlier as a product that would help my other steer who pops in his joints

 

[RyanChandler]

If he's over 700lbs he's not eating enough grain.  A close to finished steer I'd expect to eat close to twice as much as you're feeding.

 

[doc-sun]

If he's over 700lbs he's not eating enough grain.   A close to finished steer I'd expect to eat close to twice as much as you're feeding.

xbar is right. i would feed him 2 cups of rice bran 2 pints of cooked corn 1 scoop of beet pulp with water added for pallitability and the rest of a 5 gallon bucket of finisher twice a day if he will eat it. might consider leaving it in front of him all of the time and skipping a feeding when he doesn't clean up the feed. he could get the sh*ts but will adjust eventually. ned to get all you can in him before it gets hot.

 

[PinkOil Princess]

He's been gaining real well up around 4 pounds a day on 16 pounds of grain with a pound and a half of calf manna and roughly a pound of beet pulp a day. He has trouble focusing on eating and doesn't always want to finish his grain 
My other steer is a bit fatter and I have him on 14 pound of grain an he gains about 5 pounds a day he's also on Sullivan's Keep Um Sound

 

[DLD]

Those are some tremendous feed conversion rates...  Are you sure you didn't mean 16 pounds (and 14 pounds) each feeding, not each day?

 

[PinkOil Princess]

Nope 7pounds (8pounds) in the morning and 7pounds (8pounds) at night. I haven't weighed them since they've been on the finisher the last time they got weighed was march 24th so hopefull it will lower conversion rates as they start to finish but yes that's why I have stayed away from feeding 20-25 pounds like some have requested.

 

[RyanChandler]

Keep in mind, you're  not talking to your friends at school. Your steer IS NOT gaining 5lbs/day on 14lbs of feed.  He's not even gaining half that.

 

[PinkOil Princess]

K well his weights average out to roughly 4 pounds a day they gets weighed every other week. It's just what the numbers say and my basic math skills are up to scale the only factor that would be off is if the scale is that inaccurate but the weights have been consistent at shows around California

 

[vc]

Do you weigh your feed or is it based off of a can or scoop? or better yet if you are feeding out of a 50 pound bag how long does it take to go through a bag per two animals? What hay are you feeding them?
The reason there is a questioned is a calf will usually convert anywhere from 8-1 to 6-1. You are getting you are getting 4 to 1 on the one steer and a little better than 3 to 1 on the other, if that is the case, that is an awesome conversion rate.

 

[PinkOil Princess]

Yes feed is weighed out in a scale and takes me about a day and a half to go through one bag of feed for two steers. I'd actually like to see them gain a little les per day cuz I fear they will be gigantic by fair in late July. They are on a pound of beet pulp a day for roughage as well as two flakes of grass hay per head per day