opinions on steer

[shortyjock89]

He needs to be on about three times as much feed.

John- GT?

 

[brenn]

Your steer should be eating about 2.75-3% of his body weight. So if Tank weighed 773# on the 18th you should be feeding him between 21-23 pounds per day.  And if you supplemented some Calf Manna in the mixture, you should start to see a difference in no time.

 

[showsteerdlux]

He needs to be on about three times as much feed.

John- GT?

I just saw that, no clue where it came from if you are referring to the gt.

 

[katie_k]

maybe i have my numbers off. as you probably know i keep him at a place other than my own so it is hard for me to know everything exactly when im still just learning. also this is what the farmer i work with feeds so it is what he gets. i dont know what else to say

 

[brenn]

I think you should check with the farmer next time you see him. You might not make weight at your fair or you could be sifted for not having sufficient cover on your steer. Remember this is a market sale your going to sell in, so the people are paying for quality beef...

 

[Diamond]

It might be worth seeing if you could earn some extra grain for him, if you look at some other posters past champions or animals on sites feed is by far a large contender in making a good animal. You dont have to go in just to win, but you want to be proud when your animal enters the ring. In the end it would be worth the extra effort. Hes a good first steer, I dont think he would make state worthy but ease yourself into the showring, enjoy your steer, and do the best you can

 

[katie_k]

the people i am competeing with feed the same things. just corn and oats.  also the farmer i am working with had raised quite a few grand champion carcasses in his days so i have a feeling he knows what he is doing.  and thanks about being honest about not making it at state

 

[showsteerdlux]

I'm going to be blunt here. If everyone else is feeding the same thing and the guy wins carcass what is there to measure against? Sorry but just because you win carcass doesn't mean you have fed correctly, especially when you compare the carcass to others who also haven't been fed correctly. Not saying you have to feed an expensive top of the line feed, but even calves that I've pre conditioned (Feedlot calves) get fed something more balanced than this. When I 1st started showing I was in a similar position, but you have to do what you have to do. A well fed calf will more than pay for itself in the end and make a project much more respectable.

Lastly, the commercial producer side of me is going to speak. When you look at a steer like this, he is a common commercial calf, nothing at all wrong with this. However, these calves are what we are supplying the world with for a product. In this day and time where there is competition from other markets, it is extremely important to provide the market with the best product possible. In this case, the way you can do this is by feeding a balanced feed, that will allow the calf to grow and finish out to his genetic potential.

 

[Ag Man]

I am assuming you are wanting to do this on the less-expensive side...that's okay...but you do need to improve the nutritional plane your calf is on.  Get some sort of scales...even a kitchen or bathroom scales.  Mark your bucket at different increments.  say at 8 pounds, 16 pound 20 pounds.  For instance my feeds weighes 23 pounds in a 5 gallon bucket not packed.


Corn/oat mix is at best 11% protein

You need to be at 16-18% protein - protein is essential for muscle formation, body growth, chemical reactions...

Soybean meal is 42%    ( I chose SBM but dried distillers grains at 27% protein could also work if it is available in your area.  These are cheaper than feeding a protein pellet in your feed.  Again trying to go the less-expensive route.)

Run the Pearson square and it tells you that you should feed 80% corn/oat 20% SBM. (These are all approxiamates but close enough for your situation.)

Get the calf up to 20 pounds a feed a day that's 10 pounds twice a day...-slowly....feed a couple of pounds more a day until you reach 20 pounds....if he doesn't slick the bunk clean stop at that amount for a couple of days..then proceed.  If he is picky or one of those steers that stops at 18 pounds then so be it...later he will probably need to be bumped to 23-25 lbs.  When he reaches the point of leaving feed in the bunk regularly you know you are at your stopping point.

Buy a bag of SBM...feed 8 pounds of corn/oat mix with 2 lbs of SBM sprinkled on top at each feeding....He will LOVE it.  It will also help the hair as hair is protein and SBM has soybean oil which helps hair coats.  Feed some mineral a couple times a month...a coffee can or so...not mixed with feed but off to the side.  Even just a general stockman's mineral or a "poor pasture" mineral...anything is better than nothing.  He needs a few of flakes of  a day to keep the rumen balanced and working. 
I don't reccoment the free choice big bale way of feeding as they can eat more hay and less grain and not finish properly.  If that is all you got try to let him to the hay only at night.

 

[cutieputie0093]

From my own personal experience I would put him on SureChamp Vitaferm with Amnaferm. After putting my steer on it for about 2 weeks he was a totally different looking animal. I highly reccomend putting him on that now. I really like his hip its looks like he is going to have a lot of power!!! Good luck  (thumbsup)

 

[katie_k]

No one else at the fair i show at fits. Do you think i  was to fit would it set me aside from my compition at all?  Would i catch the judges eye more?  What do you think.

 

[PaFFA Proud]

Mine is the same way....no one cares about hair, but my goal is to have the "ideal" market steer there. That means sticking out from the others.............IMO the package is what a judge is looking for..who has great hair, build, and muscling. They will appreciate the extra effort and if its a tie they will then goo for the better fitted one! O0

 

[showsteerdlux]

No one else at the fair i show at fits. Do you think i  was to fit would it set me aside from my compition at all?  Would i catch the judges eye more?  What do you think.

You need to worry bout having him clipped out right before worrying bout fitting. A bad fit job will hurt you more than not fitting at all.