Probably not going to make weight

[MJCorlett]

Update from Feeding a commercial calf to show quality ???
Those that followed the thread know that we were trying to push a commercial calf to take to our county fair.  Well, he ended up getting acidotic from switching feed - albiet we did do it slow.  He became more picky than he was before getting sick after he began eating again.  He is back to 18 pounds of his ration divided into 3 feedings per day and several flakes of native grass hay (we are slowly adding to his ration).  He weighed 780 on April 18 - very empty and standing at 48".  He weighed 790 on May 18 - empty.  He did lose a lot of weight when he didn't feel good and went off all feed for 2 days - we just don't know exactly how much.  He never got loose stooled in those times though.  He gets baking soda daily and probios.  Waiting on the diamond V yeast to get here still.  Plus on SRB.  Ration is about 50% corn as he will not touch his feed if I add anymore than that.
He is eating well right now, but if I do my numbers correctly and he reaches 50" he will need to gain 4.42 pounds per day....accounting for shrink at about a pound per mile to show (35 miles and 78 days til fair).  I believe we're out.
We will continue feeding him out, just on the chance he does make it.  But, my daughter is going to take a pig so that she has a chance to experience showing something
Thanks to all those that helped when the going was rough...

 

[vc]

I would try and start with a late February early March calf and go from there next year. It's hard to get one where you want them when they are the right age when you really have to push one one slip up can set them back a month.

 

[MJCorlett]

I would try and start with a late February early March calf and go from there next year. It's hard to get one where you want them when they are the right age when you really have to push one one slip up can set them back a month.

Yes, I agree.  Would love to have purchased a calf outside the ranch, but it was a gift to her for her first year   Well, one person said I should be able to learn a lot from this and I think that is an understatement

 

[rackranch]

He was eating 18-22 pounds of feed a day for most of the period, was only off feed two days, never got scours, but only gained 10lbs in thirty days... sorry your having problems but that seems odd...

Did you run him across scales both times or are you basing your weight on hip height alone?

 

[MJCorlett]

He was eating 18-22 pounds of feed a day for most of the period, was only off feed two days, never got scours, but only gained 10lbs in thirty days... sorry your having problems but that seems odd...

Did you run him across scales both times or are you basing your weight on hip height alone?

He went off ALL feed for two days including hay.  In the previous thread I said that he started leaving some of his ration then at one point only eating 1/2 until he was not eating at all......  That took over 2 weeks to happen, he lost weight during that time.  So, NO, he was not actually eating that much at all times.  He was up to the 22 pounds when he started not cleaning up.  That is when the acidosis was starting.  I think that this steer went off feed before he got loose stooled b/c he just didn't feel well. We got his guts working right again and he gained back what he lost (all of that was visiable even though we didn't weigh to see how much he lost).
Yes ALL times we have weighed him have been on certified scales that we have at our shipping corrals.  Why/How would I base his weight off hip height alone?  We will weigh again next week just to see. 
Confused more ?