# What to get for feed



## porkchop48 (Dec 20, 2011)

Thursday I am picking up a 3 month old holstein mix calf. 

So what should i have on hand to feed it?


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## WildRoseBeef (Dec 20, 2011)

Hay, first and foremost, then maybe some grain.   What are you going to do with the calf?  Is it for the freezer or as a potential milk cow?  And do you have all your fences and water facilities set up too before bringing it home?


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## elevan (Dec 20, 2011)

I have a beef steer that gets hay and pasture and alfalfa pellets.


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## porkchop48 (Dec 21, 2011)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> Hay, first and foremost, then maybe some grain.   What are you going to do with the calf?  Is it for the freezer or as a potential milk cow?  And do you have all your fences and water facilities set up too before bringing it home?


yes the fences and water areas are ready.  I plan to feed him close to the barn so he will come to the barn more often.  There is a large water trough there. There is also two in the fields and a spring fed one that is constantly supplied with fresh water. 


He is a going to be a freezer cow. 

I have plenty of hay stored up for a few months and 2 more sources of hay for when I run low or run out. I always get confused when people say grain. What exactly is grain?  Corn ? Oats?


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## porkchop48 (Dec 21, 2011)

elevan said:
			
		

> I have a beef steer that gets hay and pasture and alfalfa pellets.


Hay and pasture he will have. 

I need to get alfalfa for the goats anyways so I might as well pick up some extra for him. 

Is there a "beef" food like there is goat and chicken food?

And if it makes a difference... he is a Herford/ angus mix.  And his name will be phillip


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## WildRoseBeef (Dec 21, 2011)

I'd change his name if I were you.  I'd name him Hamburger or Sir Loin instead of Phillip, because if you have a name for him that's too pet or human-related, then it'll be that much harder when it's time to say good-bye. 

Grain is anything that comes from crops sown, grown and harvested for their seed, but primarily comes from cereal crops.  These include wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, triticale, and rice. Grain can also encompass crops that are not cereals but oil-seed or legume crops.  These include canola, lentils, field peas, flax, and mustard. Up here we fatten our steers on barley grain because it's cheaper to come by than corn and better quality than either oats or corn or even rye.  Plus it's the only stuff that can be grown for livestock feed.  The case would be different for you, porkchop, since you probably live in an area where corn is cheap and easy to come-by.

There really is no pre-determined "beef food" like they make for swine and chickens.  What you choose to feed, how much of it and how to feed it is up to you.  You can choose to finish your steer on just grass, or just grain, or finish him on a mix of hay, grain and grass.  You would begin finishing him 3 to 4 weeks prior to the projected slaughter time, which is determined by what weight and age you want to finish him at.  Typically most steers are finished on 2%-per-body-weight of grain per day (and this can be as-fed, but feedlots feed on a dry-matter [take all the water out] basis).  You have the choice of finishing him on that ration on an as-fed basis in addition to providing hay and grass to add more flavour to the meat.  

Since he's a Herf-Angus cross steer, and at 3 months old, he needs a high-protein diet (not high-energy, as that puts on fat, not muscle) of around 16% Crude protein per day.  You can cover that with grain, but be aware grain is also high in energy which will make him put on more fat than muscle. British-breeds tend to put on fat quicker than Continentals (like Charolais, Simmental, Limousin, Maine Anjou, etc.) do, and this guy is one of those British-breeds that can easily get fat at too young of age on you if you aren't watching what you give him.  But I'm not saying don't feed him grain: just don't feed him too much.  Around 5 to 10 lbs of grain per day is sufficient for a growing calf.  But you should increase energy-intake when it's time to finish him.

Grass-finished steers are slaughtered between 24 and 30 months of age.  Grain-fed or grain-hay-grass-mix-fed steers are finished between 10 to 14 or 15 to 20 months of age, give or take.  The Simmental-cross steer we slaughtered a while back was 1200 lbs when butchered, and had a 650 lb carcass weight, which gave us a little over 450 lbs of meat.  In feedlots, they're finished at a heavier weight, like around 1400 lbs...though most are finished based on their grade score--they have to look like they're Prime or Choice grade to be deemed ready to be "harvested."  In your case, I'd slaughter when your steer's around 1200 lbs, as he will give a LOT of meat for you to eat away at.


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## porkchop48 (Dec 22, 2011)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> I'd change his name if I were you.  I'd name him Hamburger or Sir Loin instead of Phillip, because if you have a name for him that's too pet or human-related, then it'll be that much harder when it's time to say good-bye.
> 
> Grain is anything that comes from crops sown, grown and harvested for their seed, but primarily comes from cereal crops.  These include wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, triticale, and rice. Grain can also encompass crops that are not cereals but oil-seed or legume crops.  These include canola, lentils, field peas, flax, and mustard. Up here we fatten our steers on barley grain because it's cheaper to come by than corn and better quality than either oats or corn or even rye.  Plus it's the only stuff that can be grown for livestock feed.  The case would be different for you, porkchop, since you probably live in an area where corn is cheap and easy to come-by.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for the reply. 

As for the name Phillip... When we do get to heat fillet mignon we call it Phillip Mignon.. WHich is where Phillip came from 

I got him the 16% calf starter... Is that good to start him out on?


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Dec 23, 2011)

I like your Phillip and explanation!  We started out with a Patty, Stew and Chuck.  But then somehow got a Clyde and a Reba.  Oh well, they will serve their purpose when the time comes no matter what the name is.  Best of luck with Phillip!


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## Cricket (Dec 23, 2011)

Most of the cows where I work have names, but some of the boughten ones have numbers.  A number can become a name pretty quickly--some of our cows will look up if you call them by their number. 

I feed my steer and heifer 16%, but they only get about 3 cups a day.  Guess if they weren't gaining well, I'd up it.  But they seem to do well on just hay. 

Good luck!
Cricket


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## WildRoseBeef (Dec 23, 2011)

Porkchop, yes it should be good, but like Cricket said, often only a little every day (like 5 or 10 lbs per day) should be sufficient.


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