Our 10wk steers have the runs--oh, no!

[Qchickiemama]

We have them up to 1# grain twice per day with a scoop of probiotic powder added. They gobble it up! This is the 16% grain. Is that the % you use?

 

[jhm47]

My calves are beef calves, and I'm currently feeding about a 12% ration, which consists of mainly corn with protein pellets mixed in. The pellets also contain Bovatec, which is added to increase feed efficiency and also to combat coccidiosis. These calves were weaned about 2 1/2 months ago, and weigh around 750 lbs. They are now getting 8 lbs of the feed described above. They also get good quality grass hay and alfalfa hay free choice, along with salt and mineral. It has just gotten cold here, and the ground has finally frozen, so the calves are not having to deal with mud. We have about 2" of snow. These calves are outside at all times. We provide a windbreak, and keep them well bedded so they don't have to lie on the cold ground. I sold all but a handful of steers a couple weeks ago, so all we have left are heifers (replacements and some that will be sold in January), and a few bull calves that neighbors have spoken for to use for breeding. I also keep a few of these bulls for cleanup on my cows after the AI season.

Our cows and breeding bulls are being fed medium quality grass hay and syrup from the local ethanol plant. The syrup is the byproduct of producing ethanol. It is an excellent source of protein and energy. Now that the cows are entering their last trimester of pregnancy, I will increase the amount of syrup to about 15 lbs per day. This syrup is about 30% dry matter, which contains about 22% protein and about 6% corn oil. This gives them the following: 15 lbs syrup X 30% dry matter = 4.5lbs DM. 4.5lbs DM, X 22% protein = 1 lb protein. The cows get the remainder of their protein and energy needs from the hay. The syrup is also high in phosphorous, so I can feed a mineral mixture that is low in P and high in Calcium. The mineral mix provides the majority of the vitamins that the cows need. The cows are also kept outside out of the wind and bedded with cornstalks and wheat straw. The only time one of our cows sees the inside of a barn is if they have a calf that's weak and needs a couple days inside to get going. Our winters are very cold. It often gets down to -20 F with strong northwest winds. Sometimes even colder. The coldest I've ever seen in my 60+ years is -43F, but that's only once and very unusual.

It's very important that our cows go into the cold season in good shape (I like them at a body condition of 6 - 7). If they're thin when it gets cold, it's impossible to put weight on them, as it takes all their energy to keep warm. If it's an unusually cold winter, they often lose some weight, and this takes away from the calves when they give birth. I hate weak scrawny calves. They often get scours and pneumonia, and it's very expensive to treat them. I give each calf an intranasal dose of Inforce 3 at birth when I eartag them. This helps to prevent pneumonia. Otherwise the calves are not given anything else except insecticide eartags when they go to pasture with their mothers. The cows are wormed, and given 2 insecticide tags when they go to pasture. The cows are synchronized and artificially bred in June. If we're not too busy, I will AI through 2 heat cycles and then turn the cleanup bulls out. We raise our own cleanup bulls. We have not purchased any "outside" breeding stock since 1988. Since we use AI extensively, we are able to avoid inbreeding almost completely. I use mainly Simmental semen on the mature cows, and Angus on the yearling heifers. It's gotten much harder to find time to breed my own herd because I do custom AI for area ranchers. We have a crew of AI technicians who work very well together. We can synchronize and breed a herd of cows for our customers if they're too busy to do it themselves. Some of our customers have been using AI for many years, and it really shows in the quality of their cattle. It's quite easy to justify the cost of AI when decent bulls are as high priced as they have been. Of course, there are always some producers who buy a "cheap" bull, and pay for him the next fall when their calves are of poor quality. Top quality genetics is by far the best investment a rancher can make.

Hope I haven't bored any of you. If you're having trouble getting to sleep (like me right now), just read this. You'll nod off in no time.

 

[Bossroo]

My calves are beef calves, and I'm currently feeding about a 12% ration, which consists of mainly corn with protein pellets mixed in. The pellets also contain Bovatec, which is added to increase feed efficiency and also to combat coccidiosis. These calves were weaned about 2 1/2 months ago, and weigh around 750 lbs. They are now getting 8 lbs of the feed described above. They also get good quality grass hay and alfalfa hay free choice, along with salt and mineral. It has just gotten cold here, and the ground has finally frozen, so the calves are not having to deal with mud. We have about 2" of snow. These calves are outside at all times. We provide a windbreak, and keep them well bedded so they don't have to lie on the cold ground. I sold all but a handful of steers a couple weeks ago, so all we have left are heifers (replacements and some that will be sold in January), and a few bull calves that neighbors have spoken for to use for breeding. I also keep a few of these bulls for cleanup on my cows after the AI season.

Our cows and breeding bulls are being fed medium quality grass hay and syrup from the local ethanol plant. The syrup is the byproduct of producing ethanol. It is an excellent source of protein and energy. Now that the cows are entering their last trimester of pregnancy, I will increase the amount of syrup to about 15 lbs per day. This syrup is about 30% dry matter, which contains about 22% protein and about 6% corn oil. This gives them the following: 15 lbs syrup X 30% dry matter = 4.5lbs DM. 4.5lbs DM, X 22% protein = 1 lb protein. The cows get the remainder of their protein and energy needs from the hay. The syrup is also high in phosphorous, so I can feed a mineral mixture that is low in P and high in Calcium. The mineral mix provides the majority of the vitamins that the cows need. The cows are also kept outside out of the wind and bedded with cornstalks and wheat straw. The only time one of our cows sees the inside of a barn is if they have a calf that's weak and needs a couple days inside to get going. Our winters are very cold. It often gets down to -20 F with strong northwest winds. Sometimes even colder. The coldest I've ever seen in my 60+ years is -43F, but that's only once and very unusual.

It's very important that our cows go into the cold season in good shape (I like them at a body condition of 6 - 7). If they're thin when it gets cold, it's impossible to put weight on them, as it takes all their energy to keep warm. If it's an unusually cold winter, they often lose some weight, and this takes away from the calves when they give birth. I hate weak scrawny calves. They often get scours and pneumonia, and it's very expensive to treat them. I give each calf an intranasal dose of Inforce 3 at birth when I eartag them. This helps to prevent pneumonia. Otherwise the calves are not given anything else except insecticide eartags when they go to pasture with their mothers. The cows are wormed, and given 2 insecticide tags when they go to pasture. The cows are synchronized and artificially bred in June. If we're not too busy, I will AI through 2 heat cycles and then turn the cleanup bulls out. We raise our own cleanup bulls. We have not purchased any "outside" breeding stock since 1988. Since we use AI extensively, we are able to avoid inbreeding almost completely. I use mainly Simmental semen on the mature cows, and Angus on the yearling heifers. It's gotten much harder to find time to breed my own herd because I do custom AI for area ranchers. We have a crew of AI technicians who work very well together. We can synchronize and breed a herd of cows for our customers if they're too busy to do it themselves. Some of our customers have been using AI for many years, and it really shows in the quality of their cattle. It's quite easy to justify the cost of AI when decent bulls are as high priced as they have been. Of course, there are always some producers who buy a "cheap" bull, and pay for him the next fall when their calves are of poor quality. Top quality genetics is by far the best investment a rancher can make.

Hope I haven't bored any of you. If you're having trouble getting to sleep (like me right now), just read this. You'll nod off in no time.

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