Feeding grain

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Do you all feed your cows, steer, etc grain while in the growing stage? We have been feeding ours twice a day about a cup each time. We did this at first to get them used to "the hand that feeds them". They do some light grazing as we don't have much grass growing yet in their field. Of course they have acess to hay at all times. Just curious if this is what most do or if we are just throwing money out the window. (or throwing it out with the cow patties)

 

[elevan]

PASTURE! That's what mine is getting. He is also finishing up being weaned. He'll get hay and pasture until he's "finished" out...that's the plan

I did give him Calf Manna pellets for about 2 weeks to add some weight onto him after he was sick early on.

I'm new to cows and this is my first experience raising a beef calf, so I can't say if I'd change anything until after I taste the finished product...

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

We dump out about 2-3 lbs of feed per head per day just to keep them coming into the catch pen. The calves eat with their mothers once they get old enough to figure out what is going on and big enough to push their way into the bunks.

Other than that they are just out on pasture. We are already feeding hay this year because with no rain and the heat and grasshoppers, we don't have any grass left. Typically we only supplement hay during the late fall and winter.

We keep out protein/molasses tubs which they get free choice of as well as mineral/salt blocks.

We aren't really feeding our calves out to slaughter. The steers are either sold as show steers if they are good enough, or they are sent off to a feedlot if they don't make the cut which is where someone else is responsible for feeding them out. Heifers are either sold as show heifers or retained as replacements if good enough, or they go to the feedlot as well. When we do on occasion feed a calf out we keep them on good quality hay and a high corn ration of grain. We raise Limousin so they do not put on fat like many breeds so we have to put some corn into them to get the desired marbling.

 

[Royd Wood]

Mums milk, hay and grass - Thats it - never any grain.
Downside to this is 2 winters.
I get them finished at about 28 months - Results are fantastic and rich in omega 3 very low in omega 6

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Very interesting all of the variations. Thanks for the input. Quite obviously, a lot has to do with what you have for grazing, if you have the mother in the herd and what you are planning on doing with the animals. Thanks again!