How much hay to feed?

[CritterKeepers]

We are looking into getting a Jersey calf. I was wondering how many 100 lb bales a Jersey steer will usually consume weekly for its first year? We live in Phx, AZ, and don't currently have access to pasture, though we have seeds and are getting ready to get a pasture going. I also wanted to know what the ideal age to butcher a Jersey would be? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[WildRoseBeef]

This is easy to calculate, and you can do it yourself. We first need to know the weight of the steer in order to be able to actually do the math. Typically an animal will eat 2.5% of its body weight in dry matter ration per day, which means that a 1000 lb cow will eat 25 lbs DM per day. If the hay is 20% moisture, that's a little over 25lb/0.8 DM = 30 lbs as-fed per day for that 1000 lb cow.

Now I know the calf is not 1000 lbs, but that's an example to work off of. With a mature cow you don't have to factor in estimated ADG (average daily gain), which can make consumption rate a bit more tricky to calculate. But I assume that your little Jersey steer is probably only a sixth of a mature cow's weight right now, which means that he would probably only eat around 4 lbs DM per day. That's only like 5 lbs of hay as-fed per day. So a 100 lb bale is probably going to last for at least a couple of weeks (or around 20 days), for sure.

When you decide to butcher depends on how much meat you're looking to get off of him. Some butcher when a steer is around 10 months old, others like to wait another year until the steer is over 24 months old. It all depends on what you're feeding him and how fast he grows or reaches finishing weight. Getting him on grain will get him to slaughter weight sooner than if you feed him on just grass and hay.

 

[CritterKeepers]

Thanks so much for the response. We are picking up our lil guy tomorrow. He's only a week old, I can't wait to see him. I bet he's gonna be super stinkin' cute. :bun

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Not a problem, and please post pictures on here when you get him!

 

[Royd Wood]

Not a problem, and please post pictures on here when you get him!

x 2 for pics and good luck

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

X3 and yes, he will be stinkin' cute! Can't wait to see him!