(Pics) Newbie Needs Input

[gltrap54]

Bought my first two cows (two 950# heifers) on May 18Th. Currently feeding them 20# of creep feed /head/day as well as alfalfa & prairie hay. Hope to fatten them out by late September. They also have some brome & fescue in their pasture. Any guess as to their current weight? Am I feeding them enough? The pics were taken today. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[jhm47]

Are you feeding 20# of creep feed per head, or 20# for the two? In my experience, creep feed is not a good ration for fattening cattle. Creep feed is formulated to grow calves quickly, and not make them too fat. We don't want our heifer calves to get too fat, because they lay down a lot of fat in their developing udders, and this interferes with their ability to produce milk when they are mature. Likewise, bull calves tend to accumulate a lot of fat in their scrotums, and this interferes with their ability to make sperm later in life.

If they were my heifers, I'd put them on 15 - 18 lbs of cracked corn per head per day. I'd also add some protein pellets to the corn. Your feed dealer should be able to help you formulate a good ration for them.

The hay that is in the feeder appears to be quite bleached out. I presume that it's the prairie hay, and it probably doesn't have a lot of feed value. They will need some roughage, but I'd limit the amount of this hay that they have access to. Not over 4 - 6 lbs per day.

They appear to be quite nice heifers, but it's virtually impossible to tell what they weigh from a picture. They do need some more time on feed. Their briskets are not very well filled out yet, and that's a pretty good indicator of when they are finished. Good luck!

 

[gltrap54]

Thanks for your input! Yes, I'm feeding 20# of creep feed per head per day. I was mixing cracked corn & creep, but it was a pain weighing both so I went back to creep alone. Guess I should have went with the corn instead..... How many pounds per day should they gain?

 

[jhm47]

A general rule is that heifers on full feed will gain about 2.5 - 3 lbs per day. Of course, this can vary due to the weather (hot weather decreases the rate, as does very cold weather).

 

[gltrap54]

A general rule is that heifers on full feed will gain about 2.5 - 3 lbs per day. Of course, this can vary due to the weather (hot weather decreases the rate, as does very cold weather).

Thanks! That gives me some idea how much they should currently weigh.........