# Beef cows - don't know what I don't know!



## Timmer92 (Jan 16, 2021)

Hi all,

New member here on this site from Minnesota, and a total newbie when it comes to cows. We spent the last 2+ years planting and growing a pasture as best we could given we live in sand. We are getting two Angus yearlings in April with the intent of growing them and slaughtering in October. We intend to supplement aside from the pasture grasses, but have no firm plans as to how/what as of yet. We want to get as good a quality of beef as possible. I'm all ears if any of you have advice, suggestions, cautionary notes, etc.

Thanks!


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Welcome to Haytalk Timmer92.....lots of folks from Mn here to help guide you.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Welcome to HT. Not sure where you’re located, but wherever you are, get a wagon of yellow #2 and pour the coals to them. Yearling is a pretty broad term as is finished. I’ve had yearlings weigh 500 and 800 pounds, takes different management depending on where you’re starting them at.


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

Welcome to Haytalk Timmer92.

As Stack mentioned above, feeding corn is the fastest way to put on weight, and it's the preferred method of most all beef producers. By feeding a high corn diet, you can expect a gain of more than 2 pounds a day, maybe 2.5.

I have one customer that buys 10 feeders every spring to put on pasture. No grain of any kind. His goal is to sell grass fed beef. Last year the feeders averaged 740#. After grazing all summer, they only gained about 200#.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Cattle need protein and energy to put on the lbs.grazing a yearling on grass it won't do much except get taller.Corn,and a bit of alfalfa hay,and a balancer protein pellet was my program when I had cattle on feed.

If you are determined to graze I'd put some red clover in it will have more protein then grass.And feed corn also.

Grazing is for cows and calves not yearlings


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Welcome to HT, Timmer.

SWMNHay really gave you good suggestion about feeding corn (energy) and protein, along with grazing.

You are looking at a 6 month feeding period. So working backwards, if your goal is say to finish with a 1400# critter, growing for 180-210 days (I'll use 200 days in this example). If you push them hard with the grain (corn as other's have mentioned) and protein pellet, you could target 2.5 to 3.5# growth per day. Using 3# as in this example, you would need to purchase a 800# critter to start with. 800 + (200 x 3) = 1400. As Stack mentions, different management is in store, with different starting weights.

My grandkids have averaged over 4# of growth per day with their 4H steers, BUT feeding at that rate IS NOT economical in most cases. Putting that many groceries into an animal that you sell at everyday pricing, will definitely make you pocket book lighter. 

Now to the other side of the coin, if you are going for grass fed beef, then you might want to consider purchasing a different breed (like Hereford) IMHO, that are better at converting grass to meat.

And I would rotational graze in all cases, to get more feed value out of the pasture.

Lastly, I find cattle gain better weight, when it's not real hot, but that might just be a HERE thing.

YMMV

Hope I didn't short you on the two cents.

Larry


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

PaulN said:


> Welcome to Haytalk Timmer92.
> 
> As Stack mentioned above, feeding corn is the fastest way to put on weight, and it's the preferred method of most all beef producers. By feeding a high corn diet, you can expect a gain of more than 2 pounds a day, maybe 2.5.
> 
> I have one customer that buys 10 feeders every spring to put on pasture. No grain of any kind. His goal is to sell grass fed beef. Last year the feeders averaged 740#. After grazing all summer, they only gained about 200#.


 Can you supplement them with some type of / Rate ? of grain .


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

r82230 said:


> Welcome to HT, Timmer.
> 
> SWMNHay really gave you good suggestion about feeding corn (energy) and protein, along with grazing.
> 
> ...


At what rate would you feed grain in a high grain diet .


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

endrow said:


> At what rate would you feed grain in a high grain diet .


2% of body weight.That's pretty much full feed

Kinda depends on breed also,I fed mostly Holsteins and they were eating slightly over that on full feed.

Word of caution if feeding corn to cattle that have not had it they need to be stepped up gradually or you will founder them,or worse.When I got feeders in that I had no idea what they were getting for feed I'd step them up on corn over 6 weeks to get them to full corn.Always had free choice hay in feeder for them also.

On full feed my ration was All the corn they would eat,want bunk cleaned up daily.

1 lb beef pellet 38% with Rummensin or Bovetec

Free choice hay,Alfalfa,grass mix.They would eat about 3 lbs a day of it.Fed a medium quality maybe cut a little later but around 18% protein.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

endrow said:


> At what rate would you feed grain in a high grain diet .


2/3 corn, 1/3 oats, soybean meal, protein/mineral pellet, vegetable oil & a little molasses. All they can eat twice a day, plus free choice hay testing over 20% protein, along with a free choice 30% Purina protein /mineral tub. Presently 4 of them at about 600-650# eating 3+ five gallon buckets full a day (all they will clean up twice a day).

Grain mix usually over 16% protein (last one was 17.13% protein, 3.96% fat, NEL of 0.93 MCAL/LB). Grandson took third place, couple of years ago for rate of gain at 4.13# per day, from early Feb weigh-in to late July fair time (winner was 4.26# IIRC).

Do they get that rate of gain every year? NO, but it's a goal. Most years, winner is over 4# per day (depending on how hot June/July gets). Is there wasted feed/protein? YES, definitely.

As far as commercial gains of 3# a day can be achieved:

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/which-cattle-breed-recorded-the-highest-average-daily-gain-in-2018/

Larry

PS they hardly touch the hay.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

I think the 1400 pound goal is plain unrealistic for the situation. I’d be satisfied with something fleshy over 1000 pounds. Growing it to eat, not to sell on the board. And I would try to buy the feeders from someone with cattle bred for grass even though you’ll be supplementing other feed. I’d be looking for a Hereford or shorthorn or some other non-angus English breed in order to get the most bang for my buck when purchasing because again, you’re buying them to eat and not sell.


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

Since I'm not finishing cattle, I'm not as concerned about rate of gain. I have a cow/calf herd, so I only sell feeders and cull cows. Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but I still believe it's more healthy for cattle to eat ground ear corn vs shelled corn. I still pick some corn every year just for feeding. Yes, the rate of gain will be lower, but I've never had one founder, so I'm OK with that. I guess that makes me old school.


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## Timmer92 (Jan 16, 2021)

Thanks all, this is helpful. This is for a hobby and food and I'm ok spending some money to make the meat as good as possible.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

One tone ground cob corn 100 pounds dried molasses 300 pound of cottonseed meal grind in one 50 pound square bale and put 32 pounds of trace mineral salt you are good to go.
Start them out on 3 pound a day go to five pounds and then to ten and all the grass they want.


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## Timmer92 (Jan 16, 2021)

Thanks everyone. I have some follow up questions and validations. I will apologize in advance for my ignorance and any stupid questions.


When referring to feeding them grain, is that almost always just corn? Or is it some combination of corn, oats, etc? 
Is it common to ONLY use a prepackaged supplement such as the 32% protein mix as someone recommended above? Or do you go with grains + a prepackaged supplement? 
Most feeding recommendations were based on body weight. I expect when the cows are delivered I can ask their weight, so that will be a starting point. But how can I tell their weight gain over time and how to adjust my feed? 
Can someone translate body weight recommendations, or just general amounts over time, for the amount of feed in a unit of measure I can apply? Give them xLbs of feed or 1 gallon pail per cow per day or something? 
There are recommendations in this post and from searching this site along the lines of "start with this much, then go to this much, and finish with this much." I will have cows for roughly 6 months. How long to I go with each stage? When does finishing start? 

Thank you so much for your help!


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Make it simple,esp with just a few head.

Corn is most common grain fed to fatten cattle.You can feed many different grains or combinations of but corn has more energy then most.

You could prly buy a mixed feed from a feed mill,if you have one around.Bagged feed gets costly so if you can buy in bulk it's much cheaper.

You can start them on 1% of body weight on the grain mix,but fill them up on hay first.And make sure they all are eating it and not just 1 on first few feedings.Step upthe grain mix a lb a week and you will be safe.Get a scale and weigh the pail if you don't know what the feed weighs.On e they are on full feed of grain just adjust so they clean up the bunk between each feeding.A few crumbs is good,licked clean feed a little more.As they get bigger it will take more.It's called reading the bunk.

some oats in ration when they come in is good but not required,less chance of acidosis.

and these are feeder cattle not Cows.Cows are mature female cattle that are mommas.


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## Timmer92 (Jan 16, 2021)

swmnhay said:


> Make it simple,esp with just a few head.
> 
> Corn is most common grain fed to fatten cattle.You can feed many different grains or combinations of but corn has more energy then most.
> 
> ...


Much thanks! And I will stop using "cows" generically. Cattle it is, although these will likely be steers so I can be even more specific.

Still looking to understand timeframes, especially when to start finishing.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

A good thing to add in the mix is dry distillers grain from ethanol, the cattle love it. One of the feeder steers i sold in December was 840 lbs and a year old so in this case you would want to add about 500 pounds to finish at 1300 so at 3 pounds per day rate of gain in 6 months it would be ready. The main thing guys are trying to say is find out what the animal has been eating at the previous farm and go from there you cant just throw a scoop shovel of corn out because it could be a catastrophe. judging weights can be difficult if you don't do it all the time, when i sold 6 feeders in December they averaged 605lbs per head, my estimate was way low. Those short little beefers are heavier then a person thinks.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Cy hit the nail on the head as far as feeding, especially cleaning the bunk, method. Nice thing about this method, if off feed for a day, you know you might have problem.



Timmer92 said:


> Still looking to understand timeframes, especially when to start finishing.


Timeframe is difficult, roughly more grain could be a shorter timeframe than less grain. More pasture, less forage (corn silage for instance), slower yet most likely, more silage faster. Extensive pasture feeding (rotational grazing) maybe closer to forage feeding.

Example on 4H steers we 'push', born around/after May 1, I start on creep feeder while still on mommy, go through 4H ring/sold before Aug 1 following year, so looking at <15 month old animal. Efficient use of grain? NO absolutely not. Can you do this on a lesser grain, more pasture, I highly doubt. My son wants to move the birthdate earlier (easier to push the weight), but I resist, being I'm the one babysitting new births. I like it much better when it's not so cold/muddy for some odd reason. 

You might want to find out when your critters were born, then with your feeding method, you will develop your timeframe for finishing.

Larry


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

Just me I start at 3 pounds a day for a week then 5 pounds a day for 2 weeks then all they will clean up until they are eating 10 pounds a day a piece and all the hay or grass until the last 30 days then full feed every bite they will eat plus hay until slaughter.


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## Aaroncboo (Sep 21, 2014)

I feed free choice hay and mineral as well as ICB totes of spent brewers grain. Pick up 3 or 4 a week and just set them in there. Sure makes the hay last. Almost double the time. And it's free from a microbrewery 10 mins down the road. Cattle seem to do good on it and come running when they see the bins. Been doing it for 10 years or so and never a problem.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Aaroncboo said:


> I feed free choice hay and mineral as well as ICB totes of spent brewers grain. Pick up 3 or 4 a week and just set them in there. Sure makes the hay last. Almost double the time. And it's free from a microbrewery 10 mins down the road. Cattle seem to do good on it and come running when they see the bins. Been doing it for 10 years or so and never a problem.


A lot of distillers grain is feed here from corn it is high in sulfur so you can only feed so much or it will cause blindness in cattle.Brewers grain is prly barley so a different grain but just saying to much of something can cause problems.

The distilling process of grains concentrates some things like sulfur and protein about 3 x what it is before.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Here's what Jake (grandson's 4H project) the steer weighed in at 765# Feb 6, 2021. You'll have to wait 170 days until fair time (IIR) for the final weight. He was born on 5-7-2020, BTW. Ralph (granddaughter's 4H project), didn't weigh quite as much 755# and IDK his birthday, cause GD traded one of my heifers for him.

Wish I could put my hands on the article of a commercial herd that averaged over 3.5# of daily gains, that I recently read somewhere. 

Larry


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