The milking ability of the mother, and the abundance and quality of the pasture or other feed available to her and her calf, largely determine how much extra weaning weight is gained with creep rations.
Under most range conditions, calves born in the spring and creep-fed will weigh 30 to 80 lb more at weaning than calves not creep-fed. Creep-feeding calves from first-calf heifers and old cows usually gives positive results.
Cull these cows! Creep-feeding calves of 2-year-old heifers is a common practice on ranches and does result in a uniform sized calf crop. But this may not always be practical. Producers who raise their own replacement heifers should study the advantages and disadvantages of creep-feeding carefully. Creep-feeding can result in disadvantages in developing replacement heifers. Excess condition or fatness of heifers may influence subsequent development of desired maternal traits.
Purdue researchers found that creep-fed heifers that were retained in the breeding herd weaned lighter calves than those that were not creep-fed as calves. This suggests that increased fat deposition in the udder during the preweaning period may hinder secretory tissue development and permanently reduce cow-milk production. Calves born in midwinter may not have any pasture available for several months; so if you plan to use a creep for these calves, provide it as early as possible.
Young calves will begin to nibble at grain and hay by 3 weeks of age, so you should encourage this tendency if you plan to use a creep. Creep-feeding fall-born calves during periods of feed shortages may add 40 to 90 lb over those not creep-fed. In small herds, it may be feasible to separate cows and calves daily, for a few hours of supplemental feeding. You can accomplish this with a self-feeder placed in an area that will keep older cattle out but has openings through which calves can pass.
The choice of feeds barley, wheat, oats, corn, etc. Calves will usually start readily on a mixture of whole oats and bran, and this is adequate at the start. Bran sticks to the muzzle and helps get calves started on feed. You could substitute cracked corn or coarsely ground barley, wheat, or milo for each other, so their use along with oats may depend on price and availability.
The reason for a mixture of grains in preference to any one grain is to provide increased palatability. You could use this to replace equal amounts of grain in any of the rations below. Some recommended rations 1 :. Nine parts grain to one part protein supplement, by weight, make a desirable mixture. Milk is a good source of protein; so when cows are milking fairly well, the protein of the milk will balance a straight grain creep ration.
If the calves are at least 7 months old and the pasture begins to dry up, you may find it more economical to consider early weaning than creep-feeding. The amount of feed consumed in creep-feeding varies according to the age of the calf, the amount of milk the dam produces, the amount of grass available, and the palatability of the feed see table 1. An Oklahoma study of fall-born calves reported that creep-fed calves consumed an average of lb of feed and gained an average 87 lb more than calves not offered the supplemental feed.
It required Any creep-feeding program will have most of these advantages, but the economic importance of each one will vary greatly according to the type of calves you expect to produce. Example of partial budget to evaluate the economics of supplemental creep- feeding of beef calves. How much additional gain? The usual range in extra weaning weight that is gained with creep rations will be 30 to 60 lb.
How do you determine the value of this gain? Now, what price will the rancher receive from the sale of creep-fed calves weighing 40 lb more, or lb per head? Normally, these heavier calves will bring a lower price. The difference in the price for the heavier calves depends on the year, and it even varies among lots of cattle. In a supplemental feeding program, the calf is substituting the added ration for some of its normal forage requirement. Again, there are no clear answers as to the quantity of forage that will be saved, but a reasonable estimate is that each lb of supplemental grain consumed saves from 0.
If we take the midpoint of that range and assume a reduction in forage consumption of 0. This forage would then be available to the cow herd. How much feed? You can decide the quantity of supplemental feed, in part, by estimating the cost of the additional feed per lb of additional gain as reported in the various research findings. This large variation is caused by a number of factors; for example, it depends on the tradeoff that the calf makes between his normal consumption of roughage and the supplemental feed ration.
What are the other expenses? These include labor, the creep or other feeder, and use of equipment such as feed bunks, gates, and vehicles for transporting the feed. The appropriate charge for labor would depend on opportunities for employing the labor elsewhere. The equipment may already be available, requiring only additional costs for fuel and repairs.
The rancher needs to consider these assumptions and make projections regarding whether supplemental feeding will pay, given the individual situation. Feeding trials indicate response to supplemental feeding is greatest when natural forage is lacking. When natural forage is in short supply, calves given supplemental feed would be expected to gain considerably more than the 40 lb used in this partial budget.
However, early weaning of these calves may be more economical than creep-feeding during periods of forage shortages. The creep is an enclosure or lot with an opening large enough for calves to pass through, but too small for older cattle.
You can build it with wire, poles, lumber, pipe, or a combination of these materials. Figures 1 and 2 show portable creeps constructed with wood. Both use individual passageways for calves.
These openings or passageways should be 16 to 20 inches wide and 30 to 36 inches high. The feeder may be one of several types, but it should fit your individual needs. You can build self-feeders that allow calves to feed on one or both sides; make them large enough to hold about 5 days feed supply. You can use open troughs, but they lack the advantages of self-feeders. The feeder in figure 1 allows calves to eat from both sides and is designed to accommodate about 20 calves. It can be filled from outside the pen.
The feeder in figure 2 is 8 feet long and holds 50 bushels of grain and can accommodate 30 calves. A combination creep and self-feeder on skids has been useful where the creep feeders have to be moved frequently from pasture to pasture. Figure 3 illustrates a creep and self-feeder with the individual passageways for the calves on both sides of the feeder. It should be large enough to feed 50 to 60 calves. Locate the creep feeders where cows gather one or more times a day—near feeding grounds, shade, water, and salt.
Pastures with several watering sites, shade, or both, require more than one creep for best results. Scatter cake or hay near the creep and more of it inside the pen to coax the calves to enter. Once inside, they should find the feed. Fresh, clean feed is essential when teaching calves to feed from the creep. The practice of knowing the nutrient content of feeds and matching those up with the nutrient requirements of your livestock is very important. Balancing rations can help with keeping feed costs in check with production level Shelby Filley Nov Article.
A comprehensive workbook covering many aspects of beef cattle nutrition: animal nutrient requirements, forage value, evaluating feeds, minerals and vitamins, ration balancing, supplements, body condition, and heifer nutrition. This file contains spreadsheets with contact information for all federal and state licensed slaughtering facilities in the state of Oregon.
These are arranged by business name, facility type, and county location. Species-specific information is also included. Some of these facilities do meat processing too. Non-slaughter, meat processing facilities will be added in the future. Minerals are critically important for the health and well-being of livestock. Cattle, sheep, and goats are frequently pastured together, but sheep are vulnerable to copper toxicity which cattle and goats need.
Learn methods for managing this. Proper management is key to a This is a report on a research project where the objectives were to determine whether grazing cow-calf pairs on warm season grasses and brassica pastures would extend the grazing season and positively affect calf weaning weights, feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and ranch profitability.
This collection contains publications and information on selecting, purchasing, and preparing a meat animal for home slaughter. It includes resources for beef, goat meat, lamb, pork, poultry, and rabbit. Nearly tons of hay were distributed throughout the affected areas during the month of October when need was imperative for feeding hungry animals.
Jenifer Cruickshank Mar Impact story. Oregon 4-H faculty, staff and volunteers worked throughout the spring and summer to highlight the hard work of 4-H youth exhibitors and provide a quality educational fair experience in a healthy, safe environment.
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