Could use some advise

[ham]

Could use some suggestions.  We are somewhat new to showsteers- We show in 10 days and have a steer that is starting to bloat  a little.  He also has a really big belly.  We are feeding him 18 lbs a day along with coastal.  He is a short steer so we need to try to keep him in the light weight class.  He weighs 1165, and our show is a small county show (25 steers) so we show in 3 classes- light, medium, and heavy weight.  Typically anything under 1,200 is light weight.  He is a really nice thick steer, but if we can't draw some of his belly off he will look weird.  At what point do you start limiting their water?  My son would appreciate any help- thanks

 

[dori36]

Could use some suggestions.  We are somewhat new to showsteers- We show in 10 days and have a steer that is starting to bloat  a little.  He also has a really big belly.  We are feeding him 18 lbs a day along with coastal.  He is a short steer so we need to try to keep him in the light weight class.  He weighs 1165, and our show is a small county show (25 steers) so we show in 3 classes- light, medium, and heavy weight.  Typically anything under 1,200 is light weight.  He is a really nice thick steer, but if we can't draw some of his belly off he will look weird.  At what point do you start limiting their water?  My son would appreciate any help- thanks

18 lbs of what?  Is he getting any hay at all?  I wouldn't limit his water, especially if he's actually bloating.

 

[ham]

Could use some suggestions.  We are somewhat new to showsteers- We show in 10 days and have a steer that is starting to bloat  a little.  He also has a really big belly.  We are feeding him 18 lbs a day along with coastal.  He is a short steer so we need to try to keep him in the light weight class.  He weighs 1165, and our show is a small county show (25 steers) so we show in 3 classes- light, medium, and heavy weight.  Typically anything under 1,200 is light weight.  He is a really nice thick steer, but if we can't draw some of his belly off he will look weird.  At what point do you start limiting their water?  My son would appreciate any help- thanks

18 lbs of what?  Is he getting any hay at all?   I wouldn't limit his water, especially if he's actually bloating.

 

[ham]

We are feeding him Lyssy & Eckel feed (160- 60% corn).  We give him a large block of coastal hay every evening.

 

[TexasHeat]

Any feed that has a lot of corn in it, I think is at risk for bloating problems.  I say keep feeding him the way you are, as you don't want to limit him this close to the show and make him look stale.  Short is not necessarily bad, just depends wether you are a slick or hair show and who is judging your show.  To get him in the lightest class, don't feed or water 12 hours until you weigh-in, then feed.  What time of day do you weigh?  This is all very crucial.  You really need someone to look at him and evaluate what to do, he may not need to be held much at all.  This small of a show you are going to want to look fresh and finished.  Good luck and let us all know how you do.

 

[ham]

Thanks Texas heat- appreciate the help- do you think it would be beneficial to change to lower corn feed

 

[TexasHeat]

I wouldn't change him this close to the show, as it could cause more problems.  If you had more time it could be an option.  If you think he is bloating you could add some form of a probiotic.

 

[JoeDirt]

Just my two cents

If you think he is bloating you could add some form of a probiotic. GREAT IDEA 10-15cc aday for about 5 days to get his gut SUPER CHARGED

Then I would cut back on the HAY to about 3-5 lb a meal.  I really dont know how much a Coastal block weighs.

I would cut back on the Corn and replace it with calf mana About 1 cup a meal.

I would not change the Lyssy & Eckel feed I would add more to replace the corn. BTW what one is it?

 

[box6rranch]

If he's bloating you could add about a half of cup mineral oil to his grain mixture. Stir it in. It help tremendously with our cows that bloat and won't add extra weight as oil would.

 

[showsteerdlux]

If you can I'd try to get something besides coastal hay. Coastal usually isn't quite stemmy enough and it would probably help him to have a stemmier hay rather than the smooth coastal.

 

[klintdog]

One of the easiest ways is to put a bloat block out in his pen. It looks similar to a salt block, he'll lick it and the resulting mineral/biotic mixture will help to keep him from bloating. You should be able to find them at any farm supply stores.

 

[ham]

Thanks for all the help- My son won reserve champion of our county show- YEA since only 4 places get to auction.  His calf brought $10,000- which is awesome for a small county show (16 calves).  Anyway-thanks for the help.

 

[box6rranch]

Thanks for all the help- My son won reserve champion of our county show- YEA since only 4 places get to auction.  His calf brought $10,000- which is awesome for a small county show (16 calves).  Anyway-thanks for the help.

Congrats, that's awesome <party>