Creep Feed

[Cattle Fan]

Well it's about time to get some creep feed out for the new spring calves.  What is everyones favorite? Commercial premix? Custom Mixes?  We have done both just wondering what everyone else's mixes or bagged feeds are.

 

[shortyjock89]

We have great luck with Umbarger's creep feed. It gets a little bloom on the calves for early shows and sales, and it's medicated.  We've also had a custom mix made that's really similar to Umbarger's but it's not quite as sweet and the calves don't gobble it down so much. 

 

[Cattledog]

We have great luck with Umbarger's creep feed. It gets a little bloom on the calves for early shows and sales, and it's medicated.  We've also had a custom mix made that's really similar to Umbarger's but it's not quite as sweet and the calves don't gobble it down so much. 

I think it depends on the cattle that you raise.  We tried the umbarger creep and our calves just got too fat.  We just use a scaled down version of our show ration....which is reallly fluffy anyway.  I'm not going to say that the entire Angus breed is real easy doing but our cows and calves are.  It really makes them difficult to feed for show. Sometimes I wish I had a harder doin critter so I could just flat feed one but then I realize they only show for a year and then you have to make a cow out of them.

 

[shortyjock89]

I totally agree.  I think that we have easier doing Shorthorns than some, but we also don't feed NEARLY as much feed to our cattle- baby calves on up to cows- as a lot of folks.  I'm glad that we have a steer this year, so we get the chance to really feed a calf again haha.

 

[neocattleman]

like to get this going again. im looking for a new creep feed i just wasnt happy with mine last year. so what is everyones favorite creep feeds?  commercial mix ration, custom mix, or home mixed ration

 

[Dale]

Soybean hulls are 100% of our creep feed.  Our hulls are pelletized.  We are not as serious as some about showing.

 

[rtmcc]

Soybean hulls are 100% of our creep feed.  Our hulls are pelletized.  We are not as serious as some about showing.

We use soybean hull pellets a lot in our show ration as the heifers mature! We love them! Also use them starting weaned calves on feed.  I had thought about using them as a creep feed with maybe a portion pellet mixed in.  Did you feed yours straight Dale! did you have any problems with pellet break down?

 

[Dale]

Yes and yes.  We feed soy hull pellets straight.  Pellets are mostly to help get the product where it is going without using the scoop shovel/Southern Indiana backhoe--soybean hulls, if not in pellets, are fluffy and do not flow very well down a metal chute, and tend to pile up.  Also, cattle like eating pellets better than fines.  We also get gluten in pellets, but do not use it in creep feed, although it could be included to push the calves even faster. 

 

[neocattleman]

how well do they seem to do on the soy hull pellets? arent they an extremely high fiber feedstuff? what kind of crude protein do they contain?

 

[Dale]

articles.extension.org/pages/39695/what-are-soybean-hulls

Our calves are doing pretty well on them.  We used to feed whole oats, but the soy hull byproduct is cheaper.  We like our calves to have bloom, but getting heifers too fat is all too common, especially those fed "hot house" rations so they can win the banners.  If heifers are not obese, breeding, calving, etc. are better.  A super fat heifer calf probably will develop into a cow that gives less milk. 

 

[mainecattlemother]

What is your end result with these calves. Is it the sale ring or a breed sale or do you just plan to market at a sale barn.  We are a commercial/Simmi/Angus cow/calf operation and we market most of our calves a feeder heifers and steers put we do sell a small handful as show calf prospects.  Our sale barn cattle have a very simple mix our local feed store mixes for us.  We actually use our own corn along with oats and we may add some soybean hulls and some sweet lick and mineral.  They really love it.  Our show calves get a purina bagged ration and we also try to add some precon into the mix.  It seems to work well for us.  We are very careful about over feeding as we tend to get a heifers a little fat and it makes it hard for breeding when they are overly fat.

 

[neocattleman]

end result is to sell as show prospects but some will just be feeder calf quality. im looking for one of those mixes i can make myself in our mixer grinder with our own corn and other ingredients.