Decenber weigh-in weight for steer...

[katie_k]

so today was w=our december weigh-in for our county market steers that will be sold in july.  i was just wondering what a good weight would be.  my steer is a simmi shorthorn cross and he is a march calf.  he wieghed 773 lbs. is this where i want him to be?  what do you like your calves to weigh?

 

[rasor club calves]

we just had our weighin today and a good weight for our mid aug fair in ohio is about 750-850. but mine weighd 1010, he should turn out to be 1400.

 

[Okotoks]

A lot is going to depend on his current condition. If he gains 3 lb a day from here out he will be at around 1400 lbs in July. I would think with the right ration you should come close to where he needs to be. (thumbsup)

 

[Bradenh]

we weighed in last week for our june show and i was at 765 and 790 and that was a little big. so you are pretty close to perfect on  your steer. dont worry. we also had a 710 and a 585

 

[katie_k]

So that 1300-1400 range is where i want to be?

 

[dutch pride]

So that 1300-1400 range is where i want to be?

Depends on what your calfs frame size is. You want your calf to have enough finish to grade choice without being over fat or wasty. Ideally the market likes a steer that finishes in the 1275 to 1325# range. However, if you have a larger frame steer and he needs to be 1400#s to be finished, that is where I would try to have him at your fair or terminal show.

DLZ

 

[oakbar]

Most judges like to see their top steers in the 1300-1350 range.    We had several calves at our weigh-in yesterday that were from 800-900 pounds already for a June fair.   Many of these could be carrying too much weight by then if they grow normally.   185 days at 3# per day would put them in the 1355--1455 lb range.   Most of the calves, if they are fed well, will surpass the 3#/day gain level at our fair.    It depends on if you are looking to win a rate of gain contest or the live show.   Usually the same steer won't do both and if they get much over 1450 their carcass is usually docked for being too big in the carcass show.  

 

[katie_k]

i dont have an up close picture but he is a big framed calf with a deep heartgirth and middle

 

[rackranch]

Pick the weight you want him to be at show and track his daily gains...then feed him according to his conversions to ensure he is were you want him and his is fresh come show time.. Take out the guess work  ???

 

[oakbar]

I posted this info on the other question about weigh-ins so I might as well post it here, too.  This should give you some idea of the averages you can expect.    Of course, if your calf is large framed he will  probably need to weigh more than 1300 lbs.to grade Choice.

Our 2010 county fair averages were:

Dec. Weigh in  Ave wt.  694      Range  552---885 lbs

Fair Weigh in    Ave wt.  1311    Range  1140---1495 lbs

Average ADG        3.31 lbs/day  Range  2.94---3.98

The best way to do it is to weigh the calf periodically so you know what he ways and how you are coming towards your target weight.  Unfortunately, you may be like us and not have a scale on your farm so it becomes more difficult to get those weights.  WE have hauled calves to the elevator's truck scale to weigh them in the past.  This won't give you an exact weight but it will give you an estimate within 20 lbs or so.

There were 186 days between our Dec. weigh in and our fair weigh--in