feeding sale calves

[neocattleman]

what is everyone feeding to get the growth and look you need in your fall sale calves? buying bagged feed? mixing your own ration? do you creep feed while calf is on the cow, if you do what do you use for creep feed?

i just cant seem to get the growth needed in my calves and my creep feed costs to much for not enough added growth.

 

[jbzdad]

I was able to get some PM6 grass hay.. they are eating a lot of that.. it is 11 percent protein .. then some corn based finisher from the local mill.. calves look really good..way better than prior years

 

[DSC]

I was just out in Nebraska looking at the sale calves and what they are feeding as a creep feed is almost a finisher ration.

12.48%- Protein
5.15%- Fat
7.25%- Fiber

The calves looked good and fleshy.

What we do is Purina Pre-con and then add cracked corn to it. Once they are weaned we start them off on ShowRite Finisher.

Hope that helps.

 

[neocattleman]

thank you for the responses.

jbzdad: what exactly is PM6 grass hay? what is the nutrient analysis on the finisher from the mill?

DSC: what percentage precon to cracked corn do you use? and do you use the precon cracked corn mix as a creep feed and if you do do you limit feed or free choice?

 

[jbzdad]

PM6 is a grass mix from Sharp seed in Healy kansas .. usually grown under irrigation and fetrilized.. it is leafy and fine stemmed.. this is the first cutting and it has some weeds and volunteer triticale in it... the calves are eating the fire out of it.. it tested 10.6 protein

the mix from the coop is mostly corn and some cotton seed pellets etc .. it is actually the "4-H finishing ration " from that mill.. we are buying it at 200 per ton I think .. we just started adding a little "full tank" to the calves that are getting tied up