How to put 100lbs on a show steer in one month

[Melissa Ridihalgh]

Ok for some odd odd reason our show steer has been eating great through the month on June and then we had a hot spell about a week ago.. Went to weigh the steer and it showed he only gained 20lbs from the first of june to yesterday.. Need to gain 100lbs in 27 days.. ANY suggestions or is my son in trouble... :'(

 

[The Show]

He'd have to gain almost 4 lbs a day which is going to be almost impossible in this heat. One thing I would do though is don't let him drink the night before weigh-in and then let him have all he wants right before weigh-in. Water weighs 8 lbs a gallon. Good luck!

 

[pds]

We started feeding 4x a day and 2 flakes of hay after each feeding and have been gaining 4.2 per day. We feed 6am 12lb purina finishing touch, noon 8lb corn and pellets, 6pm 12 lb purina and midnight 8lb corn mix. We also add 24oz of fast fuel per day (pop)

 

[vc]

Weigh him again, do it twice once in the morning and once in the evening and let us know what the 2 weights are, You may have weighed him completely full in June and completely empty the last time. He may have gained 100 pounds over the last month but not carring the same water both times. we weigh once a week as we near the end, we do it at the same time each week (usually before we kick them out in the evening, on sunday, they are empty at this time) to get a consistant reading on the weight. We can monitor their gain and know where we are in relation to where we want them to be at the end.

 

[Melissa Ridihalgh]

Thank you for all the helpful suggestions.. We are going to start him on the vitaferm sure champ and vitaferm bolus which says to give once a week....I agree something is totaly wrong with this last weigh in...I know even with the heat there is no way he only gained 20lbs.  Would love to weigh him a few times a week but the only scale that is available to me is the local grain scales.  Wondering if there's is kinda weird.

 

[TJ]

I am no expert, but here is what I'd do...

Implant him if not already done.
Keep the critter cool, as much as possible, but not hot ot even too cold (if weight is more important than hair).
Add some ice to his drinking water to keep it cool, but not too cold.
If you wet the feed or beet pulp, do so using ice water.
Treat for internal & external parasites if not already done.
Start the Sure Champ. 
Add 2 lbs. of Stabilized Rice Bran & don't use any liquid fat additive.
Feed smaller, more frequent meals. 
If you  can cook the corn, barely or oats, do it, but soak it in ice water to cool it way down before feeding it.
Probaly forgetting something, but that should help a bunch. 

 

[farmin female]

We started feeding 4x a day and 2 flakes of hay after each feeding and have been gaining 4.2 per day. We feed 6am 12lb purina finishing touch, noon 8lb corn and pellets, 6pm 12 lb purina and midnight 8lb corn mix. We also add 24oz of fast fuel per day (pop)

Boy, if the critter doesn't gain 4+ pounds a day eating all that something is wrong!  That's a lot of food!  I want the calf that will gain 4.2 lbs a day on about half that amount! 

Feeding 4 times a day is a good idea though. 

 

[farmboy]

You have to burn calories to keep a stable body temp. Drinking ice water increases the amount of calories needed to maintain your self. Keep him cool, not to cool. Soybean oil topdressed will increase appetite.

 

[TJ]

You have to burn calories to keep a stable body temp. Drinking ice water increases the amount of calories needed to maintain your self. Keep him cool, not to cool. Soybean oil topdressed will increase appetite.

I totally agree about the body temp, which is why I said "some ice" & "cool, but not too cold".  However, if heat is slowing the rate of gain, then cool drinking water, cooling the feed, cooling with fans, and whatever else you can do to "cool" the calf is going to be a huge plus.  Just don't get the calf cold or stress it in any way.  I think we both agree about cool, but not too much so.  But, I would rather have one a little to cold than too hot, as they tend to eat more that way.  

I totally disagree about the soy oil, though.  The stabilized rice bran works everybit as well, if not better, IMHO.  Probably because it doesn't loosen them up nearly as much as oil & therefore you can get more fat in the calf & keep all of the feed in the calf longer.  I'm not knocking oil or liquid fats, but Oil will make animals & humans get awful loose, especially if digested in larger quantities & this calf sounds like it needs all the gain that it can get.   In this case, I'd be feeding the rice bran.  I've seen Lowline calves gain 3-4 lbs per day on less rice bran & sure champ than I mentioned above.

 

[OLD WORLD SHORTIE]

Use the drench gun before weigh in, im sure you can put 50 pounds of water in him.

 

[farmboy]

1-2 oz of soybean oil will not loosen a calf. More than that I'm sure it would, as any oil will. No experience with rice bran so no comment.

 

[Melissa Ridihalgh]

Ok folk thank for the help.. Got one more for you... He wont eat hay of any kind.. will eat grass but I have been told thats kinda a no no for show steers... Any suggestions?

 

[farmboy]

Feed top quality hay

 

[vc]

Try a good grain hay, like oat, barley or 3-way, around here it is all fresh bailed at this time and if cut and bailed right it is sweet and they can't get enough of it.
we like to feed it near the end because it really helps fill them out.

 

[TJ]

1-2 oz of soybean oil will not loosen a calf. More than that I'm sure it would, as any oil will. No experience with rice bran so no comment.

4 or less oz of soy oil typically will not get them too loose... I agree totally.  However, 1-2 oz or even up to 4, probably isn't going to be enough to produce 4 lb per day gains all by itself.  I know, I've been there & tried it.  However, 2 lbs of rice bran + 1 lb of Sure Champ/Show Bloom will.  And less than that,  put 3-4 lbs per day on fullbllod Lowlines, not crosses, & the rest of the ration was a very, very high fiber grower.  so I have no doubt that this should work.  If they weren't needing 4 lbs per day, I would not disagree with you at all.  Soy oil is good if you start early enough, but 1-2 oz is not what I would do when you need 100+ lbs in 30 days, during hot weather, IMHO.  But, that is just my opinion based on my own experience. I am not an expert. 

 

[Melissa Ridihalgh]

Well been doing the sure champ and did one bolus...Did this on Thursday this week.. Today is Saturday and he wont eat any hay just nibbles at it and its fresh hay just bailed.  Just ate prob 3-4 lbs of feed yesterday.. Will keep trying.  Just feel bad for my son because he has worked hard with this steer..

 

[misty]

You may want to weigh him again and check the scale to make sure it is free
at one of our weigh ins a board got stuck under the scale and the weights
were 80 lbs lighter than they should have been.

 

[Melissa Ridihalgh]

Ok all im at what 24 25 days till fair.. We have a severe HEAT warning out for like all week I think and last night after son walked and worked with him we gave him fresh water, grain which included the vitaferm and fresh hay... He did start eating hay and ate some of the grain rob around 7 9 pounds and drank.. That is good....Doesnt like eating at all through the day nibbles on the hay though.... All I can do it hope and pray....Gave him a probiotic pill last week going to give him another tonight...Thanks all

 

[vc]

Do you have him under fans and misters or in a cool box, if you do not have a cool box he needs to be at least in a shaded area with fans on him. Try and get him as cool as you can this may be why he is off his feed a little.
I know when it is to hot they will stop eating. (just like we do)

 

[farmin female]

I know I am not there, but I would keep a good eye on this calf.  It sounds as if he might have had a bug of some sort and is working through it.  It's generally bad if a calf won't eat hay.  I can tell you that you can throw the yuckiest old bale of sticks and leaves out to some cows and they will generally be picking through it.  The heat may be the culprit though so any way you can keep him cool without shocking his system will be good.

Keep on trying and I hope you make it.