Keeping a steer eating

[grandchamp58]

I have one month to go and my calf has really slowed down. He is pretty well covered but i don't want him to get stale, especially in the last month. We have a guy who is a state grader who is my neighbor, and he said my calf would grade choice - today. However, he went from eating 20 lbs a day to at the most 10 lbs. We have tried different feeds and have been using probias, but it really hasnt helped. If I started drenching with corn oil, would that keep the cover? Even if he will only eat 10 lbs a day? If so, how much should I give him per day? Thanks in advance.

 

[Gargan]

Is he the only calf in the barn, sometimes company can help if do, also, are u feeding him twice a day?

 

[grandchamp58]

yes hes eating with company as well as being fed twice a day. thanks

 

[Gargan]

Try some sure champ if you have a dealer in ur area. Also try feeding him just once tomorrow evening ( like 20#).  After he quits eating tomorrow eve, clean up any extra feed he doesn't eat and reuse it the following day. Hope this helps and maybe some others will input.

 

[dcbehle]

We hit a slow spot in our feeding program at a similar point for feeding calves that were nearly finished. In both pens where we feed, we started adding some Vitaferm back into our mix and within 10 days they have increased their appetite by about 10 lbs/day. We also had to adjust our evening feeding time to help increase the daily intake, but I still attribute the Vitaferm with increasing the bug activity in their guts with the improvement.

 

[Jeferin]

We had the same thing with our steer. We noticed he was leaving a lot of fines in the ration we were giving him. He was stiff looking and dopey looking. We put him on a complete feed and dosed him with Probic paste. We know keep the feed in front of him all night (he is under fans and tied all day) and he is stuffing away #25.

He looks better in all ways, hair, attitude and soundness. I think I am sold on complete feed.

 

[Davidsonranch]

Just some ideas.  Try tying him up when eating at all times.  We had a steer if untied would "graze" on his grain.  If tied up he would eat much more. 
Also try something like Manna Pro Equine Fat supplement or something like that.  Usually they are flavored like butterscotch or there are other brands that smell like apples.  Might be worth a try with so little time to go.
Also I'm a big fan of Diamond V yeast in the grain.  Keeps the bugs working.

 

[grandchamp58]

thanks guys. We have tried another feed but he still eats mediocre. I'm gonna give him a few days though and try a new feed if he doesn't like this one. Davidsonranch, could you please elaborate with the yeast? That sounds like a good idea. I am too far away from a Surechamp dealer but I can try the yeast if you can get it at a local grocery store. Thanks again!

 

[AAOK]

The #1 rule in Show Calves is..................................Be Consistent!

Don't change their feed, particularly toward the end,,
Always feed at the same time of day, same bucket, same water, same everything,
etc., etc., etc.

 

[OH Breeder]

This time of year is tough for fat calves. The heat in most areas will effect appetite greatly. If you can add a fan or two to help cool the calf it makes a world of difference. Also make sure he is up on his probiotics. You can get them at Tractor Supply they are cheap and will restore the gut. Sometimes when calves eat grain they get burned out and you have to balance their gut again. Hay helps too. When we had trouble with calves close to the end we put them in the cooler and rinsed as frequently as possible. The cooler they were the better they ate. We gave probiotics for a couple weeks to help restore the appetite.
Good luck

 

[Davidsonranch]

grandchamp58
We use Diamond V yeast. It comes in like 40 pound sacks.  A small scoop in feed each day.  Just helps the bugs working good in stomach and really seems to help when adding / finishing towards the end.