Market steer feed

[user44]

Hi all, This is my first year doing a 4h market steer and I have a few questions about feed. I live in the northwest where we can cheaply get cracked corn, white wheat and barley. After a little reading I am considering feeding a mixture of these, but I can't figure out how much of each would make a good mix and if it would be a good idea in the first place? Or I was also considering buying cascade cattle and sheep forage pellets and mixing that with corn? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[vc]

Trying to go on the cheap side can be great if you make sure and get all the correct amount of nutrients and correct balance of protein and fat, along with all the vitamins and minerals a steer requires. Look up the AAOK feed ration on this site and see what he mixed and the amount, it was a good balanced mixture. The most important part of a beef project is feeding. Feeding the right amount of fat and protein, adjusting the feed as the calf develops, and changing the fat and protein percentages at the right stages of growth to get everything you can out of your project.
Unless you know what the nutritional value is of each grain it is hard to get a good mix, Barley can be as low as 7.5%t protein or as high as 18% , you want to start a calf on a mix that is between 13.5-16 percent grain and 2.5-3 percent fat, as the calf grows you will slowly reduce the protein to around 11.5-13 and increase that fat to between 3.5-5% fat depending on the animal. Mixing your own feed is okay as long as you meet all the animals needs.