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shortyjock89

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Well, we walk ours alot to build muscle, and you can also build a ramp for him to stand on.  I've never done this, but some people swear by it.
 

Jill

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I would leave the ramp to the sheep folks, causes more problems than muscle in beef.
 

shortyjock89

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Jill said:
I would leave the ramp to the sheep folks, causes more problems than muscle in beef.

Alright, my bad for the bad advice...I don't really know much about the ramping thing.  But we don't use any extra supplements, we just walk them and feed them.  Seems to work pretty good for us, but we also try to select calves with good muscling to begin with.
 

CPL

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I find it much easier to breed it into them. Its kind of like trying to make a rooster lay eggs.
 

farmboy

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if theres a good sized hill , walk him up and down it, i did that with my steer and his hindquarter was bigger than a steer with hair 4 inches fluffed lol
 

dori36

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strawroanlova said:
my steer could use some muscle but i cannot afford supplement.what do i do ??? ??? ???

Of course, if his genetics don't allow him to carry a lot of muscle, you're somewhat limited.  But to make the most of what he has, walk, walk, walk him.  Every day.
 

TJ

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I also would not ramp him.  I've seen it cause structural problems & didn't think it helped all that much.  I do agree with having them walk up & down hills though.  I've actually seen that work, but don't expect miracles.  You could also try walking them in a sand pit (similar to a hill).  Revelor S implant about 45-60 days before the final show will also help add the extra mass to thicken one up.  Of course, hair & fat will thicken one up also. HOWEVER, all of those are band aids at best.  The best solution, as others have already shared, is to start with the right genetics & to pick a thick one to begin with! 

Hope that helps!!
TJ 
 

farmboy

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the steer i had at the fair this year got walked up and down a pretty good sized hill at 1200 pounds and he put on alot of muscle, The beutiful thing is that you dont have to do it every single day. i did it twice a week up and down on separate days. I had a little pen that accomodated him at my house (on top of the hill) and the barn at the bottom, spend a day here and a day there, should make him thirsty-er and have more of an appetite, i can pm you pics of him if you'd like
 

chambero

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Most supplements aren't worth the money at all.  However, you can make a little bit of difference with the Revalor S + feeding Optaflexx.  Both are approved for use in feedlot animals and have lots of real research behind them.  They won't make a huge difference though.
 

fluffer

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I would implant him.  Walking him will do too, but it depends on structure and if your trying to get and keep hair on him if that is a good idea.  I have also seen people use ramps.  Usually they have a lot of padding on them and then that green outdoor carpet over top of it.  I don't know if they work or not, but I usually only see really good steers standing on them.  If they don't have too much of a slope and have enough padding on them, some people just tie their calves on it every day.  They tie them down so the calf can lay down.  Here again, I don't know if they work or not and I would be very careful if you have a calf that is straight in his hocks.  But I would defiantly implant him with ralgro or revlor.
Good luck
Fluffer
 

knabe

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the concern with the ramps might not be the padding, but the sustained angle they are forced to stand.  i can't see the padding would do any good, as the shifted weight will probably have a more profound effect on their joints, than whether their soles are padded.
 

garybob

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Don't use ramps, they'll cause structural issues. Don't implant, either, 'cause that'll reduce his marbling score.
 

jimmyski

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Colby, KS
garybob said:
Don't use ramps, they'll cause structural issues. Don't implant, either, 'cause that'll reduce his marbling score.

Garybob,
I agree with you on the not using ramps. I can see that definitely causing some structure issues. However, I will respectfully disagree with you on the Implant. I would definitely implant him, it will aid in his overall muscle development and that steer could use that, especially behind his shoulders. In regards to reducing his marbling score, you are right it generally does. However, if a calf is going to grade, then the majority of the time he will still grade, even if he is implanted. The grading has more to do with genetics than it doesn with the implant.
 

Rocky Hill Simmental

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Missouri
I would implant him to get muscle.

My sister's steer from 2 years ago was implanted and the guy who bought him said he had the most tender meat he had ever tasted. Not to mention, he was a musclar one!
I showed a steer this year but I didn't implant him because he was going to be big enough to make the sale anyway. I kind of regret it though because he didn't have quite enough muscle to do as well as I would have liked him too. I don't know how his beef turned out though because they didn't do ultrasound and the guy who bought him at the sale resold him so he went directly from the fairgrounds to the salebarn.
Both were American crossed steers (floppy ears!) and the implants really made a difference in my sister's steer.
 

shortyisqueen

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Alberta, Canada
It might just be me, cause I'm old-fashioned, but I always thought implants were a bit of a cop out.

Not too mention (at least here in Canada), that if we just didn't implant, we would have the whole European union to market beef to.
 
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