Suggestions to help 4H steer eat better

[Beefsteer15]

Good morning all! 

We are new to 4H and showing a market steer.  He weighed in on Nov 16 at 469 lbs at 5 months old. He is currently eating the attached photo mix. He never cleans up the feed 100%. He leaves the powder behind.  He has fresh/clean water available to him at all times and seems to be drinking fine. He acts normal. What would anyone recommend to add to his feed to get him to clean it up.  He only gets 1/2 flake hay am and pm. Thank you in advance!

 

[mark tenenbaum]

How much is he eating per day?It looks by weight that the feed is primarily cracked corn-I think you need to change him over to something a little more balanced with molasses oats some cottonseed mineral pellets etc Like a bagged feed-He may not digest straight corn like that as well either  O0

 

[Beefsteer15]

Thank you. He is eating 12 lbs a day of this mix.  It is primarily cracked corn

 

[rf21970]

At his age and weight, some kind of grower ration with more fiber and bulk would be better I think. Also, did you mix a 3500 lb batch of this feed? If so, it can get stale only feeding 12 lb per day. I'd get something like glu-coat to top dress it with.

 

[Beefsteer15]

Yes we had a 3500 lb batch made. We have 20 head we feed this to. It only last about 2 weeks. I will look into something diff for him. Thank you

 

[vc]

Here is a ration that one of the long time posters (AAOK)on this site had posted, many on this site have tried it and really like it, you may want to try something like it.
Go to the search function at the top of the page and do a search on AAOK feed ration for more info.

AAOK feed ration

1200 lbs. cracked corn
400 lbs. cotton seed hulls
200 lbs. whole oats
100 lbs. soy bean meal
100 lbs. molasses

I top dress each calf 1 oz. per feeding ADM/Alliance chlortetracycline medicated mineral.  The mineral additive is not optional.  No ration will work without a quality mineral program.  On the occasional need for a fat additive, I use ADM’s Healthy Glo.  This is a 100% stablized rice bran developed for Race Horses.  1 pound per head per day.  It will increase muscle, hair & quality of hair coat.

That’s our feed program. It has remained unchanged since 1996, and we have never had a problem.