|
Post by lesajt on May 12, 2013 9:54:34 GMT -5
I have a 14 month old steer we have decided to slaughter. He acts hungry all the time. I have some hay left but want him to start grazing too. I am giving him and a lactating cow/calf hay morning and afternoon along with whole corn. Can I increase the corn. They love it. I am giving about 5 pounds twice a day of corn and they beller for more. He is on the thin side and I have a month to fatten him. Should I allow them free access to the hay and how much corn? They only eat pasture when they are out of hay and corn but come when I go out, expecting more hay and corn. The corn is cheaper so would rather up that if possible. They have water and minerals. How much corn is too much?
|
|
Gorignak
member
Farm Facebook page is now up. Stop by and say HI !!
Posts: 569
|
Post by Gorignak on May 12, 2013 11:13:37 GMT -5
These folks will set you straight....you just might not like it.
Sorry, you are doing everything wrong....the volume of corn that you are feeding has his gut chemistry altered so much that the hay is only providing fiber necessary for movement through the system.
You are slaughtering him WAY too early (assuming this is a Dexter steer??) you will be disappointed.
Look up feedlot management....you are on a feedlot regimen.
I'm new to this....but am a quick study....Google up "grass fed beef" and suffer through store-bought meat / crap for another 10 months. Keep him another 10 months, and feed him all the grass, good hay, and a non-corn based supplement if necessary, that he can eat.
The cow's bellerin' is like a Meth freak tellin' you that the Meth is all that is keeping him alive !! Corn is poison to the cows digestive system......but they love it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 12, 2013 20:12:15 GMT -5
I agree – 15mths for slaughter? What are you only wanting in the freezer - soup bones? ;D Honestly, he is a steer which takes a little longer for him to bulk up. Let him mature to make it worth the time and effort, and provide benefit to your freezer. I think you will be happier then with the end result. Fattening will only add weight to the scales, but it wont add meat to your freezer. If I had chocolate in one hand and steamed vegies in the other – guess which one I would eat before attempting to eat the other……..cows are no different. There is now much scientific fact about naturally-grazed beef and the benefit in the minerals and vitamins available at consumption – might be worth a read up on this while you have a young animal. You might like what you read, you may not – but at least you will have the information to make a decision that will be right for you and your family.
|
|
|
Post by tarsallat on May 13, 2013 8:35:22 GMT -5
The yummiest meat you will ever eat is a younger steer, and even better is a young heifer, very sweet meat. Yes, you may get less meat than a 2 year old, but so much yummier and tender. Early spring isn't a good time to slaughter, wait till after the spring flush and your steer will be in better condition. Don
|
|
|
Post by ian on May 13, 2013 9:26:58 GMT -5
Hi A fourteen month old steer is still growing bone and will do so for another four to five months. Give him the time to grow out and fill out on grass you will not be disappointed.
|
|
|
Post by lesajt on May 13, 2013 10:31:59 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, although, I do not agree with it. I still need someone on here to answer how much corn they feed, as we plan to continue to do that and eat him at 15 months. I don't have the 1000 to pay for him to get another 10 months. We are currently eating a 6 month old Steer out of our Jersey. He is excellent eating. We like baby beef. Thanks again.
|
|
Gorignak
member
Farm Facebook page is now up. Stop by and say HI !!
Posts: 569
|
Post by Gorignak on May 13, 2013 11:20:43 GMT -5
Hard to imagine a steer costing $1K to feed for 10 months.
You won't find an answer on this forum....nobody doe a full grain based feed. BUT.....if you Google up "complete cattle ration" or some other combination of similar terms, you will at least stop throwing money away on corn. The steer is thin because corn is not a complete ration. The steer's cellulosic digestive process has been halted with the high starch input....so hay and grass are not feed anymore, they are just a laxative. Meat is produced with protein.....a bovine digestive system is a marvel of complexity, taking cellulose....bacteria....and 70 hours time, to turn grass into protein. Corn is an incomplete protein source...notably deficient in Lysine.
AT LEAST.....go down the local co-op and get a feed with the protein/energy source balanced.
|
|
|
Post by copperhead on May 13, 2013 12:16:07 GMT -5
I don't feed corn, but if they don't have access to good pasture, he needs a lot more hay that you are feeding.
|
|
|
Post by lakeportfarms on May 13, 2013 12:34:08 GMT -5
Frankly you're probably picking the absolute worst age to butcher him. He doesn't have the baby fat of a veal calf but he hasn't started laying down the fat of a older steer either because he's converting so much of his feed into growth. Think of it in human growth terms...a baby has lots of fat but little muscle mass, a young teen (given a normal diet) has little fat and only beginning stages of muscle mass, and a 20 something has both muscle mass and fat.
As Gorignak and others have said, there are problems with a heavy corn fed diet with little forage or roughage. I'd say you're slightly better off than antibiotic and growth implant beef, but that's about all. As for us, we feed no corn, and finish on grass alone so I couldn't advise you, but those that I know that finish Dexters do so at 22-26 months with a scoop (about 1 lb. of corn/day.
|
|
|
Post by J & M Chambers on May 13, 2013 14:11:22 GMT -5
Hello Lesajt, It is going to be tough to answer your specific question as few dexters beefers that I'm aware attempt to finish beginning at 14 months. I think we may push the envelope as much as most in targeting a slaughter at no later than 20 months and aiming for 18 months. Therefore I will give you the information from our efforts. We typically do not pull in off good pasture until around 16 or 17 months and then begin a finishing ration until they "pop" to the eye as finished. (Our results also presume 6 months on dam and 2 months of back-grounding at weaning prior to returning to pasture.) Our finish at that time is typically free access (large bale) to good quality grass hay or occasionally alfalfa (like last year when we pulled off of drought devastated pastures) and twice a day feeding of a 12% protein feed with cracked corn or whole oats mixed about 50 - 50. This supplement starts at about 2#s and slowly moves up to 4#s at end. We've never tried a straight corn finish ration and would not recommend it. We have hand fed hay as well and in those situations we fed as much as they would eat without having much remaining at next feeding. Typically a couple full flakes. Not sure how that sort of regimen will work with a 14 month old steer in terms of finished product, however we did bring in a show steer at a month or so before that and he looked good at 14 months, but not what I would call finished. Photo of that steer attached. I do not know your situation but I'd recommend keeping him on pasture another month or two and then try a finish like this for a couple. The end result will be much better and best beef in the world. Best of luck, Jeff Attachments:
|
|
jamshundred
member
Help build the Legacy Dexter Cattle "Forever" Genotype database
Posts: 289
|
Post by jamshundred on May 13, 2013 14:13:26 GMT -5
Lesa,
You sound just like a local Dexter buddy. He is from the "old school". Got to pen those boys up for six weeks and throw the grain at them. Otherwise they will be tough! WRONG! ! It took me ages to convince him otherwise. However, "grain" does not mean" whole corn". Cows cannot properly digest or gain any benefit from "whole" corn. Go look at the manure piles and see all those whole grains that went through him.
If you are going to feed corn, ( and they do like the taste. . sweet. . like candy). . you should buy the rolled steamed corn. That way he will gain some nutrients from it. You are feeding him "feedlot style". Dexters are not animals that adapt to feedlot style feeding. Those experiments have failed in the past. They do best as grass fed meat properly aged.
If you want good meat and the grass is green in Colorado put your steer on good grass pasture. . . and when you butcher him . HANG THE CARCASS FOR NO LESS THAN 21 DAYS. You have to insist on that time frame with must butchers and they will give you grief about sufficient fat cover. and in your case there may be none at all. ( fat cover).
The secret to good tender grass fed meat is the hanging time.
Judy
|
|
|
Post by lesajt on May 13, 2013 18:28:23 GMT -5
The cows I am keeping are on pasture now. I am also feeding them hay morning and night plus the corn is shared with the 4 of them. Not sure the calf is eating any of it. I cannot afford to keep most of the cows I have as hay is too high and I don't have enough pasture for all of them. I have 8 cows and one is due to calve. I just sold all but 2 for beef and only keeping the cow and calf along with one goat and a horse. Not ideal but gotta cut back due to health reasons. Most of the animals will be gone tomorrow. Wish I could do more but gotta butcher 2 for meat. One is a yrling Hereford and the other is this dexter. I have had him a year and need to cut back and need the meat. Thanks for all the advise.
|
|
Gorignak
member
Farm Facebook page is now up. Stop by and say HI !!
Posts: 569
|
Post by Gorignak on May 13, 2013 19:23:44 GMT -5
At least switch to a mixed/ balanced ration...your $$ will go a lot farther. We got the rain, and are off the black part of the drought map....west of us is still a disaster....Good Luck.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 17:02:59 GMT -5
The yummiest meat you will ever eat is a younger steer, and even better is a young heifer, very sweet meat. Yes, you may get less meat than a 2 year old, but so much yummier and tender. Early spring isn't a good time to slaughter, wait till after the spring flush and your steer will be in better condition. Don I suppose it comes down to personal choice really. The beauty of a dexter is the meat is absolutley beautiful up to 3 yrs of age. My two kidlets are chefs and were really taken with a friend of ours who slaughter a bull (not steer) at just on 3 yrs of age. Both kids, as well as us, were totally surprised at how tender, juicy and beautifully tasting the meat was. It gave me the confidence to want to wait for maturity for our boys before making a decision on their fate. You hear so many breeders have said "buggar, shouldnt have steered that one". And we are fortunate enough to have the space to rear bulls without compromising our stud herd by accidental matings.
|
|
|
Post by jamboru on May 16, 2013 9:02:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, although, I do not agree with it. I still need someone on here to answer how much corn they feed, as we plan to continue to do that and eat him at 15 months. I don't have the 1000 to pay for him to get another 10 months. We are currently eating a 6 month old Steer out of our Jersey. He is excellent eating. We like baby beef. Thanks again. We prefer baby beef also, lesajt. You steer needs ad lib good quality hay or silage as well as some grazing. He also needs a mix of rolled barley and lucerne (alfalfa) fed twice a day, about 3 to 4lbs in the morning and the same in the evening, depending on his size and appetite. Or you could feed him some calf pellets instead of all barley if he will eat them, just to get a balance of nutrient into him. He could gain 2lbs a day. Ours gain 1kg per day on feed. Six weeks feed would be better but four can work OK. We would increase the grain & lucerne after 3 weeks. Be careful of too much grain. They can get calculi problems.
|
|