Beef Cattle Nutrition: Steer Feeding

A champion steer is the product of good breeding, good management, correct feeding, and proper fitting and showing.

You must begin a well-planned feeding program as early as possible to produce 4-H show steers successfully. What you feed is not as important as how you feed it, so long as you provide the essential nutrients.

Begin feeding your baby calf as early as possible. Many calves will eat grain at 6 weeks of age. It is best to let your calf run in the pasture with its dam and have access to a creep.

Feeding two calves together has some advantages. Usually two calves in a pen eat better than one being fed alone. But if finances or time prevent your doing a good job with two calves, feed only one. One top steer properly fitted and shown is certainly preferred to two poorly fitted steers.

Always use fresh grain for each feeding. Keep the feed trough clean at all times, and keep chickens away from the feeding trough.


Confining the Calf

You need to consider several factors to know when to bring the calf into the barn for confinement. These factors include the milking ability of the mother, the amount of grazing available to the calf, the condition of the calf, and the length of time until show date.

After confinement, the calf should nurse and eat grain twice a day at a regular time. Regularity is important. For best results, feed your calf before nursing by letting him eat all he wants for 30 minutes each feeding. A calf on full feed will eat approximately 2 to 4 pounds of feed each day for each 100 pounds of body weight.

Calf rations vary widely, and there is no one best proportion of grain, supplements, and forage. Some feeders use prepared commercial rations successfully. Others prefer to mix their own rations so they can use home-grown grains and roughage, which are often less expensive.


Mixing the Rations

In preparing rations, use clean, heavy, high-quality grain. Light oats, for example, can greatly decrease the effectiveness of a ration.

Mix the ration as near to the feeding time as possible. Mix the dry grain thoroughly; then, where possible, add a little molasses or brown sugar dissolved in warm water. The molasses or brown sugar make the feed taste better and is often one of the cheapest sources of carbohydrates. It also keeps dust down in ground mixtures.

When it is not convenient to mix molasses or brown sugar with the feed, use a small amount of high quality sweet feed. The amount might be 10 pounds in a 100-pound mixture or a double handful mixed with the grain ration at each feeding.

Steers should consume 2.0 to 2.5 pounds of grain per day per 100 pounds of body weight. Feed choice-quality grass hay after the evening feeding. Feed a calf what he will eat in 15 to 30 minutes. A calf will eat about 2 to 4 pounds of hay daily. Too much hay will cut down on the amount of more fattening grain rations he eats, and it may also cause the calf to develop a big middle.


Ration Formulas

Since you may be one of the many feeders who finds it inconvenient to weigh feed ingredients, we are listing four rations by measure and by weight.

Ration No. 1 is mixed for steers weighing about 400 pounds when they are started on grain. This ration will also prove satisfactory for calves weighing less.

The rations are given for general weight ranges. Some rations should be changed before the calf reaches the specified weight range, since the length of time you have to show and condition the calf determine the amount and proportion you should feed.

Yellow corn is more desirable than white corn. Corn should be shelled, cracked, or steamrolled.

Oats should be bright and heavy. For best use, oats should be crimped or steamrolled.

When possible, steamrolled grain is preferred over cracked or crimped.

Turn with a scoop to mix dry grain thoroughly with molasses or brown sugar dissolved in warm water. Use only enough to make feed moist. Do not make feed wet.

Ration No. 1 furnishes full protein requirements. If calf is nursing, reduce the amount of protein or protein supplement. Too much protein may cause the calf to scour. Over a long feeding period too much protein often causes calves to become "burned out" and to go off feed. If this happens, decrease the amount being fed to what the calf will eat in the allotted time. Regulate protein intake according to the calf's condition.

Gradually change to Ration No. 2 when the calf weighs 600-800 pounds. An 800-pound calf should be changed gradually to Ration No. 3.

If show calves are to be moved any distance, change to Ration No. 4 about 3--5 days before the show, or gradually cut regular amount of feed to half. Reducing the amount of feed decreases the chance of scours and keeps the calf eating in new surroundings. Begin watering calf from a bucket several days before the show.

Withhold all grain the night before you move the calf. Feed only a good grass hay and water. Repeat the next morning, but withhold the water. Your calf should arrive at the show without stomach problems and ready to eat and drink.

Proper exercise is essential in developing a champion steer. The amount of exercise and time to start depend on the calf and his condition. If you have a 10-acre or larger pen, chances are you will not have to do much forced exercise until 60 days before the show. As show time nears, forced exercise is desirable. A mile trot will help harden the calf and trim his middle and underline. The amount of exercise and when to start depend on the "eye of the master."


Ration No. 1