By Product Feeds

[Intrepid1]

I have some green yearlings to go on
grass. When the steers need to grow before
things green up they need extra nutrients
than just hay. Has anyone suggestions..
like by-product pellets...

[Happytrails]

Screening pellets will work as long as they don't contain too much ergot. If your hay is reasonable quality that should be all they need until the green grass comes. And what a day that will be!!

[DogPatch]

my tolerance for ergot is ZERO.........

[Intrepid1]

My concern is with the smaller end of the steers which need extra energy to gow before hitting the grass. Otherwise they don't put on weight. Often just hay isn't enough as the animals cant eat enough to meet body needs.

[grassfarmer]

Are these steers you have just bought or have you
had them all winter? Depends - on the steers, what
size, how much gain you want off grass, when you
plan to sell them, how good your grass might be?
You need to know what your hay analysis is first, then
figure out the quality of ration you need, then look
for something to supplement with. Not much time to
do this and influence turnout weight given it's April
7th already hence me asking if you just bought them.

Supplements we use are wheatshort (also called
millrun) pellets to provide a lot of energy and some
protein or wheat distillers meal to provide a lot of
protein and some energy depending on the quantities
fed. Neither of these are cheap but I prefer them to
cheaper feeds like screening pellets because they are
more nutrient dense hence there is way less volume
of product to handle and no rolling involved like with
grain.

[Intrepid1]

I rently purchased the cattle by the load. They are from as far away as Northern Sask. So background uncertain. Some are good size 625 but some small...550. The hay I have is 12-14%. The grass will be good (as long as it rains!)The target weight is 925... contracted so will go ..as soon as reach that weight. The big and small animals are in seperate fields.

[grassfarmer]

OK, the next questions are how long will you have
grass for? If my cattle were 625 now they would be on
feed until May 20th gaining @1.5/day then by Sept
20th they would hit 925 by gaining 2lb/day on grass.
550lbs would struggle to hit that weight by late
October. We usually achieve closer to 2.2lb/day but I
like to err on the side of caution when working out
target gains.
You will likely be in a different situation - depends
how green your cattle are, what age they are, what
genetics they are - they might do more than 2lb/day.
Depends also how green your grass stays late in the
season which is dictated by your area and weather.

You quote the protein level of your hay but what
about the energy as I find that usually more limiting
than protein in hays we buy? If the energy is adequate
I'd probably just leave them on hay and get the
compensatory gain on grass. Feeding enough
supplement to get the smaller calves to gain 2lb/day
instead of 1.5/day over 50 days or so is only going to
add 25lb to turnout weight at considerable
cost/workload. Still leave you 50lb short using my
model above selling Sept 20th. Feeding them harder
than that (depending how green they are) might just
add condition which they could have put on cheaper
using compensatory gain and cheap grass. Do you
need to have them contracted at 925lbs? could that
be changed to less or are there penalties for them
being underweight within the existing contract? You
have to weigh these against the cost it will incur to
add supplement to the ration this late in the winter
given current supplemental feed costs.

[ag-boy]

never had 2 lbs gain yet on grass !!!
most of you pasture man have no scale going in and coming out ,
have had cattle up in central area good green cattle and at dry grass south sask !
but all big talk ! never more than 1,6 to 1,8 /day
charlay crossbreds always did better ! so on plan, cost per pound of gain both party,s no b-s talk
so remember on scale to grass and off scale calculation between 4to 5 % shrink
have a nice SUMMER COWBOYS market will not be good this fall !!! so be careful !!

[grassfarmer]

I have documented year on year records of our
pasture gain on fattening cattle using a scale at
both ends of the season and usually in the middle to
ensure they are on target. Only been less than 2lbs
a day once in the last 10 years and that was in a wet
year not a dry one. We can do it on our grass but I
know how to grow and manage quality pasture and
have the genetics to go with it.
I have more trouble reaching winter target gains
than I do summer. Guess that's because I'm a
grassfarmer not a feedlot operator.

[Intrepid1]

I graze on tall fescue pasture and rotationally on alfalfa. If have good framed cattle , predominately angus, get well over 2lb per day. Sometimes if get some herfords, if not crossbred, the gains are genrally below average.

[grassfarmer]

ag-boy, by coincidence the front cover of Cattleman
this month is a picture of mine despite what the
caption says. That was taken 19th August 2009 in the
driest year since records began in this area. Some of
our Luing x Red Angus fatteninmg steers and a young
Luing bull on the left. That's the kind of pasture that
sustains 2lb gains for us even in a drought year.