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Beef Cattle Creep Feeding
Creep feeding and weaning early
Creep feeding takes the pressure off the cows, leaving them as
much as 50 pounds heavier in the fall. That's important for winter maintenance.
Calves gain efficiently, with feed conversions between 5:1 and 7:1. You will
have heavier calves in the fall.
Calves like whole, coarsely cracked or rolled grain. The creep
ration should contain 70 per cent Total Digestible Nutrients (energy) and 12
percent or more crude protein. Good quality whole oats is favored by many
cattlemen. When pastures are dry it pays to increase protein in the creep feed.
Use a natural protein source (no urea); pelletized is best so it won't separate.
An example creep feed might be 40 percent rolled barley, 50 per cent whole oats
and 10 percent pelleted canola meal or commercial 32 (0) supplement.
The creep area doesn't have to be elaborate. Many styles of
commercial creep feeders are available for purchase. However you can economize
and fence off an area close to water or salt, preferably with shade. An opening
16 to 18 inches wide and 3 to 3.5 feet high will let calves in and keep cows
out. The creep feed can be fed in feed bunks, troughs or self feeders.
Start the calves on feed slowly, increase gradually. If too
much feed is put out at first, some calves may overeat. Also the leftover feed
will get stale and calves may back off. Once calves are used to the creep, don't
let it run empty. Creep feeding works better on smaller pastures than open range
with long distances between water holes or salt licks.
Wean the calves as early as possible. Feeding them directly is
cheaper than feeding the cows to maintain production plus it allows the cows to
pick up condition before winter. Calves can be weaned as young as 100 days, with
no problems, provided they are fed a high quality feed. The feed should contain
about 70 percent Total Digestible Nutrients, 14 percent crude protein ( no
urea), 0.6 percent calcium and 0.45 percent phosphorus. Talk to your livestock
specialist or feed company. You may consider the ration more expensive per ton
than cow feed. With calf intake about 8 pounds per day and gain about two pounds
per day, it's low cost gain. Calves on creep feed for even two or three weeks
before weaning, will wean and go on feed much easier. Follow recommended weaning
practices to reduce stress on the calf. Where possible "process" the calf three
weeks before weaning. Treat weaning as a single stress.
Calves can be weaned at 3 to 4 months if they are given a high
quality ration. It is cheaper to feed the calves directly than to feed the cows
for milk production.
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