However, the higher the calf prices, the greater the discounts as calves increase in weight. Creep feeding grain for days should add approximately 60 pounds of weaning weight to a calf. The relationship between feed conversion and feed cost determines the cost of gain Table 1. Cost of gain is calculated by dividing total feed costs per calf by added gain per calf. For practical purposes, use a conversion of 9 pounds of feed per pound of added gain when determining how much can be paid for creep feed.
One factor that greatly affects creep feed consumption and efficiency is the quantity and quality of available forage. If high quality forage is available, forage intake will be reduced and the benefits in animal performance over the no-creep system will diminish. Creep feeding has been most effective in drought situations or whenever quantity or quality of pastures does not meet the growth requirements of the calf.
Daily intake of creep feed can affect feed efficiency. Protein-based creep feeds are often fed in limited amounts by including salt in the feed. An Illinois study compared limited or unlimited intake of corn or soybean hulls Faulkner et al. There was no difference in feed efficiency between the supplements or intake level, which were 2. The response to creep feeding will be less when abundant high quality forage is available until weaning. Growth rates will be less restricted in non-creep-fed calves when high quality forage is substituted for grain in creep-fed calves.
A more fibrous creep feed such as soybean hulls will not decrease forage intake and forage digestion as much as a high starch feed such as corn. One trial showed that calves fed about 7 pounds of creep feed per day consumed about 50 percent less forage when fed corn and 40 percent less forage when fed soybean hulls. In the same study, forage intake was decreased by 12 percent when creep feed was limited to 1.
During a drought, calf gains are limited by poor quality forages and a lack of forage availability, so creep feeding should be most beneficial in drought years. Creep feeding can mask the poor milking performance of cows. Calves of poor milking cows may consume more feed to make up for receiving less milk from the cow.
If culling and selection are based on weaning weight, weigh calves prior to the creep feeding period to obtain an estimate of the cow? Another point to consider is whether or not the calves will be marketed following a stockering program. If calves are heavily fed and fat at weaning, creep feeding could decrease performance during the stockering period. In this situation, use a creep grazing or limited protein supplement.
This should decrease creep feeding gains but allow for normal growth rates in case of a drought or poor forage quality. Creep feeding is more beneficial if calves are marketed following or through slaughter. Creep feeding familiarizes calves with grain and results in greater intakes of grain and reduced stress at and after weaning. Calves that were creep fed have been shown to have fewer respiratory diseases during the preconditioning period compared with calves that were not creep fed.
Creep feeding will benefit calves retained through slaughter by increasing marbling and avoiding the price discounts that may be applied to heavier, fleshier calves when sold at weaning. Creep feeding has been shown to increase marbling scores in many research trials.
Some have estimated that marbling scores increase approximately 0. Therefore, creep feeding a calf for days could increase the final quality grade by one score for example, low choice to average choice.
Other studies have shown lower increases in marbling scores Table 2 , but the bottom line is that creep feeding a grain-based diet will enhance carcass marbling provided calves are fed at least 80 days Tarr et al.
To retain the benefits of increased marbling, calves should continue being fed a grain-based diet immediately after weaning and adjusted to a feedlot finishing diet within 28 days after weaning. In most situations, creep feeding future replacement heifers is not recommended.
Research shows that high-energy supplementation and subsequent high daily gains of heifers, prior to weaning, decrease mammary development and subsequent milk production. Creep feeding will reduce milk production by approximately 25 percent.
Milk production should not decrease unless heifers are gaining at least 2 pounds per day. Creep feeding heifer calves can decrease milk production in their first lactation and result in a lower weaning weight of their calves.
Replacement heifers generally need to gain only 1 to 1. At such low growth rates, much of the added weight gained from creep feeding will be lost. Separate potential replacement heifers from the calves that are creep-fed. Creep feeding heifers has been shown to decrease the age at puberty. If weaning weights are severely restricted by poor forage, then creep feeding can allow heifers to obtain normal growth and reach puberty to calve at 2 years of age.
Supplementation with concentrate feeds is the most widely used creep system. Under most circumstances, this system produces the most additional gain. Creep feeding can be accomplished using a self feeder with a creep gate attached, or by using a creep gate to divide off a separate creep area and placing a trough inside. Locating feeders around loafing areas and spreading hay in creep areas helps the calves find the feed. The efficiency of a grain creep system usually varies from to In other cases, feed efficiency has ranged up to , clearly an uneconomical level.
A good average to use is 9 pounds of feed for each additional pound of gain , which is a safe assumption for calculating the amount one can pay for creep feed. Success with this creep system fluctuates with cattle and grain prices, available forage, type of cattle and management system. With the high grain creep system, many ration combinations can be used to achieve satisfactory results. Example rations are shown in Table 3.
Ingredients and ingredient amounts can vary according to feed cost. Mix the ration thoroughly to prevent the calf from sorting feed particles.
Whole or rolled grains make a simple, satisfactory creep feed and are more palatable than finely-ground grains. In addition, larger feed particle sizes reduce dust and may decrease waste. Adding 3 to 5 percent molasses can reduce dust, reduce separation of feedstuffs and improve palatability. Creep feed intake is important when evaluating the efficiency of an unlimited grain-based creep feed. Monitor intake closely so ration adjustments can be made to control intake. If intake begins to exceed 1.
In a study conducted in Georgia, Hereford calves were creep fed for 91 days prior to weaning at seven months of age Rossi et. The study followed the calves through the finishing phase and addresses several of the factors affecting creep feeding listed above. The creep feed was a mix of ground corn and corn gluten feed. Cow weight was not affected by creep feeding status, so producers should not depend on creep feeding to increase body condition of thin cows.
Calf weight gain was an additional 0. Efficiency of gain was 8. The average beef cow produces between 4. Heifers will produce less than a mature beef cow. Ideally, milk production should be in the range of five to 10 kg 11 to 22 lb. A quickly growing crossbred calf can handle up to 10 to 15 kg 22 to 33 lb. A beef cow's milk production peaks at about two months after calving and then begins to decline gradually.
Consequently, this creates a nutritional gap between what the calf requires to sustain its potential for growth, and what the calf can obtain from the dam's milk and the available forage in the pasture. Some form of supplemental feed can be used to maintain the continued normal growth rate on the calves during the nutritional gap. Otherwise, the calf's growth rate will be less than what it could be if sufficient nutrients were available.
Even though calves can be creep-fed throughout the entire summer, it is of more value when forage supply or quality or both are low. Creep feeding is most effective during drought or whenever quantity or quality of the pasture does not meet the calf's nutritional requirements for growth.
When milk and creep-feed are available, the creep-feed will be substituted for forage. Under poor growth conditions, creep-feeding may conserve enough forage to maintain pasture condition.
It is estimated that for every 0. When creep-feed is provided for calves, there will be more forage available for the cows which may leave room for increased stocking rates.
It may be appropriate to creep-feed calves that were born late or after the calving season as a strategy to increase their weaning weight. The typical growth rate for beef calves is between 0. However, increasing the weight of calves may attract price discounts for heavier calves. Employing this practice may be necessary if you want to take advantage of low grain prices or you have large framed calves that are destined for the feedlot immediately after weaning.
The type of creep feed to use depends on the quantity and quality of forage available in the pasture. Energy or protein creep feeds can be available to producers. The energy content of pastures decreases late in the growing season while dormant or mature pastures will be deficient in protein. Late-season forages and stockpiled forages will not have enough protein to meet the cow's lactation needs, or sustain normal levels of growth in the calf.
Energy creep-feeds can be made up of on-farm grains, such as oats or barley either whole, cracked or rolled. Sources of protein creep-feeds include soybean meal, canola meal, dehydrated alfalfa pellets, or a commercial protein supplement without urea.
A protein source with urea should not be used in a creep-feed for young calves since they do not have a fully functional rumen. Commercially available, nutritionally balanced, creep-feeds in a pellet form can be more convenient to use and often will be of similar or lower cost to those made up on the farm. This may be beneficial if feed resources are scarce and cows are very thin. You will have expenses in feeding the weaned calves. However, the nutrient requirements of the dry cow are lower than the requirements of a lactating cow.
So, early weaning — with the same feed resources for the cow — improves cow body condition and reproductive efficiency. The net result should be a higher pregnancy rate earlier in the following breeding season. And, calves born earlier in the following season will be older and should weigh more at their weaning. Due to immature digestive systems, suckling calves have higher rates of gain than very early weaned calves placed in feedlots.
Therefore, early weaning should not be done to get calves into a feedlot situation solely for heavier weights at a younger age. At 90 days of age calves may be consuming up to half of their diet as forage and half as milk. At days of age, the rumen is functioning sufficiently for calves to make satisfactory gains without milk.
Again, very early weaning should be limited to times of drought or other times of low feed resources. Use care when considering a feeding program for the very young calf. Be certain your practices are designed for the purpose you have in mind. Consider costs and benefits for the specific situation you are in. Some years these practices will be beneficial; other years they will not. A comprehensive workbook covering many aspects of beef cattle nutrition: animal nutrient requirements, forage value, evaluating feeds, minerals and vitamins, ration balancing, supplements, body condition, and heifer nutrition.
This file contains spreadsheets with contact information for all federal and state licensed slaughtering facilities in the state of Oregon. These are arranged by business name, facility type, and county location. Species-specific information is also included. Some of these facilities do meat processing too. Non-slaughter, meat processing facilities will be added in the future.
Minerals are critically important for the health and well-being of livestock. Cattle, sheep, and goats are frequently pastured together, but sheep are vulnerable to copper toxicity which cattle and goats need. Learn methods for managing this. Proper management is key to a This is a report on a research project where the objectives were to determine whether grazing cow-calf pairs on warm season grasses and brassica pastures would extend the grazing season and positively affect calf weaning weights, feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and ranch profitability.
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