| MMM 371 | August 7, 1998 |
When feed supplies get short due to drought, management decisions
have to be made about the most economical use of available feed.
We will explore several alternatives for the calf management aspect
of the operation.
One of the most profitable times to creep feed calves is during
a summer drought. The decision to creep calves centers around
whether the cost of creep feeding is less than the value added
to the calf at sales time.
There is a variety of rations that can be fed to calves. Use
what is most available on the farm. Grain may be fed in most cases.
If forage is used but is of low quality, supplement with one pound
of oilseed meal (cottonseed or soybean). Once the calves are consuming
a pound, or more of creep feed, use a 5-10% salt mixture to limit
consumption. Watch the consumption and adjust the salt mix to
meet your target consumption.
Another simple creep ration for calves under 400 pounds is
either oats or a mixture of equal parts oats and corn. For calves
older than 4 months use five parts corn and 3 parts oats plus
1 part protein. The protein source can be cottonseed meal, soybean
meal , peanut meal or linseed meal. If forage is limited, then
a full feed of 16 percent protein grain mix and good quality hay
is advisable.
Early weaning can help both the cow and calf during drought
periods. At four months of age the calf is getting only 20-40%
of the its energy requirement from the cow. Early weaned calves
fed in a drylot or supplemented on pasture can gain 0.5 to 1.0
pounds faster than nursing calves.
Early weaning allows for two things. First the nutritional
requirements for the cows are reduced by one third to one half
when the calves are weaned. Milk production, even at a low level,
rapidly depletes the cow's body reserves. Cows can now be moved
to lower quality forages or be culled and sold. This also allows
the calves to be moved to the remaining high-quality forage. Better
forage coupled with supplemental creep feeding will allow calves
to achieve necessary growth needed at sale time. However, this
will likely increase costs, labor requirements and management
efforts.
If the calves are large enough (500+ pounds) retaining ownership through the stocker and feedlot phase adds flexibility. Calves are carried over from fall to spring or even through the feedlot hoping for better market prices. The Quest program has demonstrated this principal for the past several years. Midwestern feeding also is a viable option under a retained ownership scenario.
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