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Bull Rations

AngusCowBoy

Well-known member
What would you recomend for a ration for angus bulls that wean off at 700 pounds and I want them to weigh 1250 to 1450 as yearlings?
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
Contact your local LOOMIX dealer and have him run a 4Per4mance program on them. It's free and will give you several least cost options, and, heck, it might even help the dealer earn a set of steak knives or a jar of Baldridge's Secret Seasoning mix!
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Whatever you do, start 'em slow and bring them up on their ration slow. Pushing them too fast causes problems...acidosis, bloat, etc.

Remember, you are feeding the rumen and you must keep that
rumen healthy for the cattle to do well.
 

VLS_GUY

Well-known member
You are looking for ADG from at least 4.4 to 6.0 on Angus bull calves. This will require the use of a standard feedlot ration with a 80% concentrate ration and you will end up with some Angus bulls that are fat enough to grade prime and they may even hit your low end yearling weight of 1250 LBS. The high end of your range is not very realistic.
I would not want to buy these bulls no matter how they gain. Bulls put on full feed for 125 days as yearlings have problems like poor semen counts (fatty scrotum) and bad feet. They also lose condition once used for breeding.
Feeding your bulls a growing ration despite the lower performance will pay dividends to your customers and to you in satisfied customers.
 

VLS_GUY

Well-known member
If the low(er) weaning weights are due to the calves being out of heifers then why push them hard and burn them out? The weaning, ADG, and yearling ratios along with the EPDs will tell the performance capabilities of these bull calves more than being finished and ready to eat.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
700 pound calves out of first calf heifers and no creep is great performance-sounds like you've got some decent calves there don't castrate them with a feed bucket.
 

Justin

Well-known member
Northern Rancher said:
700 pound calves out of first calf heifers and no creep is great performance-sounds like you've got some decent calves there don't castrate them with a feed bucket.

again, this is gettin spooky, but :agree: with NR :wink:
 

Denny

Well-known member
I'd quit useing Schaffs weaning weight as a measureing stick.They only need to gain 3 to 400#s to be decent breeding size as yearlings.
 

Doug Thorson

Well-known member
I'd quit useing Schaffs weaning weight as a measureing stick.They only need to gain 3 to 400#s to be decent breeding size as yearlings.

I agree completely. I want my bulls to weigh 1150 on sale day. That makes them 13 months.
As for a ration, make them eat 10 pounds of hay from day one. That shouldn't be a problem with 700# calves, as they should eat around 21 pounds right away. From 20 pounds of ration to 30 pounds of ration, mix 50% hay, 20%corn, 20%oats and 10% DDG. When 30 pounds isn't enough, add hay to make them full.
If you start with good animals, that ration will grow them to their potential without wrecking them.
 

Big Swede

Well-known member
I custom feed bull calves. My ingredients are corn, corn silage, oats hay, and a 50% liquid protein supplement. I feed a 43 megacal high roughage mixed ration that allows them to gain about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds per day. This puts them at 1050 to 1150 by the middle of April at 13 months of age. Any more weight than that would be mostly fat, something you don't want or need on breeding bulls.
 

Angus 62

Well-known member
There are some BIG cows out there and while I totally agree [and have seen research to support it] that feeding a hot ration for a high rate of gain is detrimental there still are some that don't feel good about turning out a bull that is 400-500 pounds smaller than their cows. :)

The other alternative is to make them older at the same rate of gain. Big reason we started fall calving so that customers had 1400-1500 pound long yearlings.
 

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