Cattle Questions and Answers Archive « Previous Entries Dave: Product   Friday, July 2nd, 2010 Question: Attended meeting June 14 through 16 and very good sessions. Dr Steve Meyers said if I would email him, he would send ration for creep feed using grand t fortifier. Answer: Dave, Thank you for contacting the HONOR Show Chow Website with your second request. What are you feeding - club calves, British breed bulls/heifers, Continental influence bulls/heifers, or what? 37.5 to 42.5% Cracked or Rolled Corn 15 to 20% Oats 12.5 to 17.5% Loose, pelleted or a combination of both (for flow) of Cottonseed Hulls (These are needed. Do not substitute this with a different ingredient). 5 to 6% Liquid Molasses (adjust as needed to condition the ration) 20% HONOR Show Chow Grand 4T Fyer (DO NOT CHANGE THIS INCLUSION). 1 to 1.5% Soybean meal (this will depend on the level of cottonseed hulls you add. The more hulls, the lower the crude protein level). These HONOR Show Chow Grand 4T Fyer rations offer a great deal of flexibility. Adjust as needed to fit your situation. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you, Steven E. Myers, Ph.D. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC Consulting Beef Nutritionist Kody: Grooming   Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 Question: This is my first year showing a holstein steer and I was wondering when I am grooming him for fair should shave his head? Answer: Kody, Yes I would as it will clean him up giving him a fresher, more youthful appearance! Good luck at the fair! Kirk Stierwalt Honor Show Chow Ambassador Brandon: Feed Strategy   Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 Question: Hello, I will be showing a Feb yearling this year for 4H and was hoping to get some advice. I have been feeding 14% show ration, and she is filling out nicely but I would like her to eat a bit more then I am feeding her. How would I get her to possibly eat more when I feed her the grain? How much grain should I be feeding her per day? Cause I have 2 other heifers eating the same amount of grain with her and they cannot seem to get enough of it and want more when their done. So yeah, just wondering what I could possibly do to change her eating habits and get her filled out to where I would like to see her at this time of year? So just looking for some advice on feeding my heifer. Answer: Brandon, Thank you for contacting the HONOR Show Chow Website! What does your heifer weigh at this time? If she weighs 975 lbs (?), I would target 1.5% body weight consumption of grain. 975 lbs * 0.015 = 15 lb of grain. Are you feeding the three heifers as a group or individually? I am guessing you are feeding as a group. Two of the three heifers seem to be more aggressive eaters (boss animals getting more than needed/timid animal not consuming enough). I would highly recommend feeding individually, or put the heifer in question in a different pen so you can alter her nutritional management. I would offer free choice medium quality grass hay. This will promote more rib and body volume. Please make sure your water tank (or the source) is clean. Water can have a huge effect on feed intake. I hope my comments are of some help. Thank you, Steven E. Myers, Ph.D. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC Consulting Beef Nutritionist Rachel: Showing   Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 Question: Are Black cows always champions because a lot of Judges like black cows! Answer: Rachel, Thank you for contacting the HONOR Show Chow Website! The color of the hide is NOT the determining factor for most judges. We need to remember that animal evaluation is VERY subjective. The judge is hired to share his/her opinion on that given day. If more black hided beef animals are exhibited, odds are higher for a black steer/heifer to win the show. Additionally, the genetics of these animals may/may not have more quality - muscle, market readiness, structural soundness, body volume, fleshing ease, etc. When I am asked to judge a show, I make every effort to evaluate the animal (regardless of color). Thank you, Steven E. Myers, Ph.D. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC Consulting Beef Nutritionist Rachel: Cattle   Thursday, June 24th, 2010 Question: Do you have to buy a calf from a champion farm to get grand champion steer? Answer: Rachel, Thank you for contacting the HONOR Show Chow Website! I am sure you are asking your question for a specific reason. It is important to start with a prospect steer that has the quality needed to achieve your specific goals. What are those goals? Do you want to realistically strive to win your county fair, state fair or a national show? Evaluate your budget, then find the calf to fit your needs. Do not be afraid to look at multiple farms. You will know who is wanting to help you and your family versus those who are simply wanting to sell you a steer. Lastly, success is not determined from the initial purchase. Starting with good genetics is extremely important, but you cannot overlook the importance of nutrition, health (vaccination and preventative health) and management (time spent to make your steer look like a show steer). Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you, Steven E. Myers, Ph.D. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC Consulting Beef Nutritionist Amber: Heat Stress   Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 Question: I Have A Paddy O Malley Steer. He is 975 lbs. He gets 18 lbs of fitters edge and 8 oz of power fuel a day. But now that its hot he stands around with his tongue out. I cool him off 3 times a day to help. Is this normal? Answer: Amber, I think stress with heat could be the issue. Definitely provide shade, fans, mister with rinsing anything to keep him more comfortable. Also if your not seeing any results and not going to show him for a while I might consider body clipping him, but leaving hair on his legs, belly, lower quarter and tailhead. Feeding early in morning and at sunset might help because cooler part of day. I would also like to see your response to Dr Myers questions to further analyze this situation. Thanks. Kirk Stierwalt Honor Show Chow Ambassador Bert: Product   Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 Question: We have 2 issues. We have a show lamb weighing about 90 lbs. We have a fair in 3 weeks and need a supplement to add to the finisher. We plan to switch to this next week. Our desire is to hold the muscle and add more finish. We also have 2 show beef cattle weighing around 1,000 lbs each. We are planning on showing them at a fair at the end of July. Our desire is to add more finish without the loss of muscle. Your suggestions with both these issues is greatly appreciated. We are currently feeding Honor Show Chow Fitters Edge for the beef cattle (20 lbs per day) and Honors Show Lamb Grower for the lamb (6 lbs per day). These are 4H projects. Thank You. Answer: Bert, Thank you for your questions and for choosing HONOR Show Chow. For the calf, I suggest keeping it on Fitters Edge and adding our High Octane Power Fuel to add finish. Start at 1/2 lb per day, then every 5 to 7 days increase by 1/4 lb until you are at about 1 3/4 to 2 lbs per day along with the Fitters Edge. For the lamb, I suggest the same product. The feeding rate is 8 ounces (1/2 lbs) per day. Also, to keep (and) add muscle (particularly the top) feed High Octane Champion Drive at 8 ounces per day per lamb. Thanks again, Dr. Kevin Burgoon HONOR Show Chow Nutritionist Donny: Building Better Hair   Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 Question: I would like info on building better hair on heifers. Answer: Donny, I think rinsing, blowing and brushing; providing shade and air flow with fans are all good for growing hair whether on a steer or heifer. Most important is to be consistent with your work effort. We think it takes 100 days to get an animal ready for the major shows. Major shows meaning the show that means the most to you no matter the size. Good luck! Kirk Stierwalt Honor Show Chow Ambassador Rodney: Product   Friday, June 4th, 2010 Question: What percentage of corn is in the fitters edge and the finishing touch feed. Answer: Rodney, Thank you for contacting the Honor Show Chow Website! Sorry for my delayed response. We receive similar requests periodically. From a feeders perspective, I completely understand your interest in knowing this information. From a nutritionists perspective for Honor Show Chow, formula information is proprietary and not shared with anyone (even our sales team and dealers). If you are feeding our products, thank you for your business. If you are not using our products at this time, I would be happy to assist with a product recommendation based on the animals you are feeding. Honor Show Chow Fitters Edge is 2.5% fat. It works very well on breeding heifers and for steer development/finishing (especially more moderate framed, big bodied cattle). Honor Show Chow Finishing Touch is 5% fat. I would recommend that product for anything that needs more bloom and condition. If you are absolutely set on needing to know the corn level in your ration, I would recommend that you take a look at our HSC Grand 4T Fyer. This product is a concentrate that is used at 400 lbs/ton or a 20% inclusion. The remaining 80% of the ration can be blended per your will or with our recommendation (using corn, oats, cottonseed hulls, beet pulp shreds, molasses, etc.). I would very much like to help you. Please do not think I am trying to be difficult to work with. Basically, if we were to share this information, anyone could position their products as having more or less corn than Honor Show Chow. These products perform well, and I hope you feed them to witness first hand how cattle perform on Honor Show Chow. Thank you, Steven E. Myers, Ph.D. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC Consulting Beef Nutritionist Michael: Feeding   Friday, June 4th, 2010 Question: How many pounds to feed to heifers? Answer: Michael, Thank you for contacting the Honor Show Chow Website! This will vary with the age/size and genetics of the heifers you are feeding. The feeding rate will also vary for each individual animal as some may need more flesh, and others may simply need to be maintained. I would target 2.0 to 2.5% of the animals bodyweight of HSC Fitters Edge (to develop/condition) or HSC Full Control (to maintain) + free choice medium quality grass hay. This recommendation may be different if you are feeding something else (the nutrient fortification and formulation may be totally different). I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thank you, Steven E. Myers, Ph.D. Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC Consulting Beef Nutritionist