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NE Iowa | Looking to fill my yard with some Holstein steers, starting with small weights (200-300 lb range) bringing them to finish weight (1450 lb range). I will be feeding them on self feeders. They will be getting cornstalk bale bedding at $15 bale my cost to bale and haul in (i own). I own the corn, in the bins at $3.00 cost per bushel. I live 13 miles from an ethanol plant so I do have access to by products.
What kind of numbers do you typically run for these?....
How many bushel corn to finish?
Rate of gain roughly 3 lbs day?
Anyone use ethanol byproduct syrup? Hand feed in a separate bunk? I was told its a cheap product for good gain.
Vita plus program is said to be a good program, any thoughts? Whole corn and pellets.
What kind of cost per day are you hearing about?
Vet med costs?
Anything I'm missing?
I have access to spreadsheets but I don't know what numbers to put in to see what i could make/lose. I'm currently custom feeding 80 holstein steers at $.28 per head per day. He brings the feed for the self feeders, fills bulk bin (i transfer feed once a week) I supply/pay for the bedding and get rid of manure back on my fields where beddding came from. He brings them in at 500-600 lbs to finish. I just emptied my yard last week. Looking at different options if i decide not to fill back up with him. |
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West Lafayette IN | You may only have $3 per bushel in your corn, but you can surely sell it for around $3.50-$3.60. Therefore, the opportunity cost of your corn is $3.50-$3.60. You need to use that value. I can't help with the rest of your question. I know very little about feeding cattle. |
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Northeast Nebraska and Candelaria Philippines | You can't feed DDGs in self feeders.
Holsteins require high energy feed which is available with ddgs.
1450 lb finish weight is too heavy. Shoot to have them finished by 1300-1350
If you can't feed ddgs, it'll be cheaper to put them in a commercial feedyard then to feed them yourself.
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Central MN | kggonzo - 1/16/2017 10:49
1450 lb finish weight is too heavy. Shoot to have them finished by 1300-1350
If you can't feed ddgs, it'll be cheaper to put them in a commercial feedyard then to feed them yourself.
You're not serious, are you?
1450 is not to big, and he has his own feed why have them custom feed?
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Central MN | A 200-300lb calf will not gain 3lbs a day.
You custom feed 500-finish so you should have an idea of what they use (lbs of feed) and what the daily gain is. So you are just looking from 200 to 500lbs what it will take (time and feed).
Starting 200-300lbs calves should be limit fed, in my experience. |
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Central MN | From the UofM.
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 Screenshot_2017-01-16-11-34-16.png (62KB - 184 downloads)
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nw oh | That chart confirms what KGG said, they should not be fed much past 1400# the conversion past 1200# is awful. I think they do better than the chart says from 200-400# but conversion is close.
If running a spreadsheet and trying to figure margins with the environment for Holstiens I would not feel comfortable figuring a selling price higher than about $83/100 unless you have basis set on some contracts already. In Iowa and taking to salebarn $80 may be too high. Might want to stick with the guy that's been doing it and try and snag a couple of extra sense on the yardage. Going rate for what you are doing and finishing is about $0.30 to $0.32. |
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mn | if you are custom feeding for someone already, why no see if ya can "partner" on a group or two, that way you have some skin in the game and still get a yardage ck. lots of ways to get into it and learn and get pd while ya do it. just ask the guy ya feed for. |
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| Would it be possible for you to email me a copy of those spreadsheets? Don't need any numbers in there. I would just like to see what you use to figure out profit/loss. I am working on trying to put together a spreadsheet as well and any advice you have on it would be great. |
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NE Iowa | I have fed DDGS through Smidley Steer Stuffers for over 10 years, no problem at all |
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NW IA | I don't have the computer savvy to forward what you want but I feed Vita Plus and their rep sent me a spread sheet that I refer to. It would be worth your time to talk to them.
My critters come on the yard as babies, but if I recall correctly 123 bushels of home grown corn is figured in to 1400 lbs. 351 days on fed from 300 to gone. 3.3 average daily gain from 300, I have never tracked this since I am always moving calves of various ages through the ''system'' here. They have a vet and miscellaneous at $15, 3% death loss assumption.
Hope this is of some use, others may have harder numbers.
The Sirloin Builder has been a good deal for me, pellets stand up to the self feeders very well.
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NE Iowa | http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/ldcostsreturns.html
Iowa State university has a bunch of good spreadsheets to use, just download, click enable editing, and type your numbers in.
I also get monthly emails from Farm Credit with Ag Decision Maker. These are basically links to ISU spreadsheets. |
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NE Iowa | Thanks for the input. Throwing some ideas around |
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SC Wisconsin | +1 on the sirloin builder. I find mine usually finish around 1350 on them. I run the corn through the grinder at a high idle with no screens in, seems to make a pretty good mix |
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jackson county WI | No reason they won't do 3lbs adg. Starting them that small on stuffer they may finish a tad lighter, maybe 1300#. I like pushing them hard and sending them out a little lighter. The last 200# is the hardest, slowest weight.
There is a reason packers are turning down Holstein cattle, and it all boils down to HEAVY weight. |
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Toronto, South Dakota | I have a few on a self feeder. Using the hubbard ez beef ddgs mix. Been working good so far. There's a lot of guys in this area that are feeding ddg/c corn mixes.
If you send me an email I can send you some research results done by hubbard/sdsu comparing self fed to conventional. I can't |
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Badger State | 1350 fat stains get docked vs 1450-1500.
Who says you can't feed DDG in a self feeder?
Edited by Crete 1/17/2017 05:39
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Badger State | Corn is higher where you are at? 3.15 picked up today. "Here" |
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NE Iowa | [email protected] Any research results would be greatly appreciated. Thanks |
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jackson county WI | If there is a way to down load that here I would like to see that info too. Roon email not in profile. |
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Toronto, South Dakota | Sorry guys I just updated my profile. I thought I had it set to public before but musta been a durr moment. |
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| Use the calculator on doboyfeeds.com. Works great. |
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Holstein feeder steer questions
