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scmn | Background: we feed dairy steers and replacement dairy heifers (mostly Holsteins and Ayrshires).
Our dairy steers are offered free choice calf starter from day one as bottle calves.
Around 8 weeks when they are consuming a minimum of 2#/day the calves are weaned and grouped together is groups of 6-12 hd and continue on calf starter for another 2-3 weeks.
At this point we introduce hay at 2-3#/hd/day and offer free choice grain (about 250#). After a week or two we begin transition from starter to a grower ration (15% protein) and up hay to 4#/hd/day of hay. At 700# they are transitioned to a finisher ration and continue 4#/hd/day of hay. Steers are fed with self feeders and are on full feed.
Our dairy heifers follow the same routine until 400# at which point they are consuming 5-7# of grain per day. At this point we begin limiting grain to 6#/hd/day and offer free choice hay. Heifers will be given extra grain during breeding and cold spells. Heifers are fed grain 2x daily in a bunk, hay in a hay feeder.
On the rare occasion that we purchase steers, we start them at 2#/hd/day of grain and 4#/hd/day of hay and up the grain by 1# every 2 days (working them up to full feed). For heifers that do no settle by 18 months, we slowly introduce more grain (1# every 2 days) with 15-20#/hd/day of hay. After they up their grain intake, they begin leaving some of the hay, at which point we begin reducing the amount of hay to 5#/hd/day (usually takes 10-14 days). Once on full feed they are induced to self feeder with steers. Heifers will remain with steers until sold for slaughter in 4-6 weeks. This is how we work our non-replacement up to feed. Free martins are treated as steers from day one, we only due this with those that were intended for replacements but did not work out.
We would NEVER put replacement heifers on a self feeder past 400# as it does not properly develop the heifer.
The reason dairy steers are on stuffers is because there is no need to background a dairy steer like there is for beef steers and thus no need to limit energy.
Essentially, for replacement heifers you limit grain and free choice hay and with dairy steers you do the exact opposite and limit hay and offer free choice grain. Since they are free choice grain there is not a need to limit grain (unless they are newly purchased and need to be worked up to full feed at which point we use a bunk to limit grain).
Edit to add:
Occasionally we will place purchased steers on full feed self feeders when, and ONLY WHEN we know they are already on full feed.
Edited by MiradaAcres 1/19/2018 09:07
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Free choice grain?
