As feed prices have gone down and cattle prices have gone up, it’s become more attractive to consider creep feeding fall born calves. But be sure to crunch the numbers.
Dr. Shane Gadberry, professor of animal science with University of Arkansas Extension, told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor it’s all about the cost of the feed compared to the value of the additional weight gain. “That’s your supplemental creep feed conversion rate, and that’s going to be dictated heavily by the quality of your pasture,” Gadberry said. “With fall-born calves, by the time we get around to creep feeding in the spring these calves are going to be 4-6 months of age, just prior to weaning, and many times that’s when our pastures are of greatest quality. So creep feed conversions can make that creep feed decision more of an expense than it is a reward on the weight gain.” Gadberry’s rule of thumb is if pasture is of good quality, the best case creep scenario is about 10 pounds of creep feed per pound of gain. Therefore, the 10 pounds of creep feed has to cost less than the value of the 1 pound of gain.”
Creep feeding is usually employed around the calf’s fourth month, and continues through weaning 2-3 months later. Gadberry said calves often have a better feed conversation on creep feeds with greater protein content, but achieve more total pounds of weight gain on feeds that are lower in protein but highly digestible, so it’s something of a trade off. “A common creep feed ration may be in the neighborhood of a balance between a good level of protein and a good level of energy, so they’ll often run around 17 percent protein,” he said.
Creep feed is often offered on a free choice basis and Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension area livestock specialist based in Lawrence County, said calves can become too fat if you give them unlimited access to the feed. That can cause problems particularly with heifers; fat deposits in their udders can reduce their milking ability later. “We would like to limit their intake; I think that is a new concept in creep feeding that has proven very effective,” Cole told OFN. “You do have to be with them each day, but give them maybe a couple pounds of concentrate a day after they’ve been eating on it a while, and you’d be surprised at how much difference a limited amount of that creep feed, where it is hand fed to them on a daily basis, can make in their performance.”
A number of commodities can be used in a creep ration, such as a forage/grain mix or byproducts like soyhulls, corn gluten feed and dried distillers’ grains. Cole recommended a good alfalfa hay as well; not only can it produce extra gain and growth, but if the animals are balking at the creep ration, a little alfalfa sprinkled over the top may be enough to entice them.
Ultimately, creep feeding should add 40-50 pounds of weight by the time of weaning. However, “Some calves never learn to go to a creep feeder,” Cole noted. “Maybe their mother is giving enough milk that they feel they don’t need to do that, or they don’t like the consistency of the feed. They could also be timid and don’t like the social activity that goes on around the creep feeder.”
Gadberry added that there can be a period of adaptation. In addition to eating out of a feeder for the first time, the calf also has to grow accustomed to the feed; for example, corn gluten feed sometimes has an odor that the calves may not readily accept. With difference in particle size, the calf may also sort through the feed. However, he said they’ve found in general calves will readily accept many of the feedstuffs in time.
