The benefits of developing a creep feeding program
In a business where many times more pounds translate to more money, creep feeding can be an important management tool for cattle operations. However, whether creep feeding is right for an operation depends on several variables and producers’ goals.
Creep Feeding Benefits
There are many benefits to creep feeding. Primarily, producers utilize the management strategy of creep feeding to add more market weight in commercial calves. Commercial and purebred producers incorporate creep feeding to train calves how to eat from a feeder or trough. This prepares calves for the way they will be managed after weaning. Livestock extension specialists state creep feeding is also a tool to reduce weaning stress in calves.
Breeders developing heifer calves as replacements will want to keep a few things in mind when creep feeding heifer calves. “Purebred breeders may want to creep feed for the added growth of their calves but anyone creep feeding heifers should be careful not to let these heifers become fleshy early in development because it can affect milk production as a first-calf heifer,” Shane Gadberry, professor and extension specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said.
Additionally, regardless of the type of operation, producers will want to evaluate the financial cost of creep feeding and the quantity and quality of pastures at the time. “For any purpose, cattle producers must weigh the benefit against the cost and a lot of time that benefit is influenced by the type, nutritive value and amount of forage available to the calf during the mid- to late-lactation period of the dam,” Gadberry said.
Nutritional Considerations
Producers deciding whether to creep feed their calves will want to take a close look at their current forage situation. Additionally, producers may consider working with a nutritionist or extension specialist to determine the most efficient and effective feed to meet their goals.
“Creep feeding is usually supplementing what they can’t get from the forage. Sometimes that is protein which often has a better feed conversion ratio than supplemental calories (energy), but supplemental energy can promote more weight gain according to the type of ingredients and amount eaten,” Gadberry explained.
When to Creep Feed
According to a publication by Mississippi State University Extension, milk production in beef dams usually peaks about two-months after calving. The researchers added that milk from a lactating beef cow provides only about half of the nutrients that a 3-to-4-month-old calf needs for maximum growth.
Typically, producers who incorporate creep feeding into their programs start calves on feed two to three months before weaning. This timing correlates with a calf’s need to receive additional nutrients from sources other than its dam’s milk. “They are a lot bigger now and eat more than the amount of milk produced by their dam and sometimes this period can align with times of lesser forage nutritive value like late winter hay feeding or seasonal decline in summer pasture nutritive value as fall approaches,” Gadberry stated.
Producers will want to take into consideration their current forage situation. During a drought or time of year when forage quality or quantity is low, producers will want to adjust their creep feeding window accordingly.
