Advantages of Creep Feeding
Facilitates Early Weaning
A lactating cow on pasture will consume
27 lb. of dry matter roughage per day. Dry, her intake will fall back
to 18 lb.. This is 9 lb. of feed saved per cow each day. Hence, the
expression “it is more economical to feed the calf than it is to feed
the cow to feed the calf”.
Bunk Breaks Calves
Calves learn to eat out of thee bunk rather than off the ground. 16% Beef Creep will accustom calves to dry feed, and they will continue on feed with a minimum of shrink, digestive disturbances, death loss, and without the normal three week period necessary to get them on full feed when received in the feedlot.
Simplifies Weaning
Creep fed calves rely less on the dam for nourishment and develop independence, resulting in less bawling, stress and sickness when calves are weaned from the cows.
The production of replacement heifers in livestock operations consumes a good portion of the annual budget. For this reason it is very important that heifers be managed properly. Since the first calf heifer does not bring any income to the operation until weaning of her first calf she is generally mismanaged. Mismanagement could affect the producer today as well as down the road if she enters the cow heard.
Management of the replacement heifer should begin at weaning and continue until she has conceived her second calf. Nutrition along with proper selection and management will make raising heifers more profitable. The first step in managing heifers is to keep them separated from the cow herd and where practical have the heifers separated by size into two or three groups. This is because of the difference in nutritional requirements between groups.
