# grain finishing a steer



## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

I will be grain finishing a few steers starting later this month. I plan on giving them grain for 60 or so days before the trip. Looking for advice on finishing them, can I give them all corn, or should i mix it with something? They will still be on pasture and hay as well (pasture not so great now). I know to start them slowly and work up, what lbs should I work up to? Thanks.


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

Excuse me if you know this. Finishing is process of producing internnal fat in the muscle tissue. The more energy they consume the quicker this will happen. The more mature your animal is the easier it will finish as it will not be growing as much. feedlots will generally start a finishing ration around 800lbs. By increasing grain and decreasing roughage. feedlot steers before slaughter will be eating over 30lbs of corn. Since you are not going to limit their forage they will not consume that amount. For prime marbled steaks I would gradually work them up to all the grain they will eat. A couple of pounds of a 34% protein pellet would also be a good idea. this will not be a cheap undertaking. Good luck and enjoy the t-bones.

I would imagine you will get conflicting advice and probably also comment that you should eat grass-fed beef. but asked how to FINISH a critter. 60 days will not be enough unless they are weighing at least 800 or are a small breed.


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## cedarvalley (Feb 28, 2012)

For the ones we finish for our freezer we feed a 16% ration mixed from the local feed mill. 60 days will not be enough to get a good marbling of fat in the meat. Last one we finished for ourselves we fed free choice feed and mineral and pasture for 120 days and the meat still did not have the marbling you would get from a feedlot, but thats the way we like ours.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

bruce2288 said:


> Excuse me if you know this. Finishing is process of producing internnal fat in the muscle tissue. The more energy they consume the quicker this will happen. The more mature your animal is the easier it will finish as it will not be growing as much. feedlots will generally start a finishing ration around 800lbs. By increasing grain and decreasing roughage. feedlot steers before slaughter will be eating over 30lbs of corn. Since you are not going to limit their forage they will not consume that amount. For prime marbled steaks I would gradually work them up to all the grain they will eat. A couple of pounds of a 34% protein pellet would also be a good idea. this will not be a cheap undertaking. Good luck and enjoy the t-bones.
> 
> I would imagine you will get conflicting advice and probably also comment that you should eat grass-fed beef. but asked how to FINISH a critter. 60 days will not be enough unless they are weighing at least 800 or are a small breed.


I totally agree here. If you only feed an animal for sixty days you're just throwing money into the wind imho. An animal becomes "finished" when you can feel fat layer covering the 13th rib and when you can see what's left of his scrotum filling up with fatty deposit. When an animal get upward of 1000lbs 60 days might help a little but is probably not adequate for you to consider him a cornfed steer. 

Now, on you question of what to feed. I'd suggest a balanced rationed and give access to hay for him to keep his rumen balanced out. As well, offer him free choice minerals and all the water in front of him he can handle. Start him out slowly and eventually work him up to full feed. (literally all he will eat) and keep an eye on his manure to make sure he's not getting too runny. If it's running out of him before his body gleans the nutrients out of the grain you're throwing money into the wind.


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## stifflej (Aug 11, 2008)

Thanks all, I actually came up with the 60 days i got from another thread I had on here, see http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/cattle/446374-he-ready-trip.html that is why i was starting now and not earlier. I guess at this point I am only going to grain for about 60-75 days, just to add some fat. Next year I will know to start earlier. Thanks again.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

check out
Tend-R-Leen: The original no-roughage feeding program


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Feeding even a small amount of grain will improve the flavor of your beef though you may not get the ab----e highest gormeit meat from them the affect of corn feeding seems to improve the flavor of the beef and firms up the fat .even if they are in pretty good shape from feeding alfalfa and other things like soybeans and barly or oats .the old farmers (the real experts in my opinon) a few weeks of corn feeding cleans em out and firms the fat .for a better finish


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

We always keep our animals in the feed lot and give them hay and grain to finish them out. The more exercise they burn up in the pasture the less weight they put on.


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