Preparing Your Weaner Calves For The Feedlot

Excellent growth and feed efficiency are the two main traits of weaner calves that have the greatest influence on the profitability of a feedlot. The calves’ age and weight will, for the most part, be determined by the feedlot’s resources as well as their management system.

- Andries Gouws

Feedlots that have the resources and know-how to prepare weaner calves on natural grazing, combined with complementary feed (backgrounding), can purchase lighter calves. Animals that are sent to the feedlot directly should be heavier (at least 220kg), as this supports sufficient feed for efficient growth from the outset.

Weaner calves make up a feedlot’s biggest expense at 60%, while the cost of feed and infrastructure each contribute approximately 20%. Given these figures, it is clear that judicious calf purchases are crucial for profitability.

Heavier is better

International research indicates that heavier calves (within limits) are more profitable than lighter calves entering the feedlot.

Tom Brink, former senior vice president and risk manager of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding – the largest feedlot in the world – was quoted in Beef magazine as saying that Five Rivers Cattle Feeding benefitted from the data of the more than 1,5 million head of cattle they marketed annually.

From this he was able to deduce that heavier calves ingest more feed and grow at a rate of 1,5kg/day, whereas lighter calves grow 1,33kg/day. When considering the costs, the break-even point for the heavier calves is approximately R50/kg lower than that of the lighter calves. Larger calves grow faster and more efficiently than lighter calves, he stated.

Lukas Eksteen from Bufland feedlot agrees, adding that because a calf can ingest roughly 3% of its live weight, lighter calves simply cannot consume enough feed to grow adequately.

Preparing a weaner calf