As the grazing season winds down toward fall, Kansas State University veterinarians say cattle producers may want to consider the practice of “creep feeding” to sustain growth in calves.
In a recent episode of “Cattle Chat with the Beef Cattle Institute,” veterinarians Brad White, Bob Larson and Phillip Lancaster discussed potential benefits as well as potential disadvantages.
What is creep feeding?
“(Creep feeding is) providing some source of feed that nursing calves have access to that the dams do not have access to, which can be several different things,” Lancaster said. “We think about a creep feeder where we're feeding a grain supplement and have a creep gate where the calves can get to the feeder and the cows can't.”
Lancaster also mentioned creep grazing, where a plot of high quality forage, is sectioned off with a creep gait just for the calves to get into and graze on.
“Starting now and going into the early fall, forage quantity and/or quality are generally going down,” Larson said. “For an adult cow that doesn't have a growth component, the nutrients that are available in the forage may be perfectly fine to maintain her body condition. But for a young, growing animal…think of it like a teenager raiding the fridge. As the forage quantity and quality decreases, so does the total caloric potential for that calf to consume. Maybe we could add some additional grain or byproduct feeds that would meet some additional calories.”
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