Purina Mills has solutions for effectively creep feeding and weaning your calves.

The Hungry Calf Gap As a calf nears two to three months of age, the cow's milk production peaks and begins to fall-- precisely at a time when the calf's nutritional requirements are increasing. The result is "the hungry calf gap."

To compensate for the milk decline, the calf tries to meet its nutritional needs by eating more forage. However, during that June to October period, the quality of the forage and its nutritional value starts to decline. Protein, energy and phosphorus content of the grass may fall, from 12 percent to 5 percent or less, 55 percent to 43 percent or less, and 0.2 percent ot 0.08 percent or less, respectively.

As the growing calf tries to meet its increasing requirements for protein, energy and phosphorus, the dam’s milk supply and forage quality are both declining. Adding to that, the calf is also in competition with the cow for shorter quantities of grass.

The Purina Creep Feeding Program allows the cattleman to achieve the optimal genetic potential from his calves that a declining milk output and grass quality cannot provide.

The Advantage of Creep Feeding
Purina Research indicates that you can successfully add 56-86 pounds to the weaning weight of your calves with a proper creep-feeding program.

Like most other proven cattle management practices, creep feeding is productive when practiced correctly. Its demonstrated advantages include:

• Better development. Providing optimal nutrition through controlled creep feeding does not add fat - it improves development of muscle and skeleton.
• Increased weaning weights. Improved weaning weights that come without depositing excess finish offer you the increased weaning weights you really want. Profitable weaning weights can even be achieved with first-calf heifers that often experience lower relative milk production than multi-parity cows.
• Captured genetic potential. Providing nutrition that doesn’t add fat means calves develop to their full genetic potential. Full-frame development positions them to gain profitably in the feed yard.
• Improved total resource use. Better daily gain and feed efficiency on grass—even in the face of declining forage quality and quantity—means your out-of-pocket investment in creep feed gives you a return on investment through better utilization of your forage base.
• Better lifetime efficiency. Studies show creep feeding’s increased gain is maintained throughout the finishing period. If you’re retaining ownership, creep-fed calves will make you even more profit.
• A higher-quality product. Calves developed to their full genetic potential, accustomed to the bunk and ready to gain bring more dollars from quality-conscious marketing channels. And, when you retain ownership, that quality benefits you directly.
• Improved starter performance. Creep feeding acclimates calves to the bunk, ensuring a better start and more consistent performance in the feeding phase. In Purina research studies, creep-fed calves ate significantly more starter in week 1 than non-creep-fed calves, gained more overall and were healthier.

Managing the Creep Feed Program
Purina Mills’ Creep Feed program, featuring 4-Square Stocker/Grower fills the hungry calf gap permitting the calf to express its full genetic potential. To get the most from your creep-feed program, remember:

Manage feeding. Place feed in a creep feeder or bunk where only calves have access. This can be accomplished with standard creep panels or gates positioned with openings wide enough for only the calves to pass. Place the feeder or sheltered bunks around cows’ loafing area, near water or mineral feeders. Distribute loose hay around the feeder to entice calves to enter the creep-feed area. Free-choice consumption will depend on age and size of calf, the cow’s milking ability, and forage quality and quantity. Estimated consumption is shown in the following chart.

For creep feeding your calves, you may hand-feed 4-Square Stocker/Grower products and switch to Accu-Creep with IM Technology™, when intake is 2 to 3 pounds.

4-Square Stocker/Grower for Creep Feeding Calves
Purina Mills has designed a line of hand-fed range products to address the differences in desired nutrient and producer preferences. These balanced protein and energy supplements enhance forage digestion, allowing your cattle to get more of their nutritional needs from your homegrown forage. The following chart lists our line of range cubes and their nutritional specifications.

Accu-Creep
Purina Accu-Creep is a self-limiting, balancing protein and energy product that effectively limits intake for optimal feed efficiency. The Purina Accu-Creep program fills the hungry calf gap, permitting the calf to express its full genetic potential.

Following is a chart showing predictable, proven performance thanks to Accu-Creep.

Feeding to Effectively Wean Your Calves
Weaning your calves from your cows can be a stressful time period for the cow and especially the calf. The calf’s diet changes dramatically, as do its surroundings. This all creates a high level of stress in the newly weaned calf.

Of key importance in successful weaning is offering a highly palatable, complete nutritional diet that gets the calf off to the right start.

Our two most popular starter lines are Purina Mills’ Preconditioning and Receiving Chow and IMPACT starter. These complete weaned-calf diets help overcome the stresses of weaning, reduce sickness, and put the calf on the road to 40-80 pounds of weight gain.

It is also important to feed your calves a well-balanced mineral supplement. Purina Mills makes it easy by developing many excellent beef mineral products, which are specifically formulated for the mineral deficiencies commonly found in soils and pastures.

Preconditioning and Receiving Chow
Preconditioning/Receiving Chow is "The Standard" by which all starters are measured. Released for marketing in 1968, it is still the #1 weaning ration in the United States. Nothing is more palatable to newly weaned or received cattle. Purina’s Preconditioning Receiving Chow has been especially formulated after numerous research trials. It is a complete weaned-calf diet that not only eliminates the stresses of weaning, but also reduces sickness and puts the calf on the road to 40-80 pounds of weight gain.

What and When Do I Feed?

• Feed immediately to calves that have been weaned from the cow.
• Feed Preconditioning/Receiving Chow free-choice to newly weaned calves for a minimum of 14-21 days.
  Management
• Feed free-choice quality hay on day 1 and PRECON up to 1 percent of the calf’s body weight.
• Day 2 – Feed PRECON a minimum of 14-21 days free-choice as the sole source of nutrition.
• If using a self-feeder, adjust the feed gate to a two-finger width and ensure that each calf has a minimum of 6-10 inches of self-feeder space per head. Remove fine feed material that has accumulated three times per week.
• If hand-feeding in a bunk, ensure one foot of bunk space per head, and feed morning and evening, targeting to have a trace of PRECON left in the bunk at the next feeding.
• When making a ration change, allow 7-10 days for animals to adjust to the new ration.
• Provide a source of fresh, clean water at all times.
• Do not allow fine material to accumulate in feeders.
• Consult your veterinarian about recommended health programs for your local area.

IMPACT Starter
Purina IMPACT starters contain our patented intake modifiers that virtually eliminate the chance that cattle will over-consume the starter. This program provides:

• An energy-dense formula with reduced roughage.
• Greater gain and improved efficiency through IM Technology™.
• A coarse-textured ration that is more durable in handling and resistant to moisture than conventional pelleted rations.
• A weaned calf ration that provides enhanced ADG and feed efficiency, even better than Preconditioning/Receiving Chow.
• A ration that provides a smoother, more consistent transition to growing or finishing rations.

N/A = no maximum weight limitations. Typically, cattle being started as weaned calves will be less than 800 pounds.