Introduction

With cattle prices at record highs and favorable feed prices, producers are likely considering creep feeding their beef calves to add additional pounds. Creep feeding provides supplemental feed to nursing beef calves, in an area that the cows can’t get at the feed. It is common for creep feed to consist of grains, protein supplements, and limiters, but many other feed sources can be used as creep.  The feed may be on-farm mixed, or a commercial feed of various types, usually fed using a creep feeder.

Whether creep feeding will pay off is more complex than just adding pounds to the calves and many factors come into play.  Research results over the years have been mixed. It is important to evaluate numerous factors including production goals, environmental conditions, and market endpoint to determine if creep feeding will ultimately aid profitability. 

Questions when considering creep feeding:

• How will the calves be managed and sold after weaning?
• What is the quantity and quality of the feed sources calves have access to?
• What is the anticipated cost of gain from creep feeding?

Some scenarios where creep feeding may not be profitable even with current cattle and feed prices:

Pastures are well-managed- If forage quality and quantity is well managed pastures, calves may not benefit from additional nutrition.  Calves that have higher milking mothers and access to high quality forage may add extra flesh (fat) that could result in discounts when marketing as feeder calves.

Forage availability and cow condition are concerns- If forage availability is low due to drought and cow condition is a concern. A common misconception is that creep feeding reduces calf milk consumption. Because calves order of preference for food is milk, creep feed, then the forage source, creep feeding doesn’t result in less demand on the cow for milk. A better option both economically and for the long-term benefit of the cows, and calves, is to wean the calves early.

Heifers are being kept as replacements- Long term research has shown creep fed heifers produced less milk, weaned lighter calves and were less productive their entire lives compared to heifers that weren’t creep fed. 

Farm is retaining ownership of calves- If you are retaining ownership of the calves either to background or grow and then finish them.  Research has shown that calves not creep fed will catch up in size to the creep fed calves by compensatory gain.

Some scenarios where creep feeding may prove to be profitable in our current situation are:

Selling as feeder calves shortly after weaning- After preconditioning for a short time and the pasture quality is low, there will be more pounds of calf to sell.  

Creep feeding with higher energy creep feeds (starch and or fat)- This scenario has been shown to help with increasing marbling that is realized at harvest when calves are transitioned to finishing rations shortly after weaning.  To capture this value calves need to be sold through a channel where the producer will realize the benefits of the improved marbling, on a grid for example.  Using this approach, smaller framed cattle may finish at a lighter weight than what the market is seeking compared to putting them on a grower ration for a time.  For large framed cattle this may not be a problem.  If you are direct marketing meat and can capitalize on the higher quality grades, lighter weight at finish is likely of less concern.

Summary

In summary, creep feeding beef calves is not a one size fits all management decision.  The best choice may not even be the same from year to year.  When making the decision to creep or not creep it is important to consider the marketing plan, the quality and quantity of forage available to the calves, and costs of gains to determine if it has strong potential for being profitable.

Article originally printed in Beefweb: June 19, 2024