# Show steer



## kccjer

Well, it looks like we're going to be showing a steer or 2 this year. :eyeroll: Not sure how I really feel about it. I had steers every year I was in 4H but this will be daughter's first time. Nephew has one he thinks is decent show quality. He kept 2 as my parent's are planning to butcher one. Figure if we're going to feed one, might as well feed 2. She can show both or have one for "just in case" something happens to the other. After my brother's first year when his only steer got pinkeye and lost the eye, we've always had 2 so that at least one goes to show. It worked out for me because for a few years, every other year I lost one....laid down in chute and had blood clots all the way up his back leg, kicked a panel and broke his leg, and....fell down and broke his back. 

Not sure what we're suppose to feed. Dad says they are small enough we're going to have to pour the feed to them to make weight...great. No clue how to clip and groom for a show any more. Nephew SAYS he'll help, but I've heard that one before. First time he gets pissed at me for some reason that'll be the end of help. Anyway....going to go sort the steers off from the cows this afternoon in the bitter cold and I'll get pics then. Any and all help will be truly appreciated!


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## kccjer

Not spectacular pics but it was bloody cold out there and we had just spent an hour trying to pen them. Didn't realize I only had 1 pic of the solid black one.

Carmen, Co-Owner Oleo Acres LLC, Nw Ks


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## NubianFan

Aw love the white faced one! They don't look that small to me, but then I have never shown and don't know what they expect them to be at for show time. Is y'alls shows in the fall, ours is in mid sept then state in mid oct


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## NyGoatMom

I know less than nothing about cattle.....BUT I do wish you well in showing whoever you decide to use  They are adorable


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## kramsay

I would start gradually feeding them ground corn, a little at a time, slowly upping it, I would probably have them on free choice corn with in 1 month or so also worm them....We raise freezer beef, those are beef steers so they are probably going to be shown as market right? I have never shown but I have raised a ton of steers nothing like corn to fatten them up good. Good luck 


Oh and all black steers always seem to do the best no matter if your showing or selling at auction


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## ksalvagno

They are cute!


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## canyontrailgoats

I like cows and all but they're so.....intimidating . I mean, goats are easy to control and don't hurt as much when they step on your foot! And a misbehaving goat is a lot easier to restrain in a show ring than a naughty huge steer! I love the calves but as they get older I kinda get freaked by them.....
Here I am saying I'm afraid of cows when I live in ranchers heaven, cows everywhere you look and right in my own driveway!! I'm such a wimp LOL....


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## kccjer

LOL You ALL are funny! Kramsey, it's been a long time since we raised beef so I'm going to be learning all over again! I remember that we fed them ground corn and added soy meal and calf manna. About a month out from show (last week in July) we added a cup of milk replacer and/or corn oil. Nephew has them in the corral now and weigh in is Sat the 15th. They look about 600 pounds....and need to weigh about 1200....soooooo....double their weight in 6 months! Let's keep fingers crossed. We'll get them on full corn as quick as possible. I don't have alfalfa, but we didn't feed a lot of that before....just enough to give them some roughage. 

I'll agree. A goat is much easier to handle than a 1200 pound steer. I can remember being drug all over by a few of them. These aren't fantastic, grand champion material but they aren't too bad either. One will get put in the freezer and the other will sell at the fair (hopefully for a nice little profit!)


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces

Oh buddy do you have your work cut out for you! Definitely push the feed to em! 

And clipping boers is based off of clipping beef cattle, so you should know how to do that


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## kccjer

Little-Bits-N-Pieces said:


> Oh buddy do you have your work cut out for you! Definitely push the feed to em!
> 
> And clipping boers is based off of clipping beef cattle, so you should know how to do that


:lol::lol::lol: Clipping boers? When we clip for the 4H show, we basically just shave them! I don't think that's what we're suppose to do with the cattle!! Most big cattle showmen are keeping their animals in refrigerated units so they GROW hair! But, hey! Thanks for the vote of confidence!!!


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## Jessica84

Right now I say I like the white face more but I bet with a lot of feed that black one has a good chance of looking good. I actually won 3rd with my steer and other then grass the only thing he got was wet cob lol.....that's all I could afford and it worked out well. The clipping is not hard at all and if you do a Google search something should come up and if you need help I can try my best to do so not in person lol.


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## kccjer

Good eye, Jessica. The baldy is actually the better of the 2. But we'll see. Nephew says he'll help, but this is the one that I have issues with....sooooo....he gets pissed at me for whatever reason and there goes the help! They are both pretty nice standard feed lot type steers that the feedlots WANT. Not sure about the show ring tho. But, I guess it might get daughter a thousand dollars into savings account when all is said and done so why not?


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces

kccjer said:


> :lol::lol::lol: Clipping boers? When we clip for the 4H show, we basically just shave them! I don't think that's what we're suppose to do with the cattle!! Most big cattle showmen are keeping their animals in refrigerated units so they GROW hair! But, hey! Thanks for the vote of confidence!!!


:ROFL: Ok, I guess I should have said it's like clipping _breeding stock_ boers. 
But Google will tell you everything you need to know... it's pretty awesome


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## kccjer

yep, my hubby googles EVERYTHING! Blew my mind when he googled how to butcher a chicken! Hadn't thot about google for clipping and fitting a show steer tho... :think:


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## kramsay

kccjer said:


> LOL You ALL are funny! Kramsey, it's been a long time since we raised beef so I'm going to be learning all over again! I remember that we fed them ground corn and added soy meal and calf manna. About a month out from show (last week in July) we added a cup of milk replacer and/or corn oil. Nephew has them in the corral now and weigh in is Sat the 15th. They look about 600 pounds....and need to weigh about 1200....soooooo....double their weight in 6 months! Let's keep fingers crossed. We'll get them on full corn as quick as possible. I don't have alfalfa, but we didn't feed a lot of that before....just enough to give them some roughage.
> 
> What are they being fed now? If they are used to corn, you can get them on full feed faster (which would be better). We have added soy meal to our corn, but never calf manna- seems like an extra cost but it would probably help with the weight . Don't worry about alfalfa, they don't need it, just some grass hay will do. I don't think doubling their weight in 6 months will be a problem, especially since you have two, they always eat better/more when there are two of them. We always lock ours up the last 6 months or so of life, less movement less weight loss, plus nothing but corn and hay to eat also helps put on the weight, barn is big 30x40 with a 30x30 dry lot or so? Locking them up would probably be in your benefit, if they are on grass they will eat it instead of the corn, or put them on a smaller dry lot. Make sure they don't have access to any field with onions in it, makes the meat taste odd.
> 
> I'll agree. A goat is much easier to handle than a 1200 pound steer. I can remember being drug all over by a few of them. These aren't fantastic, grand champion material but they aren't too bad either. One will get put in the freezer and the other will sell at the fair (hopefully for a nice little profit!)
> 
> Defiantly a goat is much easier... just last night I was in the "big boy barn" (the barn I explained above) putting down fresh bedding, we had them locked in the barn, so I let them out in the lot which of course made them start bucking and kicking. Climbed the gate, started spreading straw... about 3/4 of the way done Irene (a 1000 angus) comes running through the gate snorting, he had 20ft to get to me and I had 20ft to get out, the time I got to the top of the gate, he was at the bottom of it.. I about peed my self. He was bottle fed, used to seeing me everyday, but at that moment I was his toy and he wanted to practice his head butting one me. I am just glad I got over that gate before he got to me.


 I hope your boys are tame, or you really have some work to do lol... I hope you and your family have good luck in your sorta new adventure


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## gegegoatgirl2698

Pretty boys! I love baldies! I didn't get a baldie this year, I bought a steer online from Voegele show cattle. He's turned out well so far. I attach his sale pic.


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## kccjer

gege...he's NICE! Ours just came out of a farm herd so they aren't nearly that nice but they are decent. May surprise me. Good luck with yours!

Kramsay, they are not tame at all! Nephew says he will get them halter broke so let's hope he follows thru and does so. They won't be on grass, they'll be in a small dry lot...probably about 30 x30 at most. I don't think they've been on any grain to speak of before now. So, it will take a little time to get them to full feed. Like my dad says...they don't need much hay at all mostly grain. I just remember giving some alfalfa when we had 4h steers...oh...40 years ago! I couldn't remember on the calf manna. We added the oil or powdered milk for the fat content to put shine on them and make them purty. 

Those bottle babies can be dangerous once they get full sized. I've been "loved" a few times by a bottle baby and it isn't any fun! These guys have been on pasture til now. They aren't super wild, but not tame either. It should be interesting!


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## NyGoatMom

gegegoatgirl2698 said:


> Pretty boys! I love baldies! I didn't get a baldie this year, I bought a steer online from Voegele show cattle. He's turned out well so far. I attach his sale pic.


Gorgeous,absolutely gorgeous!


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## Darlaj

kccjer said:


> Good eye, Jessica. The baldy is actually the better of the 2. But we'll see. Nephew says he'll help, but this is the one that I have issues with....sooooo....he gets pissed at me for whatever reason and there goes the help! ?


Are u sure your nephew is not a 16 year old girl w PMS?


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## kccjer

Darlaj said:


> Are u sure your nephew is not a 16 year old girl w PMS?


HAHAHAHAHA Now that you mention it, that is EXACTLY what he acts like! Nope, I changed his diaper when he was a baby. Unless he's had surgery that none of us knows about.....


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## HerdQueen

You may have to halter break them using the tractor or hitch on the pickup. I would start as soon as possible I would hate for your daughter to get hurt. Nose leads can be a good tool as well.


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## kccjer

Hehe...we were discussing that I DO have 2 burros we could tie them to. I'm not too concerned about it ....yet. 

Carmen, Co-Owner Oleo Acres LLC, Nw Ks


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## kccjer

Well, today was weigh in. Blacky weighed 555 pounds and Baldy weighed 570. We have 170 days to get them to 1000 pounds so she can sell one of them. We have to have 2 1/2 pounds daily gain. Really be better if we could get them to 1200 which will be a RDG of 3.7. It's doable. We are going to be getting some whole corn tomorrow and running it thru a mill so we'll get them going on ground corn fairly quick. The mill where we get our goat/horse feed done has a mix that is $520 a ton! Problem is that it will take at least 2 ton and most likely 3 to get them to weight and that's over 1500 in feed...not sure there would be any profit left. So we'll just have to see where we end up.


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## kccjer

Oh! And they do the ivomec pour on AND implant with ralgro to help with growth! All for about $3!! Not sure but I think they did something else too. I just said "yes" when they asked if we wanted it all. LOL

AND...the names have been changed to Teriyake and BBQ.


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## kccjer

New pics of the steers. BBQ is an ok steer.


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## kccjer

Teriyake is pretty nice.


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## NyGoatMom

How's the weight doing?


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## kccjer

Considering they are eating around 75 pounds of grain daily along with all the alfalfa they can eat :-o :shocked::ROFL: We're not too awful worried about making weight by the end of July


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## NubianFan

They look good, I am with you I still like baldy better.


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## NyGoatMom

OmGoodness! :shock: 75 lbs a day?? You must be broke...........................:shock:


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## NyGoatMom

Now I know why they say goats are "poor man's cattle" :lol:


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## kccjer

We were "hoping" they would get up to 50 pounds a day by June. :ROFL: Think we made it. :eyeroll: I guess we can be glad they are gaining now so that if it's a horrible hot, dry summer if they don't gain thru the summer months they will already be there. hehe Our Co-op has a "4H Account" where the 4Her can get a charge account and pay the feed bill after the fair. So...hopefully, she gets enough for him to pay his $1000 cost AND his feed bill!

Lizzie is leading them around the pen now. Nephew haltered them a couple weeks ago and just let a rope drag. That's as far as he got. She started leading them and has even had the baldy in the big corral leading. I'm happy with them for now.


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## NyGoatMom

So all those people who enter steers must get competitive...that's a lot of cash to lose.


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## kccjer

It can be pretty bad sometimes. I've known some to get really, really mad cause they paid a lot of money for an animal and "expected it to win". Our price was just simple market value the week of weigh-in! Cattle prices are really stupid right now. Bottle calves...day old...are going for $600!!! 

I'm thinking we'll have no trouble making our 1200 pound goal. If she gets $3 a pound that would be $3600. Subtract 1000 for cost of animal and around 1500 for feed. She will hopefully put 1000 in savings then.


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## NyGoatMom

Ahhhh, ok...so you should make a little then either way....that's good! I am so naive when it comes to showing, lol....


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## kccjer

Grand Champion steer at our fair can sell for $6 a pound and higher. Honestly, selling a market animal is the only reason I keep Lizzie in 4H. :shrug:


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## NyGoatMom

Wow...that's a lotta dough...


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## kccjer

Well we made it to fair and made weight. Lizzie won Rate of Gain with 3.76 pounds a day!!! Her other steer was 2nd with 3.5something. Red ribbons on both cause they weren't finished enough. ...should have had a hundred more pounds to be close. Market value is 3.25 so on a 1184 steer should make some money cause she should get more than that.


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## NyGoatMom

Great! Congrats Carmen


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## kccjer

I should know not to listen to hubby on some things. LOL Floor was $1.54. When they struggled to get $4 for the Grand Champion, I knew we were in trouble! Lizzie got $2.50 so she should still be able to bank a little. On a side note.....goats sold for an average of $11 a pound!!!!! And a couple went for $19! Last year they struggled to get $4!

This morning we are headed in early with a horse. She managed to sneak into Round Robin Showmanship with her horse and he isn't the one we left in there. Don't know how this is going to work cause old Cy has been rather buddy sour and isn't behaving very well.


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## Chadwick

A cyclone that causes trouble! Does he take after his namesake???


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## kccjer

Chadwick said:


> A cyclone that causes trouble! Does he take after his namesake???


He did NOT take after his namesake! He was an absolute angel for the entire Round Robin. I was so proud of him! Lizzie was the only one that got him to trot....everyone kept trying to go slow and he can take some long steps so didn't see any reason to break into a trot. LOL Lizzie didn't place in Round Robin, but she didn't do too bad either (her grandpa said she did ok and didn't notice any glaring goofs so she must have done really well! LOL) We got to see her scores and they weren't too bad. Swine and sheep were her low scores and I don't think anyone placed high with those judges. One expected everyone to know how to read notches in a pigs ear (really?????) One more night for me (I have my soap at a booth in the commercial building) and then FAIR IS OVER for another year!!!!!

Oh, and on a sad note I think my Old Cyclone is at retirement now. He went lame on us at a show a couple weeks ago and he just isn't perking back up very well. She only showed him in halter for the fair so it wasn't a big issue there, but...... Hopefully, he'll perk back up for us, but like I've said before....we know we're living on borrowed time with him.


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## Chadwick

Good luck Cy!


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## BrokenArrowRanch

Wow, hearing your fairs low prices makes me love the place I live in even more. Lowest price for a steer here was $5 something. Champion went for 12 something. Lambs averaged 5 and pigs averages 6 or 7. Total raised at auction was over 250,000...


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## nannysrus

Price of cattle here live weight is around $1.50 a pound up to $2.50 for good quality breeding cows. Steers sell for $1-$1.5 a pound and bulls just depend on breeding background and if they are LBW


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## BrokenArrowRanch

Market prices are about the same here... The high prices I mentioned were for 4h/ FFA fair auctions


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## kccjer

BrokenArrowRanch said:


> Wow, hearing your fairs low prices makes me love the place I live in even more. Lowest price for a steer here was $5 something. Champion went for 12 something. Lambs averaged 5 and pigs averages 6 or 7. Total raised at auction was over 250,000...
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


Our steers usually average $5 with the GC going for 7 or 8. This year was really low for them. Pigs are seldom below $5. Sheep and goat can vary from $2 to $20....depending on the year. This year was a good one for goats.


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