ot, beef cow/calf question

[Dave from MN]

1st, Creep feed, is creep feed just regular starter feed like I was buying for my dairy bottle calves? 2nd, Hay is starting to get short, pasture is 2 weeks from fence completion, I have a few mixed grass bales, but a friendsome alfalfa bales he'll sell me fairly cheap. Is that ok to mix with grass hay? One aqaintance said alfalfa willmake the cows too loose and they will lose conditioning, another said they may get mastitis. These are are cows with 7-10 day old calves. 3rd, are beef cows, preganant or not, able to be given a antibiotic additive to their feed to prevent Pnuemonia? I am gonna top dress with AS700 for the dairy steers with this goofy weather and am wondering if I need to give it to the cow/calf pairs.

 

[Coloken]

Dave, you worry too mush. Cows will eat and do well on most any thing. The key is you said "mix in with". No big change all at once. I have seen cows loose, but they don't "loose condition".
For creep feed, depends on price. Started feed is good. Rolled oats with molassis is good. A High priced show cattle Co used to feed high priced calf manna.

 

[Walt Davies]

I have always mixed Alfalfa with my grass hay about a 1/4 bale to 2 bales of grass. Its just enough to keep them in nice shape over the winter.
This time of year with green grass all your cows will get loose and they won't eat dry hay unless you force feed them.
Walt
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