Improving Growth with Creep Feeding - Cattle

Improving Growth with Creep Feeding – Cattle

Rapid development of the rumen from the first few weeks of age allows young livestock to grow faster and convert pasture into growth from a younger age.

Compare creep feeding calves to providing no additional supplement.

Calves Per Feeder(Required)

When there is high quality and fast growing pastures, the maximum number of calves per feeder is 50.

Period of Feeding (days)(Required)

It is common for calves to be creep fed for 210 days.

Average Feed Consumption (g/head/day)(Required)

600g / day is a common ration when creep feeding calves.

Cost of Feed per Tonne ($)(Required)

Enter the cost of your feed ration.

Investment in a Feeder ($)(Required)

Creep Panels are an additional cost per pair. Current pricing on feeders can be found on our Product Directory.

Lifespan of the Products (years)(Required)

Please enter a number from 1 to 30.

How long the product is expected to last. Maximum input is 30.

Filling and Labour Cost ($/tonne)(Required)

Costs include moving feeders, training stock, filling feeders and organising feed purchase.

Additional Daily Liveweight Gain (g)(Required)

Case studies show it is common for calves to convert 4kg of feed into 1kg of liveweight gain from supplement.

Liveweight Value ($/kg)(Required)

Enter the value you expect to receive for your stock.

Total Amount of Feed Consumed (kg)

Total Cost of Feed Consumed ($)

Depreciation Cost ($/year)

Straight line depreciation over two-thirds the lifespan of the product with a $0 residual. Assumes the feeder is only used for this period each year.

Total Filling Cost ($/year)

Total Additional Weight Gain (kg)

Additional Income ($)

Total additional income (all the calves on the feeder).

Additional Profit ($)

Additional profit gained through this feeding period.

Payback Period (months)

Number of months for the additional profit to exceed the investment in the product.

Email Address(Required)

Enter your email address to have a copy of these results sent to you.

Compare Creep Feeding Calves to No Supplement

Young calves are born with inactive rumens. Creep feeding helps transition their rumens to digest pasture at an earlier age, enabling faster growth. This allows calves to reach target weights before pasture quality declines and reduces the number of stock requiring finishing in high-cost systems.

Research shows that supplementing 750 g/day can increase weaning weights by more than 200 g/day.

Our information sheet provides a brief overview and explains:

How early rumen development is key to achieving maximum growth rates.
The science behind adding starch to the diet to promote butyric acid production.
How to quantify potential gains from creep feeding.

Additional Considerations Improving Growth with Creep Feeding – Cattle

Farming operations are complex, and the following factors are not included in this calculator:

Earlier market readiness: Faster growth allows young stock to reach target weights sooner, potentially enabling sales in earlier markets at a premium, or adjusting calving to match pasture growth and reduce supplementary feed costs.
Multi-purpose feeder use: Feeders can be used for other purposes throughout the year, reducing depreciation costs and increasing return on investment.
Reduced weaning stress: Consistent supplementation before and after weaning reduces feed-loss stress for cows and calves.
Feeder training: Creep-fed calves are trained to feeders, making transitions to pasture or feedlot finishing easier.
Improved reproductive performance: Higher growth rates contribute to higher weights at joining and improved heifer conception rates.

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