How to Fatten Steers

Fattening steers requires a combination of factors, primarily proper feed choices, feed amounts, air temperature and roaming means. Fattening steers is a billion dollar science and following industry standards is your best bet of fattening your steers to maximum potential. While you may not have the means to fatten your steers using all the latest methods and theories, you can design a formula that is within your budget that follows contemporary science.

Instructions

    • 1

      Confine your steer. Cattle naturally travel a great deal. Even if your steer has food in a given place, after consuming food, it will wander and move. The more the steer moves, the more energy -- and fat -- it will burn. Movement is especially counterproductive if the roaming area is hilly.

    • 2

      Keep the steer's pen warm and clean. A steer burns a great deal of energy attempting to stay warm. Long winters will make a steer lean regardless of how much you feed it. The less energy the steer uses staying warm, the more feed its body will convert to fat. Additionally, if the steer is dirty, it is more susceptible to disease, and sickness burns energy and fat.

    • 3

      Remove stress from the steer's daily regiment. Anything that stresses the steer will decrease the steer's weight-gain. Under stress, steers will move and burn energy. Comfortable steers will lay down after eating to chew their cud. Under stress, they will not.

    • 4

      Feed the steer grass and hay high in protein and corn and oats. If fed high-protein bales and good grains, a steer can gain 1 lbs. of weight for every 6 lbs. of feed eaten. A steer can eat 3 percent of its weight daily.