Management
Biological Results
Calf body weight was on average increased by
44 lbs, verses non-creep fed calves, at the time
of weaning. Average conversion rate was about
8.44 lbs of feed to one pound of gain. On average,
3.85 lbs of feed per calf per day disappeared
from the feeders for a total of 385 lbs per calf.
At slaughter, creep fed animals were not found
to statistically vary from non-creep fed calves
in marbling. However, the added weight gain
due to creep feed did carry over to live weight,
increased hot carcass weight (HCW) and back fat.
Economic Results
The top portion of Table 1, “Feed Intake Summary”
breaks down creep feed consumption by year on
a per head basis. The total amount of feed used
over the course of the study was approximately
56,050 lbs with a total cost of $9,306.58, making
the average cost per pound just under $0.17/lb.
With the added costs listed towards the bottom
of the table in the “Creep Feeding Costs” portion,
feed costs averaged $63.49 per head per year.
Equipment expenses averaged $10.46 per head
per year. Labor and management costs were
estimated to average $16.48 per head annually
for the period. Added transportation to feed was
estimated to be $1.44 per head per year making
the averaged total expense for feeding creep
per head per year $91.87. Table 1 also shows the
costs for each year which notably varies from
about $69 to $110 per head per year. Before
getting to the final results, it should be noted
that the methodology used to calculate the true
economic outcome for this decision is deceptive
and requires special attention. For instance, it is
often tempting to simply compare the value of
the feed consumed verses the average expected
value per pound of gain. While this simplifies the
calculations, it hides several potential pitfalls. For
instance, the price slide effect due to differences
in calf weight. Looking at the revenue summary
in Table 1, it is clear that the price slide is real and
varies by year. The 2014 year showed that the creep
fed calves were valued $0.26 less per pound than
46 | APRIL 2019
the lighter calves, making the lighter calves more
valuable on a per head basis, without considering
added difference in the cost invested in creep feed.
The price slide had a more significant impact on
profitability than expected. Over the three years,
there was an average price slide loss of $83.26/
calf. This is a loss in overall value due to a decrease
in the change in size of the animal. On the other
hand, the average increase in calf value purely
due to weight gain was $97.89/calf. The difference
between these two averages is the average net
effect due to creep feeding, which was $14.63/
calf. This value represents the available money to
pay for creep feeding, which was far less than the
estimated average total costs of $91.87/calf. These
average values do hide some of the important
differences between each year. Therefore, we
suggest that the price slide would play a key role
in making the decision to creep feed or not.