creep feeding

What a difference a year makes, last year due to the drought we were running out of grass for the cows and needed to wean the calves on Sept. 4.  By placing the calves in a separate pasture on extra feed the cows were able to have enough to eat in their pasture.  This year there is a lot of grass, so we plan on waiting until December to wean, but the calves need extra protein in the ration so  we are adding an alfalfa pellet to creep feeders that the calves can enter but the cows can't thus allowing the calves to get the extra feed and vitamins that they need to grow.  We have 2 old green feeders and 2 new red feeders that we will put feed in about once per week and the calves will self regulate what they need for a proper

diet to go with the available grass.  The goal will be for the calves to gain 1 1/2 pounds per day until the grass is green next spring then they should gain about 2 pounds per day on pasture until time to be marketed to a feedyard where they will gain about 4 pounds daily until they are marketed for beef.  On our ranch calves gain their first 900 pounds (about 450 days) grazing pastures that are unsuitable for growing anything other than grass.Then they go to a feedyard where they eat crop residues and corn for about 100 days.