Creep feeding can be a powerful tool to boost the weaning weight of your calves, potentially translating into increased profits when it’s time to sell. However, it’s crucial to weigh the pros and cons before implementing this strategy. While it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, when used effectively, it can significantly enhance your bottom line.
There are several factors to think about, like calf prices, feed costs, and the time and labor you can realistically commit. Plus, this isn’t a decision you make once and forget about. Market conditions change every year, so what makes sense one season might not be the best move the next.
That’s why looking at what works for your specific operation is essential. Just because something works for your neighbor doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you. So, how do you decide if creep feeding is worth it? Let’s break down some key things to consider.
Creep Feeding: Is It Worth It for Your Calves?
Creep feeding provides a highly digestible supplement specifically for beef calves. This supplement can come in the form of pellet feed or ground-up. The critical thing here is that it is provided in a way that the older cows cannot access.
This exclusion is done by putting it in a feeder with a cage around it with an opening only a couple of feet wide. Hence, the smaller calves are the only ones that can get to it. As with any supplement, you 
will want to place the feeder near where they congregate, such as a water source or loafing area.
As calves reach weaning age, their nutritional requirements will also increase. They will need to consume more nutritionally rich foods to meet their growth demands. The problem with this is that usually, during this time, their mother’s milking ability and the quality of the forages will go down. In order to fill the nutrition gaps, providing a creep feed may be necessary.
Do not think that creep feeding only benefits the calf; it can also help the mother. With the calf getting its nutrition elsewhere, there will also be less of an energy demand on her. With this lower demand, she can utilize the feed she consumes to do things like putting weight back on to prepare for the breeding season.
Pros and Cons of Creep Feeding
Pros:
✔️ Adds 30-60 lbs. per calf at weaning
✔️ Increases revenue per calf
✔️ Reduces pressure on pastures (more forage for cows)
✔️ Improves body condition of mama cows
✔️ Creates a more uniform calf crop
✔️ Reduces stress at weaning
Cons:
❌ Might not be cost-effective every year
❌ Can reduce milk production in young replacement heifers
❌ May interfere with selecting cows for milk production
❌ Hard to manage in remote locations
❌ Doesn’t work well with companion grazers (sheep, goats)
If you would like to read more about the pros and cons of creep feeding, I go into more detail in a previous article, “Pros and Cons of Creep Feeding”.
Considerations for Creep Feeding
Before deciding on creep feeding, it’s crucial to assess the overall condition of your pastures. Research has shown that creep feeding is most beneficial when pasture conditions are poor. In such conditions, the average feed conversion has been shown to be 4-6:1, meaning 4 to 6 lbs. of creep feed for 1 pound of gain. On the other hand, if the pasture conditions are excellent, the average feed conversion drops to 14-18:1. This information will help you make an informed decision about the potential benefits of creep feeding in your specific situation.
Another thing to consider is the time of year you will put this feed out. There have been many studies that have shown the benefit of providing creep feed 60 days before weaning. Doing this gives the calves time to get used to eating out of a bunk and makes weaning less stressful. It will also benefit them if they are put in a feedlot situation after because they will already know how to find food.
Ultimately, you will have to decide if the cost of creep feeding will provide you with more profit. Speaking of determining if it will be profitable for you…
Will it be profitable?
Now, let’s dig into the nuts and bolts of figuring out if creep feeding makes financial sense for you. The cost of the feed itself is just one piece of the puzzle—there are a few other factors you don’t want to overlook.
For starters, think about the equipment. If you’re using a creep feeder, that thing isn’t free—it wears down over time, and that depreciation needs to be factored in. Then there’s delivery—how much is it costing you to get the feed where it needs to go? And, of course, don’t forget about your own time and effort. You’re not doing this for free, so be sure to account for labor costs.
Once you have all those numbers lined up, the next step is to compare them to the extra revenue you expect to make from selling your calves. Not sure how to estimate that? Check out Beef Basis—it’s a handy website that helps predict sale prices so you can run the numbers more accurately.
Another thing to keep in mind is something called the price slide. Creep-fed calves tend to sell for more overall, but on a per-pound basis, they might actually bring in less than calves that weren’t creep-fed. This is due to a market phenomenon known as the ‘price slide ‘, where the price per pound decreases as the weight of the animal increases. That’s just the way the market works, so it’s essential to factor that into your decision-making.
Example
Let us say that you are looking to sell some calves in 2 different groups that you are thinking of creep feeding. In the first group, you decide not to, and they come out to be in the 550-lb area. For the second group, you do creep feed, putting on an extra 60 lbs to bring them up to the 610-lb region.
Let’s break down the math. The 550-pound steers may be worth $1.10 per pound, and the creep-fed ones could be $1.05. Initially, it may not seem worth it, but let’s finish the math. The 550lbs one would be worth $605 (550x $1.10/pound), and the creep-fed ones would generate $641 (610x $1.05). The additional 60 pounds of the gain would make an extra $36 or $0.60 per pound of gain. This extra would mean that whatever creep feed you use could be, at most, $0.60 to add 1 pound of gain.
In this example, we will be using a feed conversion of 6 lbs of feed per 1 lb of gain. (This is not set in stone; it is just what I am using to make a point.) If we have a feed price of $120 per ton, that would equal $0.36 per pound of added gain. So, by this figure, it would be profitable to creep feed.
Choosing the Right Creep Feed
Now that we have crunched the numbers and you have decided that creep feeding is for you let’s look at your options. There are many different options.
Creep feed generally falls into two specific categories:
- Grain: feeds such as corn, barley, and oats
- Forage: such as alfalfa and regular hay
Both types of feed will include some salt in the mix. The amount of salt you use will depend on whether you want to increase or decrease the overall consumption.
Regardless of your type, the rations will contain between 13% and 16% crude protein. You will want to look at the gaps you need to fill to determine which one is best for you.
If you are capable and have the equipment, mixing your creep feed may be more economical. What people typically do with this is mix a couple of grains, such as corn and oats, along with a type of mineral mix into a grinder/mixer. With this option, you will need to include the price of the mixer if you buy it new or its depreciation when determining the overall profitability of creep feeding.
