Many beef producers use creep feeding to optimize calf nutrition, but what does that look like for your operation? This practice supplements nutrition to calves to help them reach full genetic potential.

Prior to weaning, South Dakota State University says, creep feeding gives supporting nutrients to calves, with a fence or barrier protecting the ration from the cows. Creep feeds can be primarily grain-, protein- or forage-based, depending on the needs of the animals.

Before implementing or modifying a feeding plan, take a moment to determine your production goals. Is it more important for calves to gain weight and value or to fill a gap in nutrition? Starting with addressing your goals will guide you where to start creep feeding.

Shoot for economic success

With your goals in mind, there are factors to consider, including:

These factors aside, the costs must work in the operation to be worthwhile. SDSU says that the highest economic returns from creep feeding are when forage is too mature for efficient utilization, when there’s limited forage quality due to drought, and when calves are nursing from poor-milking animals.

To determine the profitability is to determine how efficiently the supplemental feed is converting into weight gain. Additionally, creep feeding has not shown a reduction in the cow’s nutritional needs as a result of the calf consuming less milk. SDSU shares that multiple research studies have not shown a significant reduction in milk consumption in creep-fed calves.

However, creep feeding has the potential to both increase calf growth rate and also make the transition to eating from a bunk and a grain-based diet easier on the animal. According to SDSU, research has found that creep feeding results in less stress during and after weaning, and shows a greater feed intake.

With that in mind, this may be a management practice that is more beneficial to fall-weaned calves. In the Northern Plains, forage is beginning to decline in quality and becoming less nutritious. Combined with the potential shortage of dietary energy in cold environments, creep feeding can meet these increased maintenance energy requirements.

What does this mean for your cattle? With varying factors, considerations and feed costs for each ranch, careful thought must be made when starting this management. Creep feeding isn’t a perfect solution for every operation, but if the value added outweighs the additional labor and feed costs, producers can increase value in their calf crop.

South Dakota State University contributed to this article.