Ways to reclaim calf growth with creep grazing

Every cow/calf producer aspires for calves to gain weight efficiently. Some producers have discovered that a creep system, particularly creep grazing, is a promising way to achieve this goal. Creep grazing, in particular, has the potential to significantly increase calf weight gain, offering a ray of hope for producers. It’s important to note that both methods, creep grazing and creep feeding a concentrate supplement, have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Hence, it’s crucial for the producer to research and choose the method that best suits their needs.

Creep grazing is generally a more cost-effective option than creep-feeding grain. It requires less labor, making it a convenient and financially savvy choice for cow/calf producers. This cost-effectiveness can make producers feel resourceful and smart in their management decisions. However, it’s important to note that while creep-feeding has been extensively studied, creep grazing is a relatively less explored area. Understanding it may require more effort on the producer’s part, but the potential cost savings make it a worthwhile investment.

Creep-grazing pastures can add pounds to a calf’s weaning weight, just like creep-feeding. However, more than just adding weight to calves is needed to make them profitable. To understand this, the producer must look at things like feed costs and the market to see if they will be profitable. Here are some things to consider when making this decision.

What is creep grazing?

Creep grazing is a management strategy that allows calves to access high-quality forages that are not available to the cows. The term ‘creep’ refers to the small opening or gate that only calves can pass through, thereby ‘creeping’ into the designated pasture area. This ‘creep’ is a physical barrier that allows only calves to enter, ensuring they have exclusive access to the high-quality forages. In basic terms, creep grazing is simply having an area of the pasture with forages only calves can access. Nursing calves will either get earlier access to more lush, higher quality forages before the cows, or they will have access to different pastures that the cows cannot reach. Using the particular pasture is done through an opening large enough for calves to get through but not cows. The gates are generally 15-18 inches in width and 36-42 inches in height.

The concept of creep grazing is based on the fact that suckling calves have higher nutritional requirements than cows. The need for particular areas is because just putting out higher quality feed will not work because the cows will more than likely eat it themselves. In this system, calves will be eating high-quality forage that provides higher digestible energy and protein. Since your typical pasture does not provide the necessary nutrition on its own, the producer will need to plant a higher-quality variety.

How to restrict access

When restricting access to a creep pasture, there are a couple of ways to go: using a unique gate in a fence or using an electric fence. A creep gate can be made by either creating an entrance by opening the gate slightly and adding a post or by removing the gate entirely and using a specially constructed creep gate panel. This panel is typically made of sturdy materials and has a small opening at the bottom for calves to pass through. Portions of a large pasture may be fenced off using a single-wire electric fence that is placed 36-48 inches in height. This electric fence should be set up in a way that only calves can pass under it, ensuring they have exclusive access to the creep pasture.

Advantages

As with creep feeding, depending on forage quality, creep grazing can positively impact calf performance. A study by West Virginia found that creep-grazed calves had a 0.2 pound per day increase compared to non-creep-grazed calves. This may not seem like much, but when seen over a five-month grazing period, that is a weight difference of 30 pounds per calf. A 25-50 lbs weight gain per calf might be reasonable, but the increase may depend on individual circumstances and the quality of the forages provided in the creep pasture.

Another advantage is that creep grazing is overall cheaper than concentrate creep-feeding. The first obvious one is that the producer does not have to purchase supplements. Secondly, the cow/calf producer does not have to buy the feeder that will be needed with concentrates. Not to mention, less labor will be involved because no feeders will need to be refilled.

Creep grazing allows the calves to spend some time away from their dams, which can help reduce the mother/child bond. The mother/child bond is a strong emotional connection between the cow and her calf, which can make weaning a stressful process. Since they are still in the same area, this separation will be less stressful for both the calf and the cow, making weaning less stressful for both.

Indirect Advantage

A more indirect benefit of creep grazing is the potential reduction in calves’ fat content. Unlike concentrates, which can lead to overweight calves due to their high energy content, creep grazing promotes a healthier weight in calves. This healthier weight means that the calves are less likely to get price discounts, which often happens with overweight calves. Heifers may also avoid getting too fat and experiencing reduced milk production when using a grain-based creep feed replacement, reassuring producers about the health benefits of creep grazing and making them feel confident in their management decisions.

Disadvantages

An obvious disadvantage of this type of system is that calves may develop the habit of squeezing under the fence. The problem with this is obvious. A producer can end up with calves with the bad habit of getting out or completely destroying their fences.

In order to make this work, a producer will need high-quality forages. Each pasture will require a plowable area with good soil for the forages to grow.

Forages are key here.

The type of forage that will be best suited for creep grazing will vary. Things like the season and weather conditions will play a role. Producers should select adapted forages that are known to be highly digestible and high in protein. If the calves are born in the spring, then warm-season forages are an excellent choice. Cool-season annual grasses can be used if fall calves are 3-4 months old in January or February.

During the warm season months, producers can use legumes, pearl millet, or sorghum-sudan grass. The warm-season legumes are typically ready for grazing 6-8 weeks after planting. These forages will also continue to grow all the way into September. An early spring planting of pearl millet will provide forage from spring into fall.

Small grains such as oats, wheat, and rye are good options with cool-season annuals. Alfalfa and different clover varieties can also be used for creep pastures.

How to set up creep grazing

The size of the creep pasture will depend on the stocking rate and the productivity of the forages. A pasture’s stocking rate requires more than just how many acres there are. An earlier post, Estimating your grazeable acreage, discussed brush density, rock cover, and other factors. Once you know the grazeable acreage, take 10% of the herd pasture and use that for a creep pasture.

Suppose the producer is rotating the pasture across two or more pastures. In that case, each herd pasture should have a creep pasture available. If one creep pasture is located in the right spot, it is possible to graze two or more pastures from it.

Calves must learn to go in and out of the creep pasture. The creep pasture or access to it should be located in areas where cows congregate. Places near water, salt, minerals, and shade are all good options for a location. Moving the water trough or mineral feeder into the creep pasture is also a good option. Using the creep pasture for 3-4 days should be the best way to introduce the calves to it.