Cattle growth

A calf is not born at the weight you will sell. Weight is set at weaning, then the animal has one season to grow into an adult if you put it in a feedlot.

Weaning weight

The weaning-weight gene is the starting number. Each degrade point cuts that weight by 5 percent. The cut stops at a quarter of the gene, so a badly stressed calf still weans at 25 percent of the gene weight.

Adult weight

From that weaning weight, the feedlot potential is:

• A cow can reach 2.5 times her weaning weight.
• A bull or a steer can reach 3 times his weaning weight.

That full number needs two things. The animal enters a feedlot within 24 hours of weaning, and degrade is not stacking extra cuts. Miss the feedlot window and the potential drops 10 percent. Each degrade point drops the potential another 10 percent.

The gain itself runs for seven real days, one season. When that window closes, the weight on the animal is the weight the markets use.

Dustborn cattle have an extra allowance on top of this formula. A Dustborn steer can go 25 percent higher. A Dustborn bull or cow can go 15 percent higher. Read Origins.