June marks the time when a creep feeder starts to look tempting to producers.Calves are putting on weight. The grass might still look good from a distance, but it is not feeding like it did in April. Each week gets hotter, flies are increasing, cows are milking and trying to breed back, and everyone is watching the market to decide if extra calf weight is worth the effort.
This brings us to why creep feeding is worth considering.
On paper, creep feeding calves sounds simple. Put feed where calves can reach it, but cows cannot, then sell heavier calves at weaning. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it works really well. Other times, you spend good money on feed, fight waste, feed birds, attract pests, and end up with calves that are a little heavier but not heavy enough to pay the bill.
This leads to the key question for June: Is creep feeding helping your calves, or is it just becoming another expensive chore?
In West Texas and the Southern Plains, the answer depends on forage quality, cow milk production, calf age, feed cost, feeder setup, water access, heat stress, fly pressure, and how you plan to market those calves. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. A creep feeder can be a smart tool, but it is not magic. It will not fix poor water quality, overgrazed pastures, sick calves, poor mineral intake, or a bad marketing plan.
Before refilling that feeder, consider what specific job you need the creep feed to do, and whether it accomplishes that job well enough to pay for itself.
Creep feeding allows calves to access feed that mature cows cannot. This practice can promote superior calf growth and raise weaning weights, meaning the calf’s weight when separated from its mother. Elevated weaning weights typically result in higher sale prices at year’s end. Providing calves with a digestible supplement supports growth even if forage quality or milk yield declines. Still, creep feeding is not a universal fix. Like any cow-calf management decision, it is most effective when applied strategically for clear objectives.
