Creep feeding which results in excess fattening of replacement heifers will be detrimental to future productivity of replacement heifers. Indiana research indicates that when replacement heifers are creep fed as calves, they wean lighter calves as cows compared to replacement heifers which did not receive creep feed as calves. Oklahoma research also indicates that the number of calves a cow weans in a lifetime is reduced when the cow was creep fed as a heifer. A common misperception is that creep feeding will reduce nursing pressure on the cow. However, research data from Oklahoma and Nebraska indicate that milk intake by creep and non-creep fed calves is similar.
Calves prefer milk first, highly palatable creep second, and forage third.
When milk and forage are available, creep feed becomes a substitute for forage. This may be advantageous when only when forage supplies need to be stretched. Types of Creep Feeds Grain Based Creeps . Grains can be creep fed alone. When an adequate amount of good to high quality forage is available, conversions will usually not be economical.