It depends on when you are going to sell them.
Without supplementation and if there is some grain left in the stalk field, you could expect an average daily gain of between 0.9 and 1.2 lb for the first 40 to 50 days. As the corn is removed from the field, average daily gain will decrease.
Our data would suggest that if they were supplemented with 8 lb of wet corn gluten feed daily while grazing stalks, you could expect an average daily gain of 1.5 to 1.75 lb.
If you plan to take these calves back to grass in May, it may be difficult to ensure that the calves will not produce over a 900-lb carcass when they are finished. For example, steers gain 1 lb per day from November 1 to May 1 (approximately 210 days); calves would gain 210 lb and weigh 810 lb going to grass.
If steers gain 1.75 lb average daily gain for a 150-day grazing period, they would gain another 263 lb and weigh 1,073 lb off grass. This weight of calf may be difficult to sell because it will not spend many days in the feedlot. This calf in the feedlot will gain about 4.0 lb average daily gain and will likely be in the feedlot for at least 90 days. This would be another 360 lb, and the steer would weigh 1,433 lb. If the calf has a dressing percent of 63%, the carcass weight would be 902 lb, and there are sometimes price discounts for greater than 900-lb carcasses.
So it depends on when you are going to sell the calf and what kind of average daily gain you are trying to achieve and the cost of cornstalks and any supplements.
