Need cattle advice

[Hay Dude]

I dont like the gamey taste of grass finished beef. Soon as I see “grass fed beef” on a menu (at extra cost) at a restaurant I kinda chuckle. If I want that I’ll pull some venison.
I like a marbled tender texture to a steak.
Send em to Heaven at about 20 months, the last 3-6 on a morning grain fed diet.

 

[5030]

if they drop CHOP em

I have mentioned my bull experience in a couple of other threads. I do not think I will have an intact bull beyond about 6 months old on the farm again.

!00% castrate them. I sold all my cattle last summer, don't want the tied down responsibility anymore and I can get my meat from one of my hay customers pretty cheap anyway. I have a nice band castrator and a couple boxes of bands in the barn, just in case I decide on getting any again, but that is doubtful.

 

[jyoutz]

Finish ‘em on molasses!!!!

I buy beef finisher feed which is basically grain with molasses.

 

[rbstern]

Thanks for all of the great information, all!

 

[MikeFarm]

I don't understand why anyone would even want a Long Horn. Here they would not even be accepted in most sale yards. Hard to handle in a crush, not as safe as polled cattle. We have agisted steers on our place and occasionally the owners bring in a bull when needed. If you just want them for meat then far simpler to just use steers. Far easier to manage.
Mike

 

[Rockbadchild]

I don't understand why anyone would even want a Long Horn. Here they would not even be accepted in most sale yards. Hard to handle in a crush, not as safe as polled cattle. We have agisted steers on our place and occasionally the owners bring in a bull when needed. If you just want them for meat then far simpler to just use steers. Far easier to manage.
Mike

You are bringing fair points about the horns ... For us in Northern Ontario the Highland cattle are getting really popular since they withstand our harsh winter with ease...

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting thread. My eventual goal is to have a few steers so we can raise our own beef. I have a few friends that do this that we've bought some of their meat from, so doing it ourselves seems to make sense once our fencing is done.

Something that I've read, but don't have any experience with, is that it takes 2 years for the steer to be at the ideal age for butchering. I forget the details, but it has something to do with marbling and quality of the meat when butchered. Is there any truth to this?

We where thinking that we would be 2 or three calves every year, and butcher the two year old's, every year.

 

[Rockbadchild]

It depends on the diets and if you are growing your beef strictly for taste or fat content longer you wait the more expensive it gets per pound of beef .... if feed grain and hay your cattle is ready at 14-18 months of age. Steers on grass only will take 26-28 months to be butcher.

from the article below ...

''After three years of research and data collection, researchers at SRUC in Edinburgh concluded that 12 months is the best age to slaughter beef cattle. Usually, the cow raising period will last up to 24 months. However, the research results show that the extra farming time after 12 months will only reduce the profit of the farmers.''

What Is The BEST Age To Slaughter Beef Cattle? - Sand Creek Farm

If you are a rancher, you want to know when the BEST age is to slaughter your beef cattle in order to maximize profits. We have the answer!

sandcreekfarm.net

 

[ponytug]

You are bringing fair points about the horns ... For us in Northern Ontario the Highland cattle are getting really popular since they withstand our harsh winter with ease...

You might try Belted Galloways; no horns, bred next door to the Scottish long horns, and marble very well on grass feed due to their double coat.

Interesting thread. My eventual goal is to have a few steers so we can raise our own beef. I have a few friends that do this that we've bought some of their meat from, so doing it ourselves seems to make sense once our fencing is done.

Something that I've read, but don't have any experience with, is that it takes 2 years for the steer to be at the ideal age for butchering. I forget the details, but it has something to do with marbling and quality of the meat when butchered. Is there any truth to this?

We where thinking that we would be 2 or three calves every year, and butcher the two year old's, every year.

Personally, I think that slaughtering by age is an accounting method. Breed, weaning times and methods, feeding methods, castration timing and methods, all influence the point which the bovine has sufficient marbling for the desired purpose. That purpose can vary whether you are trying for USDA prime, choice, or select, or lower. We do two years-ish due to our desire to have the cattle on green grass at slaughter, and we have a short "green grass" season here. The "ish" has to do with when the calves were born. For our cows, they bulk up considerably in that second year, so waiting puts more meat on the carcass.

For those considering small scale grass raising cattle, I strongly encourage you to consider Belted Galloways. They have a double coat that protects them from the elements better, and which means that they deposit much less fat under the skin. So, they marble up sooner on just grass. They do well on coarse forage, rather hardy, have no trouble in snow and rain, and are quite docile and easy to handle. Repeated taste tests put beef from belted galloways at the top of the lists, I suspect because of the better marbling. (Yes, I was skeptic at first, but I have now drunk the Koo-aid, and am a believer. We have been raising them for close to fifteen years, and have a waiting list of folks wanting to buy our beef. We have lost just one customer, who had to give up beef for health reasons.) We raise "low-line" Belted Galloways, which are shorter, 36-42" high at the shoulder, and our steers yield in range of 350-550lbs of closely trimmed beef after two to three weeks of hanging.

Just a suggestion...and quite possibly not the best choice in areas that get really hot for sustained periods of time. We max out at 100F, rarely. I know that the breed does well in the Midwest, but I don't know about say Texas, or Florida.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Hay Dude]

20 months was ideal for us. Belted galloways and low line angus are great. Very docile and tasty butchered properly

 

[MikeFarm]

You are bringing fair points about the horns ... For us in Northern Ontario the Highland cattle are getting really popular since they withstand our harsh winter with ease...

Oh I like Highland cattle. Quite a few in our Southern Highlands NSW and in Victoria and Tasmania. Great looking cattle and good tasting also. Slow growing compared to Angus. But still probably way less than 1% of cattle by number.

 

[N80]

I don't know much about raising cattle. But I have helped on my in-law's ranch a good bit. Mostly on the 'veterinary' side. Down cows, putting IVs in, plus routine stuff like shots and worming. About 400 head before the calves come. But, I've ridden with my nieces. They castrate right after birth. Right there in the field. One keeps the mom off, the other snips. Don't know why they do it at that age but it sure is easier when their small like that. Other than the few they keep (some choice hefers for breeding and a few males to eat) everything else goes to market for finishing.

 

[jyoutz]

Interesting thread. My eventual goal is to have a few steers so we can raise our own beef. I have a few friends that do this that we've bought some of their meat from, so doing it ourselves seems to make sense once our fencing is done.

Something that I've read, but don't have any experience with, is that it takes 2 years for the steer to be at the ideal age for butchering. I forget the details, but it has something to do with marbling and quality of the meat when butchered. Is there any truth to this?

We where thinking that we would be 2 or three calves every year, and butcher the two year old's, every year.

I can buy a 500# steer calf in May and have it at 1100-1200# by next February. I would not feed a steer for 2 years.

 

[kenmac]

I have Hereford and Hereford/ angus mix. Mine are about 1 1/2 yrs old when I take them to butcher.
Like has been said, you need to have them cut. Unless you've done it, I would suggest you have a vet perform these duties. I band mine within a few days old.

I have a bull calve that hit the ground yesterday. I need to band him today, but too much rain. Perhaps tomorrow.

As far as the horns, cut them off, or have a vet cut them off when they castrate the bulls.

 

[oosik]

Since we moved down from Alaska in 1982 I haven't eaten a whole lot of beef. Mostly chicken. When in Alaska I think most our beef came from Kodiak Is. Back then I MUCH preferred moose to cow. Just a whole lot more flavor.

 

[tradosaurus]

!00% castrate them. I sold all my cattle last summer, don't want the tied down responsibility anymore and I can get my meat from one of my hay customers pretty cheap anyway. I have a nice band castrator and a couple boxes of bands in the barn, just in case I decide on getting any again, but that is doubtful.

I admire the people that can tend to cattle, goats, and sheep. The reason I only have 3 outdoor cats and no other animals. Don't need to be tied down by animals.

 

[LouNY]

My brother raises both grass and corn feed beef, his corn feed gets corn silage not grain corn.
The bunch that gets the corn silage is marbled a bit better and I believe has a better taste.
Because of our weather they all get fed all winter long;
haylage, and baled hay for the "grass fed herd",
haylage, corn silage and baled hay for the grain feed bunch.
Growth wise we don't see much difference in the groups,
marbling in the meat the grain feed have a bit more but with high quality pasture and haylage
the grass fed marble up decently.
Low quality pasture and having to travel to get water will slow down the growth rate and the quality
of the beef.
We weaned a bunch of almost yearlings last week, I watched the drive thru gates as we moved the calves
to a winter field/feed lot.
None of these are over 10 months old;

Just watching the gates that they don't try and get through while more get hauled in,

calf hauler with 8-9 calves in it, when I see him coming in I back out off the field road to let him in, as he pulls out I pull back in.
Not a real interesting afternoon but much easier than trying to get knot heads back in when they get out.

good fresh water, it's a bit cool but refreshing

 

[rbstern]

Bulls (banded...soon to be steers) arrived this morning. Settled right in to the neighbor's pasture with minimal fuss. Think they were just happy to be out of the trailer.

Thanks again for all of the helpful responses!

 

[ponytug]

I hope that you have fun!

All the best, Peter