Raising Cows for personnel consumption
- Thread starter AllDodge
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cat fever
Elite Member
31 watered acres. I put up the hay.
prof fate
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Raising your own meat is EXPENSIVE.
I did it with turkeys...know more, so next time (if there is one) it will be more economical...but ignoring labor and 'overhead' (pen, building, waterer/feed equipment as i had it for chickens) it was $2.85 a pound. Good, but not 2.85 a lb good.
As for beef - you need LOTS of water every day, it can't be let freeze in the winter. So trough, heater. Access to water and elec for that.
Fencing...Hi T, pagewire, barbed, MAYbe elec..some steers will stop and some won't.
Cover- they need at least a run in shed.
MEdical - depends of course, but investigate.
Feed - you can grass/hay raise them - best taste, slowest growth. Corn/grain will fatten them, or finish them off, faster.
I can buy packaged frozen local beef for $2.80lb per quarter steer (about 200lb). I probably can't raise it for that price, ignoring the overhead of fencing/housing - and freezer space for a whole steer of 800lbs.
Locally a GOOD calf for beef can run $400. Cheap calves at auction are usually 'you get what you pay for' - just like some folks take care of their cars and others never wash them and run them into the ground, such is the same with farmers.
2.80lb is typical here.
2.25 ish hanging weight, plus cutting/wrapping.
Wrapped meat is about 1/2 the weight of the live animal.
And you'll have to find a slaughter house/processor and take the steer there. So you'll need a trailer/truck .. or borrow one, or pay for the transportation.
I did it with turkeys...know more, so next time (if there is one) it will be more economical...but ignoring labor and 'overhead' (pen, building, waterer/feed equipment as i had it for chickens) it was $2.85 a pound. Good, but not 2.85 a lb good.
As for beef - you need LOTS of water every day, it can't be let freeze in the winter. So trough, heater. Access to water and elec for that.
Fencing...Hi T, pagewire, barbed, MAYbe elec..some steers will stop and some won't.
Cover- they need at least a run in shed.
MEdical - depends of course, but investigate.
Feed - you can grass/hay raise them - best taste, slowest growth. Corn/grain will fatten them, or finish them off, faster.
I can buy packaged frozen local beef for $2.80lb per quarter steer (about 200lb). I probably can't raise it for that price, ignoring the overhead of fencing/housing - and freezer space for a whole steer of 800lbs.
Locally a GOOD calf for beef can run $400. Cheap calves at auction are usually 'you get what you pay for' - just like some folks take care of their cars and others never wash them and run them into the ground, such is the same with farmers.
2.80lb is typical here.
2.25 ish hanging weight, plus cutting/wrapping.
Wrapped meat is about 1/2 the weight of the live animal.
And you'll have to find a slaughter house/processor and take the steer there. So you'll need a trailer/truck .. or borrow one, or pay for the transportation.
prof fate
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A local beef guy has been raising beef for 'freezer sale' for 40 years..on less than 20 acres. He has 7 small pastures and moves the steers DAILY to a new pasture. No need to do much manure handling. Usually has 4 to 8 head at any one time, various ages.
he feeds hay mostly, plus grass.
Keeps the place looking better than most country clubs. So it CAN be done.
If you do the math.. $400 for a 400lb calf, a year of raising, half of that on hay..$3/bale say (horse hay is $3.75 square delivered. round bales are often $45. "Cow hay" is oftne lower quality, but you may want alfalfa for the higher protein and that runs $5/bale). So $150/mo for 6 months for hay/grain - $900. Perhaps more feed in the summer - depends on your land and the weather, how long into the fall can they graze, etc.
You may have $1300-1500 in the animal on the hoof. 800 to 900 lb of finished beef. I don't know what/if there is a slaughter charge. I can take in live birds and get back wrapped ones for 50c a lb, plus other fees depending on what I have them do. Beef place charges me 50c/lb for processing...i get frozen vacu wrapped beef in 1, 2, etc lb packages, however I want it. I've not taken a live animal there so no idea how that may work. I've bought from a farmer and paid them a per lb (once on the hoof, usually hanging weight) price and the processor a separate fee.
Most here have a round bale feeder and feed cattle round bales, not small squares. Less handling. Of course you need to buy and maintain a roundbale feeder...and storage for hay or a lot of time fetching bales or paying extra delivery fees.
he feeds hay mostly, plus grass.
Keeps the place looking better than most country clubs. So it CAN be done.
If you do the math.. $400 for a 400lb calf, a year of raising, half of that on hay..$3/bale say (horse hay is $3.75 square delivered. round bales are often $45. "Cow hay" is oftne lower quality, but you may want alfalfa for the higher protein and that runs $5/bale). So $150/mo for 6 months for hay/grain - $900. Perhaps more feed in the summer - depends on your land and the weather, how long into the fall can they graze, etc.
You may have $1300-1500 in the animal on the hoof. 800 to 900 lb of finished beef. I don't know what/if there is a slaughter charge. I can take in live birds and get back wrapped ones for 50c a lb, plus other fees depending on what I have them do. Beef place charges me 50c/lb for processing...i get frozen vacu wrapped beef in 1, 2, etc lb packages, however I want it. I've not taken a live animal there so no idea how that may work. I've bought from a farmer and paid them a per lb (once on the hoof, usually hanging weight) price and the processor a separate fee.
Most here have a round bale feeder and feed cattle round bales, not small squares. Less handling. Of course you need to buy and maintain a roundbale feeder...and storage for hay or a lot of time fetching bales or paying extra delivery fees.
I raise pigs, chickens, and a few turkeys every year, last year the latter came out to about 60$/bird, average 20 lbs. This year I fed too many to raccoons, and don't want to think about what my cost would be. Last month I could go to the grocery store and buy frozen turkey for .39$/lb; but at least I know what I have.
My pork comes out to about 3.64$/lb; but it's much better than anything you can buy in the store.
I'm going to raise a couple of beef someday just to say that I did it. but knowing that it's an expensive undertaking.
My pork comes out to about 3.64$/lb; but it's much better than anything you can buy in the store.
I'm going to raise a couple of beef someday just to say that I did it. but knowing that it's an expensive undertaking.
RobertBrown
Veteran Member
Executing that pursuit without first watching this documentary would be a mis---steak.
The best steaks were sold to Saudi kings and were from Bulls....not steers, raised for 15 years.
The Bulls were selected for thier character and disposition rather than the breed. A happy bull makes the best steak......not kidding.
Forget everything you thought you knew about beef....
Steak Revolution
You can find it on Netflix
The best steaks were sold to Saudi kings and were from Bulls....not steers, raised for 15 years.
The Bulls were selected for thier character and disposition rather than the breed. A happy bull makes the best steak......not kidding.
Forget everything you thought you knew about beef....
Steak Revolution
You can find it on Netflix
STERLING351
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I grew up with my family raising Brahman here in south Texas, and I continue that on my own land today. We rotate our cattle. At my parents ranch we have it divided into 3 pastures that are rotated weekly during the spring, summer and early fall, winter we let them stay in the pasture that has the most trees for wind coverage and we provide hay as needed. We also "lease" their neighbors fields and run another herd on there (hes old and retired, we run cattle and he maintains his ag exempt and doesn't charge us). The newest addition is my recently bough ranch about 1.5 years ago, currently its only perimeter fenced but I plan to divide it and might even block off a 10 acre section for haying. We rotate out bull through for breeding (we have got some massive bulls too).
Raising cattle can either be done easily or you can make it difficult on yourself. For you just raising 2 it can be done very simply without a whole lot of work. Like others have said it is a good idea to have at least 2 fields to rotate through, you will need some way to load them up, water and feed. It can be quite rewarding, it can also be **** if you happen to get yourself a strong willed one who is determined to take out a fence.
Raising cattle can either be done easily or you can make it difficult on yourself. For you just raising 2 it can be done very simply without a whole lot of work. Like others have said it is a good idea to have at least 2 fields to rotate through, you will need some way to load them up, water and feed. It can be quite rewarding, it can also be **** if you happen to get yourself a strong willed one who is determined to take out a fence.
OP
AllDodge
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Very good reading, have my research cut out for me.