# Newbie with a question :-)



## teapot10 (Jun 14, 2010)

Hello Everyone,

My fiance has decided that he wants to raise a few beef cows. The local dairy has bull calves for free...they are 1-2 days old

I have NO cow experience whatsoever so excuse the questions if they seem silly.

-Are bull calves fine for butchering or should we try to find a heifer? We would be getting 2 of them.

-The very nice gentleman at the dairy told me he would be able to give me lots of information on feeding and weaning...is it hard? or can a city girl like me catch on pretty quick?

-Our barn is approximately 40 x 100 and we have several pastures, the largest of which is just shy of 2 acres...will this be enough room for them? And will I need to separate them as they get older because they are all bulls? (well, they'll be steers by then but same question)

Thanks a bunch for any information you can give me 

Tia


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## Mea (Jun 14, 2010)

teapot10 said:
			
		

> Hello Everyone,
> 
> My fiance has decided that he wants to raise a few beef cows. The local dairy has bull calves for free...they are 1-2 days old
> 
> ...






There is quite a bit of difference between  A Beef animal... and Dairy animals.   Dairy animals  are trimmer, leaner.. More bone to meat ratio.  A Beef type animal will be well filled out... ribs and hips well covered.

  If Your fiance wants to raise some Beef animals.. i would recommed that he invest in a Beef type breed.      A Dairy type will never fill out and finish out like a Beefer would.

  Having said that... if he wants to raise some for his ( and Yours as well) freezer... Dairy meat is pretty good eating.    The housing sounds as tho it would be good.   Once the calves are Steered they should be fine in a group.  Left as Bulls they would be dangerous !

  I'm certain that those with more cattle experience than i have will chime in .    Good luck.


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## teapot10 (Jun 14, 2010)

They would just be for our family, not to resell or anything like that.


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## Imissmygirls (Jun 14, 2010)

If a dairy is giving away free bulls, are they Jerseys? ( Jerseys are the pretty brown ones that look like baby deer.)
IF they are Jerseys, there are a few things you should know.  Newborn Jerseys are the easiest breed to die if things go wrong.  There isn't much reserve in their cute little bodies.
They also have the least percentage of meat on their bones as adults of any breed.
Jersey bulls are among the meanest of breeds. You MUST neuter them.

Having said those things: if you have the time, patience and free pasture, why not try it!?!? it will cost you the same to raise a jersey as any other breed, but the initial investment will be much less.


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## teapot10 (Jun 14, 2010)

Yes, the man I talked to said they will be either Jersey's or Jersey crosses. 

They will be neutered, no question about that.

I'm a stay at home mom with nothing but time on my hands and 7 kids to help  

well, they can't all help but the 15 yr. old, 12 yr. old can

Is there anything else I should know or be concerned about? I really appreciate any information you can give me.


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## jhm47 (Jun 14, 2010)

I raise beef cattle and am in the AI business.  I know very little about dairy cattle, but from what my business associates say, Jerseys have excellent meat.  However, they are not very efficient at growth, and they will require quite a bit of grain to finish out well.  There definitely is a reason that they are free.  However, giving your children a learning experience like this will reap some benefits beyond the financial gains that some expect.

That being said, I would advise you to also dehorn the calves at an early age.  You have children, and even the most gentle of cattle could easily hurt (or worse) one of your children.  Cattle are incredibly strong, and that cute little button of a calf today will likely be an 800 lb mass of muscle in 12 short months.  With their vastly superior strength, leaving their horns on makes them at least 4 - 5 X more likely to hurt someone.  

Welcome to BYH, and good luck with your new venture.  Be sure to ask as many questions as you like.  The people here are great, and most of us have a great deal of cattle experience.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 15, 2010)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> I raise beef cattle and am in the AI business.  I know very little about dairy cattle, but from what my business associates say, Jerseys have excellent meat.


I've had Jersey beef and it's delicious!! The fat is yellow though, so that throws some people off.  They definitley don't grow as fast or as big, but they're mighty tasty!


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## jhm47 (Jun 15, 2010)

You can get away from the yellow fat by feeding a diet high in corn for about 45 - 60 days before slaughter.  A high roughage diet will produce yellow fat.  

And---I just read a very good article on the benefits of feeding corn to finish cattle.  It seems that a high corn diet produces meat that is higher in HDL (the good cholesterol) than a grass diet.  There were several other advantages too, but I can't remember them right off.  If anyone is interested, I'll try to find the article.


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## chicken fruit (Jun 15, 2010)

You need to castrate those bull calves. Ask your farmer friend if you can pay him to band them for you. Steers put on weight, bulls make testosterone and are a major safety risk for the beginner. 

Raising calves is excellent fun! Theyre thousands of pounds of squishing squashing killing power, so be sure to treat them and train them thus as bottle babies, then you'll be less likely to get hurt later down the line. 

Yeah, jersey meat trumps all the other dairy lines, and most meat lines, HANDS DOWN. I grew up on jersey meat! 

Jersey mixes are a great place to start- theyre not so big, and jerseys are wonderfully friendly cows... the bulls are pains in the BUTT! Steers are friendly though ;P

Cows are social and always want to be together. Bulls can be together if they have room and there's no cows about to turn them into mindless fighting breeding machines. Steers should be kept together, as is lower the stress on the animal. 

Smaller dairy breeds do well on about an acre an animal- provided its a good quality pasture. Since you have so many you're in excellent shape- you'll want to move them into different pasture every few weeks so the used pasture can recover. Cycle them around. 

We always raised dairy breeds for our freezer, and while you wont get as much for them at market they will do the job to get your started!


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 15, 2010)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> You can get away from the yellow fat by feeding a diet high in corn for about 45 - 60 days before slaughter.  A high roughage diet will produce yellow fat.
> 
> And---I just read a very good article on the benefits of feeding corn to finish cattle.  *It seems that a high corn diet produces meat that is higher in HDL (the good cholesterol) than a grass diet. * There were several other advantages too, but I can't remember them right off.  If anyone is interested, I'll try to find the article.


Are you sure? That sounds backwards to me.  I'd like to see the article if you can find it.  

And me personally, I'll take the yellow fat any day because I actually prefer a grass-fed animal, but to each their own!


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## teapot10 (Jun 15, 2010)

Thank you everyone for all the info! Sounds like it's definitely something I can manage, just need to do lots of research and make sure I'm prepared. But I'm super excited


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## Imissmygirls (Jun 17, 2010)

I have also heard that Jersey/beef crosses are some of the tastiest beef available.  We just never had the spare Jersey cow to breed angus for eating!
Definitely watch newborn jersey calves as if they were human infants. Make sure they had colostrum and feed 1 quart milk  3-4 times a day spaced out. Don't overfeed them all at once. The first few weeks are the touchiest. 
Since it's summer, put them on young grass as soon as possible. We liked to use calf hutches and anchor them on good grass. Jerseys like to mouth things and nibbling grass keeps them occupied. Separate the babies so they don't suck on each other's ears, mouth, whatever.


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## herfrds (Jun 18, 2010)

I hate to be a kill joy but bottle feeding calves can be a pain in the backside.

If you just want beef for your freezer my best advice is to buy a couple of beef breed weaners and raise them up. Try and get them from a local breeder instead of the sale barn.


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## jhm47 (Jun 18, 2010)

Aggie:  Yes, I have the article right here.  It's in the Cattle Business Weekly, June 9th edition.  Top of page 1.  Article is titled:  *Grass-fed may not be as healthy as perceived.*

Dr. Stephen Smith, an AgriLife Research meat scientist and his team of researchers conducted the study.  It was presented at the NCBA, and the Texas Human Nutrition Converence in College Station.  I'm sure if you google some of these, you will be able to find his results.

I'm not saying that this is necessarily true, but it seems to be a pretty well run study, and worth looking into.

Again, I have no dog in this fight, just passing on something that I found interesting.

As for me, I can't taste a lot of difference between white and yellow fat, but the white fat is more visually pleasing to me.  JMHO!


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## teapot10 (Jun 19, 2010)

herfrds said:
			
		

> I hate to be a kill joy but bottle feeding calves can be a pain in the backside.
> 
> If you just want beef for your freezer my best advice is to buy a couple of beef breed weaners and raise them up. Try and get them from a local breeder instead of the sale barn.


lol herfrds...I am a mother of seven...I'm the queen of dealing with "pains in the backside"

Yes, we know there are easier ways, but I would love for my children and I to have the experience...and free "pains in the backside" sounds better than $100+ a head from the local breeder to me


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## Imissmygirls (Jun 20, 2010)

Well teapot, you said the magic words: seven kids.
Yes you can do this.Treat them JUST like your babies and you will do fine.
I recall my mother telling me to treat my newborn like I treated my baby calves-- and she was right!
The first 6 months will be most expensive because you need to feed both the milk and calf starter for protein.
Now, the caveat:  There won't be much meat on those bones for a large family. Jerseys are not large animals and they are thinner than most. Get the jersey crosses if you can. ANY cross will put more meat on it than pure Jersey.  Jerseys are also excellent natural grazers so put them on grass asap but keep feeding grain too, especially under 6 months.
I would suggest finishing off with some additional grain the last few months before butchering.

It might be that it would be cost effective to pay the $100 for another breed bull calf since the $ going into feed will be the same.  I suggest you view various breed steers at 18-24 months to see the difference in final size. It may change your mind about the investment.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 20, 2010)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> Aggie:  Yes, I have the article right here.  It's in the Cattle Business Weekly, June 9th edition.  Top of page 1.  Article is titled:  *Grass-fed may not be as healthy as perceived.*
> 
> Dr. Stephen Smith, an AgriLife Research meat scientist and his team of researchers conducted the study.  It was presented at the NCBA, and the Texas Human Nutrition Converence in College Station.  I'm sure if you google some of these, you will be able to find his results.
> 
> ...


Thanks!  I don't have a dog in the fight either, I just have read so much stating grass-fed is healthier, and I'd love to read all I can for either argument.


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