Jersey calf for meat???

[babsbag]

If I get the land next to me I have been thinking about raising a calf. I can get jersey bull calves for next to nothing (last year pretty much free). I would have goats' milk to raise them on until weaning but after that they would have some pasture but not much so I would have to supplement them with hay and grain.

So a couple of questions. What age do you wean them? At what age do you normally butcher? How much do they typically weigh at butcher age and how many lbs. cut and wrapped?

And then my other question. Let's just say you typically wait until 18 months to butcher. What would be my outcome if I butchered at a year? Obviously less meat but would the cost of feed offset the loss of meat? Would I lose anything in the quality of the meat?

How much does a jersey steer eat? Is there a formula like x percentage of body weight?

 

[farmerjan]

I raise all my jersey calves on nurse cows and don't typically wean until 6-8 months at the earliest. If bottle raised I would wait til at least 12+ weeks and if you have the milk keep on feeding them. Yeah, they are cheap/free. Weaned jerseys here in the 250-500 lb range are only worth $.50 lb if that, so it really isn't worth the money to bottle raise except if the milk is surplus...
I don't butcher before 22 to 28 months for the reason that all dairy animals will grow body/bone BEFORE they put on any fat/meat where a beef animal will put on fat/meat along with body/bone growth. To get the meat to marble they have to have some maturity and they don't have it before 18 months at the earliest. The meat will be fork tender, but before 15-18 months there just isn't alot of it unless you feed the h*** out of them. Grain/protein along with all the hay/grass they want. About 2-5% of their body weight, so a 200 lb calf should be getting a min of 4lbs grain a day; and increasing as they grow up to about 8-10 lbs a day. (that's about a 1/2 a 5 gal bucket). This is if you are feeding to get them to gain as fast as possible.
We basically grass feed after they hit 500 lbs or so. That's at about 8-10 months or so. They grow slower, the meat is a bit firmer and very fine textured.
Normally at 22-26 months they will weigh 900-1000 lbs live weight. The rule of thumb is hanging weight is 50-60% of live weight. And actual packaged meat to take home is 50% of that. So 1000lb live = 500 lb hanging = 250 lb meat. I always figure on the low side @ 50% and it will depend on what you get with bone in. I try to get back all my bones for soup etc., and what little extra fat. There will be very little fat on them as they are not made to be fat and will put on some backfat after they get mature but that is in the 2-3 yrs range.
If you butcher before 18-26 months there will be a smaller percentage of meat since they don't put on meat first, but body growth.
With the way prices have dropped so much, my suggestion is to buy yourself a beef calf at 500 lbs or more and keep it a year and you will get alot more meat for your money. Also, if you do that, try to find one that has had pinkeye or something like that, as they are terribly discounted and you can usually get them for $.20-.40 less per pound than the "nice ones". A bad eye will not hurt the meat and you are not getting them to win any beauty contest. Also, try to raise at least 2 together. Cattle are herd animals and are alot happier with one of their own kind. Raise 2, butcher one and sell the other and you will make back a little of your costs.

 

[babsbag]

@farmerjan Thanks for the information. That is exactly what I wanted to to know. Unfortunately in CA prices are not cheap for any beef. On Craigslist a 3 week old jersey bull calf is 150.00 and a 2 month old is $250.00. My friend paid 125.00 for a day old Holstein and my hay guy sells weaned Angus for over 700.00 I just happen to know a dairy owner that lost his outlet for his bulls and when he did have an outlet it was only 4.00 a head. I haven't talked to him this year but if it is the same it is hard to pass up. A lot depends on the land and the goats. I think I have at least one goat due in Jan that is totally unplanned and I don't have any use for the milk as the dairy won't be done; may have as many as 4 goats freshening then.

 

[Latestarter]

The place where I buy my raw milk has these little pens with small shelters all lined up with one calf in each little "stall". I talked with the owner last I was there and he wants $80 for day olds and $1.50/day after that. So for a 100 day old calf (weaned) he'd be wanting ~$230. He said he sells his milk commercial for $1.70/gallon and retail he sells (to folks like me) @ $6 a gallon, so he wants to get his costs back. He does have a couple of crosses, one is a jersey/angus and the other is a jersey/long horn. He said the jersey beef always wins best taste at the local competitions, but there just isn't a lot of it and it takes longer to grow them out to a decent butcher weight. When I asked if there was a particular cross for best beef he said either jersey/angus or jersey/hereford. Problem I have is I don't have any goats to provide milk if I get day olds... Maybe 2 years from now. Maybe I'll ask him to breed 4-5 jersey/angus or jersey/herefords this spring and contract to buy the calves when they're born. He did say that all his calves get colostrum and unlike the sale barn his calves live when the buyer gets them home. I told him I thought that was a huge plus!

 

[Mini Horses]

unlike the sale barn his calves live when the buyer gets them home. I told him I thought that was a huge plus!

I would say that IS a huge plus!!!

 

[babsbag]

My friend with the dairy has those little huts too, pretty common in the dairy world. They have built in bottle holders and it makes it easy to take care of the calves but I sure feel sorry for them. I may not do this this year, might try to plant pasture first and also see what the well on the land can produce if I decide I want to do any irrigation. With no summer rain I can either irrigate or feed hay.

I saw a mini jersey/dexter cow on CL for $500.00 Unfortunately I can never milk her in my dairy but I would love some cow milk for myself for things like butter.

 

[Bossroo]

What my father did when I was growing up, he would feed the dairy bull calves milk only and butcher them before their digestive system is ready for grass / hay/ grain and butcher them for veal. You would be money ahead.

 

[farmerjan]

What my father did when I was growing up, he would feed the dairy bull calves milk only and butcher them before their digestive system is ready for grass / hay/ grain and butcher them for veal. You would be money ahead.

Yes, that is strictly milk fed veal. Problem is, you will get so little off a jersey as opposed to a holstein calf that normally would be butchered @ 300+ for veal. You feed them all the milk they can drink for approx 3-4 months and don't let them have anything else. I raised veal calves for private sale and then raised them for about 2 years before the market prices dropped here in Va. back in the mid 80's. If you have a market for them it is good money. BUT the biggest thing is walking the line between milk fed veal which is white meat; because you are depriving them of necessary iron which is what gives them the pink/red color to their meat; and being subject to getting sick real quick and can just up and die. I had some that were drinking up to 5 gal milk twice a day just before butcher. I was getting over 3.00 lb live weight back in the early 80's. It is more humane to raise them in a pen than in the crates that veal were raised in, so that they can only stand up and lay down. Again, in a pen they are going to try to eat as is their nature after about a month. I only bedded with straw so they were getting a little roughage for their digestive system, with basically no nutrients in the straw to try to keep their meat as "white" as possible. Today, there are places that will do veal that is a little pinker. It is VERY tender meat, but in my opinion, basically flavorless.
Don't feel sorry for the calves in the hutches. First off, they can't suck on each other so don't get things like infected navels or frostbitten ears in the winter if they suck ears in the cold. Realize that calves will suck any/every thing they can when on bottles, which is very different from being on a cow where they can satisfy that need to suck regularly and get a little milk oftener. Because they satisfy that need to suck and get something to drink, they seldom will suck on each other when on a nurse cow. The hutches are pretty much draft free, and are usually moved every time a new calf goes in so they aren't exposed to the same ground that can be contaminated. They are isolated enough that e-coli and other "bugs" can't pass between calves and if they do scour, it can be contained. When they are weaned, or even before as some farmers go to group milk feeding after they are a month or so old, they will get out into pens where they can get exercise. Is it ideal??? no. Is it a healthy way to raise them; yes when you are dealing with disease control and calf comfort with bottle calves.
The dairy @Latestarter is referring to has a corner on "MARKETING" those bull calves. As you say in your area, the dairy that lost the outlet for the jersey bull calves is selling them cheap because they are not worth anything to 99% of the farmers. Yes a jersey/angus or jersey/hereford would be worth more as they would put more beef on the body than a straight jersey. The heifers make excellent dual purpose cows as they can raise a calf and still give you milk for the house. I have several that I run with the beef cows; and a couple that I actually put a 2nd calf on and let them raise 2, but I do feed them a little grain for the first 2-3 months so they are producing more milk than they would just on grass.
If you have a milk source, and you can buy the calves for giveaway prices, then yes, I would do it. Most jersey bull calves here run $20.00 most of the time. Right now $10.00 will buy them. Holstein bull calves have dropped to the $75. range which is a huge drop from the $500. they were bringing 2 years ago. I was reading on another forum that feeders were higher in Ca. so I guess that the $700. that your hay guy is getting isn't bad for a 500 lb calf. That's 1.50 lb as opposed to the 1.10 to 1.25 we are getting here. Another thing, heifers in the 500 lb range will run about .10 to .40 LESS per lb than steers. I could have bought several, 2 weeks ago, for less than .60/lb because they had a bad eye. You might want to ask him if he ever has any that have "popeyes", or lost an eye as you can buy them cheaper no matter the part of the country.
I would be very careful about buying anything off craigslist, but I think you have the knowledge to know what you are doing. And look at it from this standpoint...if someone else is selling jersey calves you can raise some and recoup some of your input and make yours basically "free".
Since you can basically get them for "free" and you are going to have milk, then I'd do it if it were me. Get at least 2 to raise together and try it. You won't have much invested in them but some time, and you can get a feel for how it works for you. I wouldn't wait to try to plant grass in the field, but feed the hay in different spots and some will seed itsself. They won't be doing alot of grazing if you get them in Jan to use the milk, as they will only be 6-7 months in July/Aug. when they are ready for some serious grazing.
Since you have goats you are well aware of how tied down you are to bottle babies, so you know what you are getting into. I hate having bottle calves in the winter, but they do tend to have less problems with scours and fewer "bugs" to catch with the colder weather. Don't know how cold it gets there, I just hate having to deal with bottles etc in the winter, since I am 5 miles from the pasture where I raise my nurse cows/calves etc.

 

[farmerjan]

The place where I buy my raw milk has these little pens with small shelters all lined up with one calf in each little "stall". I talked with the owner last I was there and he wants $80 for day olds and $1.50/day after that. So for a 100 day old calf (weaned) he'd be wanting ~$230. He said he sells his milk commercial for $1.70/gallon and retail he sells (to folks like me) @ $6 a gallon, so he wants to get his costs back. He does have a couple of crosses, one is a jersey/angus and the other is a jersey/long horn. He said the jersey beef always wins best taste at the local competitions, but there just isn't a lot of it and it takes longer to grow them out to a decent butcher weight. When I asked if there was a particular cross for best beef he said either jersey/angus or jersey/hereford. Problem I have is I don't have any goats to provide milk if I get day olds... Maybe 2 years from now. Maybe I'll ask him to breed 4-5 jersey/angus or jersey/herefords this spring and contract to buy the calves when they're born. He did say that all his calves get colostrum and unlike the sale barn his calves live when the buyer gets them home. I told him I thought that was a huge plus!

Do the math and wait to get calves when the weather is not FREEZING cold, so that taking care of them is not a dreaded chore; and milking the goats is not frostbit finger weather... June bred cows will calve in March, spring bred cows will calve in dec-jan. And be prepared to not be able to go anywhere for more than a few hours a day in between feedings for at least 8-12 weeks. If you are milking goats then you will be tied down to the farm totally....another reason my cows are "dual-purpose" nurse cows, and can be milked or the calves left on them. The good thing about goats, most aren't milked for 10 months like cows, but have a shorter lactation from what I have heard from most on here.

 

[babsbag]

@farmerjan many people milk their goats for 305 days for the official milk test so they do go the full 10 months or pretty darn close and I probably will too when the dairy is done.

Fortunately it doesn't get cold here long enough to get frostbite or frozen fingers when milking. We can have our below 32° degree mornings and even below 25° on a rare occasion, I even saw 16° one morning but the average lows are above freezing.

I know a person that bought some does from me last year as he wanted milk for feeding calves. He is buying them from a dairy and raising 'till weaning and selling for a pretty good profit. I am not sure which breed he has.

I am waiting for the dairy owner to get back to me and we will go from there.