Meat Cows

[ck_dunham]

Hey everyone. I'm from a rural town about an hour south of Kansas city in the fine state of Kansas. I'm looking to get me a couple cows to raise for the next year or so for food. I today have 2 horses on my 30 acres and more dang chickens then I can count. Any way I want 2 cows and am looking for what a good price is for some young ones? I cant have anything that will have horns do to the horses.

So just trying to get an idea of what it might take and maybe What kind of cows you all might tell a first timer to get.

Thank you,
Neil

 

[ck_dunham]

Also, How would I go about finding me some one who sells them when I only want 2?

 

[jhm47]

Go to a sale barn in your area, ask the manager to help you pick out a couple calves.

 

[herfrds]

depends upon what you are looking for.
Weanling calves? Yearlings?

Look at some Herefords first.

Do you have some corrals for them to be in until they get used to your place?

 

[ck_dunham]

Go to a sale barn in your area, ask the manager to help you pick out a couple calves.

Great Thanks, Sale barn auction is Monday night at 7:30 and its on the way back home from work. I'll stop by there this next week to see what they have.

 

[ck_dunham]

depends upon what you are looking for.
Weanling calves? Yearlings?

Look at some Herefords first.

Do you have some corrals for them to be in until they get used to your place?

"Herefords" Thats a name I think just about everyone knows and I'm sure its a great place to start. I'm guessing that youre a Hereford man/woman yourself. Anyway I hear from so many people that there is nothing like eating your own food that you know just what went into it. As for a corral I have to say that I do not have one/any. Can a make shift corral be made up for a time from T post and wire? What I do have is an area that is 60' X 25' that has a brick outbuilding at one end and 1x6 wood fencing around the other 3 sides. (might work?) It does have a chicken coop in the center of the area but I can always just move it to another location. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again.
Neil

 

[herfrds]

Sounds like that area against the brick building will work.

The T-posts and wire might work in a pinch, unless you have a fence jumper. We have a cow that decided she wanted to help a heifer claim her calf and jumped a 4.5' high gate.

Our corral fence top plank is around 6.5' high. no jumpers can get out.
The corral works well for not only containing the cattle, but also working them.
it doesn't have to be fancy metal panels. railroad ties and rough cut planks will work. An alley with a squeeze chute with a head catch gate is also a must for any doctoring or regular vaccinations.
Also just a gate against a part of the corral would work as a squeeze chute too. We have done that in a pinch. Doctored a calf that had a run in with a porcupine.

You know being in Kansas there are some good breeders down there.
If you go to the sale barn find out what background info you can on any of the animals you like.
Look for ones who's ears are up and not drooping. No runny noses.

Here is one of our steers from last year

He needs more muscle to come down his back legs and more muscle on his rear end, but he does have some good thickness. A good topline, no sway back.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[jhm47]

As many of you know, I'm in the AI business. The semen that I sell is roughly 80% Black Angus or Black Simmental. The rest is a mixture of Red Angus and a tiny amount of Hereford. This is a shame. Some of the red cattle are of just as high quality as the black ones. The difference is that the market is just plain higher for the blacks than for any other color. The advent of CAB (Certified Angua Beef) has drastically changed the market to black oriented, and I find this to be a shame. Some of the red cattle selling for 5 - 6 $ /cwt less than black cattle of the same quality.

If I were looking to buy some feeders for my family's consumption, I'd definitely look at Herefords or Red Angus. Saving 5 - 6 $ /cwt will go a long way toward purchasing feed, and the finished product will be the very same. Just remember, they're all the same color with the hide off.

PS. I raise black Simmental / Angus crosses. Gotta go where the $$$ are. I also have a fledgling/hobby herd of Shorthorns that are pretty good cattle too.

I have a lot of vintage semen in my tanks, to include: Imported Chianina from Italy, some beefalo, and quite a bit of very old Simmental/Fleckvieh that was imported from Germany. Of course, semen lasts indefinitely in LN2.

 

[herfrds]

Any old stuff from some Herefords jhm47?

 

[jhm47]

Nope. No old Hereford. Got some Felton's Legend (modern bull) that's for sale by a customer who no longer needs it. 5 straws.