Our Steer is Here!

[Baymule]

Goldie got his own round bale yesterday. He’s been bawling at me to bring him more hay! LOL Now he has plenty. BUT-he is finicky! He bawled at me this morning as soon as he heard my voice when I spoke to the dogs. He wasn’t eating his hay!

I took his pellets and dumped them in his preferred blue barrel feeder LOL. I left the walk through gate open, it doesn’t open into the Pig Palace, just to the side of the pen. Sentry was on my heels until I walked through the little gate, then he sat down. What a good dog! I invited him and he came through the gate.

Then I went around to the 12’ gate and went in the pen. Goldie is used to me now and is very calm. He just kept eating his pellets. The bale was wrapped, stored outside, and had a few layers of yukky hay for an OCD finicky steer, so I pulled them off. Stinkin’ spoilt steer!

 

[Baymule]

I use a 3 pound coffee can for a feed scoop. I have been feeding him 1 can twice a day, then upped it to 1 and 1/4th can, now I am to 1 and 1/2 a can. He licks it up and waits at his feed tub for me to pour it in.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Beautiful coloring! @Baymule - are you all going to get the hide tanned?

 

[Baymule]

Beautiful coloring! @Baymule - are you all going to get the hide tanned?

Probably not. I don't know where I'd send it to be tanned. Could you do it and what would you charge? He is so pretty and fluffy like a fuzzy teddy bear.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@Baymule - I don't have the resources yet to tan cows They're so gigantic and heavy to work, and I don't have enough space to plump and shave them for a proper tanning sadly. (I don't think I will be able to even tan deer this year as the old workshop that's been in the family was hit by a tree and collapsed in). Sometimes you can talk to a taxidermist locally who has a tannery connection- sometimes they'll send hides off for professional tanning.

https://www.topoftexastaxidermy.com/prices.html - - Tanning Prices: Cattle $26/ Square Ft as an example

http://truelifetaxidermy.org/Price-List - - $15 per square foot

Both are Texas based companies. Alot of people have nice hides tanned for rugs or tanned to craft with- especially if you have a nice color/fond animal you liked.

 

[Baymule]

Goldie has been steadily growing. He went through the first round bale of hay and is on the second one. He wasted a lot of the first one. So we went to Tractor Supply and bought 2 hog panels. Cut them in half and used 3 pieces to make a hay feeder. One side is the Pig Palace, so now he can’t walk on it.

He is up to 2 coffee cans of feed twice a day. He also is not afraid of me and expects me to feed him. Now when I need to dump his water tub and clean it, I have BJ go in the pen with me. Goldie doesn’t know him and is wary. He backs off. NOT going in thereby myself. If I walk down the fence, Goldie runs up to the fence. Maybe he’s being friendly, maybe he wants feed or maybe he just wants to run me down. Don’t want to find out. LOL

 

[Baymule]

Haha, picture went from not loading to loading twice. Oh well.

 

[farmerjan]

He's not trying to run you down.... he knows you feed him and he is just wanting his feed when he sees you. They can't realize that they seem threatening when they associate you with feed and come for it.
The kick out, that time, is a reaction to you either startling him when he was concentrating on his feed... or just a "this is my feed and my space, no tresspassing"..... they do that.
He will be more "baby beef" than a finished out beef. He still has more growing to do to "finish" as a true full size beef.... but he will be tender.
Yes, they will waste hay if they have a chance to get to the whole bale, pull it out to find the very best piece to eat, and then they can lay on the rest for a nice bed..... they don't get that it costs you money.

 

[Baymule]

I figured it is more the feed can that he is demanding, he does love to eat. That's good, we are gonna love to eat him. LOL

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

I figured it is more the feed can that he is demanding, he does love to eat. That's good, we are gonna love to eat him. LOL

He is so adorable and I've enjoyed reading along. Knowing what he ate and how he was treated, he's going to taste way better than any meat I buy from the grocery store!