Should I get a cow?

[dhansen]

Ok, so I have always wanted to get a cow or steer. I have about 4 acres of fenced pasture which currently has a few nubian and nigerian goats in it. My question is, don't you fall in love with your cows? How can you butcher them and eat them after you have cared for them for so long? The only way I can justify feeding a cow/steer is if I know we will eat it later, but I can't help but think they are so cute. So, should I just stick to buying my beef in the store?

 

[ksalvagno]

If you are unsure about being able to butcher the cow, what about looking for a local farmer that you could buy a cow from. We have a local guy that takes the cow to the butcher and we just pick up the meat. We never see the cow live. The meat tastes so much better too.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I don't usually have a problem eating something I've raised if I tell myself from the beginning that's what I'm going to do. If I know it's food from the start, I'm ok with it. I don't think I could butcher a "pet".

 

[currycomb]

well, if you get an older calf, momma raised, won't be hard to send to butcher. they will have run thru your fences, run over you and stompped your favorite goat. or if you got a bottle raised calf, no you would have a hard time sending it off. we have the land, but so much is wasted when you butcher one, we just buy from the market, the cuts we want. never enough steaks and roasts

 

[Royd Wood]

We have a freezer full of Noel - aka Dexter bull born on Christmas Day 2 years ago and trust me they can be far from cute sometimes. Good luck if you get one

 

[Imissmygirls]

You don't want a cow, you want a steer. You will name him Mr Beef, or Dinner, or Steakhouse, or something like that so every time you talk to him you are reminded what he is there for.
And, yes, he may be a miserable b*st*rd that you can't wait to butcher. If it turns out that he is a sweetie, you can always sell or trade him for one you don't know.