Where to buy, what to buy, where to start?

[Pearce Pastures]

Well, we are getting more serious about raising our own beef and I have spent a few hours looking up breeds, trying to figure out where and what to get and I am just more confused.

I started out looking into the Black Baldie per Symphony and they sound great but I haven't found any around us yet and the ones I did find were mature bulls and they seem to be very expensive (not that I would think I would want a mature bull obviously). So then I looked up Angus and Hereford but I still am not sure about what I am looking for as far as breed, age, and whatnot.

So first, what would you all recommend for a newbie as far as breed and age?

Do cattle need to have a buddy, like goats, so that they are happy?

We would have 8 acres of pasture...is that enough?

Where do you find cattle for sale and what should I expect to pay? (I tried looking on Craigslist and Hoobly and only found what I think are dairy cattle---holstein crosses, so not thinking that is what I want but I sure don't know much).

 

[BrownSheep]

Finding a local rancher would be your best bet as to finding one to raise.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

No Black Baldies? Wow. They are like Boers here. Every place that has cows here has Black Baldies in their field. We also have many, many Angus', Herefords, and tons of Angus crosses, such as the Black Baldy. We have many Holsteins and Holstein crosses and a few Galloways here. I know someone that has a dozen Holstein steers for meat right now. Holsteins are an excellent dairy breed but can be used as meat and the crosses are pretty good for meat. They do take longer to grow though.

8 acres should be more than enough for one cow. You are looking for a steer, right?

I would not use CL to find one. The prices will be WAY high esp. for a meat cow. I would talk to ranchers and go to a sale and get to know the ones that bring animals alot. I would never but a goat or sheep from a sale because they are all cull animals but here everybody brings their cows here. Good and bad.If you have an eye you can tell which are good and which are bad. There was this guy that breeds really nice Angus cows and he brought 8 PB Angus bulls that are registered to the sale. So I'm not sure about all stockyards but here we have nice and not so nice that is sold here. Get to know some of the better ones and maybe get one from his/her ranch.

Please remember that I do not own cattle. Everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Hopefully some of the real cattle people weigh in soon.

 

[Cricket]

I won't weigh in (much!), as I raise dairy steers. I would like to get a beef cow, mainly to keep my horse company--right now I eat her friends on a regular basis. There was some really good debate here awhile back--I'll see if I can find it. Cows are good!

 

[lovinglife]

Around here beef calves are usually up around 600 pounds when they are for sale and the price is NOT cheap. So we do get the dairy calves, they taste great and are more abundant.

 

[Cricket]

X2. I can't find a beef calf under what I would consider butcher weight. The following is from Wild Rose Beef--I can't quote in a different subject (it's me!)

"To the OP: Like CESpeed did, you need to find a breed that will match your goals for what you want in your herd: breeding or meat, breeding, meat and milk, or breeding and milk? From there you have to do some researching on what breeds you find most appealing. Having a breed that does great on forage and doesn't require much supplementation except for mineral, is very fertile and has great calving ease, good mothering ability, and has a docile temperament are the qualities you should be looking for. Don't get caught up nor let yourself get overwhelmed by the number of breeds available, you need to ignore all the type of breeds available and instead focus on what qualities you want in your cow herd like those I mentioned previously. As a hint, steer clear from Charolais, Salers, Limousin and Maine Anjou cattle, and even Aberdeen Angus (black and red) cattle. Yeah they look appealing because of their muscling and looks, but really they're a bunch of cracker-jacks that need a more experienced cattleperson to handle. In your case, I would focus on these breeds: Hereford, Shorthorn, Galloway, Red Poll, Speckle Park, Highland, British White, or even Texas Longhorns."

If you look under Breeds, you'll find tons of discussion. I decided on Galloway because I don't want to deal with the Highlander horns, but am finding them just about impossible to get around here. I'm actually finding CL interesting to haunt, as you get a real good idea of the high and low prices. And what they look like crossed with something else. Which sometimes is really not good! Keep us posted on your search!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

What we find around here is that the beef farmers don't even have to advertise or sell on craigs list or anything. Most of the farmers have the calves sold before they hit the ground. My only suggestion would be to go around and visit some local farms that have the desired breed you want. Talk to them and see if they have a list for when their cows calf.

From my limited experience, getting a calf is easier, especially for a first time cattle (cow) person. But I see people on here sucessfully get mature cattle all the time with no problem.

 

[Symphony]

http://www.beltie.org/locatinganimals/midwest.html

http://www.indianasuperads.com/livestock_For_Sale/C465A459593P4/Dairy_calves.aspx

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Well, we are getting more serious about raising our own beef and I have spent a few hours looking up breeds, trying to figure out where and what to get and I am just more confused.

I started out looking into the Black Baldie per Symphony and they sound great but I haven't found any around us yet and the ones I did find were mature bulls and they seem to be very expensive (not that I would think I would want a mature bull obviously). So then I looked up Angus and Hereford but I still am not sure about what I am looking for as far as breed, age, and whatnot.

So first, what would you all recommend for a newbie as far as breed and age?

Do cattle need to have a buddy, like goats, so that they are happy?

We would have 8 acres of pasture...is that enough?

Where do you find cattle for sale and what should I expect to pay? (I tried looking on Craigslist and Hoobly and only found what I think are dairy cattle---holstein crosses, so not thinking that is what I want but I sure don't know much).

Are you looking for a steer to raise for the freezer or a little cow-calf herd? If the latter the quote that Cricket got from this thread: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13592 would be applicable. If the former, then it would kinda apply, but you still need to be careful where you buy and whether those animals have good temperament or not. Yes, docility is a HUGE factor for any and all newbies, no matter if this is the first time they're raising cattle or not. (By "not" I mean those of us getting back into cattle after a long time, i.e., 10 or so years later.)

If you're getting a beef steer, don't shy away from composites or cross-breds. As long as they have good temperament, they're good to raise. Char-Herf-Angus crosses (yellow-white face) can be pretty good--some may retain the flighty-factor of charolais, but others will retain the docility of a typical Hereford. We had one steer just like the latter. Dairy are fine, but the thing I don't care for them is that you have to get them as young calves, not 5 to 6 month-old weaners like you would with beefers.

Cattle are herd animals, they do best with a herd of others of their kind. With 8 acres, you could probably go for around 6 steers, or 2 to 4 cows. (1 cow = 2 steers)

Avoid CraigsList at all costs, or any internet-classifieds site; though there's the very few that advertise some great-quality cattle on there, the rest are, well, crap. Auction sales aren't the best place to go either. Private treaty, by visiting a farm or ranch and seeing if they can sell you some steers would be a start. Just take one opportunity: the producer that's advertising bulls for sale may be able to sell you some steers if you ask. Really, you never know until you ask.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Thank all so much.

We are looking to raise one for beef and I definitely want docile. So it sounds like we would probably want a steer, but could also get a cow if we can't find a steer but just will not get as much meat, right?

I think maybe what we could do is get two so they have companionship, then have then processed and sell one (we don't have the freezer space for two but I do not want to just have one if it would be unkind).

So just to make sure I understand, crosses are fine, even it is with a dairy-type, but if it is dairy, people sell them younger...I am assuming because they want to keep the milk for themselves, right? I wonder if that would be less expensive though too (but probably more work on our part since we would have to bottle feed them).

I think what I might do is ask my vet if he knows who we might buy locally from since he knows everyone and I trust his opinion