STEAK TIME - Taking Ruthie to the Locker (pics)

So all those photos I post of haying with the 8N are for this purpose: STEAK!



Ruthie (heifer, on the left - that's momma on the right) got loaded up and hauled to the locker this evening, and they'll harvest her in the morning.



She was born (with a little assist from me) right before Thanksgiving, 2015.



It took a number of months, but I finally got where I could pet her, and then she got where she almost expected a good neck rub when I came out to do morning chores. As she got bigger, I was always mindful of stories I've heard of guys getting injured or killed by a "pet" livestock animal, so I've always been careful around her.



About six weeks ago, I backed the stock trailer up to the gate with the door open, and started throwing a flake of my best alfalfa up in the front. It took a day or two before she'd step in to get it, and it quickly became natural to her to be in the trailer. I have a loading chute, but it predates our time on the farm and is pretty rotted out.

Trying to shoo a cow into an unfamiliar trailer the day you need to take her to the locker is not exactly easy work (don't ask).



All that gentling and trailer familiarization paid off this afternoon, because she pretty much loaded herself.

We still have the cow, but she remained open when we had her serviced last Spring. Not sure if I'm going to try again, or just feed her out on pasture and turn her into hamburger come Autumn.

No 8N pics this time, but it played an important role in putting meat on our table!

es

Nice post Ed.
Hope you get some good steaks - and burger
and roasts and...
What are the kids saying about this?
I think it's good that they see where
their meat comes from.
And no, this isn't an off topic post.
Thanks

Ed,
Thanks for sharing.
Good info for some less fortunate folks who are
hidden from reality .
Greg

Maybe you should have butchered the cow and bread the hefer?

You should try loading hogs without a loading shoot.

What are the kids saying about this?
I think it's good that they see where their meat comes from.

Click to expand...

Well, Son No. 1 is getting ? from us… both sons are married and out of the house (got two grandkids already!). But they were 9 and 12 when we moved here, and they did laying hens as a homeschool activity, plus we had goats, sheep and horses over the years, not to mention the garden and cows. They know where their food comes from!

Maybe you should have butchered the cow and bread the hefer?

Click to expand...

I know exactly what the heifer ate (I grew it all!), and we raised her for the beef. The cow, not so much (she was three or four when we got her). I'm phasing out of livestock anyway - it's gotten almost impossible to find folks to cover chores for us when we travel, which we're doing more of than ever, it seems.

es

What are the kids saying about this?
I think it's good that they see where their meat comes from.

Click to expand...

Well, Son No. 1 is getting ? from us… both sons are married and out of the house (got two grandkids already!). But they were 9 and 12 when we moved here, and they did laying hens as a homeschool activity, plus we had goats, sheep and horses over the years, not to mention the garden and cows. They know where their food comes from!

Maybe you should have butchered the cow and bread the hefer?

Click to expand...

I know exactly what the heifer ate (I grew it all!), and we raised her for the beef. The cow, not so much (she was three or four when we got her). I'm phasing out of livestock anyway - it's gotten almost impossible to find folks to cover chores for us when we travel, which we're doing more of than ever, it seems.

es

What are the kids saying about this?
I think it's good that they see where their meat comes from.

Click to expand...

Well, Son No. 1 is getting ? from us… both sons are married and out of the house (got two grandkids already!). But they were 9 and 12 when we moved here, and they did laying hens as a homeschool activity, plus we had goats, sheep and horses over the years, not to mention the garden and cows. They know where their food comes from!

Maybe you should have butchered the cow and bread the hefer?

Click to expand...

I know exactly what the heifer ate (I grew it all!), and we raised her for the beef. The cow, not so much (she was three or four when we got her). I'm phasing out of livestock anyway - it's gotten almost impossible to find folks to cover chores for us when we travel, which we're doing more of than ever, it seems.

es

Sorry for the Hat Trick replies… site is acting up.

es

(quoted from post at 19:18:32 01/10/18) Sorry for the Hat Trick replies… site is acting up.

es

Click to expand...

I was thinking the hefer would give you next years beef if you bread her and butchering the cow. If you are phasing out the livestock, what your doing makes better sense.

I raised hogs on my small farm while my two boys were growing up. I told them if they wanted to name the pigs we were going to eat they should use names like pork chop, ham gravy, and bacon sandwich for them. My youngest son made pets out of the sows, which made them easier to work with. My dad took care of things if we did any traveling. He was a true pig whisperer. When he helped me castrate the little pigs they would stop screaming as soon as I would hand them to him. They wouldn't even kick when I did the deed. He had a very gentle soul and I miss him every day since he passed.

if they wanted to name the pigs we were going to eat they should use names like pork chop, ham gravy, and bacon sandwich for them.

Click to expand...

Great anecdote, and neat story about your Dad, too.

We got into chickens because someone thought the boys might be interested and gave them two hens and a rooster. They were promptly named "Soup, Sandwich and Salad."

Oh, the heifer ended up with a hanging weight of 430 & 431 lbs (861 lbs. total). Grass/alfalfa fed, no grain, no hormones.

es

"Oh, the heifer ended up with a hanging weight of 430 & 431 lbs (861 lbs. total). Grass/alfalfa fed, no grain, no hormones."

The beef breeds do finish out on grass better than the dairy breeds. I see people are starting to raise heritage breed pigs on grass pasture instead of corn soy beans on confinement floors.

https://madison.craigslist.org/grd/d/grass-fed-pork-unbelievable/6450445197.html