Raising Beef to butcher

Erik Ks farmer · Aug 8, 2012

I have always raised my calves to the 550-600 # goal to wean and sell off of grass. I would like to raise a couple steers to butcher this fall and was curious as to the best way to go about it. I was thinking that I would background them with my replacement heifers but I need to know what weight goal to shoot for before finishing. Then what kind of a feed ration would I use to finish them and how long should they be on feed before butchering? I can talk with the mill I work with for cubes but I'd like to hear some proven methods also.

GordoSD · Aug 8, 2012

This forum can give you help for a lot of things but I doubt you can learn to raise beef from it? Go to your FSA office and get their books. Do some googling. Buy some books. Talk to neighbors who raise cattle. Men spend years doing it and they are still learning. Are you a member of any of the 1000 ag/cattle forums?

Lazy WP · Aug 8, 2012

I feed out 5 to 10 head a year. Mine aren't real profitable, because I always end up with a bunch of "free" bucket calves, and they take almost 2 years to finish. Right now I have a couple Longhorns on feed. They were about 600 pounds when I got them in April, we butchered 1 already, and his hanging weight was 600 pounds. Was on a self feeder with corn and protein for just over 120 days. I wouldn't have sent him to town yet, but I had a guy that REALLY wanted him.
On good beef cattle, I figure 120 to 150 days of all the corn they will eat.

mjbrown · Aug 8, 2012

Confinement for the last couple month helps make for tender meat.
Think couch potatoes not athletes.

Erik Ks farmer · Aug 8, 2012

Thanks Gordo, I asked for advice not for the knowledge. I know where to go look for the information, but sometimes knowing which question to ask is really helpful.

petetx · Aug 8, 2012

put em in with the hiefers let em grow. about 60 days before you butcher put em in a seperate pen on a high corn ration and slick em off. done it for years.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 8, 2012

www.ansci.cornell.edu/courses/as360/lecture/feedlot/feedlot.html

Will this help.? maybe more than you want.

GordoSD · Aug 8, 2012

OK. Understand. I need to rebuild the motor on my 350 Farmall. Can you tell me how to do it?

randallinMo · Aug 9, 2012

Erik, put your steers in with your heifers as you suggest. Feed them for about 100 days along with the heifers on your normal backgrounding ration.. They should gain aobut 2 pounds per head per day. AFter 100 days, put them on a finishing ration and feed them for about another 100 days. They should gain about 3 pounds per day on this ration. Your final ending weight will be in the 1100 pound range. It is not rocket science. Just remember to start them slowly on the finishing ration.

Raising Beef to butcher

Erik Ks farmer

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GordoSD

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Lazy WP

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mjbrown

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Erik Ks farmer

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petetx

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Anonymous-0

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GordoSD

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randallinMo

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