Butcher sooner or later?

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ksmit454

ksmit454

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Jusy bought these 2 boys from my neighbor a few weeks ago. They are good sized. I need to make a decision on when to start grain finishing them to get a butcher date set. The problem is that the local cut and wrap facility closes in the months of November and December. So basically I can decide to butcher in mid October or first of January. If I started graining now it would be a little over 100 days of finishing. Otherwise if I waited until Jan I could shoot for more of the 120 days but I really would rather grain them sooner and have them butchered sooner because we have a ton of grass right now. I would have to feed hay if I waited until January. Thoughts? Do you think I can get a good finish on them by October?
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ksmit454 said:
Jusy bought these 2 boys from my neighbor a few weeks ago. They are good sized. I need to make a decision on when to start grain finishing them to get a butcher date set. The problem is that the local cut and wrap facility closes in the months of November and December. So basically I can decide to butcher in mid October or first of January. If I started graining now it would be a little over 100 days of finishing. Otherwise if I waited until Jan I could shoot for more of the 120 days but I really would rather grain them sooner and have them butchered sooner because we have a ton of grass right now. I would have to feed hay if I waited until January. Thoughts? Do you think I can get a good finish on them by October?
View attachment 46623
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Look pretty darn good to me. October if i was doing it
 
Down in Dixie said:
What do you think current weight and age is? If they aren't 1000 lbs yet I would wait till the first of the year and not rush it. Just my opinion for the size carcass I prefer.
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I would say the solid red steer is around 1000lbs, the white face might be more like 800lbs but I don’t know the age of these guys.
 
ksmit454 said:
I would say the solid red steer is around 1000lbs, the white face might be more like 800lbs but I don't know the age of these guys.
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You should be able to get the bigger one to about 1200 lbs but I doubt you will get the smaller one much more than 1000. As long as you don’t mind some smaller steaks they should both finish this fall.
 
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ksmit454 said:
Jusy bought these 2 boys from my neighbor a few weeks ago. They are good sized. I need to make a decision on when to start grain finishing them to get a butcher date set. The problem is that the local cut and wrap facility closes in the months of November and December. So basically I can decide to butcher in mid October or first of January. If I started graining now it would be a little over 100 days of finishing. Otherwise if I waited until Jan I could shoot for more of the 120 days but I really would rather grain them sooner and have them butchered sooner because we have a ton of grass right now. I would have to feed hay if I waited until January. Thoughts? Do you think I can get a good finish on them by October?
View attachment 46623
Click to expand...
The red steer will probably finish faster. He could easily be ready by October. The other I'd wait on and have him processed later.
 
ksmit454 said:
Jusy bought these 2 boys from my neighbor a few weeks ago. They are good sized. I need to make a decision on when to start grain finishing them to get a butcher date set. The problem is that the local cut and wrap facility closes in the months of November and December. So basically I can decide to butcher in mid October or first of January. If I started graining now it would be a little over 100 days of finishing. Otherwise if I waited until Jan I could shoot for more of the 120 days but I really would rather grain them sooner and have them butchered sooner because we have a ton of grass right now. I would have to feed hay if I waited until January. Thoughts? Do you think I can get a good finish on them by October?
View attachment 46623
Click to expand...
Given your situation, starting grain finishing now with about 100 days until mid-October should give you a decent finish on the steers, especially if they are already good-sized. While 120 days is often recommended for optimal marbling, 100 days can still produce good results, particularly if you want to take advantage of the current grass and avoid feeding hay over winter. Starting now seems like a good balance between timing and resources, and you should be able to get a solid finish by October.
 

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