Butchered a Gelbvieh Steer

[hillbillycwo]

3way,
that photo motivates me! The data you provided as well. Guess my plan for the GV is a good. Maybe the Navy hasn't completely corrupted my brain and I can learn something. I will get with you later today(this evening) to go over that data if it is possible?

 

[Black Coos]

If you let your beef eat grass to the time he killed, YOU will taste the Grass.....I have Killed many steers and heifers and sampled them all..In many different finnished stages, From right off the grass to 120-150 days on grain...I liked them all but, I feed Ber. grass hay and corn the last 60 - 90 days.
Use the Barly , you will like the taste better....

 

[Black Coos]

Please post his rail weight

 

[chippie]

He weighed 1389lbs and went 880 on the rail.

 

[Northern Rancher]

Up here it is really hard to calve on grass and have that animal with enough size and fat cover at slaughter completely off grass the next summer. The right type of cattle will continue to gain condition on through winter if it doesn't get too bitterly cold. It's alot easier to just kill 30 month old cattle-they are large enough to amortize the processing costs over enough pounds. The trick is to sell them for enough. Were eating one right now and I have no idea what her quality grade would be but it's as good a beef as any I've eaten.

 

[3waycross]

If you let your beef eat grass to the time he killed, YOU will taste the Grass.....I have Killed many steers and heifers and sampled them all..In many different finnished stages, From right off the grass to 120-150 days on grain...I liked them all but, I feed Ber. grass hay and corn the last 60 - 90 days.
Use the Barly , you will like the taste better....

I would use barley since we are 60 miles from where Coors grows it but all that is available is whole and I would rather have it rolled. We fed soaked whole barley to the hogs when I was a kid and they did very well on it.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Barley is what's most commonly used here. We don't have corn (or at least it's minimally grown if there is some).

 

[3waycross]

Barley is what's most commonly used here. We don't have corn (or at least it's minimally grown if there is some).

Do you use it whole or how?

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Barley is what's most commonly used here. We don't have corn (or at least it's minimally grown if there is some).

Do you use it whole or how?

I've seen both. Most people put it in whole some just crack it. I like it cracked. I haven't seen much rolled but I'm sure people do.

 

[Black Coos]

I know Jimmy does.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Also a lot of the people that feed whole will put it through a mixall so a lot of it cracks anyway. We also crack or roll lupins. A usual feed for my area is barley, oats and lupins with added minerals, vitamins and hay as roughage.

 

[hillsdown]

Barley is what's most commonly used here. We don't have corn (or at least it's minimally grown if there is some).

Do you use it whole or how?

I buy my barley steam rolled, it is expensive though. Since the new feed laws we do not have any local feed suppliers that have a steamer anymore so I have to pay for shipping and it is an hour and a half away. Kinda crazy as we are in the middle of dairy country, you would think that more feed mills would have kept their doors open. Corn here is ridiculously expensive so it is never used .

It costs me around 500 dollars in grain to finish an animal usually, that is the main reason I do not provide beef for anyone but us and my parents . ;-) We had grass finished Fillet Mignon for dinner last night and it melted in your mouth, not gamey at all either .

 

[fit2btied]

We kept a March 3/4 Simm - 1/4 Gelb steer to butcher this year. He'll have all the grass he can eat but will be grain fed. We usually go with a 5/8 Simm - 3/8 Red Angus but this was the fastest growing calf this year. Regardless of how the homegrowns turn out, I haven't had one yet that I would trade with the local grocers!

How long are you planning on graining him? I bet he was a fast grower with those genetics.

We started him at about 5 lbs per day of a 15% mix in October when he probably weighed 550 or so. We just up it a little at a time to where he now gets abut 12-15 lbs per day. We'll have to have him butchered at about 17 months in early to mid July before the local fairs swarm the processors - otherwise it will be October before we could get him in. He runs with the cows and gets penned and fed in the evening and turned back out when he's cleaned it up, usually 15-30 minutes. Toward the end of April we'll move the cows and I can leave feed out for him 24/7. By then he'll be up to about 25+ lbs per day of a 12% mix. Usually end up 1100-1300 lbs live weight. We just basically do them the same way we did when the boys were in 4-H back in the 80's and early 90's.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

I would have to say they were not grass "finished" that would have required a lot more grass and age, and I for one did not want either. If I want meat that is totally grass finished I get out a package of Elk.

We had Elk always eating our silage at the dairy, I am sure that those buggers tasted like a good grain finished steer . Was very annoying when you went out in the morning and found your calf starter bin completely pilfered and licked clean . What an expensive mess they made. :roll:

I am pretty sure I would have done a taste test if it was me......... :cowboy:

Several years ago, a buddy of mine shot a deer that someone had been feeding pretty regularly. He had a local butcher cut it up and package it for him. When we grilled some steaks, I thought surely there was a mix up and some old boy was fighting mad about his beef tasting like venison. So we tried a few more packages with the same result.

I've never had one nearly as good since. But I also haven't seen one filled with corn like that one was.