Butchering these tomorrow

[5minpins]

I posted a while back about my backyard steers, well I have to butcher a few weeks earlier than I wanted to, but oh well. I think for almost 90 days on grain they dont look to bad.

the first two pics is when I brought them home

and these are what they look like yesterday

I gave up trying to guess what breed was in there, they are half brothers, a 4 way cross, the one with horns still looks like he is half yak with that long shaggy hair and those horns. they will be butchered in the morning, hoping the polled one weighs at least a grand, im guessing the yak between 8 and 900, I have no idea honestly, how to guess a weight so I will know tomorrow. Anyone care to take a guess?? hard to tell from pics I am sure but kind of fun, take a guess.
I was kinda mean to the Yak yesterday and I feel kinda bad but he deserved it, he likes to sneak up behind me when I am dumping grain and right after I got them he tried to head butt me and I hit him between the eyes with a metal can. he minds his manners now but I dont like him behind me like that so when I looked down and his nose was next to my knee, I reached down and grabbed his whole nose and yelled GOTCHA!!!!!!! I thought he was gonna die of a heart attack on the spot, he went 4 feet in the air legs stiff as a board I swear!! He kept his distance this morning when I fed them tho!

 

[Jalopy]

It is hard to tell from the pictures but since it is just a guess I would agree that the polled would be around 1000 to 1050 and the "yak" maybe around 875-925. I am sure they will be good eating if they have been on grain for awhile.

 

[bigbull338]

my eyes say 900 to 1050 more or less.

 

[Jogeephus]

Can't guess for squat, but I would be willing to test one of your ribeyes and give you a critque on them.

 

[5minpins]

Can't guess for squat, but I would be willing to test one of your ribeyes and give you a critque on them.

Sure why not?!! I want to rottiserie a whole rib roast on the bar b Q anyway. be a nice Party! :lol: :banana: :banana: But seriously...awful long drive up my way just for some mutt ribeye lol.
I am seriously thinking that our weather has gone completely nuts, It is snowing like mad right now for like the tenth time this year and I am sick of it!!! I live in western washington... it snows like once a year usually.

 

[Jogeephus]

That's simply global cooling which is a west coast thing. On the east coast in downtown DC and New York you have global warming. Has to do with geography I think.

Mutt ribeye? Don't think so. Those look pretty tender looking to me. I just picked one up Wednesday that hung a month. Haven't tried it yet but it sure filled the freezers and I don't think the T-bones are going to fit on our plates. But I'll figure something out. :nod:

 

[5minpins]

hey I just thought of something, its probably better to butcher when its nice and cool out anyway isnt it? thats about the only positive thing I can think of right at this moment. Global Cooling...I think this winter went overboard! I just hope the Kill Man is quick with his second shot, that yak is kind of flighty although he did take a run at my 5 strand hot fence and changed his mind at the last second. I know that fence is hot on all 5 wires too, cause yesterday I put 2 mares in that pen when I switched them out with the cows, and they are in heat, and the neighbors free ranging stallion (yep lets his stallion roam his property loose with most of the fences laying on the ground) came trotting on over talking up a storm and leaned pretty hard on the top strand and I heard it crack him under the jaws from 100 feet away, he packed up all his body parts and went back home shaking his head pretty hard, in heat mares or not he wasnt messing with the fence. He hasnt been back since.

I will let ya all know what they weighed tomorrow, we will see how well my feed program worked hehe!!

 

[mnmtranching]

5minpinins, I took a second look a your critters. Looks to me like you did a good job. The polled one is the best. :shock: like you need to be told that. I would take a "T" Bone off either. :nod:

I'm gonna guess the polled going 1200 pounds. And the Yak[I'm gonna say he will make great beef] is going to live weigh 875.

Let us know and how the beef is.

 

[CattleHand]

a picture is way to hard to tell of off im realizing haha. Im going to throw my guess at 900-950 for the polled just becuase of waht you have told us about him.

 

[IluvABbeef]

I'm with mnm. Though the angus looks more like 1000 lbs than 1200, looks like some of the angus steers that we've sold off in previous years from the result of a good spring and summer on pasture. And that "yak" I'd say is between 800 and 900 lbs. (He has that angus "look" to him, so i'd say there's some angus in the wood pile plus the amount of hair on him makes me think he's got a bit of Highlander in him).

Yeah, you did good, those two, especially that polled one, filled out real nice. :nod: :clap:

 

[donnaIL]

I think you did good too, I'm not gonna guess live weight, but I'm guessing they will hang around 325-350 a side and they look like they will be tasty. Let us know how they do! donna

 

[iowafarmer]

I'd say the angus is in the 1000lb range because he isn't near fat as he does not have fat deposits by his tail. I'm going to guess that the yak will weigh in around 900lbs. I bet they are going to be pretty tasty though.

 

[Aaron]

My official guesses are 1065 and 925. :cboy:

 

[Jogeephus]

My official guess without standing by them is somewhere up to 1200#'s. ;-) Ask the butcher to kill the Yak first if he is the flightiest. This could prevent you from having to saddle your horse.

 

[5minpins]

well dang!!! the kill guy didnt have a scale on his truck. the last guy I used had a big scale and would hoist them up and you got the weight. so I will only be able to tell ya what the halves weighed on monday. they looked good, I took some pics, had some marbling, nice white fat. Livers look very nice. He did venture a guess that the polled was probably 950 to a 1000 and the yak was about 800-850. I did take some pics. My next set will be a better pair, and will be able to feed them out a little better. I only got to feed these two for 90 days and they were skinny when they got here. but no matter, I am betting they will be good to eat

 

[Double R Brangus]

Yak or wolly mamoth? :lol:

They did fill out nice from the first pics. What kind of feed did you finish them on? Did you have them in a small pen?

I just bought a steer from the FFA kids at the fair and brought him home because the processor cant take him till June 2nd. He's 1180 now and the kids have had him on Purina show chow. I want to keep him on it but its expensive. Wonder if I should keep him penned up or turn him out with my Brangus females?

 

[bigbull338]

you can change his feed slowly to something else.an youll be ok.but do not i repeat do not turn him out in a pasture.because he will fall apart on you an run the weight off of him.

 

[5minpins]

Double R I put those two in a 100x200 grass pen, put a round bale of haylage in there and fed them good alfalfa and a whole lot of rolled corn with a little bit of sweet feed in the evening. Corn was 9 quarts corn to 1 quart sweet feed. almost 90 days and the last two weeks, I couldnt get any round bales so alfalfa 2x a day.

I did get the half weights on them today. the big one was 300 a half and the Yak was 210 a half. I couldnt tell you what that would work out to live weight. Anyone have an idea ??

 

[bigbull338]

they both weighted close to 900lb or more.the bone out 60% an 40% meat.

 

[Jalopy]

Seems to me the one that was 600# meat would have been 1000# live weight give or take.
The one with 420#meat would have been 700# live weight. If you use the 60% rule of thumb for yield.From the pictures it sure did not look like 300# difference in their live weights.