Entering Meat Market vs Barn sales

[skyhightree1]

Sky, we ask our people for $150 deposit whether they're buying a quarter or a half. As soon as we know hanging weights, they pay us the balance. Have had no issues with that, as the meat's going to hang at the cutter for at least 2 weeks after harvest -- most pay up within a week of slaughter. I've got all our beef buyers on an email group list. They get updates every couple mos. or as needed ("steers will go into dry lot in a week; slaughter date is such and such; steers doing well a month into finishing; attached are blank cutting instructions/get them back to me before slaughter date, etc.") Very first email -- the "are you interested this year?" mail -- sets out all the terms, what kill fee + c/w costs will be, and estimated slaugher date. Every email says "call or mail if you've got any ??s" The contract/all correspondence via email is kept in a folder on the computer. And I scan/save everyone's cutting instructions year to year, so if they can't remember what they did before, I can email them out if needed. We slaughter usually between 16-18 mos., 1,200 - 1,500 lbs., but pay more attention to condition than age.

Nice... Thanks for your info Kathie

 

[quartermeter]

So when you say no antibiotics. Do you still worm and blackleg your cows.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

So when you say no antibiotics. Do you still worm and blackleg your cows.

If you are talking to me, quartemeter, we vaccinate and we worm. That has nothing to do with antibiotics (which we seldom need), and we follow all protocols for withdrawal.

 

[quartermeter]

Alright 2 questions
1) what is considered an antibiotic?

2) some steers won't make 1200 pounds. Some may tops out at 1000 pounds. What's the oldest you would let a calf get before slaughter.

 

[Muddy]

What breed are these 1,000lbs steers, quartermeter?

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Alright 2 questions
1) what is considered an antibiotic?

Is that a serious question ????

2) some steers won't make 1200 pounds. Some may tops out at 1000 pounds. What's the oldest you would let a calf get before slaughter.

Don't know what kinda cattle you raise. Even though we look more at condition than age, our steers will generally make 1,200 lbs. or more between 16-18 mos., and 18 is the oldest we've done "custom cut" steers; they are either purebred British Whites or BW/Angus cross. The last four we did were between 738 and 864/hanging. If we had Jersey or JerseyX or Corriente or something like that, we wouldn't expect 1,200.

 

[quartermeter]

They are Angus mixed cows some are Brangus. They may git bigger than 1000 pounds. I just never have kept them that long. That was just a hypothetical. How long do you usually keep one till it's the size to slaughter? I just gotta bull back in August all my cows have come out of my neighbors bull when he would slip over. Some of my steers were smaller than others but I sold fhem all at about 6 months. they weighed about 500-550. I got a pretty good looking bull so he's going to help my herd. Just going to take time.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

They are Angus mixed cows some are Brangus. They may git bigger than 1000 pounds. I just never have kept them that long. That was just a hypothetical. How long do you usually keep one till it's the size to slaughter? I just gotta bull back in August all my cows have come out of my neighbors bull when he would slip over. Some of my steers were smaller than others but I sold fhem all at about 6 months. they weighed about 500-550. I got a pretty good looking bull so he's going to help my herd. Just going to take time.

Our steers meet their maker here on the place, at between 16-18 mos., and they are 1,200 lbs. or better, on the hoof, at slaughter, when they hit the dirt in their finishing pen. We don't raise feeder calves that get pushed to market at 500-600 lbs. Don't know of anyone raising any long-eared cattle up in this area -- none I've seen anyway -- most are black. If you don't know for sure what sorta breeding your cows are made of, it would be hard to figure what they'd kick out. Obviously, what you do is quite a bit different than what we do at our place.

 

[quartermeter]

I feed beer grain about three times a week probably 40-50 pounds a cow each time. anyone ever use that to finish one off. it's cracked barley soaked in water. I feed my weined calves that too before I take them to the sale barn. Just not as much

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

I feed beer grain about three times a week probably 40-50 pounds a cow each time. anyone ever use that to finish one off. it's cracked barley soaked in water. I feed my weined calves that too before I take them to the sale barn. Just not as much

We have one small brewery in the area, so spent grain is a hot commodity here -- we've never used it. Our steers are just on pasture and grass or grass/alfalfa mix their whole lives until 60 days before slaughter; then they go into about a one-acre lot so they've got room to move around, and a ration of alfalfa and grain. Max grain per day/per steer is 15 lbs.

 

[quartermeter]

What kind of grain. There's lots of grains. I just wonder if you prefer a certain one for finishing a calf. Cracked corn or sweet feed or a mixed grain. Thanks for all your info.

 

[skyhightree1]

I feed beer grain about three times a week probably 40-50 pounds a cow each time. anyone ever use that to finish one off. it's cracked barley soaked in water. I feed my weined calves that too before I take them to the sale barn. Just not as much

I am no expert by any means but I free choice the brewers grain I been feeding to my cows and they can probably put down 30-40lbs a day no problem. My calves also have free choice as well and love the stuff. I prefer cracked corn to finish. I did just order a ton of corn meal pellets to feed my calves around 7 lbs a day if finishing a steer id feed 15-20lbs a day

 

[quartermeter]

Yeah beer grain is great. I feed every other day but could get more if I wanted to. It really helps me feel less hay also. You can't be 25% protein on free feed. How do you post pictures and video?

 

[skyhightree1]

pics through photobucket link.... youtube and post link.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

What kind of grain. There's lots of grains. I just wonder if you prefer a certain one for finishing a calf. Cracked corn or sweet feed or a mixed grain. Thanks for all your info.

We start slow on the grain and on the straight alfalfa (grass/alf mix to start, which they've already had). First week on finish is about 5 lbs. grain/day, 1/2 rolled corn and 1/2 COB w/ mollasses (they aren't crazy about the grain to start; the sweet feed helps). It's over 2 weeks before we have them on straight alfalfa, and by then they've chewed off the grass in their little lot; also about 2 weeks before they are on the final finish grain ration of 15 lbs./day: 2/3 rolled corn and 1/3 COB. We also make sure steers are wormed before we start the 60-day finish.