feeding out bull

[mudhole]

i am feeding out an angus mix bull for slaughter 850-950 lbs. I read that i should start out with 2 feedings a day of 3 lbs each, and then each week increase by 1 pound for each feeding until i get to 2.5-3% body wt...

i am feeding 75%cracked corn and 25% alfalfa.

my question is i feel i should be feeding hay until the bull GI acclimates to the corn and can get all the energy needs from the feed?

 

[dun]

He is till going to need a certain amount of roughage after he is on concentrates. We've alwasy fed good quality hay free choice along with the grain. We start them at a bout 1% of their body weight and gradually ramp them up to 2 1/2%. We would weigh them about every week or 2 and increase the amount as their body weight increased.
I'm sure no pro at finishing, but we and our buyers have always been pleased with the results.

 

[Son of Butch]

Why a bull and not a steer? You've already put yourself behind the eight ball by choosing not to castrate him earlier.

 

[TexasBred]

Remove the alfalfa and feed grass hay. It's doing nothing but running up your costs.

 

[dun]

Remove the alfalfa and feed grass hay. It's doing nothing but running up your costs.

And alfalfa does give a little bit of a peculiar taste to the meat.

 

[mudhole]

i finished a steer on pasture only last time and my wife didnt like the taste of it and didnt like how "fatty" it was, also it took forever to gain weight. i read that with a taste test you cant tell a bull from a steer IF the bull hasnt bred yet, true?

i was planning to go with the alfalfa/corn mix for first 90 days and then go another month just corn, is that enough time to get the peculiar taste out?, i was under the impression the alfalfa would be a protein source and a fiber source.

 

[SJB]

I've never done it, but I've done a fair bit of research. All my reading suggests that a good mineral supplement is as important when you're finishing beef as for a cow/calf program.

Again, not first hand experience, it might just be the mineral companies wanting to sell mineral, ymmv.

An no doubt from what I've read, skip the alfalfa.

 

[dun]

When we finished them and had alfalfa the only other type of hay that was readily available was oat hay. That's what we fed when we tried the alfalfa and didn;t care for the taste. The last one we finished was on fescue and 16% grain mixture. Had a neighbor that alwasy finsihed them on fescue and straight corn. Those were holsteins and he had a silo full of corn, that's why he used it. Have no idea how it worked out. With corn they will still need something else for scratch and bulk.

 

[TexasBred]

i finished a steer on pasture only last time and my wife didnt like the taste of it and didnt like how "fatty" it was, also it took forever to gain weight. i read that with a taste test you cant tell a bull from a steer IF the bull hasnt bred yet, true?

i was planning to go with the alfalfa/corn mix for first 90 days and then go another month just corn, is that enough time to get the peculiar taste out?, i was under the impression the alfalfa would be a protein source and a fiber source.

It won't hurt to pour the corn to it but also give it plenty of hay. You don't need excessive protein to add weight to a calf/bull. You need calories. the hay will help maintain rumen function and allow for steady weight gain. Critically important.

 

[Nesikep]

i finished a steer on pasture only last time and my wife didnt like the taste of it and didnt like how "fatty" it was, also it took forever to gain weight. i read that with a taste test you cant tell a bull from a steer IF the bull hasnt bred yet, true?

i was planning to go with the alfalfa/corn mix for first 90 days and then go another month just corn, is that enough time to get the peculiar taste out?, i was under the impression the alfalfa would be a protein source and a fiber source.

We butchered a 2 year old bull, he had done some breeding at 1 year old, taste is fine, most cuts are tender. I think the feed is far more important.

That said, you may have a difference in flavor if you butcher the bull in the middle of breeding season.

 

[dun]

you may have a difference in flavor if you butcher the bull in the middle of breeding season.

Yeah, it will taste like real beef!

 

[Nesikep]

you may have a difference in flavor if you butcher the bull in the middle of breeding season.

Yeah, it will taste like real beef!

Yeah, it will actually have flavor!... One of the reasons the best burgers come from old cows.. might be a little chewy as a steak but they taste good

 

[TexasBred]

you may have a difference in flavor if you butcher the bull in the middle of breeding season.

Yeah, it will taste like real beef!

Yep....butchered one that got electrocuted. About a 2 1/2 year old holstein bull weighing about 1500 lbs. that was steady breeding cattle full time. Of course he was also getting about 30 lbs. of dairy ration every day along with all the other feed. Some of the best beef I've ever eaten. Had to buy another freezer to put all the meat in.

 

[js1234]

you may have a difference in flavor if you butcher the bull in the middle of breeding season.

Yeah, it will taste like real beef!

Yeah, it will actually have flavor!... One of the reasons the best burgers come from old cows.. might be a little chewy as a steak but they taste good

We grind 2-3 bulls every year to give hamburger to employees. We add fat to make them more like 80/20. spoils us on any other hamburger.

 

[Nesikep]

we're completely unable to eat store-bought burger meat now... it just has NO texture other than very fine sawdust, and tastes about as good.. nevermind the fact it doesn't fry, it boils instead

 

[cattle60]

The steers I just fed and sold ( I kept 1/2 of one ) were in a dry lot with free choice grass hay and fed the grain twice a day. I kept increasing the feed as long as they cleaned it up. By the end, app.60 days in lot, they were eating a five gallon bucket apiece twice a day. If they didn't clean it up they got a little less. The last three weeks I increased the corn, using chops, to about a third of the bucket twice a day. This is how I have been doing mine for the last 15 years or so. I do the old cows that I do for burger the same.

By the way, Thanks to everyone for the suggestion about the tenderloin on the old cows. Kept them off the last two and they were delicious. Never knew that before.