I am getting ready to Butcher a cow that has not giving me a calf 2 year now, on November 11, so what is the best way to finish her till then I have been feeding her local grass with molasses poured on it should I add any thing else???
Finishing for Butchering?
- Thread starter M.Sarria
- Start date
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Dave
Well-known member
Between now and Nov 11 isn't a lot of time to change her. So it sort of depends on the condition she is in at the present time. A general rule of thumb is you want to kill an animal when they are on the gain. As we both know the weather in this part of the world will be going downhill over the next month. Adding energy (read that grain) to her diet now will help her to meet the extra energy requirements. Will you be able to add much condition to her in that time? Probably not, but it will keep her from losing any. There is not enough time to get her to full feed so I would just give her a couple pounds of grain a day and work up to maybe 5 or 6 pounds.
C HOLLAND
Well-known member
M.Sarria":nkoyhmgp said:
Go to your local feed store and they should have a suggestion on what to feed her and even have some to sell.
Dave
Well-known member
A cow that hasn't raise a calf for two year should be in decent shape this time of the year. Is she round, has good cover, you can't see a lot of bones. This is a cow so it is only going to get so good. If you can see lots of bones then you would need to feed her more. Rolled corn would work just fine. You are only talking about feeding for three weeks or so. That will only be a couple of bags.
shorty
Well-known member
I don't know how old your cow is but if she's 3-4 years old or more I agree with roach007 , sell her and buy a good young steer or hiefer to butcher, 13-15 months old, you'll be much better off . all an old cow is good for is hamburger.
Dave
Well-known member
I don't know about selling one cow if you have room for it in the freezer. Cull cow prices are down pretty bad right now. At least in this part of the world. It takes one heck of a good cow to bring 40 cents. If she is in decent shape I would have the butcher cut a couple of steaks off her to test before they cut the entire cow. If those steaks eat OK then go ahead and cut her up. If they aren't good have the butcher grind her into hamburger. It will be a lot of burger but good burger and you wont have too much into it. I have eaten middle age dry cows that were in good shape. It isn't a grain fed steer but not bad.
Outrigger2
Well-known member
roach007":1itj5opo said:
i agree. that is more hamburger than you know.sell the cow. raise something younger and finish out.jmo
hillsdown
Well-known member
M.Sarria you could put her on steam rolled barley with 1-2% molasses and good hay for a month it would help change the flavor of the meat especially the fat.See how she looks once she is hanging.You could make her into hamburger but still keep the really good cuts like the tenderloin and rib and t-bone.
Depending on her conditioning she could probably handle at least 5- 10 lbs a day of barley to start and then just increase it 10 or so a week.
Depending on her conditioning she could probably handle at least 5- 10 lbs a day of barley to start and then just increase it 10 or so a week.
C HOLLAND
Well-known member
I wonder if many people realize what we are eating when we buy beef from Wal Mart or some other major food chain.
I have a coming 3 YO bull that has a bum leg/hip and he is on grain now until the end of December.
I have asked the local processor I used in the past and he said I will not be unhappy with the beef when he gets done with it.
He told me to keep the bull penned up and away from the cows and don't get him all wound up before I deliver him and he will make some fine freezer beef.
I will give a report the first of the year. I know one thing it will be some mighty expensive beef, but right now bulls are only going for 50-60 cents per lb and when he walks in the ring limping that will probally knock off another 10-20 cents per lb.
I have a coming 3 YO bull that has a bum leg/hip and he is on grain now until the end of December.
I have asked the local processor I used in the past and he said I will not be unhappy with the beef when he gets done with it.
He told me to keep the bull penned up and away from the cows and don't get him all wound up before I deliver him and he will make some fine freezer beef.
I will give a report the first of the year. I know one thing it will be some mighty expensive beef, but right now bulls are only going for 50-60 cents per lb and when he walks in the ring limping that will probally knock off another 10-20 cents per lb.
Susie David
Well-known member
Sounds like you have your mind made up...
IMO, the condition of the animal should determine your plan. Feeding extra $$$ into her for a burger cow is not a real wise choice unless you have alot of extra dollars laying around your place and the cow needs some more groceries. The fat that she will put on will end up in the burger or in a barrel in the cutting room.
A grass finished cow in good condition will give some real nice tasting burger...and you just may be surprized at the rib and loin cuts too...I wouldn't grind them.
Just keep her on good hay and free choice minerals.
Just my two bits worth...asked for or not.
Dave Mc
IMO, the condition of the animal should determine your plan. Feeding extra $$$ into her for a burger cow is not a real wise choice unless you have alot of extra dollars laying around your place and the cow needs some more groceries. The fat that she will put on will end up in the burger or in a barrel in the cutting room.
A grass finished cow in good condition will give some real nice tasting burger...and you just may be surprized at the rib and loin cuts too...I wouldn't grind them.
Just keep her on good hay and free choice minerals.
Just my two bits worth...asked for or not.
Dave Mc
Rookie
Well-known member
M.Sarria":1idunhf2 said:She at least 5 years old, in very good shape Hamburger :?:
Yup, hamburger
Dave
Well-known member
A dry cow who hasn't raised a calf in two year should be good to eat. It might not be the tenderest meat you ever had but really good flavor. My personal preference would have been to kill her a month ago right off grass. I gave a dry cow right off grass to my kids last year. The butcher said it was one of the tenderest ones he had cut all year, steers included. The kids all said it was a great eating beef. The only reason I would consider giving her grain is M.Sarria said she was going to butcher the cow in November. The weather here is changing. This is going to put more enviromental pressure on the cow. Adding a little energy to her diet to keep her in good shape will help.
Selling her on this market and using the money to buy a calf is questionable at best. She would probably net around $400 for this cow. That transfers to a pretty small feeder steer that would need to be fed for almost a year to finish. This is a bad time of the year to buy small feeder steers around here. Nothing like 40 degrees and rain every day to convert a small feeder into a snotty nosed calf who in turn becomes a sick calf.
Selling her on this market and using the money to buy a calf is questionable at best. She would probably net around $400 for this cow. That transfers to a pretty small feeder steer that would need to be fed for almost a year to finish. This is a bad time of the year to buy small feeder steers around here. Nothing like 40 degrees and rain every day to convert a small feeder into a snotty nosed calf who in turn becomes a sick calf.
