what tricks have you found to finish out cattle to be killed for personal consumption. longer feeding, longer aging, different types of feed. I am looking for the best tasting meat I can feed out. so any tips or suggestions are welcome aslo what do you normally pay for the finished packaged product ready to be put in the freezer
finishing out beef question
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El_Putzo
Well-known member
This is how we do it.
In the spring, pick a yearling steer that would otherwise be discounted at the sale barn (for color or some other non desireable trait). Turn it back out on grass with the cows until Aug 1. Around Aug 1, bring it back in when we take the bulls away from the cows. Feed it with the bulls starting out slow and building to about 10 lbs of a 12-13% grain per day. Around Sept 1 we bring him into the small lot behind the barn to keep him from running around much, keeping him off grass, and so we can feed him extra. Start ramping up his feed until he gets to around 25-30lbs per day. Do this for about 60 days. Nov 1 (about 30 days before slaughter) switch him over to straight corn. Butcher around Dec 1.
This usually gets them plenty fat for us. Usually they end up between 1100 and 1200 lbs. Quarters dress out around 350 lbs. Our butcher lets them hang for a minimum of 14 days, usually around 17-18. I charged $1.45 per lb for the half I just sold, plus the processor charges 42 cents for processing. So, the guys I sold to got theirs for $1.87/lb total. I talked to the guy at the butcher shop and he told me I sold it too cheap. The going rate in this area is $1.55/lb for a front quarter and $1.75 for a rear quarter. I guess I shorted myself about 20 cents per lb. Good thing it was only a half. The only good thing about it is I work with the guys I sold it too and I get to remind them daily of how they pretty stole that beef from me and that I'm a poor lowly farmer. :lol:
In the spring, pick a yearling steer that would otherwise be discounted at the sale barn (for color or some other non desireable trait). Turn it back out on grass with the cows until Aug 1. Around Aug 1, bring it back in when we take the bulls away from the cows. Feed it with the bulls starting out slow and building to about 10 lbs of a 12-13% grain per day. Around Sept 1 we bring him into the small lot behind the barn to keep him from running around much, keeping him off grass, and so we can feed him extra. Start ramping up his feed until he gets to around 25-30lbs per day. Do this for about 60 days. Nov 1 (about 30 days before slaughter) switch him over to straight corn. Butcher around Dec 1.
This usually gets them plenty fat for us. Usually they end up between 1100 and 1200 lbs. Quarters dress out around 350 lbs. Our butcher lets them hang for a minimum of 14 days, usually around 17-18. I charged $1.45 per lb for the half I just sold, plus the processor charges 42 cents for processing. So, the guys I sold to got theirs for $1.87/lb total. I talked to the guy at the butcher shop and he told me I sold it too cheap. The going rate in this area is $1.55/lb for a front quarter and $1.75 for a rear quarter. I guess I shorted myself about 20 cents per lb. Good thing it was only a half. The only good thing about it is I work with the guys I sold it too and I get to remind them daily of how they pretty stole that beef from me and that I'm a poor lowly farmer. :lol:
Bill Elliott
Well-known member
I'm fairly new at this also but finished out our first "steers" (Gilbeivh) last winter. Since it was for personal consumption and I wanted to keep the colesterol content of the beef "relatively" low, I started feeding out when they were one year old...feed them for about 100 days. They had been grass feed for first year. Put them in feed corral for final 100 days and fed them 12% calf feed. They didn't weigh as much as I had hoped but I really didn't care since it was for me. One weighted 875 and the other 825. Bottom line we put 563lbs of beef in the freezer. We liked the quality of the meat and everyone who has eaten it also likes the quality. Of course when compared to what you get in the supermarket....no comparison.
I'm feeding out a Angus steer now and going to sell whole for $1.60 or $1.70 per pound. Butcher going to charge $.42 per pound to process and package. Expect it to hang out at about 700lbs...age for 2 weeks.
bottom line....I'll never buy "store" beef again. best of luck..Bill
I'm feeding out a Angus steer now and going to sell whole for $1.60 or $1.70 per pound. Butcher going to charge $.42 per pound to process and package. Expect it to hang out at about 700lbs...age for 2 weeks.
bottom line....I'll never buy "store" beef again. best of luck..Bill
plbcattle":1rhxw5h4 said:
You know I think I am going to get a rep for this comment - we do nothing!
Heck I probably already have it. :lol:
I do not know if you have tried it - but we now take the fella's we plan to finish and throw them in a decent pasture and grass finish them - our customers really like them and so do we - there is definitely a different taste, but the fat content is good and the meat is tender.
Whatever you do - at least try one for yourself. If you want to top it off with a couple pounds of corn for the last month or so - go right ahead - it does seem to give them a bit of a boost.
Generally we throw them out to pasture around 15 June and haul them off to kill in mid to late August.
regards,
Bez!
i heard a bunch of hype about grass fattened, so i put an angus steer out on the pasture (irrigated) and left him there till he got good and chubby he weighed about 800 at turnout don't recall the kill weight but seems he was around 1100 something. Dang i didn't like eating him, ornery tasting fellow I finally gave the rest of the meat to a californian and felt bad about it (poor californian). I am a little picky, for the record. Did feed out a SimAngus steer that was everything i could have hoped for fed him out slow he was 2 1/2 when we killed him and he ate alot of corn towards the end and only about 3# daily for the prior 6 months he was heavenly tasting. Good luck.
farmer4620
Well-known member
12 lbs of corn, 1 lb 38% pellets, 1 lb SBM, and .25 lbs potassium mineral mix with 10 lbs of silage and 5 lbs of oat hay honestly best meat ive ever had but also can tell a difference between each calf so its in genetics to
Susie David
Well-known member
We finish a bit on the lean side to cater to a niche market.
When the steer is near 1000# depending on breed and 18 months old we start 90 days out supplimenting cracked corn in the diet usually about five pounds a day for two weeks. They are in the finishing pen and are getting 20-25 pounds of alfalfa per day, then we increase the corn gradually and cut back on the alfalfa so that they are getting 15 pounds of corn and 10-15 pounds of hay per day. We manage to get the marbling without excess back and KPH fat...works for us.
DMc
When the steer is near 1000# depending on breed and 18 months old we start 90 days out supplimenting cracked corn in the diet usually about five pounds a day for two weeks. They are in the finishing pen and are getting 20-25 pounds of alfalfa per day, then we increase the corn gradually and cut back on the alfalfa so that they are getting 15 pounds of corn and 10-15 pounds of hay per day. We manage to get the marbling without excess back and KPH fat...works for us.
DMc
Craig-TX
Well-known member
Bez!":2l7anj3d said:
Count me in with you Bez. We eat them straight off the pasture and momma's teat. Some grain at the end will not hurt any but it's generally not worth the time and trouble to me. Aging definitely helps with the tenderness. Maybe it's because I was raised on grass finished beef but IMO the grain is not necessary for a good tasting steak.
