Just startin out

[dmack]

We are about to buy our first place, 10 acres and never have raised cattle. What would be the best breed to get and how many? I figure not to get a bull but AI. I'm looking to make a minimal profit, I have a full time job. Any advice would be appreciate. Thanks

 

[D.R. Cattle]

With 10 acres you can probably forget about much profit, but you can have fun and good beef for the freezer! You will receive hundreds of opinions on what is the best breed. You should determine a few things to narrow down the answers. You should probably start with 1 or 2 bred cows and see where it goes from there. Make sure you build some sort of corral with a chute to handle and load with.

What climate do the cattle need to thrive in?
What is your intention of your herd?
What will you do with the offspring?

 

[Frankie]

You should check with your local Extension office for info on what the carrying rate of cattle per acre is in your area. The differences in rainfall, type of grass, temperatures, etc., will make a big difference in how many cattle you can run. Is it improved grass or native? Good luck...

 

[Ellie May]

One you forgot DR Cattle. If you want to chase them around or call them to get them up.
Otherwise I agree!

Ellie May

:cboy:

 

[Anonymous]

WITH 10 ACRES YOU WON'T MAKE MUCH PROFIT. MY PLACE IS ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS YOURS AND I HAVE FOUR COWS AND A BULL. I HAVE A BRAFORD, BLACK BALDY, HERFORD, AND ONE MIX BRED COW. THE BULL IS A REGISTERED BLACK BRANGUS. THREE OF THE OF THE CALVES COVER MY FEED, HAY, RYE GRASS SEEDS, ROUND-UP, TRACTOR MAINTANENCE, FERTILIZER, AND MISC EXPENSES. THE FOURTH CALF GIVES US A LITTLE VACATION, OR CHRISTMAS MONEY.

WHEN I STARTED BUYING , I BOUGHT BRED COWS THAT I FOUND GOOD DEALS ON, BUT I'M PARTIAL TO THE BRAFORD.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT COST TO AI , BUT IF A COW DOESN'T TAKE, YOU MAY NOT KNOW FOR A WHILE. WITH A BULL ON THE PLACE HE WILL SAVE YOU SOME LOST TIME,AND IT'S CONVENIENT, BUT THE DRAW BACK TO HAVING A BULL IN A SMALL OPERATION IS HE IS TAKING UP A SPOT FOR ANOTHER COW. IT'S UP TO YOU.

 

[Colin Chevalley]

Good on you for having a go. You will get some snide comments about the small acreage. All the replies so far are great and I agree with them. I wouldn't worry about a bull just buy a couple of bred cows. I wouldn't hesitate buying South Devon they are very very docile and easy to manage,they weigh well. Just depends where you live. If you live in a colder area yes SDs are the way to go. If you are from a hot place try Brahman
Never mind keep asking questions from every one them make up your own mind.
Colin

 

[Anonymous]

I wound not buy a bull, I would rent/lease as needed. It should be easy enought to find a Black Angus,polled Hereford,or Brangus and rent/lease him for about 250$ a season (four months).....If you do not plan on keeping replacement heifers, then your bull should last 7 to ten years(breeding years).With that in mind at a cost of 1500$ plus yearly feed and the fact that he (the bull) could died or go infertial, I think leasing is the best way to go. It is a little more trouble but if you raise health cattle with A good vaccanation plan and worming, then you should not have any problems finding health high quality Bulls. I have done this several times, with great success. Also if you don not like the calves or decide you like another breed better you can change Bulls next year.....ALF.........

 

[eric]

Dmack...sounds like your situation mirrors mine. I have 18 acres here in N Tx, and I have 4 cows and 2 calves. I wouldnt considering buying a bull for my small herd, especially since he probably would eat as much as 2 of my cows do, and I would have to keep him seperated when he is not breeding (see the post about the herd invader). The man I bought my cows from is bringing his Angus bull back over next month for breeding, and if that doesnt work out, I have a few neighbors whom I could lease a bull from. That makes more economical sense to me than housing, feeding and vaccinating a bull yr round just to bred 4 cows.
I have only found one person around here to talk to about the AI'ing, and it seems like alot of trouble unless you do the cow thing for a living. He told me you need to watch closely for signs of heat, be ready 12 hrs after they go in heat, have everything ready and hope it all goes right! He suggested for me it would be much less hassle to just run the bull with the cows for a couple months.
Good luck, I dont regret having cows one bit, as my family and I have gotten immense pleasure from just watching them and feeding them and having them around. And keep in touch with this board, everything there is to know about cattle can be found on this forum, or so it seems at least!

Where are you at in N E Tx?

 

[txag]

I wound not buy a bull, I would rent/lease as needed. It should be easy enought to find a Black Angus,polled Hereford,or Brangus and rent/lease him for about 250$ a season (four months).....If you do not plan on keeping replacement heifers, then your bull should last 7 to ten years(breeding years).With that in mind at a cost of 1500$ plus yearly feed and the fact that he (the bull) could died or go infertial, I think leasing is the best way to go. It is a little more trouble but if you raise health cattle with A good vaccanation plan and worming, then you should not have any problems finding health high quality Bulls. I have done this several times, with great success. Also if you don not like the calves or decide you like another breed better you can change Bulls next year.....ALF.........

i guess these suggestions kind of go along w/the fencing post regarding neighbors & fencing & keeping unwanted bulls out. we don't do it often and we only do it for neighbors we know well & have good relationships with, but we have loaned out bulls in the past. just as easy to let them feed them through the summer & winter (we use them in the spring) as for us to. now, one of the neighbors no longer runs cows so we are leasing his place (no rent for the last two years because we rebuilt the perimeter fence) while another has since bought a bull from us. good relationships usually pay off in more ways than one and can benefit both sides.