Need help fattening a few bulls in Pakistan!

[DanMan]

Hello Everyone! (Sorry for the long story)

I have a small farm in Pakistan and recently (23rd December, 2015) bought 7 male bulls (Sahiwal breed) from a local cattle market. I believe all are more than 1 year old. I do not have an electronic or mechanical scale, however by my very rough guess they range between 200-300 kilos (440-660 lbs). I am not sure why the weigh so little, however almost all 1 year old cattle are about this size here (except for the recently introduced Holstein - doesn't do too well in the heat though).

I have bought them to take good care of them and fatten them for selling at the religious festival of Eid (September this year), where animals are sacrificed to feed family, friends and the needy. Although Pakistan does not have a developed meat market (no premium cuts/grading, quality doesn't give you a price premium) people do pay a premium for good looking/big animals when buying for Eid. That gives me a little more than 7 months to fatten the animals.

Now I am not sure whether the animals weight so little due just to inadequate feeding or also due to limited genetic potential. Therefore I am not sure whether I should spend money on feeding them a high-corn based diet (practically unheard of here), because if the genetics of Sahiwal (Bos Indicus) are poor for size and gains, maybe all the feed might go to waste. However the weight gains might be that low because of the lack of education of most cattle owners. For example one of the cattle caretakers (dude in 3rd pic standing in cattle trough laughing) at my farm told me that there is no feed as good as wheat straw (practically zero nutrition, I believe) for cattle. Laughable, I know.


To cut the long story short please advise me on:

1. Should I feed my bulls a high corn based diet?
2. If so, how much does a bull eat? (I see anywhere from 1.0-4.0% of live body weight in DM each day).
3. If not, will feeding them wheat straw and berseem/corn fodder do any good?
4. I have thousands of questions, and do not want to bother everyone with them right now. Please have a look at the pictures below and advise me a little. I will take more pictures when I go to the farm today.

THANKS TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCE!

I am attaching some pictures. Not the best angles I know.

The guy who did all the dealing for my cattle purchase (also my gardener ) - His sharpness in the field makes up for his lack of formal education.

 

[M.Magis]

Interesting venture. I don't know enough about feed to make a good suggestion, but are you able to castrate them? Seems like 7 bulls, if confined, are going to spend a lot of time pushing and shoving.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I wish I could help you and answer your questions but I really can't. Someone will come along with some helpful advice.

I do want to thank you for posting your pictures and asking your questions. I enjoyed seeing a part of the world I know I'll never visit.

 

[wbvs58]

The cattle in the photos all seem healthy enough and have a bit of frame. I am sure you could get a lot of weight on them feeding a corn based ration. The wheat straw would be very usefull to feed along with the corn ration. I would think feeding the corn ration at about 2-2.5% body weight would put a lot of weight on. My main consideration would be what people are prepared to pay for the live animal that would be a lot heavier than the norm.
Interesting scenario and questions, welcome to the forum.
Something similar happens with a lot of brahman type cattle in northern Australia. They are exported live at feeder weights to Indonesia where they are feedlotted then slaughtered and the meat sold fresh in "wet markets". I think the feeding is only for a couple of months rather than have them fat as they are mainly after lean meat in the markets and the actual cut of meat is not that important.
Ken

 

[True Grit Farms]

Pork trimmings fried crisp in bacon grease with cornbread should do the trick.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Pork trimmings fried crisp in bacon grease with cornbread should do the trick.

+1. Only way to fatten them.

 

[Bigfoot]

Cracklin cornbread should fatten bout anything. Been a cold snap here this week. Be about perfect hog killin weather.

 

[fenceman]

Some things wrong with your gardener. What's he smoking?

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm quit certain this is a joke, but even if it's not, it's the funniest thing that's been on CT in a while. I love the caption on the gardner.

 

[Bigfoot]

One of em is getting ski foot. Bound to be getting some starch somewhere.

 

[msplmtneer]

Howdy and :welcome: to the board :tiphat:

 

[Alan]

Any guesses to who this really is?

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm glad this thread got some traffic today. It takes a lot. I mean a lot. To make me laugh out loud. I laughed for 30 minutes at the comment about the cattle buyer. I don't know why I thought it was so funny.

 

[M-5]

yall might be surprised. This could be real. ya know the interweb is worldwide now

 

[True Grit Farms]

I find it hard to believe how calm Bos Tarus Indicus breed is over there. I guess the people are the crazy ones not the Brahman cattle.

 

[ga.prime]

Any guesses to who this really is?

DanMan from Pakistan.

 

[M-5]

http://pk.singlemuslim.com/danman

 

[ga.prime]

Aye, chihuahua.

 

[DanMan]

Interesting venture. I don't know enough about feed to make a good suggestion, but are you able to castrate them? Seems like 7 bulls, if confined, are going to spend a lot of time pushing and shoving.

I'll probably keep them tied if they make a ruckus being open. As for castration, I believe its late now.

I wish I could help you and answer your questions but I really can't. Someone will come along with some helpful advice.

I do want to thank you for posting your pictures and asking your questions. I enjoyed seeing a part of the world I know I'll never visit.

Thank you very much for replying And you shouldn't really say you'll never visit. We have our fair share of natural beauty and believe me, don't believe everything the media shows you. 99.999% of the people here are very friendly and hospitable to foreigners.

The cattle in the photos all seem healthy enough and have a bit of frame. I am sure you could get a lot of weight on them feeding a corn based ration. The wheat straw would be very usefull to feed along with the corn ration. I would think feeding the corn ration at about 2-2.5% body weight would put a lot of weight on. My main consideration would be what people are prepared to pay for the live animal that would be a lot heavier than the norm.
Interesting scenario and questions, welcome to the forum.
Something similar happens with a lot of brahman type cattle in northern Australia. They are exported live at feeder weights to Indonesia where they are feedlotted then slaughtered and the meat sold fresh in "wet markets". I think the feeding is only for a couple of months rather than have them fat as they are mainly after lean meat in the markets and the actual cut of meat is not that important.
Ken

Thank you for your valuable technical input sir. Much appreciated

Pork trimmings fried crisp in bacon grease with cornbread should do the trick.

Would you be kind enough to be my supplier?

Some things wrong with your gardener. What's he smoking?

Regular tobacco cigarette. This was a candid photo, without him knowing it was being taken. He was talking to a friend and I snapped the picture mid-expression.

I'm quit certain this is a joke, but even if it's not, it's the funniest thing that's been on CT in a while. I love the caption on the gardner.

Not a joke. Glad you were entertained though

One of em is getting ski foot. Bound to be getting some starch somewhere.

Is that actually a real condition?

Howdy and :welcome: to the board :tiphat:

Thank you sir :tiphat:

yall might be surprised. This could be real. ya know the interweb is worldwide now

Very real

I find it hard to believe how calm Bos Tarus Indicus breed is over there. I guess the people are the crazy ones not the Brahman cattle.

These are Bos Indicus, not Bos Taurus. They are pretty calm. And believe me the absolute majority of people here are very friendly and hospitable.

http://pk.singlemuslim.com/danman

Not me

Any guesses to who this really is?

DanMan from Pakistan.

Yes. Infact I just graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2015



Adding some pictures I took today.

 

[Alan]

http://pk.singlemuslim.com/danman

:lol: someone has too much free time this morning