Need some help or advice

[mbdexter]

Hello Poeple

To start I am just going to give you some background information:

- I raise either dexter cross cattle or pure dexters. For the most part the bull calves are being sold as freezer beef to to friends or family. I made a mistake last year and my bull calves were neither ringed or castrayed. Now the "boys" are about 13 months old and they are bing finished on grass and hay. They will be hauled to the locker plant in late October or earliy novemebr.

I know people will ask why dexters but they are smaller quite animail and I have always been able to sell every steer I have advertised until this year. My customers are only looking for 250 - 300 pounds of beef per year.

Will the fact that they still have thier balls have any effect on the quality of the meat? They have never bred anything.

As well I have been offerd a two year old bull for a very low price that I was going to buy for strictly for custom kill. This bull has bred two cows? What is your feeling should these cattle be fixed before slaughter?

That would involve a trip to the vet and about a $ 150.00 bill? This is something that I would rather aviod if possible?

Any input would be great!

 

[dun]

Keep them together, feed them out and slaughter them. No need at this date to castrate them.

 

[grannysoo]

Will the fact that they still have thier balls have any effect on the quality of the meat?

Your meat will probably be leaner with these than with steers. To me, that's a good thing. We only butcher bulls.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I agree with dun and grannysoo just a bit leaner meat.

 

[BARNSCOOP]

I slaughtered my herd bull at 27 mths. He had bred a few cows. I pulled him and killed him three months later. He tasted every bit as good as the steer calves I have slaughtered at 12/15/18 months old. Don't worry about the taste of the meat. You'll never know they weren't steers.