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Needing lots of advice please
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<blockquote data-quote="IluvABbeef" data-source="post: 575922" data-attributes="member: 3739"><p>A lot of excellent advice thus far. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Now here's my two cents: Starting out with roping sized calves (someone mentioned ~275 lbs @ 3 months of age) is a bit too small. If you purchase a couple 500 to 600 lb calves (they'd be just weaned at 6 months), particularly steers, that is the best to get you on the road. If you alone are going to butcher them I wouldn't worry much about the breed, other than what does well down in your area. Brahman-based breeds might be a bit too much for you, so the british-continental crossbreds might be your best bet for getting good BBQ beef (I recommend the yellow-white face crossbreds. ;-) I've had experience with raising these steers up north here and they go great on grass, as well as hay if it's of good quality and is supplemented with ground-up oats or corn or even barley.) </p><p></p><p>The "blocks" that are mentioned on this board at times are salt licks, where salt, mineral, and sometimes anti-bloating agents are packed together into a solid block that the cattle lick. Most folks on here don't like using blocks though for mineral consumption because the cattle just lick and lick at it but really they don't get much out of it. The loose salt (that comes in bags, or stuff you can rig up yourself) is better for cattle to get adequate mineral in their diet.</p><p></p><p>As for grain versus grass, that is a controversial topic among cattle folks. The conventional feedlot folks use 85% grain-based diet with 15% forage to finish slaughter cattle to get that white fat and tender beef with the type of marbling that most consumers love to see when they buy a steak or roast at the grocery store. Grass-fed beef however gives the yellow-fat from the nutrient carotin that comes from a primarily grass-based diet. I've heard different opinions that the beef is more leaner and (I think) a little less tender than grain-finished beef, and the marbling isn't as much as grain-finished either. A bit of a discussion I started here: <a href="http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43566" target="_blank">viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43566</a> . I don't want to hi-jack this thread so I'll end it here (if you want to ask more on this I'd start another topic to see if you can get some more fur flying. ;-) )</p><p></p><p>And I agree with what the rest had to say about starting up; fencing, facilities, water, grass and hay, etc.</p><p></p><p>Good luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="IluvABbeef, post: 575922, member: 3739"] A lot of excellent advice thus far. :) Now here's my two cents: Starting out with roping sized calves (someone mentioned ~275 lbs @ 3 months of age) is a bit too small. If you purchase a couple 500 to 600 lb calves (they'd be just weaned at 6 months), particularly steers, that is the best to get you on the road. If you alone are going to butcher them I wouldn't worry much about the breed, other than what does well down in your area. Brahman-based breeds might be a bit too much for you, so the british-continental crossbreds might be your best bet for getting good BBQ beef (I recommend the yellow-white face crossbreds. ;-) I've had experience with raising these steers up north here and they go great on grass, as well as hay if it's of good quality and is supplemented with ground-up oats or corn or even barley.) The "blocks" that are mentioned on this board at times are salt licks, where salt, mineral, and sometimes anti-bloating agents are packed together into a solid block that the cattle lick. Most folks on here don't like using blocks though for mineral consumption because the cattle just lick and lick at it but really they don't get much out of it. The loose salt (that comes in bags, or stuff you can rig up yourself) is better for cattle to get adequate mineral in their diet. As for grain versus grass, that is a controversial topic among cattle folks. The conventional feedlot folks use 85% grain-based diet with 15% forage to finish slaughter cattle to get that white fat and tender beef with the type of marbling that most consumers love to see when they buy a steak or roast at the grocery store. Grass-fed beef however gives the yellow-fat from the nutrient carotin that comes from a primarily grass-based diet. I've heard different opinions that the beef is more leaner and (I think) a little less tender than grain-finished beef, and the marbling isn't as much as grain-finished either. A bit of a discussion I started here: [url=http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43566]viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43566[/url] . I don't want to hi-jack this thread so I'll end it here (if you want to ask more on this I'd start another topic to see if you can get some more fur flying. ;-) ) And I agree with what the rest had to say about starting up; fencing, facilities, water, grass and hay, etc. Good luck! [/QUOTE]
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