New to beef cows

[cmunsell]

Glad to be here - lots of great info I have learned so far from the board.

Bought ~24 acres near Flatonia,TX so that my young boys (1.5 and 3) could get out of town and be boys. Seeing how much they already eat I decided to add a few beef cows to the yard art/ag exemption livestock.

Bought 2 heifer calves last month and plan to add 2 more in the winter with the goal of selling 3 calves and eating one every year once they start making calves of their own.

Looking forward to learning a lot along the way. Currently have one black brangus type calf and one gert calf. Will be adding 2 more brangus cross calves in the winter.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Welcome
Had three flats at one time in Flatonia about dark one evening. Have no clue what I hit. I live geographically two weeks from anywhere, I am not sure y'all are on the continent.

 

[1982vett]

Lol... in that case, I must be in the middle of nowhere since I'm between you two... sort of.

 

[Rafter S]

Welcome. Always good to see another Texan here. I'm not too far from you; I'm between Hempstead and Navasota.

By the way, you might want to re-think your plan. Raising and calving out heifers isn't the ideal situation for people new to cattle. I'd suggest selling whatever calves you don't butcher and buying an older bred cow. You can always get heifers a few years down the road when you have more experience.

 

[abrams1997]

Rafter S, I saw you comment about buying a bred cow vs raising calves...is that because a heifer's first calf is more dangerous for her or something?

just like Cmunsell, I am brand new on the board. I bought a seven acre cow pasture and displace a bunch of cows in 2019. Been talking with that heard owner regularly ever since. Well bought the parcel next to me and then the parcel behind me and have really displaced this guys heard. (He runs about 1000 head on a bunch of parcels around the area). We watched two mommas give birth outside the windows of our campers and those two mommas and one of the baby heifers (she is 1.5 yrs now and ready to breed) come to our calling and let us pet them and eat out of our hands. My neighbor cow guy is going to sell those three heifers (one has a nursing bull calf) to us.
My question is could that bull calf be left a bull and left in the herd to breed back? I am looking to keep just 3 mommas and beef the babies going forward...fully grass fed on ~13 acres of awesome grass in Georgia. Just trying to figure out the breeding question and if that bull can just stay in the herd as "line-breeding" then that would be good...if he works out.
Thanks

 

[Dsth]

welcome to the board. I like to see people moving from the city out to the country. I think it is the best place to raise a family. good luck with your cattle and hope the whole family enjoys your new lifestyle.

 

[abrams1997]

welcome to the board. I like to see people moving from the city out to the country. I think it is the best place to raise a family. good luck with your cattle and hope the whole family enjoys your new lifestyle.

Yes, loving "country" living. We moved from a county in NW Metro Atlanta that, over 10 years, became a bedroom community and turned into the worst of suburbia. We started looking for a small horse farm too late and any 5acre lot and above that was pastured and had a home big enough for a family of 6 started in the $700k. We moved 50 miles out towards Athens, GA, but it seems the million new Atlantans followed us. Our 20 acres is quickly getting surrounded by neighborhoods already. Luckily we are in a block of "farmers" that make up about 150 acres in our little corner of roads . Wish I had done it sooner. My kids were all already teens when we got here 2 years ago. I am wanting to learn the need industry for when my serious horse riders are gone and my Bride and I move further out or stay here with unused acreage! I love it already.
I literally know nothing about cows except two of these heifers have had ~4 calves each and they are already 100% grass fed (except hay in winter cause he has too many cows and they eat the grass way down). My 6 acre pasture with 2 horses is mowed all the way into December.
Love the treasure trove here. Spend my quiet mornings reading since I found this site this weekend.