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bscattle said:
Thank you for your replies, you gave me a lot to think about and discuss with the others that want to take part in this adventure if you will.. I will try to answer some of your questions.
* Location: Northeastern part of Oklahoma (Ochelata, OK/Washington County)
* We have 10 acres that we need to finish fencing. We have the t-posts, but we will need to get the barb wire. We are aware that we cannot start this without putting money into it.
* We will brush hog the 10 acres, I do believe that there is Bermuda grass under all the weeds along with some other grasses. I have no doubt that I can get the grass to grow if we can keep the weeds mowed down.
* My boyfriend has a friend that has 3 brangus calves, he said that he would let us have them for $500 per head.
* I have express to my boyfriend and our friends that I think it would be a good idea to visit some local sale barns to see what breeds are going for at the best prices.
* I am aware of what it takes to take care of livestock, I have 2 horses. I know its a lot of hard work.
* I have relative that use to raise red angus in Colorado, we are friend on FB and she would talk about all the work she had to do especially during winter - and she used horses to do the round up and go check on calves in the middle of winter etc...
* Water source - 2 ponds on the 10 acres -
*There is a barn where we can store hay
* I have a truck and trailer
* The vet that I use for my horses also does cattle and owns them himself.
* the heifers and the bull calf all come from the same bull

So from what I am understand we need to figure out what kind of operation do we want to do:
Do we want to get calves raise them and feed them to take to slaughter, then buy more calves and repeat the process?
Do we want to get the 2 heifers, get another bull - and after all are of breeding age let the heifers have calves - wean the calves to take to slaughter while breeding the cows again until they are no longer breeding age... which is a cow herd, right?

During the winter I think most people around where we live try to sustain their cattle on their pasture and hay. But I do understand that depending on pasture that you may need to feed grain of some sort... correct?

I hope my reply has helped you to help me... if not I will try to answer more of your questions.
Again, thank you for your replies, they have given us a lot of things to think about.
Click to expand...
Washington County! That's where I am!.......wait.......wrong state........I'm in Ohio. 😝 At least they both start with "O".
It's good to see you have put some thought into this, have some experience, and you also have some support/mentors. There are members here that will help you all they can. Just continue to ask.
As for which kind of operation you want, either buy calves and take them to slaughter or have an operation with cows that you calve and raise the calves to the point of taking them to slaughter is up to you. My thoughts (and I personally don't own any livestock, but I play a different role in the 'process') would be that you start by buying some calves and raising them to slaughter. This is probably the simplest operation, will allow you to avoid some expenses and pitfalls you might encounter otherwise with a cow calf operation, and will allow you to produce more beef per acre in a shorter amount of time.
Let's assume you are going to start with the simpler operation and buy and raise calves for slaughter and not for breeding. One of the first things you will want to do is band/castrate the bull calves, but you might let them adjust to the new pasture for a few days after getting them. Lower stress levels on the calves I think. Someone else with ownership experience might have a different thought.
As for the pasture and ponds, that would be the 'grazing plan' which is more my cup of tea, but I'm not on site so there is information I need to make recommendations that you might know, but I wouldn't expect you to know yet. That being how many acres of the property that you are grazing is required to grow enough forage to feed a single AU (Animal Unit = 1,000 lb of live animal weight). Knowing that allows someone to determine carrying capacity/how many animals of a certain size you can put on the property without eating the forage faster than it grows and ultimately making the animals go hungry/not gain weight or starve and turning the property into a mud pit or dust bowl. I would also suggest that you construct a fence around the ponds on the property to give the animals a limited access point to the ponds to drink if watering directly out of the ponds in order to maintain and preserve water quality. I also suggest that you sub-divide the 10 acres into smaller pastures that you rotate the animals through. Contact your local NRCS office and seek their help on carrying capacity, fencing the ponds/watering and the rotation system. These 3 items here are part of the foundation of what will be your livestock operation. I'll say something here that will make more sense in time, but might sound puzzling right now. If you want to raise cattle, you are committing to managing grass, and not so much managing the animals themselves. The animals themselves are a tool you use to manage the grass.
 
At $500.00, I think most everyone here would grab them in a heartbeat. That being said, they would plan on growing them for market without seeing them, and not plan on them for breeding them. They might evaluate them over time to see if they might make fair/good breeding stock, but that would not be the initial plan.
 
bscattle said:
Good afternoon,
I joined this forum because my boyfriend and I along with another couple that we are friends with are talking about getting into the cattle business. Nothing big just raising a small herd for beef.

My boyfriend knows a guy that has three brangus calves…. 2 heifers and 1 bull calf that he would sell to us when they are weaned to help us get started. The couple that we are partnering with has 10 acres. It needs to be brush hogged and it needs to be fenced.

So if you have any advice for beginners please do not hesitate to throw my way. Especially when it comes to raising brangus calves.

Thank you in advanced!
Click to expand...
I'm not familiar with Brangus calves as we raise Angus. I found that calves are experts at going through the fence, so dont get cheap on the number of strands of wire. If you have shelter with access to fresh water and a feeder you have a good start. the quality of your pasture after brush hogging will determine if you need supplemental feed until the pasture produces. your local area may have weeds or browse that can be a problem for calves. check with locals on that. Like someone mentioned, 10 aces in your area may not be enough to raise the three calves to market weight and supplementing feed with hay can be expensive and limit any return on investment. If you are raising for your own beef consumption, you may be competitive with the final costs versus buying beef at a retail store, however you will know what you are eating.
 
bscattle said:
Thank you for your replies, you gave me a lot to think about and discuss with the others that want to take part in this adventure if you will.. I will try to answer some of your questions.
* Location: Northeastern part of Oklahoma (Ochelata, OK/Washington County)
* We have 10 acres that we need to finish fencing. We have the t-posts, but we will need to get the barb wire. We are aware that we cannot start this without putting money into it.
* We will brush hog the 10 acres, I do believe that there is Bermuda grass under all the weeds along with some other grasses. I have no doubt that I can get the grass to grow if we can keep the weeds mowed down.
* My boyfriend has a friend that has 3 brangus calves, he said that he would let us have them for $500 per head.
* I have express to my boyfriend and our friends that I think it would be a good idea to visit some local sale barns to see what breeds are going for at the best prices.
* I am aware of what it takes to take care of livestock, I have 2 horses. I know its a lot of hard work.
* I have relative that use to raise red angus in Colorado, we are friend on FB and she would talk about all the work she had to do especially during winter - and she used horses to do the round up and go check on calves in the middle of winter etc...
* Water source - 2 ponds on the 10 acres -
*There is a barn where we can store hay
* I have a truck and trailer
* The vet that I use for my horses also does cattle and owns them himself.
* the heifers and the bull calf all come from the same bull

So from what I am understand we need to figure out what kind of operation do we want to do:
Do we want to get calves raise them and feed them to take to slaughter, then buy more calves and repeat the process?
Do we want to get the 2 heifers, get another bull - and after all are of breeding age let the heifers have calves - wean the calves to take to slaughter while breeding the cows again until they are no longer breeding age... which is a cow herd, right?

During the winter I think most people around where we live try to sustain their cattle on their pasture and hay. But I do understand that depending on pasture that you may need to feed grain of some sort... correct?

I hope my reply has helped you to help me... if not I will try to answer more of your questions.
Again, thank you for your replies, they have given us a lot of things to think about.
Click to expand...
I should have read you post before I replied, it appears you have the experience in large animals and interested in learning how 10 acres will work for you, good luck and have fun at it.
 
bscattle said:
That's your advice? :unsure:
Click to expand...
Dang good advice too!!
I have been doing this over half a century get you fences and handling facilities in order before you unload the first cow.
Even if there pets they will kill you trying to doctor one.
If all you got is ten acres you're not going in the cattle business.
Buy you three or four feeder's to raise out for slaughter.
 
Brute 23 said:
That is very odd that they will sell the calves for $500. That's half the actual value. Red flag.
Click to expand...
I agree... We need good pictures.

In the advice vein... it's critical to have some kind of holding facility for your animals. A small corral with stout posts and good, high walls that will contain animals to be worked, medicated, or loaded, or just held until they are acclimated to their new home.
 
bscattle said:
Thank you for your replies, you gave me a lot to think about and discuss with the others that want to take part in this adventure if you will.. I will try to answer some of your questions.
* Location: Northeastern part of Oklahoma (Ochelata, OK/Washington County)
* We have 10 acres that we need to finish fencing. We have the t-posts, but we will need to get the barb wire. We are aware that we cannot start this without putting money into it.
* We will brush hog the 10 acres, I do believe that there is Bermuda grass under all the weeds along with some other grasses. I have no doubt that I can get the grass to grow if we can keep the weeds mowed down.
* My boyfriend has a friend that has 3 brangus calves, he said that he would let us have them for $500 per head.
* I have express to my boyfriend and our friends that I think it would be a good idea to visit some local sale barns to see what breeds are going for at the best prices.
* I am aware of what it takes to take care of livestock, I have 2 horses. I know its a lot of hard work.
* I have relative that use to raise red angus in Colorado, we are friend on FB and she would talk about all the work she had to do especially during winter - and she used horses to do the round up and go check on calves in the middle of winter etc...
* Water source - 2 ponds on the 10 acres -
*There is a barn where we can store hay
* I have a truck and trailer
* The vet that I use for my horses also does cattle and owns them himself.
* the heifers and the bull calf all come from the same bull

So from what I am understand we need to figure out what kind of operation do we want to do:
Do we want to get calves raise them and feed them to take to slaughter, then buy more calves and repeat the process?
Do we want to get the 2 heifers, get another bull - and after all are of breeding age let the heifers have calves - wean the calves to take to slaughter while breeding the cows again until they are no longer breeding age... which is a cow herd, right?

During the winter I think most people around where we live try to sustain their cattle on their pasture and hay. But I do understand that depending on pasture that you may need to feed grain of some sort... correct?

I hope my reply has helped you to help me... if not I will try to answer more of your questions.
Again, thank you for your replies, they have given us a lot of things to think about.
Click to expand...
Given all of this you stated above, I agree with @Warren Allison and @Mark Reynolds . Your best bet, and the easiest and least expensive route, is to buy those calves and raise them to slaughter. But get the guy you are buying them from to cut the bull calf now. If you buy weaned calves each spring, and slaughter them each fall, then you wont have to worry much about hay in the winter. If y'all are just adamant about raising a calf, then don't buy your buddy's calves.

Instead buy a couple of bred cows, and you can experience the birthing and raising of the babies. Sell them as pairs when the calves are 2-3 months old and buy some more bred cows. Breeding and raising your own beef to eat is a losing proposition. You can always buy one to raise and eat a lot cheaper than you can breed a cow, birth the calf, and raise it to slaughter size. And you can always ( people on here may tell you different, but it just ain't so) buy as good or better replacement heifers, or brood cows, cheaper than you can raise one.

Given what you said above, y'all can be ready for cattle in a weekend. All you have to do is finish the fencing. You can bush hog with cattle in the pasture, and 10 acres won't even take a whole Saturday to do. I wouldn't even count that as something that needs to be done to get ready. About the only thing I see missing from your list, is a pen or corral or something. Do you have corral panels you use as a round pen for the horses? You can make a suitable holding area with them. If you do get those calves from the buddy, you'd want to keep them in a pen for a week and feed them sweet feed, before you turned them loose on 10 acres with just barbed wire fencing.

Or, there is a third option, and y'all have the perfect set up with those 10 acres, barn etc. Pay attention to what @MurraysMutts does. Go back and read all of his threads, You could buy a couple of "Bessies", breed them each year and buy 3 more calves for each during the year, You can experience breeding and raising your own calves, plus grow out 6-8 calves each year to eat or sell.

Tell me about your horses. What kind and what do you do with them?
 
10 acres you say and in which State Oklahoma? Thats not exactly lush grassland is it? Correct me if I am wrong. That's simply not enough to do anything other than keeping a couple head of cattle to sell meat to friends and family. The cost of fencing, buying a crush/ squeeze, shute, building a pen to herd them into said crush will be a lot.

You say the land needs clearing? If you want my advice get some low cost electric fencing and buy a few hogs make a makeshift shelter and let the hogs clear the land for you (they do a good job) and see if keeping a few pigs doesn't quell your thirst for keeping cattle. Trust me hogs are soooo much easier and cheaper to keep. (I now I keep a few as a side business in a small paddock as well my cattle business) They take only three- four months to reach slaughter weight from weaners and they're a joy to work with and require no maintenece/ rarely get sick. With ten acres I dare say they'll have almost enough to keep their tummies full perhaps a little pig feed may be needed but not much. Outdoor pigs are all the rage at the moment and with that acreage you could keep a fair few, the meat surpasses everything in the supermarkets all my customers tell me.
 
I agree with what others have said. Fence fence fence...........and a smaller size pen you could lock them in for a while, or if you need to catch and treat them. Buying those 3 calves for what your friend is willing to give them to you is a steal. Go for it, but I would castrate the bull and feed him to an acceptable butcher weight. Don't keep a bull around for 2 heifers/cows.
Ok, so you would have the expense of the fencing, which would be a high original investment, you talk about brushing and then just weeds?! Is it brush which needs to be taken care of with a mulcher and a cat? Or is it just overgrown with grass and weeds?
It always comes back to money. Where would you get your additional feed from, ie hay? Some years you can find that in abundance, but if you look at this year........ it will come with a high price tag if you have to buy. Something to consider.
Another question I just thought of: How far from your or your friends residence are these 10 acres? If you plan on having even only one bred cow......... you or your friend would have to keep your eyes on her before she give birth. Simply wouldn't be feasible or logical to have these 10 acres somewhere away from where either of you are.
Don't know how your winters are, but who will feed in the winter? Always the person which lives there?
Besides all the animal stuff. Let's talk money.
Friends and money........ never a good mix, friendships end, relationships fail ........ if it is 'their' 10 acres, who is going to pay for the fence? Are you prepared to walk out of this with nothing if the plan falls apart? If not, you better write up a contract or something acceptable to everyone involved.
Another point, you were talking about going to the sales barn to see what breed sells best. Oh boy, that's a can of worms where everyone here will have a different opinion I'm sure. Honestly, you will never be able to raise the buyers perfect cattle, because they keep changing their minds on what they like and by the time you have changed your breeding program to what they liked......... they are on to something else. Just make note of what doesn't sell at the sale barn.
I'm absolutely not trying to deter you from having a cow or two with your friends, there is just a lot of pre-work and investment to get to that point in your situation.
Get all of that taken care of, get your few animals, your feed, fall in love with your calves. Perfect world.
And then the phonecall comes, "cows are out", you were just ready to go to a birthday party or a wedding......... cows come first.
You are waiting for your first calf to be born, it's time, the cow needs help. You end up being covered in ****, blood, afterbirth and slime. Ready for that?
It's a commitment. If you do commit......... I promise there will be nice moments too.
 
Mark Reynolds said:
Washington County! That's where I am!.......wait.......wrong state........I'm in Ohio. 😝 At least they both start with "O".
It's good to see you have put some thought into this, have some experience, and you also have some support/mentors. There are members here that will help you all they can. Just continue to ask.
As for which kind of operation you want, either buy calves and take them to slaughter or have an operation with cows that you calve and raise the calves to the point of taking them to slaughter is up to you. My thoughts (and I personally don't own any livestock, but I play a different role in the 'process') would be that you start by buying some calves and raising them to slaughter. This is probably the simplest operation, will allow you to avoid some expenses and pitfalls you might encounter otherwise with a cow calf operation, and will allow you to produce more beef per acre in a shorter amount of time.
Let's assume you are going to start with the simpler operation and buy and raise calves for slaughter and not for breeding. One of the first things you will want to do is band/castrate the bull calves, but you might let them adjust to the new pasture for a few days after getting them. Lower stress levels on the calves I think. Someone else with ownership experience might have a different thought.
As for the pasture and ponds, that would be the 'grazing plan' which is more my cup of tea, but I'm not on site so there is information I need to make recommendations that you might know, but I wouldn't expect you to know yet. That being how many acres of the property that you are grazing is required to grow enough forage to feed a single AU (Animal Unit = 1,000 lb of live animal weight). Knowing that allows someone to determine carrying capacity/how many animals of a certain size you can put on the property without eating the forage faster than it grows and ultimately making the animals go hungry/not gain weight or starve and turning the property into a mud pit or dust bowl. I would also suggest that you construct a fence around the ponds on the property to give the animals a limited access point to the ponds to drink if watering directly out of the ponds in order to maintain and preserve water quality. I also suggest that you sub-divide the 10 acres into smaller pastures that you rotate the animals through. Contact your local NRCS office and seek their help on carrying capacity, fencing the ponds/watering and the rotation system. These 3 items here are part of the foundation of what will be your livestock operation. I'll say something here that will make more sense in time, but might sound puzzling right now. If you want to raise cattle, you are committing to managing grass, and not so much managing the animals themselves. The animals themselves are a tool you use to manage the grass.
Click to expand...
Yes, when I was married to my now ex husband we bought a house with 5 acres 3 of that was for the horses. I split those three acres so I could maintain the wellness of the pasture. I would put my horses on the first pasture for two weeks and then rotate them…. So by the time they are back on pasture 1 it was rested and had time to regrow.

So, I understand what you are saying and agree!
 
bscattle said:
Yes, when I was married to my now ex husband we bought a house with 5 acres 3 of that was for the horses. I split those three acres so I could maintain the wellness of the pasture. I would put my horses on the first pasture for two weeks and then rotate them…. So by the time they are back on pasture 1 it was rested and had time to regrow.

So, I understand what you are saying and agree!
Click to expand...
That's the only way to do it in my opinion. Much more productive and makes for healthier animals.
 
Having common sense about the needs of a large animal is helpful. But, having a horse at the end of a rope is totally different than having a cow/or calf. I've owned and raised both.
It would be silly to pass up a purchase of $500/head (if they are not mini's or sickly), but you should use them for learning and feed them out. That will bring another decision - grass raised and grain finished or grass raised and grass finished. Before you jump on the wagon of grass finished, find someone else that has grass fed beef for sale and buy their best steak. See if you like it before putting a freezer full of meat up. It is actually harder to finish with grass fed vs grain fed. I personally, would never eat/buy grass fed. That's my preference. You and your family/friends need to make that decision.
When you decide you want to do c/c, buy MATURE bred cows nursing their calf. That way, you have calves to wean at 6-8 months of age. You can sell for income, or again, feed them out. The cows are already bred to calf the following year. So, no need to worry about how to get them bred. You will need to line up a bull to rent the following year, 45 days after calving.
I was born and raised in Rhode Island in a city. Left when I was 19, first got into horses for a few years, then into cattle for the past 50+ years. All my city relatives love to visit the farm.
 
You won't make cow-calf on ten acres pencil. I also don't cotton much to being "in business" with someone else without a way out that won't screw me. Go in together on some feeders, split the buying cost and the feed bill, pay your own slaughter fees. Buy three, put two in your respective freezers and sell the third one and split it to get some money back. Those heifers will need to be 15 months old to breed (you'll get varying opinions on that). And yes, that advice on cleaning it up and fencing it and then seeing how you feel is good advice. Livestock of any kind are like a truck you work on as much as you drive. The romantic part is the smallest part. If that's all you're interested in, save the money and buy a steak, a big hat and a movie ticket.
 
Jeanne - Simme Valley said:
Having common sense about the needs of a large animal is helpful. But, having a horse at the end of a rope is totally different than having a cow/or calf. I've owned and raised both.
It would be silly to pass up a purchase of $500/head (if they are not mini's or sickly), but you should use them for learning and feed them out. That will bring another decision - grass raised and grain finished or grass raised and grass finished. Before you jump on the wagon of grass finished, find someone else that has grass fed beef for sale and buy their best steak. See if you like it before putting a freezer full of meat up. It is actually harder to finish with grass fed vs grain fed. I personally, would never eat/buy grass fed. That's my preference. You and your family/friends need to make that decision.
When you decide you want to do c/c, buy MATURE bred cows nursing their calf. That way, you have calves to wean at 6-8 months of age. You can sell for income, or again, feed them out. The cows are already bred to calf the following year. So, no need to worry about how to get them bred. You will need to line up a bull to rent the following year, 45 days after calving.
I was born and raised in Rhode Island in a city. Left when I was 19, first got into horses for a few years, then into cattle for the past 50+ years. All my city relatives love to visit the farm.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but your experience with horses is one reason you became such a successful cattlewoman. I have always said that it is a hell of a lot easier to teach an actor to sing, than it is to teach a singer to act. Reference the god awful Elvis movies. And it is a hell of a lot easier to make a cowboy out of a horseman, than it is to make a horseman out of a cowboy! :)
 
bscattle said:
Yes, when I was married to my now ex husband we bought a house with 5 acres 3 of that was for the horses. I split those three acres so I could maintain the wellness of the pasture. I would put my horses on the first pasture for two weeks and then rotate them…. So by the time they are back on pasture 1 it was rested and had time to regrow.

So, I understand what you are saying and agree!
Click to expand...
I see that you must not have read what @Sthrncwboy said, because you never liked it or answered his question about the horses. You ought to read it, He, like a lot on here, said your best bet was to get the 3 calves. And, if you have the materials already to do it, it ought not to take a weekend for the 4 of you to finish the fencing. Then put some cattle on it., The bush hogging is a non-issue...you can do that with cows on it. And 10 acres? You could start on it after church on Sunday and be done by suppertime. And he alternate plan he suggested, getting a couple of nurse cows and do what @MurraysMutts does is an excellent fit for a 10 acre spread like yours.

What I would do...if I wanted the things you have expressed you wanted, would be to buy those 3 weanlings for $1500. Keep them til the grass is gone in the fall, putting 2 or 3 hundred pounds apiece on them, then sell them. At current market prices, you are looking at $1500-$1600 each. Take that $4800 and put half of it up, Take the other $2400, split with your friends for $1200 a couple. You can buy all the steak and hamburger 2 people can eat in a year for that. About March, take that $2400 you put up and look for a bred Jersey cow to buy,. Or maybe even two. Don't buy a 1st calf heifer. Buy a heavy bred cow carrying her 2nd or subsequent calf. Find out what she is bred to. You don't want a heifer bred to a Charolais or Simmental bull. You want a 2nd- and- up -calf cow bred to say, Angus, or Hereford, Even Brahma. Or even to a Jersey is ok. After she calves, buy 2 or 3 more ( not all at once, stagger them about 3 weeks apart @MurraysMutts can advise you better on this. ) to put on her, AI her using sexed Brahma semen for a Br x Jer heifer,, She will bring you $1500 at weaning.... easy. Your equine vet can AI her no problem. The 2-3 orphans you buy to put on her? You can eat them or sell them or both. If you get 2 cows, you'd have 2-3 calves each....y'all and your partners. This is my opinion on what I would do, but you know what they say about opinions...opinions are like a$$holes: Everybody has one and they all stink!

But seriously, you are a lot more ready to fool with 3 weaned calves than you think you are. Does your bf or partners have any experience with cattle?

Now, what kind of horses do you have and how do you use them? Where do you keep them now?
 

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