New to Feeding Out a Steer - Lots of Questions

[Vannfe]

1. I'm new to this (butchering a steer for the family) and I'm fixing to go the sale on Monday for my first calf. I've heard varying recommendations, but how much (whole, 1/2, or 1/4) of a steer would y'all recommend for a family of 2 (I have a growing teen and we have company/moochers :lol2: over frequently). I was thinking a 1/2, and then finding someone to split the other half with. The idea is for it to last us until we have another calf ready to slaughter. Do you think that will be enough or to much (1/2 steer)?

Which brings me to my next Q...
2. How old/weight (approx) should the calf that I get be to maximize my efforts? So I don't end up with one that's to young, or to old and paying for the extra that I really don't need to pay for now. I really don't want to be bucket feeding a youngin'. I want it ready to start on grass with maybe some grain. It'll be mostly grass fed til the last 90 days. It's also my understanding that since they're herd animals, getting 2 is better than 1. They(it) will be penned next to several horses. We live in the NM desert so I'll be feeding it hay/grass each day winter/spring/summer. Because of the rain this summer, most of our horse hay has all become cow hay, so I have plenty of it.

3. If I get 2, so they have company, how difficult is it to sell a finished out steer? Will I have to run it through the sale again, or just craigslist it? Will I need to send it to the butcher with my other one or just sell the whole thing live?

4. And how big of a pen would you recommend? We have 10 acres, but some of that is allotted for the horses, barn, house, etc. My ideas on pen size may be a bit small since I'm used to seeing the roping calves all penned together, all 30-40 of them.

Thank you!!!

Oh, and breed wise, I'm in Southern NM so I'm guessing I'll be getting an Angus cross of some type. I'm going to the sale on Monday to check everything out. I've been watching the market steer sale prices and I find it odd, but the smaller the calf, the more expensive they are. I would have thought the higher the weight, the more expensive, based on a per lb sale price, but that's not the case. Why is that?

 

[dieselbeef]

search is yer friend....this gets beat to death

 

[Alan]

1. I'm new to this (butchering a steer for the family) and I'm fixing to go the sale on Monday for my first calf. I've heard varying recommendations, but how much (whole, 1/2, or 1/4) of a steer would y'all recommend for a family of 2 (I have a growing teen and we have company/moochers :lol2: over frequently). I was thinking a 1/2, and then finding someone to split the other half with. The idea is for it to last us until we have another calf ready to slaughter. Do you think that will be enough or to much (1/2 steer)?

It's just my wife and I we usually keep a half for us, that will last us about a year. We ended up with a little more than a half with our last steer. Have the sale yard do all your med needs, castrate and worm and vaccs, it will save you a headache.

Which brings me to my next Q...
2. How old/weight (approx) should the calf that I get be to maximize my efforts? So I don't end up with one that's to young, or to old and paying for the extra that I really don't need to pay for now. I really don't want to be bucket feeding a youngin'. I want it ready to start on grass with maybe some grain. It'll be mostly grass fed til the last 90 days. It's also my understanding that since they're herd animals, getting 2 is better than 1. They(it) will be penned next to several horses. We live in the NM desert so I'll be feeding it hay/grass each day winter/spring/summer. Because of the rain this summer, most of our horse hay has all become cow hay, so I have plenty of it.

I would get two, one by itself tends to stress a bit more. I would get at least a 500 to 600 lb calf, that way it's either weaned or old enough to wean.

3. If I get 2, so they have company, how difficult is it to sell a finished out steer? Will I have to run it through the sale again, or just craigslist it? Will I need to send it to the butcher with my other one or just sell the whole thing live?

Either way, why not sell quarters and halves of both? In Oregon you can sell a quarter (half/half) whole or half of an animal. But if the processor is not USDA the quarter, etc. you sell has to be a live animal. So you sell quarter of a live animal, check your state regulations.

4. And how big of a pen would you recommend? We have 10 acres, but some of that is allotted for the horses, barn, house, etc. My ideas on pen size may be a bit small since I'm used to seeing the roping calves all penned together, all 30-40 of them.

Big enough they get to use their muscles .... Exercise

Thank you!!!

Oh, and breed wise, I'm in Southern NM so I'm guessing I'll be getting an Angus cross of some type. I'm going to the sale on Monday to check everything out. I've been watching the market steer sale prices and I find it odd, but the smaller the calf, the more expensive they are. I would have thought the higher the weight, the more expensive, based on a per lb sale price, but that's not the case. Why is that?

 

[Vannfe]

Dieselbeef, I've been doing nothing BUT searching on here since I found this site 3 days ago. I've spent hours on here and have learned a lot. These are my unanswered/unclear questions. And when I use the search engine, most of what I get back isn't a complete answer to my question(s). Perhaps the ones you are referring to are in an archive that I haven't found yet, or maybe I'm just putting in the wrong keyword.

Alan> Thank you very much for your concise responses. You answered my questions and gave me a couple things to research a bit more thoroughly.

 

[Flatbroke]

My family likes beef. My wife and I and two kids 8 and 4 and the college kid when he is home and lots of friends who seem to stop by about dinner time eat two steers a year. Always feed at least two they are herd animals, let them have enough room to roam they can be with horses so the size of your place is fine. They are ready at 1000 lbs but can go up to 1400 depends on the breed the big frames can carry more lbs. The cost per pound of animal is higher when the animal is lighter and goes down as the weight adds up like $2/lb at 300 and $1.1 at 1200 the big cost is feed and it can add up.............what is good about it is this way you know what you are eating.

 

[gonzo]

:welcome: The more grass you got the less feed price you'llhave . You should be fine . :cowboy: :welcome:

 

[Craig Miller]

I think some of the people here believe you can just search anything and get what you want. My experience is that when I search for something that gets beat to death is that the keywords/post are so many that I cant find what Im looking for. We are raising our first steer now and something to consider I did not know before is that our slaughter house only does beef at certain times, hogs at certain times and of course deer. I guess they can only process one kind of meat at a time due to some regulation. SO if you wanted to finish at 1400, and he hits that weight in october for example they couldnt take him until the spring when they swap back to beef so youll have to carry him longer, meaning more feed cost.

 

[Howdyjabo]

If you are having to buy feed in small batches to feed these out- I think you would be money ahead by finding one to buy that someone else has put all the money and time into and have it delivered to the processor for you.

 

[Herdsom1]

search is yer friend....this gets beat to death

Go search then.

 

[MOFarmer2013]

dieselbeef - either help the man out and answer his question or don't reply.... simple as that

 

[bird dog]

I would get a large 800-900 lb open heifer that the regular buyers don't won't. Maybe she is spotted or has a lump or a limp or just ugly. A skinny one would be best. I would also buy a smaller animal to keep her company. Put them on some good feed for 45 days or so and slaughter the large one. I/2 of this animal will probably be enough so sell half if you can. Buy another small one at this time and start the cycle over. leave them on pasture until you see the freezer start to get low and then start the feeding process. Once you have done a couple you will quickly see how many steaks you need and realize how many tougher cuts come on a animal that are better off ground into hamburger. Fajitas and a crock pot will become your friend when it is time to get the final packages out of the freezer.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

I would get a large 800-900 lb open heifer that the regular buyers don't won't. Maybe she is spotted or has a lump or a limp or just ugly. A skinny one would be best. I would also buy a smaller animal to keep her company. Put them on some good feed for 45 days or so and slaughter the large one. I/2 of this animal will probably be enough so sell half if you can. Buy another small one at this time and start the cycle over. leave them on pasture until you see the freezer start to get low and then start the feeding process. Once you have done a couple you will quickly see how many steaks you need and realize how many tougher cuts come on a animal that are better off ground into hamburger. Fajitas and a crock pot will become your friend when it is time to get the final packages out of the freezer.

+1
Might even set your sights a little bigger say 1000#+. Just make sure she's 2years or younger. Should be able to buy those big heifers for under $1.10, if not less and they will usually be half fat. The bigger they are the less per pound and the feedlot buyers have few orders for them. Feed them hard for 30-60 days and enjoy. These big open heifers will always be your cheapest meat source as you are not in a cheap feed area and someone else has already done most of the job for you.

 

[snake67]

search is yer friend....this gets beat to death

I do believe you touched a nerve or two!

LOL

Be safe my friend

Bez

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

search is yer friend....this gets beat to death

I do believe you touched a nerve or two!

LOL

Be safe my friend

Bez

Yes he has because the search feature on here stinks.

 

[snake67]

search is yer friend....this gets beat to death

I do believe you touched a nerve or two!

LOL

Be safe my friend

Bez

Yes he has because the search feature on here stinks.

This site and the Ranchers site are excellent

There is a lot of information.

As far as I am concerned, the owner of this site has done some excellent work - however - he has FAILED DRAMATICALLY on the search function.

In truth your comment is 100% correct

The search function on both sites are not worth a pinch of coon schitte or worth the bother

If there is ONE thing that Macon could do to make things better - he could provide a decent search function that actually worked in at least 1 out of 5 attempts.

Bez

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

1. I'm new to this (butchering a steer for the family) and I'm fixing to go the sale on Monday for my first calf. I've heard varying recommendations, but how much (whole, 1/2, or 1/4) of a steer would y'all recommend for a family of 2 (I have a growing teen and we have company/moochers :lol2: over frequently). I was thinking a 1/2, and then finding someone to split the other half with. The idea is for it to last us until we have another calf ready to slaughter. Do you think that will be enough or to much (1/2 steer)?
We are a family of 5, with a 9, 11 and 17 year old (the older two are girls). We go through a finished steer (usually around 1400 pounds) each year. We have a small herd, but the steer is by himself or with a young bull so he can get his grain daily. But there are other cattle around, so he can see fellow bovines. My sister only has horses, and we sent her a steer this spring, and he is in a 12 x 24 pipe corral, getting about 40 pounds of grain a day now (they live in the high desert of CA, so no grass, just hay and grain). He will be finished by January (he is a mid November steer).
Which brings me to my next Q...
2. How old/weight (approx) should the calf that I get be to maximize my efforts? So I don't end up with one that's to young, or to old and paying for the extra that I really don't need to pay for now. I really don't want to be bucket feeding a youngin'. I want it ready to start on grass with maybe some grain. It'll be mostly grass fed til the last 90 days. It's also my understanding that since they're herd animals, getting 2 is better than 1. They(it) will be penned next to several horses. We live in the NM desert so I'll be feeding it hay/grass each day winter/spring/summer. Because of the rain this summer, most of our horse hay has all become cow hay, so I have plenty of it.
You have already had some good advice on here. Just know the older you get, the less control you have on what it was fed before you bought it. Sometimes what they eat effects how they taste! Make sure you have him/her long enough to change the diet to reflect what you want yours to taste like. Does that make sense? We raise our own, so know every thing they ate from birth.

3. If I get 2, so they have company, how difficult is it to sell a finished out steer? Will I have to run it through the sale again, or just craigslist it? Will I need to send it to the butcher with my other one or just sell the whole thing live?
You can just raise one, since you have horses around (like my sister is doing). When we were kids, we only had a 1/2 acre and raised a beef for the freezer each year. He was raised in a 24 x 24 pipe corral, and bought just off the bottle or weaned off the dam. If you raise two, selling it might be difficult. Start watching Caraigslist ads for beef being sold; it is really dependent on your area. Some places you can do it and make a little money on it, some you can not (like out here). People have a problem coming up with $1600 to buy a butcher ready beef on the hoof, so then you have to sell half a side, or even a quarter. Then you have to find even more buyers. Be ready to put what you do not sell in the freezer. It can happen!

4. And how big of a pen would you recommend? We have 10 acres, but some of that is allotted for the horses, barn, house, etc. My ideas on pen size may be a bit small since I'm used to seeing the roping calves all penned together, all 30-40 of them.

Thank you!!!

Oh, and breed wise, I'm in Southern NM so I'm guessing I'll be getting an Angus cross of some type. I'm going to the sale on Monday to check everything out. I've been watching the market steer sale prices and I find it odd, but the smaller the calf, the more expensive they are. I would have thought the higher the weight, the more expensive, based on a per lb sale price, but that's not the case. Why is that?

Do research before you buy two. They are not cheap to raise, when you figure you are putting 2.5% of their body weight into grain. If you are in no hurry and have a lot of grass, you can grass feed them for part of that gain. Sounds like you have no grass, so you will have to feed him the entire time, which can get expensive. Go price the cost of grain, and figure a 5:1 rate gain ratio (meaning 5 pounds of grain to one pound gain, if you are lucky!). So you can do the math on how much grain you will feed over the lifetime you have the animal. We highly recommend raising your own beef, it is so much better than store bought beef! When we process our steers, we hamburger most of it since we do not like some of those lower cut steaks. All roasts get boned (I hate dealing with the bones), and we end up with a great supply of hamburger! We learned the hard way with the first one, and those tough steaks sitting in the freezer until we had nothing else left to cook. We came up with some great crock pot recipes for those buggars, but now just make them into hamburgers. But the T-bones and Porterhouse steaks are TO DIE FOR!