What's Best To Feed?

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Hi All, We own a horse farm and run a few steers for our own meat (angus). I am ever on the quest for as close as I can get to prime beef. I would love any advice on feeding etc on how to achieve this. I am always a little dissapointed with the steaks we get. We have tried, beer, corn, alfalfa, no forage etc. Help! :)

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> Hi All, We own a horse farm and
> run a few steers for our own meat
> (angus). I am ever on the quest
> for as close as I can get to prime
> beef. I would love any advice on
> feeding etc on how to achieve
> this. I am always a little
> dissapointed with the steaks we
> get. We have tried, beer, corn,
> alfalfa, no forage etc. Help! :)

Zoe,

Switch to Murray Grey or Murray Grey cross for better meat that will finish on grass and will be tender.

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> I just posted to you're earlier post, I only get to the comp every few days.
 
probably late here, but just noticed your question, have you considered a holstein for beef. far less fat just as tender and more cost effective as you are not paying to grow the extra fat.

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Yes, instead of feeding to put on muscle you get to feed to put on more bone. Dairy calves grade like crap. Fat is flavor, i get tired of everyone beating this lean beef drum if you sat down and had a taste test not one person would say the leanest steak tasted the best. Flavor = Marbling = Angus and Hereford Genetics. Heard a story that one guy went to the sale barn with a trailer load of 5 holstein calves, he put a sign on the trailer saying "Free Dairy Calves". When he came back out he had 10 Holstein calves.

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> Yes, instead of feeding to put on
> muscle you get to feed to put on
> more bone. Dairy calves grade like
> crap. Fat is flavor, i get tired
> of everyone beating this lean beef
> drum if you sat down and had a
> taste test not one person would
> say the leanest steak tasted the
> best. Flavor = Marbling = Angus
> and Hereford Genetics. Heard a
> story that one guy went to the
> sale barn with a trailer load of 5
> holstein calves, he put a sign on
> the trailer saying "Free
> Dairy Calves". When he came
> back out he had 10 Holstein
> calves.

What and how much daily would you suggest feeding to finish calves for good marbling and flavor? I do agree that lean steak may be good for fajitas, but terrible steak.



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> What and how much daily would you
> suggest feeding to finish calves
> for good marbling and flavor? I do
> agree that lean steak may be good
> for fajitas, but terrible steak.

I would feed them about 15 lbs. of corn a day and give them free choice alfalfa. If they haven't been on corn yet start with about 5 lbs. and gradually increase the lbs. each week, if you don't they could develop acidosis and fall off feed.



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We breed/raise both horses and cattle too. Now, here is an "academic" question to consider: The formula: Initial cost of animal + hay, grass, minerals, special feed, water + vaccinations, de-worming, and any other special Vet care needed + any other prorated overhead expenses = "True Cost of the Animal" X .65% dressed weight + any processor charges for your carcass = "True Cost of the Carcass Meat" / (divided by) TOTAL pounds of packaged beef = "True Cost of the Beef per pound you will have to eat". Now--which is cheaper to get the same high quality choice beef? A good meat market or raising your own beef? Almost forgot--you can deduct from the cost of the beef the value of the cattle mowing your grass...:)
 
> We breed/raise both horses and
> cattle too. Now, here is an
> "academic" question to
> consider: The formula: Initial
> cost of animal + hay, grass,
> minerals, special feed, water +
> vaccinations, de-worming, and any
> other special Vet care needed +
> any other prorated overhead
> expenses = "True Cost of the
> Animal" X .65% dressed weight
> + any processor charges for your
> carcass = "True Cost of the
> Carcass Meat" / (divided by)
> TOTAL pounds of packaged beef =
> "True Cost of the Beef per
> pound you will have to eat".
> Now--which is cheaper to get the
> same high quality choice beef? A
> good meat market or raising your
> own beef? Almost forgot--you can
> deduct from the cost of the beef
> the value of the cattle mowing
> your grass...:)

>That's why some of us have a second job and the packages in the freezer are marked Elk and Venison.

>Rod
 
This isn't a feedlot were considering here either probably some guy in the suburbs with 2 or 3 head of bucket calves. But that was a nice long post of bullsh*t.

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i guess it is to each his own... but that is what makes this interesting... i know some who wouldnt have anything other than a jersey steer for their beef... and others say of them... they just dont know any better...

gene

> Yes, instead of feeding to put on
> muscle you get to feed to put on
> more bone. Dairy calves grade like
> crap. Fat is flavor, i get tired
> of everyone beating this lean beef
> drum if you sat down and had a
> taste test not one person would
> say the leanest steak tasted the
> best. Flavor = Marbling = Angus
> and Hereford Genetics. Heard a
> story that one guy went to the
> sale barn with a trailer load of 5
> holstein calves, he put a sign on
> the trailer saying "Free
> Dairy Calves". When he came
> back out he had 10 Holstein
> calves.



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> This isn't a feedlot were
> considering here either probably
> some guy in the suburbs with 2 or
> 3 head of bucket calves. But that
> was a nice long post of bullsh*t. You have two types of cattle: Beef cattle and Dairy cattle, their would be no such thing as feeding out holsteins and jerseys unless we absolutely had to, and we do cause they ain't figured out how to keep milking a cow without freshening her once in a while. So back to the subject, if you want beef then feed BEEF calves, they are designed to grow not milk. Assume we get the calf up to 450 pounds ok, then all we have to do is feed it corn, preferrably cracked corn, and to that corn we add one pound of a protein pellet per calf per day, which has the protein,mineral,and ionophore that you need. Feed the calf 5 pounds at 450 pounds and keep increasing that one pound per week til you get the calf to about 800 pounds then pour the feed to it some calves will eat 25 pounds per day when they are almost finished. At this point you are still feeding one pound of the pellet, and don't back off the grain cause every day is more of your money it takes about twenty pounds for the calf to maintain its weight when it gets up to 11-1200 pounds so if he ain't eating more than that he ain't growing. By the time your calf gets to 800 pounds you should be backing off the hay, it should be cleaning up its grain instead of eating alot of hay and it doesn't hurt to limit feed the hay too.
 
I used to think Holstin steers were infearor to beef cattle in quality of meat until I moved from Texas to Wisconsin. They are very tasty and the only bad point about feeding Holstins is it takes longer to finish them; up to two months longer.

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