My first steer

Thanks to everyone for your support, advice, and sharing your experiences. I have decided to get two steers now and feel fairly confident that we'll all do just fine.

I have appreciated you sharing some of the down sides that you've experienced also. If you have any afterthoughts or advice, please feel free to post. I am watching this topic.

OK, let's see, the first thing I need to do is go meet my neighbor and find out what kinds of local resources we have for fencing, feed, hay, labor, etc. Oh yes, and how to make a rope halter. -- or is that something that folks buy at the feed store? Argh.

Onward thru the Fog!

One thing that we have found very helpful is to give them a little bit of grain every day (we use Coarse #16). This gets them used to you. We use it to move them if we need to and it certainly helps load them when it is time to take them for butchering. In VT we are short of slaughter houses. We reserved for the pigs we sell 2 months ahead! The deer season advice was right on!

Oh and one other thing, enjoy them, talk to them, brush them even. They will enjoy it and so will you. Don't worry about getting too attached when you pat the neck ... thats a neck roast...!

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