Slaughter Jersey steer (pics)

[topside1]

Folks are occasionally asking about what breed steer I should raise. How big will it get? How long will it take? For what the heck’s, here is a Jersey steer I trailered to the slaughterhouse today. He is two years old, started off as a bottle baby, and was given the best care that I could afford. Slaughterhouse weigh-in was 975 and he was a very small framed animal. The sunrises have ended for the good old boy, bon appetite, ya'll.

Sorry about the big photos, haven't had a minute extra lately and I love it.

[wildhorse]

Lookin good John.

[Middle River]

Could you let us know what the final weight is ? Just how much meat you get back ? Good looking boy - thanks for sharing !

[joseywales76]

boy if he knew what was coming, do you think he would have stood around posing for pics, lol

[TSYORK]

Was he agressive at all?

[topside1]

Middle River, I will let you know about his dressed weight in about three weeks.

TSYORK, never had one bit of meanness towards me, and other livestock, but don't be a stranger and walk through his pastures; he would run down dogs, deer, and even scare human visitors that may enter his neighborhood. Low center of gravity makes a Jersey very agile....

[Up North]

To have produced a good steer from a dairy breed under the duress of a prolonged drought.... An accomplishment that speaks well of you John .

[mpillow]

Last Oct. our 15month Jersey/Holstein yielded 316 pounds of boneless meat. He was smaller than this guy. Maybe 750# live wt. and was a bull and did his job before freezer camp----Pyrnad's cow is due next month.
We now have a mostly Jersey steer(about 60# at birth) that can be ridden and laid on when he is laying down....my 12yo daughters doing....he's altogether too friendly---meanness makes them easier to eat! LOL Our boy is pushing 600# now.
They grow well on goats milk.

[Brisket]

beautifull, pasture and better looking steer. we have ten acres now and are looking to move one day, hope to get some nice looking pasture in tennessee. Once again well maintained grounds.

[harplade]

did you finish him off on grain or is he strictly grass fed? Looks good-we're doing one now. Same age, same breed. We're waiting for spring grass to push his weight and then maybe finish him on alfalfa pellets??

I'm curious to know the final amount you get, also.

Thanks

[CatherineE]

TSYork...from all I've read, dairy bull aggresiveness seems to come from being bottle babies, raised by people. They don't get properly cow cultured, and are unafraid of people, so they do cow things with people, which equals hurt people. Beef bulls are raised on their mothers in the pasture, and aren't aggressive. Apparently if dairy bulls are raised in the same manner, they aren't aggressive, either, where beef bulls raised on bottles are! So...moral...raise all calves on their mothers (or nurse cows), esp. the bulls! lol.

[Horns Bach]

Originally Posted by CatherineE

TSYork...from all I've read, dairy bull aggresiveness seems to come from being bottle babies, raised by people. They don't get properly cow cultured, and are unafraid of people, so they do cow things with people, which equals hurt people. Beef bulls are raised on their mothers in the pasture, and aren't aggressive. Apparently if dairy bulls are raised in the same manner, they aren't aggressive, either, where beef bulls raised on bottles are! So...moral...raise all calves on their mothers (or nurse cows), esp. the bulls! lol.

Psychological anger issues because they were taken away from their mommy's udder when they were little babies?

Nice steer, makes me hungry.

[Karin L]

He looks tasty.

[TSYORK]

Topside,

Any word on how much he dressed and all that good stuff yet?

[topside1]

Ts, won't know that info until I pick up the processed meat, not going to bug them (slaughterhouse boy & girls). Pick up date is May 5...I will not forget....TJ

[MayLOC]

A rough guestimation/estimation used to calculate:

60% of live weight = hanging weight.

we have found this to be fairly acurate on each of ours processed; our favored butcher uses 62%

66% of hanging weight = packaged weight


calculating this way, MPILLOW's steer should have yielded about 297 pounds, which is very close to the reported 316#

[topside1]

The 2 year old Jersey steer in photo #1 dress weight was 535 pounds equaling a dressing percentage of 54.87%.....Putting two rib eye steaks on the grill tonight, so if you smell something yummy and your mouth is watering you must be downwind of my grill. Bon Appetite ya'll