would it be worth it to raise a dairy steer

[mrpink]

at what price point to age would it be worth it to raise a dairy steer. I know it depends on alot of things. for some background I have 5 acres that i mow with my tractor. i would like to turn the waste grass to meat in my freezer. I have more then enough wild pork. raise my own chickens and have venison, but i would like to add beef to the non store bought meat shelf of my house. at the present time i would have to feed this steer for the short GA. winter, or plant rye or something for it. all the processing would be done on farm.

greg

[leefarms]

Buy some 200-250 pound steers and turn out, 2 would do good together, you can buy these cheaper now then you can raise one from 3 days old.

[mrpink]

at what age should a dairy steer be 200-250 lbs? ( sorry for my ignorance i have never raised cows before)

greg

[topside1]

A steer is a steer, a cow is a cow. A holstein will weigh 250 @ 3 months old. Of course all this depends on genetics and birth weight, diet..topside.

[mrpink]

thank you for the info topside1 and yes you are correct i should have said bovine lol
I do know the difference in bovine terminology even though i didn't show it

greg

[topside1]

No problem Mr. Pink....I''m just kidding of course...send me your measurements and I'd be glad to convert to weight...Topside

[stifflej]

I was also thinking about doing this, since the price currently is so low, but I thought I read somewhere on here that a milk breed steer (probably a Jersey or Holstein in my neck of the woods) takes longer to grow to butcher weight than a beef breed. If this is true, how much longer are we talking? A couple months, or a year?

Thanks.

[haypoint]

In the north, we have quite a few months that steers have to be fed hay, the grass is covered in snow. I would expect that in GA there are also some months that the grass doesn't grow, like the hot dry months of June, Juty and August. Perhaps the short days of December, January and February the grass wouldn't grow much. I don't know.

Depending on how much grass you have, the variety and weather, a couple bovine can go thru 5 acres fairly fast.

Most people in the United States eat grain fed beef. It is because grain fed beef is easier to chew. If that is your goal, plan on feeding grain for the final few months.
Beef prices vary around the country. If I can buy 600 pound Angus for a buck a pound and 600 pound holsteins are above 75 cents, I'd buy the beef cow. If I can buy a 1100 pound Angus for 90 cents a pound, I'd forget the grazing bit and just grain it up and slaughter it.
To specifically answer your question, I'd need to know what is the cost of holstein steers per hundred and the weight ranges. Plus what additional costs are involved. Is that 5 acres fenced? What does a ton of hay sell for in your area? Cost of corn, per bu.?
A calf born last spring (April 2008) would weigh about 600 to 900 pounds now. Next fall or before your GA "winter" they should be around 1200 to 1400 pounds. The dairy breeds will have more butcher loss do the the higher frame to meat ratio.

[mrpink]

I wish sometimes the grass didn't grow in the hot months (cutting grass in 100 degree weather is no fun). we can grow rye and such in the winter here also. hay is $35-$45 for round bales 4x5. not decided as far as grain goes. have fencing already. i was thinking of getting a small calf this fall feed it through the winter then let it graze during the growing season then butcher next fall. I know they would still be small, but then i wouldn't have to feed them through the winter once more therefore lower total cost. there are alot of dairy farms around here that sell young guessing 100-150lb calves for $50 dollars are so.day olds can be had for $10-$15 but i don't want to have to bottle feed. I do thank you for the comments

greg

[Pat]

Never ever get one! Cows (actually most animals are herd / flock / pack animals). Buy one, and it will be sickly, don't want to eat... etc. Buy 2 or 3, and they are happy and eat and grow properly! (Tacky but I'll bet you're married and feel better being with another... animals (which we are) are the same way.

If they are day old's no colestrum... I recently paid 175 a piece for 2 Jersery Steer calves (about 200 maybe 250). 50 for 100 - 150 is a great price... but at 100 pounds I'm not sure they are weaned.

Pat

[Allen W]

Know what your options are. Normally here between Thanksgiving and Christmas-New Years you can pick up cattle cheaper then you will be able to after the first of the year. Don't forget to consider the price difference between weight classes. Here everybody wants a 450 lb calf to turn out and 850 + for the feedlots there can be some good opportunity's in the middle.

I would start with a heavier calf he would gain weight faster and be able to handle the grass better as it matured.