Finishing a steer

waltonrp · #1 09/17/10, 02:30 PM

Hey all,

I'm new here. I was searching this section, but didn't find info on finishing a steer on grain. Not all grain, but grain and pasture. Maybe some alfalfa hay, too.

I've got two 13 month old Holstein steers. One is going to go in the freezer in early winter, one is going to get held over for next year. I don't know what their weight is, but they are typical Holsteins.

I've read where cattle finished on about 1/3 grain diet have about the same qualities in the beef as ones finished on all grass. That's what I'd like to try.

I can get a grain mix from the feed mill, but wonder how much do I need to feed a day and for how long?

I'm hoping that I can get one feed mix that can be fed to my steer and to my two milkers. I only give the cows a little grain at milking time.

This is my first beef project, and I'd like to get some decent meat. Thanks for any thoughts.

Rob in Virginia

sammyd · #2 09/17/10, 03:04 PM

we don't "finish" our animals.
We feed them about a 16% grain mix ( the same mix I have made for our milking goats) and keep them on pasture or hay up until the snow flies then we do them in.
We sell halves and have received nothing but compliments on the meat and have no problem selling the meat to the same customers continually, so it must be OK.
One year we did finish a few months on a corn diet with maybe a bit of hay and a pellet called TendRLeen...some mills make a version of that of their own. It was tender tasty meat.

We typically buy calves early spring and only keep them through the first winter.

LibertyWool · #3 09/17/10, 03:19 PM

I just had two Jersey X Holstien's butchered that I did that way. They were about15-16 months old. I started just feeding them 4.5 lbs of 16% sweet feed a day 60 days out and then worked up to 9 lbs a day at the end (for both). One's hanging weight was 351 and the other was 365. The meat is dark red has some marbling, but would not grade prime (probably choice). Last year, I butchered one, but he was not grain fed. That had almost no marbling (so probably select) and was a very pale color, almost like veal. He still tasted good, you just had to be careful how you cooked it.

arabian knight · #4 09/17/10, 04:15 PM

I feed nothing but grain for the last 4 months to "Finish" them out, makes for some fine eating, and some nice tender steaks.

springvalley · #5 09/17/10, 04:41 PM

arabianknight, do you feed any hay to your calf feeding him out the last four months? We use to have some old neighbors that feed like that, man they poured the corn to them. Those calves could hardly waddle over to the feed bunk. I use to feed out cattle on full feed also, but always feed some hay or straw for roughage. Use to top the market most times. Boy has feeding cattle changed, that was back in the day of 2.00 corn and cheep hay. >Thanks marc

arabian knight · #6 09/17/10, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by springvalley

arabianknight, do you feed any hay to your calf feeding him out the last four months? We use to have some old neighbors that feed like that, man they poured the corn to them. Those calves could hardly waddle over to the feed bunk. I use to feed out cattle on full feed also, but always feed some hay or straw for roughage. Use to top the market most times. Boy has feeding cattle changed, that was back in the day of 2.00 corn and cheep hay. >Thanks marc

Very very little, I some times throw a few flakes out, just to keep the digestion track working right.
But for the most part my Jerseys the last 4 months are on "total feed" meaning grain in front of them 24/7.
Now IF a person does this from the start the steer "learns" to eat only what they need and nothing more.
Just like raising horses on Total Feed, then learn from building them up to that amount they will not over eat.
Now the last steer I had butchered was in the greatest shape I have ever had a steer in. Not overly fat at all, and at 16 months I got 635 pounds of meat. Not bad at all for a Jersey, and he must have weighed close to 1,000?
And I had the best compliment on the meat anybody IMO could have.
My friend and I split the meat, he had another friend over for a meal.
That person said it was the best tasting and tender steak he has had in over 3 years.
Now the back ground on that friend, Mike was a head chef for many years at a fancy restaurant~! He would know good meat.
And to have That kind of compliment on the way I raise and feed my steers means a lot.~!
And right now I am starting another calf half of which will be Mikes~ he liked the meat so well he wanted me to raise one for him~!!!
That means a lot for sure.
There has been some talk on grass fed VS grain fed. Which is tastier, more tender with more marbling etc. And the grain IMO puts a better taste in the fat, making the over all meat taste better, IMO.
I have been doing this now for over 35 years I will stick to and recommend grain to at least finish a steer.
Now I also should say that the Steers I buy are Dairy, and they are only good Jersey calfs~!
I know the milk is sweater from jersey's then others, and IMO, the sweetness is passed to the taste of the meat.

Lazy J · #7 09/17/10, 05:57 PM

We finish our holstein steers on 1400 lb corn, 500 lb DDGS, and 100 lb Base Mix. No hay for the last 4 months.

Jim

arabian knight · #8 09/17/10, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazy J

We finish our holstein steers on 1400 lb corn, 500 lb DDGS, and 100 lb Base Mix. No hay for the last 4 months.

Jim

The grain mixture I have is mixed at out local feed mill, and is a recipe for horses~! So I can feed the same mix to my horses without any worries of cattle feed that may have cattle meds in it, which some are deadly for horses.

tinknal · #9 09/17/10, 07:19 PM

We would always finish on full feed cob corn meal on full feed grass or hay. Made for excellent, tender, well marbled, flavorful beef.

waltonrp · #10 09/18/10, 11:35 PM

Thanks everyone for all the ideas. One thing for sure, this is not the year for grass finished in central Virginia. Drought all summer, rains started in mid-August, grass and clover came back. Rains stopped and it's all turning brown again.

Rob

francismilker · #11 09/19/10, 09:57 PM

I finish my eating steers on full feed. (most of the time) I give them just a small block of good quality bermuda grass hay daily to keep their gut churning properly.

I am now trying to get more growth off of grass and try to put less overall weight on via feed due to increased cost of grain. I'll let you all know around the first of the year how it goes.

momofseven · #12 09/20/10, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waltonrp

Thanks everyone for all the ideas. One thing for sure, this is not the year for grass finished in central Virginia. Drought all summer, rains started in mid-August, grass and clover came back. Rains stopped and it's all turning brown again.

Rob

Yup... we are in cen. VA too and I was just out walking the pasture...er...dried up pastures and it looks bleak. We are praying for fall rains to come...