Raising a cow to 150# for ground beef?

hopeful-steader · #1 01/22/12, 11:09 AM

Hello all,
I'm looking for some generall information or direction to resources for good information on raising a small cow.

Yesterday, while picking up a breeding pair of Narragansets, the farmer we were buying them from said that they buy dairy calfs at about 1$ a lb and raise them to 150# or so (roughly 6 months) and then butcher and process all of the meat for ground beef. This idea appealed to me because it seems we could raise it all on grass and not over winter a cow. Additionally, we won't be tied down to the land we're using for a year and a half, which is good for our situation, and a 150# or even 200# cow does not sound nearly as intimidating as a larger one.

I've searched this forum and have found a few articles on bottle raising Jersey calfs, which sounds similar to this idea, but I can not be sure. Has anyone done something like this, and have any info to share? How long they raised it for, do you have to bottle feed them or can you get a weened calf? I suppose the information I've already read in other threads would be more helpful if I had a clue about any of this. As it were I seem fairly lost.

Again, I'm just beginning to look into this idea, so any advice or ideas are greatly appreciated, and thanks for all that you all have already put out in other threads!
-Erik

allenslabs · #2 01/22/12, 11:22 AM

I don't think the calf would be very old if it were to be 150# unless you were talking jersey cause I think they grow slower. But I could be wrong. If I remember right a holstein is born at about 75# and they gain on average about 2# a day. We bought some weaned at about 200# this last spring and they were just weaned (about 3 months or so old) and kept them for about 6 months and they gained, on average, with just grass, no grain except for the first couple weeks to make buddies and then just grass, just a tad over 2#'s per day.

tinknal · #3 01/22/12, 11:24 AM

Gotta say that either this is a misprint or the worst idea I have ever heard. Even veal calves weigh more than that. A 150 pound calf is mostly hide, bone and guts. I doubt you would get more than 50 pounds of meat and that meat would be very poor quality.

francismilker · #4 01/22/12, 11:24 AM

hopeful,
In my opinion, a 150lb dairy calf would produce 30lbs. of yield at most (if you were lucky). They're all bone and guts at that point.

Try to figure yields on a dairy steer at or around 55% of live weight and you should get pretty close on something that is more mature. Keep in mind some dairy bull calves are 100lbs. at birth.

Now, that being said, if you're wanting some good hamburger and don't want to raise a 1200lb beef, consider butchering a lot sooner than that. The reason for feeding a butcher animal to those heavy weights are to maximize marbling and outer fat thickness. If you're just wanting hamburger, try butchering a 500lb live weight and you should get around 2-250lbs. of hamburger.

blaineiac · #5 01/22/12, 11:30 AM

I think he meant that after raising it for 6 months he gets #150 of burger from them.

hopeful-steader · #6 01/22/12, 11:30 AM

Thanks for the replies folks. 150# was no typo, that is what the fella said. I do believe he was talking about Jerseys.
Allenslabs, what you've mentioned sounds to be exactly what I had in mind. 150# seems incredibly low to me as well, but like I said, I'm pretty wet behind the ears when it comes to cows. Thanks again for the thoughts!
-Erik

hopeful-steader · #7 01/22/12, 11:31 AM

blaineic, that could very well be the case! would make more sense.

tinknal · #8 01/22/12, 12:27 PM

You would be much better off getting calves in the fall. Your major feed cost at first will be milk replacer which you would need to buy any time of the year. Feed costs for hay and grain while they are that small will be minimal and they will be ready for grass as soon as it appears in the spring. Keep on grass until it plays out in the fall and then butcher. Personally I would feed them a few pounds of grain a day all summer long.

Ed Norman · #9 01/22/12, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

You would be much better off getting calves in the fall. Your major feed cost at first will be milk replacer which you would need to buy any time of the year. Feed costs for hay and grain while they are that small will be minimal and they will be ready for grass as soon as it appears in the spring. Keep on grass until it plays out in the fall and then butcher. Personally I would feed them a few pounds of grain a day all summer long.

This has me thinking of getting a calf as soon as our goats kid. Get it weaned on goat milk, pasture into fall with some grain, and butcher for ground beef when the weather is right. That would save our little pasture space for the goats.

Charleen · #10 01/22/12, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Norman

This has me thinking of getting a calf as soon as our goats kid. Get it weaned on goat milk, pasture into fall with some grain, and butcher for ground beef when the weather is right. That would save our little pasture space for the goats.

We get pigs or a calf right around the time that the goat kids are weaned, that's when we have excess milk. We try to avoid buying milk replacer.

myersfarm · #11 01/22/12, 01:42 PM

One thing nobody has said...the price of buying and raising....AND THEN ..the killing fee here I think is $50 no matter what the size......the hide fee and the gut charge fee......and all the other fees at slaughter house..will make that 150 pounds of hamburger...to me way out of site.....better check your slaughter house first

I do not think a jersey will gain 2# a day on just grass with no feed

Ed Norman · #12 01/22/12, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myersfarm

One thing nobody has said...the price of buying and raising....AND THEN ..the killing fee here I think is $50 no matter what the size......the hide fee and the gut charge fee......and all the other fees at slaughter house..will make that 150 pounds of hamburger...to me way out of site.....better check your slaughter house first

I do not think a jersey will gain 2# a day on just grass with no feed

I paid to have one deer butchered in 1987 during an especially hot spell when I had to get back to work that evening. Every other thing I ever killed, I butchered. Anybody can learn how to butcher, cure, process, grind, wrap, make sausage, and save all those dollars.

lakeportfarms · #13 01/22/12, 02:41 PM

Myersfarm is right, unless you're doing the processing yourself the fixed cost of the kill fee plus all the other costs (purchase, transportation, etc.) before you get a pound of beef means it is not as cost effective as you may think.

ksfarmer · #14 01/22/12, 05:39 PM

Not wanting to be negative, but, I think maybe you would be ahead to simply buy your burger at the local locker or butcher.

If you've never raised a calf before, you will face a steep learning curve and it could get expensive. Much more expensive than you think. Cost of calf, cost of feed, vet bills (and you will have them), cost of processing (even doing it yourself has costs). Just saying, it might be a good learning experience, but, not cost effective.

springvalley · #15 01/22/12, 05:42 PM

A calf that small and ground into all burger could easily be done at home. Kill, hide, and gut, let hang for awhile (if cold) and cut all the meat off the bones and run threw a grinder. Package and put in the freezer , or better yet can it, then you have no storage expence from the freezer either. If you don`t have a big family, it could work out well for you, but a 6 month calf up to 8 months would be best. To small your not going to get your monies worth. > Thanks Marc

oregon woodsmok · #16 01/22/12, 06:48 PM

Cheaper and easier to just buy a quarter from a local farmer. I don't much like veal. It's tasteless.

Ed Norman · #17 01/22/12, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by springvalley

A calf that small and ground into all burger could easily be done at home. Kill, hide, and gut, let hang for awhile (if cold) and cut all the meat off the bones and run threw a grinder. Package and put in the freezer , or better yet can it, then you have no storage expence from the freezer either. If you don`t have a big family, it could work out well for you, but a 6 month calf up to 8 months would be best. To small your not going to get your monies worth. > Thanks Marc

A 500-700 elk is an easy butcher job, a calf would be the same.

myersfarm · #18 01/22/12, 07:18 PM

ED Norman yes your right we do our own deer....but something you raise from a baby YOU KILLING sometimes it is easier to pay the charge

Ed Norman · #19 01/22/12, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myersfarm

ED Norman yes your right we do our own deer....but something you raise from a baby YOU KILLING sometimes it is easier to pay the charge

I kill our own livestock all the time that was born here. I know their purpose, and they know their purpose. I smell porkchops cooking now that were walking around here a month ago.

tinknal · #20 01/22/12, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myersfarm

ED Norman yes your right we do our own deer....but something you raise from a baby YOU KILLING sometimes it is easier to pay the charge

Easier is not always better. One of the reasons we homestead.