finishing off grass fed cattle ?

Alaska · #1 07/14/12, 06:07 PM

I dont want use corn but would love to fatten off our steer before butchering.
And yes this is my first rodeo.
would love to hear suggestions. Our cows are now grazing on 60 acres of grass and weeds mostly native pasture in west texas (mason county)

MO_cows · #2 07/14/12, 06:26 PM

To have beef that is actually "finished" on grass, you have to have genetics which are capable of marbling without grain and you have to have high quality graze. If you pen up your steer and feed him good alfalfa hay you might get there if he has the right genetics.

And if you like very lean meat, like venison, you might still be happy with a less than finished beef.

Allen W · #3 07/14/12, 07:55 PM

When do you plan on butchering? In my area if I was butchering one of native grass mid June to early July would be my target dates. If you could feed the butcher calf by himself a couple of flakes of good alfalfa hay a day would help off set the loss of protein in the maturing grass.

tinknal · #4 07/14/12, 08:50 PM

Use corn. Work up to full feed corn while still on pasture. Butcher in 60 days. Best beef ever.

backachersfarm · #5 07/14/12, 09:43 PM

Feeding that much corn defeats your goal in my opinion. we raise one calf a yr from our dairy cow, Since there are only 2 of us we butcher it as soon as spring grasses are spent. Since he is young...about 15 mo... and on early grass it has always been good.

Cliff · #6 07/15/12, 06:32 AM

As long as the animal is gaining weight it should be fine. Never butcher an animal who is losing weight, it'll be tough. If you had lush pasture you could put some fat on him but it isn't necessary.

Remember you'll have to cook it differently from what you're used to because it won't be loaded with fat.

Oh, and your heart will thank you

Grass fed beef is actually healthy for you.

ArmyDoc · #7 07/15/12, 08:05 AM

When were you wanting to butcher? Best time finish grass fed around here is spring, and then butcher in June. That way they are on the lushest grass of the year. We get another smaller flush of growth after it cools down from summer, but before it goes dormant for winter.

Most important thing to remember is it doesn't have to be 100% one or the other. It's up to you. You can leave him strictly on pasture, and add hay if needed. You can leave him on pasture and give him a coffee can or more of grain treat every night on top of what he eats during the day. Or you can confine him and feed him straight grain (after a transition period of both).

If you haven't had grass finished beef, I'd try supplementing with grain while leaving him on pasture. You'll get something inbetween what your used to from the store and what straight grass would give you.

Best of luck to you,

Alaska · #8 07/15/12, 10:43 AM

We plan to butcher around turkey day. He will be 20 months at the time. It will be cooler then and easier to keep cool. We live off the grid so electricity is a premium and we will most likely time it with a preferable weather report. I also hope to have a well insulated cooler big enough to hang him quartered built by then.
He is mostly angus maybe a little brangus.
we have had a lot of grass fed beef. And have been eating more moose and venison than beef for years. So we do like our beef lean, bust I must admit I do like some marbling and a little fat on my ribeye.

Alaska · #9 07/15/12, 11:22 AM

Is there another grain or commercial mix that does not add to the unhealthy fat that corn does?

ArmyDoc · #10 07/15/12, 01:43 PM

I'm sure I'm about to be drawn and quartered... but I don't believe in "healthy fat". Yes, grass fed beef, that is marbled, will be higher in omega 3's etc. But the fat is still not "good" for you. That said, in moderation, it isn't going to kill you either, and I like beef that is at least somewhat marbled better.

You could try alfalfa pellets instead of corn. That would keep it grass fed, and provide extra protein.

Alaska · #11 07/15/12, 02:06 PM

I dont know one fat from another but mrs alaska sure does. Shes the one trying to make me live forever. I do like some marbleing in my steak
finally some more rain today so maybe we will have grass late into the fall.
I guess I may pick up some alfalfa square bales to go with the kleingrass

Cliff · #12 07/15/12, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmyDoc

I'm sure I'm about to be drawn and quartered... but I don't believe in "healthy fat". Yes, grass fed beef, that is marbled, will be higher in omega 3's etc. But the fat is still not "good" for you. That said, in moderation, it isn't going to kill you either, and I like beef that is at least somewhat marbled better.

You could try alfalfa pellets instead of corn. That would keep it grass fed, and provide extra protein.

Doc I was sort of thinking the same thing earlier when I responded but didn't quite know how to word it. "Finishing" beef cows basically means laying the fat on them to me. Eating a lot of fat is bad for us no matter what kind of fat it is. Our bodies actually need only a small amount of fat to be healthy. But research has shown that our cardiovascular systems are healthier with the ratios of fatty acids that would basically be found in wild or totally grass fed meats.

Alaska · #13 07/15/12, 02:58 PM

well all the cows are fat now including the steer who looks pregnant himself 60 acres gives them plenty of forage, even with the draught last year we only bought two round bales and a couple doz square bales and probably could have got by without it. We are getting just enough rain this year to tease the grass into staying green. Some locals are already planning thier second cutting of hay where as most did not cut any last year.

InvalidID · #14 07/15/12, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alaska

Is there another grain or commercial mix that does not add to the unhealthy fat that corn does?

I'm sure there will be some flaming for this but I like to use all stock. It's just a common mix of grain for pretty much any animal. I use it for my rabbits as well because it's so cheap. I believe it's got mostly oats and wheat in it but don't quote me on that.

We 'finished' our last steer on all stock and grass together. I was giving the steer about 4-5 lbs (about a coffee can full) a day of all stock and all the grass he wanted. Fat and tasty!

ETA: I run Holsteins mostly now from an organic farm that's bred them for grass. Grain fattens them up fast, and it does tend to make more fat than I like unless I keep them on grass.

MO_cows · #15 07/15/12, 05:05 PM

The amount of beef fat a person consumes is such a negligible part of the overall diet that the fat profile it contains isn't going to make much of a difference, if any. Unless you eat 70% gound beef and prime rib all the time, accompanied by deep fried foods with plenty of processed flour and refined sugar, which I'm sure some unfortunate souls actually do. If your diet contains a lot of vegetables and fruits, especially the ones high in antioxidants, and a good spectrum of whole grains, enjoy your marbled beef and don't feel guilty about it!

SteveO · #16 07/15/12, 07:10 PM

I will let you know how the spring grasses finishing were for mine. I pick him up on Monday. I guess I will suffer with steak on Tuesday.
What can I say some times you just got to take or in this case eat one or two for the team
Steve
Ps For Alaska this one is a 50% lowline steer

Alaska · #17 07/15/12, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveO

I will let you know how the spring grasses finishing were for mine. I pick him up on Monday. I guess I will suffer with steak on Tuesday.
What can I say some times you just got to take or in this case eat one or two for the team
Steve
Ps For Alaska this one is a 50% lowline steer

pm me and I will give you the address to send the steaks to

SCRancher · #18 07/16/12, 07:07 AM

Well I had to process an 8 year old cow earlier this year, she hurt her back and I penned her up for about 3 months eating nothing but "cow" quality grass hay (mostly Johnson Grass). When she did not recover well enough to be kept as a brood cow she went to the processor.

The cow was in about a BCS of about 5 or 6 when she was processed.

Cooked low and slow all the meat is super tasty. My experience is that if I try to cook quickly with anything but the fillets then it's like shoe leather.

The fat from this cow hardens quickly and leaves a film in your mouth but generally has a good but stronger flavor than store bought meat.

arnie · #19 07/16/12, 12:45 PM

Butchering a young steer that is fat as yousay and has'nt had to walk a mile a day to get full or to get to water your beef will be fairly tender and juicy .prime cuts of beef are hard to find grocery stores only go up to choice ;select being the cheaper type mostly in hamburger to get prime cuts I belive a beef has to be 17 mounths old and grain fattend corn puting the best firm well flavoredfat on housteens and jerseys never marble up no matter how much they eat herfords and angus are the best so you are ahead of those .if you can get some corn to feed him even if only for the last few weeks if will firm up the fat and improve the flavor.but if you have been eating moose n deer and not like most of us able to aford 27$ + a pound gormet steaks you will be very happy with it right off grass and leaner

dlskidmore · #20 07/16/12, 12:54 PM

Grass vs grain fed is a personal choice, everyone has a different pallet and diet plan.

Feeding grains will increase the Omega 6 fats in the meat, which are not good for you. If you use meat as a garnish, then this is not such a big deal as if you eat a meat-heavy diet.

Feeding grains will increase marbling and fatten him up faster than hay.

So it's really up to you...