Hereford bull

milkman · #1 02/16/14, 08:09 PM

I have a hereford bull calf I want to butcher, I bought him and was wondering, by not being casterated will it effect the quality of the meat. Have always butchered steers? Anyone butchered bulls before?

CIW · #2 02/16/14, 10:44 PM

Bulls have a tendency to not marble as easily. Older ones commonly don't carry as much fat. With that lack of fat, the meat can be drier and over cooks very easily.
It does make for lean hamburger. Around here the local packing house buys up many of the old bulls that go through the auction. They in turn are the roast beef that is served at places like Arby's.

ksfarmer · #3 02/17/14, 08:16 AM

How old is he? You say "Hereford bull calf". Is he ready to butcher, or does he need to be grown and finished? Makes a lot of difference. If he is really just a calf, I would castrate now and feed him out. If he is over a couple of years old, he's not a calf and the meat will reflect the difference. Any bulls I butchered were 4-5 yrs old and mostly hamburger.

milkman · #4 02/17/14, 09:35 AM

He's 10 months old.

Allen W · #5 02/17/14, 10:26 AM

Up to 18 months or so you will be all right, He is still a bull though and will be ornery and hard on stuff. I would cut him and save myself some trouble if it was me.

haypoint · #6 02/17/14, 11:19 AM

As high as beef is these days, I'd cut him and feed him until at least cold weather. Corn has come down in price. Seems a waste to butcher so early, when demand is so high. If you don't want to cut him, I'd still keep him until cold weather.
Millions of pounds of boxed bull meat is imported into this country to be ground and added to less lean scraps to make hamburger. Bull meat is just often lean.

Why do you want to butcher a beef calf?

milkman · #7 02/17/14, 04:12 PM

I'm going to wait till fall to butcher, I want to butcher him for the meat, I know where and how it was grown. I will know what I'm eating.

ksfarmer · #8 02/17/14, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

I'm going to wait till fall to butcher, I want to butcher him for the meat, I know where and how it was grown. I will know what I'm eating.

In your case, I would definitely cut him now. Then, grow him till about 90-100 days before butchering . Pour the feed to him the last 90 days. Should make very good beef.