Wanted: Steer for 4-H.

[twokidsandafarm]

I'm looking for a TAME or bottle-fed beef steer calf for my 4-H project. I would prefer it to weigh around 300-500 lbs, but I'd consider a bottle calf.
Located in Tioga, PA.
Thanks!


Raising Dairy Goats for milk, show, and fun! Also raising Red New Zealand and French Angora rabbits!
My website: www.twokidsandafarm.com

[G. Seddon]

Wouldn't your 4H agricultural person have some info on where to get one? You could also check out any regional cattle associations, beef processors, farm stores, nearby farms with beef cattle.......

[danniulrich05]

With the exception of one mistreated/ex roping steer, they all tame down pretty easily. Show steers that are kept in a pen and handled daily are very friendly. I purchased mine at 525#, wild as could be and scared of men. My 115# had him halter trained and handle-able in a week. You just need a lot of gentle patience and to have the stuff to get in there with a big animal and teach him.

[MO_cows]

If they are tamed down, they have likely been penned up and on feed for awhile, too, so be prepared to open your checkbook. With prices what they are now, though, your checkbook will be begging for mercy anyway.

You might try searching under "club calf". That is a common term for the calves raised specifically as show prospects.

Good luck, hope your kid has a great learning experience and makes good money at sale time!

[goodhors]

You might want to get a copy of your State's Farm Bureau News, which is a monthly paper with advertising of sales for steer calves. Lots of Farms getting their Sales out in front of folks, so they can save-the-date to come buy. Some Farms also will
advertise on Craigslist, in breed Newsletters. You have to find the loop, so you can hear about sales, sellers with maybe a few animals, to go shopping.

You probably won't find a bottle calf this late, and it would not be able to reach it's full growth by your Fair, if it was born so late. I had an AWFUL time finding a beef calf for sale when we went looking for a Club Calf animal. Seems like everyone breeds their own animals, none get weaned until almost Fair! I did find an orphan, had to drive over 200 miles to get it. THEN ended up not being able to sell in the Auction, since DD also had a Dairy Calf, and Rules only allow ONE large animal to be sold by the kid. Dairy Calf was bigger, so he went thru the sale.

Daily handling, walking the animal, is what makes them easy to manage, along with a built-in good disposition. Ours were both really good to handle, showed the hard work, time DD put in on them. The Cloverbuds Program borrowed them to "show" in their class with an adult alongside the kid. No problems leading or standing her calves up by LITTLE kids!!

Crabby mothers usually have crabby calves, stay away from those so no one gets hurt.

Good luck with the Steer project.

[twokidsandafarm]

Thanks everyone for all the info! I think I might hold off until next year for the steer project, just because of the cost, even if I bought a cheap calf, I'm might not break even. I'll probably just do my market lambs and rabbit meat pen for the 4-H auction again, maybe I'll even try market hogs.
Thanks!


Raising Dairy Goats for milk, show, and fun! Also raising Red New Zealand and French Angora rabbits!
My website: www.twokidsandafarm.com

[GaryS61]

If you feel like a trip to Montana I will sell you one at a discount. They are Galloway or Galloway/Angus cross they are from a white bull and are real good looking calves. I believe in 4H and in helping kids. To bad we are so far apart.

[tommyanunnaki]

Sometimes your best bet is just driving down the road. If you see a field with beef cattle in it, pull in, knock on the door, and tell the farmer that you were looking for a 4H calf. He may have one for sale. If not, he can probably tell you where to go to look for one.

Also, if you have a breed in mind you could look for local people who raise that breed.