Horray Hay

[CrealCritter]

Th

Looks like there is "some" fence up??? I at least see a wood and a T-post in one pic. Some electric insulators on T....maybe no fence.

10 acres is already fenced in with 2 runs of 14 ga electric fence wire on t-posts. I need to measure how close the t-posts are set. I'll get that measurement to tomorrow. Problem is they didn't brace the corners so they are falling in.

 

[farmerjan]

They make T-post braces for corners.... don't know if TSC has them but google and you can find them. If there is electric up then by all means, call around find a butcher that you can get an appt.... and then either get the knowledgeable neighbor next door to put you in the right direction to a neighbor with cattle, or go to the nearest stock yard and sit for a couple sales and watch. Also, there are guys that are order buyers... many decent and honest... that you can talk to, tell them what you want and the prices that you are willing to pay, and that they HAVE TO BE CALMER CATTLE, and often they can find some. That is a crap shoot until you get to know people.... At this point, for the electric, you need something that is already weaned so they will not want to go looking for momma and go through electric fence. Try to get something that you will not have to feed through the winter... maybe a neighbor that has a heifer or 2 that didn't settle (breed) and is open that you can get reasonable... they make good beef and are ready to kill most anytime. You really don't want one by its self, cattle are herd animals and will be much more content with company.
10 acres ought to feed a couple head for a couple months with a little grain to entice them to stay friendlier and calmer and to put some finish on the beef....
This is the time of year when most are selling off the feeder calves, many are not "weaned" so are what are called trailer weaned or bawlers, and they are taken off the cows, put on the trailer and shipped. They usually run in the 6 wts and smaller. Most over 700 are weaned just because the cows have needed to get rid of the calf in order to have a rest before the next one they are carrying is born. Most weaning is done in the 4-600 wt range.... about 5-8 months old. If you can get an appt, then you want something in the 8-1,000 range to fatten more and finish.
One possibility is some holstein's... they should be over 1,000 as they grow more bone then put on weight.... They will often be calmer or more used to people as they are usually more likely to be raised by someone who is "feeding them" regularly. A good holstein will make good beef, bigger than most beef animals that are raised for home consumption... will be lean and have good flavor. The one good thing is if you buy them for say $.80 to $1.00 a lb at 800 lbs, they will bring near that at 1,000 or 1200lbs. So the weight gain is the plus... Or buy a couple of jersey steers if there are any, they are always cheaper, and they make very good beef. Might be able to sell one on halves or something and you keep the other for your own freezer. Older people who have ever eaten jersey beef will mostly always like to have more and not many raise them as there is not the return for someone who is doing it for the business. They are smaller boned so there is more meat than you think when they are in the 1,000 lb size for killing.

 

[wyoDreamer]

In Wyoming, they hang rocks on the outside corners of the fence to keep it tight, lol. I lost my pictures of that, but it really tickled my funny bone to see a boulder wrapped in wire and hanging off the backside of a wooden post about a foot off the ground. I am sure it is a lot easier to hang a boulder than to try and dig another post hole in that rocky, clayey, granite mess that they call soil out there.

 

[CrealCritter]

Measured t-posts spacing. The are 10 foot apart and about 5' tall sticking up out of the ground. So I think what I need to do is brace the corners add another run or two and we should be good for hooves.

I'm kind of favoring the t-posts corner kit at this point. Only because it's not permanent and looks easy to move when I need to.

More information http://thishappyhomestead.com/2015/04/04/t-post-fence-corners/

 

[CrealCritter]

They make T-post braces for corners.... don't know if TSC has them but google and you can find them. If there is electric up then by all means, call around find a butcher that you can get an appt.... and then either get the knowledgeable neighbor next door to put you in the right direction to a neighbor with cattle, or go to the nearest stock yard and sit for a couple sales and watch. Also, there are guys that are order buyers... many decent and honest... that you can talk to, tell them what you want and the prices that you are willing to pay, and that they HAVE TO BE CALMER CATTLE, and often they can find some. That is a crap shoot until you get to know people.... At this point, for the electric, you need something that is already weaned so they will not want to go looking for momma and go through electric fence. Try to get something that you will not have to feed through the winter... maybe a neighbor that has a heifer or 2 that didn't settle (breed) and is open that you can get reasonable... they make good beef and are ready to kill most anytime. You really don't want one by its self, cattle are herd animals and will be much more content with company.
10 acres ought to feed a couple head for a couple months with a little grain to entice them to stay friendlier and calmer and to put some finish on the beef....
This is the time of year when most are selling off the feeder calves, many are not "weaned" so are what are called trailer weaned or bawlers, and they are taken off the cows, put on the trailer and shipped. They usually run in the 6 wts and smaller. Most over 700 are weaned just because the cows have needed to get rid of the calf in order to have a rest before the next one they are carrying is born. Most weaning is done in the 4-600 wt range.... about 5-8 months old. If you can get an appt, then you want something in the 8-1,000 range to fatten more and finish.
One possibility is some holstein's... they should be over 1,000 as they grow more bone then put on weight.... They will often be calmer or more used to people as they are usually more likely to be raised by someone who is "feeding them" regularly. A good holstein will make good beef, bigger than most beef animals that are raised for home consumption... will be lean and have good flavor. The one good thing is if you buy them for say $.80 to $1.00 a lb at 800 lbs, they will bring near that at 1,000 or 1200lbs. So the weight gain is the plus... Or buy a couple of jersey steers if there are any, they are always cheaper, and they make very good beef. Might be able to sell one on halves or something and you keep the other for your own freezer. Older people who have ever eaten jersey beef will mostly always like to have more and not many raise them as there is not the return for someone who is doing it for the business. They are smaller boned so there is more meat than you think when they are in the 1,000 lb size for killing.

Do you mind if I start a private conversation with you? You can teach me a lot about how to make this farm profitable. My wife and I are starting the planning phases right now and it sure would be nice to have an open dialogue with you to help guide our decisions.

 

[baymule]

You are speaking to the expert. This is what @farmerjan has done all her life and she knows her stuff.

This is Goldie, our steer and future steaks.

Our Steer is Here!

Our steer was delivered today. He was born last October, 2019. He has a slaughter date in March 2021. He is half Charolais and half Hereford. We named him Goldie.

www.backyardherds.com

 

[wyoDreamer]

Nice looking guy. Do you have a friend for him?
I would love to raise a couple of steer, we have some friends who have expressed interest in splitting the cost of raising beef with us. There is a place not far from us that butchers for private consumers.

 

[CrealCritter]

You are speaking to the expert. This is what @farmerjan has done all her life and she knows her stuff.

This is Goldie, our steer and future steaks.

Our Steer is Here!

Our steer was delivered today. He was born last October, 2019. He has a slaughter date in March 2021. He is half Charolais and half Hereford. We named him Goldie.

www.backyardherds.com

View attachment 14609

Great looking beefer, Bay. But I'm shocked you didn't name the steer "Sir Loin".

 

[CrealCritter]

Talking with little John (preacher John's son) about beefers. He told me at the auction he has bought bottle feeder calf and they seemed to do well. Less cost, more work up front and more time to mature like an extra year to butchering weight. But he said it might be a good option to start building a herd. Any comments on this?

 

[wyoDreamer]

I think one of the worries of bottle feeder calves if if they have gotten colostrum from their mothers before they were taken away. It is important for them to get that first milk from their mom so they can build up their immunity.
But I don't have cows, so I may be wrong about this.
They also need multiple, daily feedings until they are weaned off the milk replacer.