Cattle FAQ
There are many fewer books on raising cattle than on raising chickens. I blame the New Age and vegetarian movements. None of them like beef. Unfortunately, all those “back to nature” types seem to be subsisting on eggs, goat milk and strange greens like arugala. And they’re the ones writing books on small scale agriculture. We need some meat eatin’ liberals out there to write a book for me.
I’ve been raising cattle for over a year now and have found that I know next to NOTHING about raising cattle compared to raising chickens. Cattle don’t demand much – grass in the summer, hay in the winter, and some water. The problem is that if something goes wrong with your cattle, its a really big deal. If you make a mistake and lose a chicken, you can shrug it off with an, “Aw, man,” toss it into the trash, and write off about $3.00. If you make a mistake and lose a registered cow, it’s a lot worse. You write off $2500, rent a backhoe, and set your plans back a year or two. Nothing says failure like a bloated cow carcass in your front pasture. (This hasn’t happened to me, but I don’t want you to get the idea that you can read a few pages on my blog and jump right in.)
Q: Why raise cattle?
All the chicken books pose the questions “Why Raise Chickens?” For cattle, I think it’s safe to assume that you are going to raise cattle because:
- you like tasty beef
- you like tasty milk
- you are looking for a hobby that involves a huge cash outlay, chasing livestock through your neighbor’s yard and spending time with large animals who would prefer to be left alone.
Ideally, you reasons involve some combination of 1 or 2 and 3. 3’s a biggie. I was tempted to add “enjoy eating meat that doesn’t contain wierd hormones and wasn’t fattened up on the bovine equivalent of ding dongs,” but maybe you’re some kind of crazed Dr. Moreau who wants to do nothing more than inject animals with steroids and feed corn to see if they can throw faster than Roger Clemens. Hopefully, not. One of the nice things about raising your own cattle is that you can control exactly what you eat and the conditions under which that food is raised.
Q: Beef or Dairy?
The first decision you have to make is whether or not you want cattle for beef or dairy products. Beef cattle are pretty low maintenance. Dairy cows (city folk: note use of the word “cows” here) require milking twice a day every day UNTIL YOU DIE… if you want them to keep producing milk. This is not my idea of a hobby. This sounds more like a court ordered punishment for vandalizing a creamery. There’s a reason the average age of dairy farmers is 94. I might be exaggerating but let’s just say their kids thought it was hard work and decided to try something easier – like working on high tension power lines.
Do not try dairying if you and your spouse are not committed to the project. Try a dairy goat first if you aren’t sure. Remember, you can always get a neighbor kid to toss a few square bales to your animals while you’re out of town for a weekend. It’s a lot harder to find someone who can milk them.
Q: What breed should I get?
There are many fewer breeds of cattle than chickens or horses. For the most part, you’ll rarely see a breed listed as “mainly for showing”. Some of the new miniature breeds come close, but even those four legged lawn ornaments can fill a niche for the small homesteader. In fact, if you are just starting out with cattle, smaller breeds are an excellent idea.
Beef Breeds
Angus, Charlevois, and Hereford are common most everywhere. In hot climates, you’ll also see a lot of Brahmas. These breeds are full size cattle and will break your foot if they step on it. I’ve heard that Angus require lots of help with birthing, but that’s anecdotal. Angus and Charlevois are popular around here. All these breeds will produce superior beef.
Highlands are the breed we chose. They’re smaller than the breeds above – larger than a Shetland pony, but not miniatures. Both males and females have horns. They produce superior lean beef and finish well on grass. They are supposedly also good for 1-2 gallons of very rich milk every day, but I’ll let you try it first. We can vouch that they do well with unassisted birthing.
Miniature Herefords and “Pandas” are true miniature cattle. Small, they are still beef breeds. They weigh less and eat less, but they are in short supply. Last we saw, you could expect to spend over $4000 per animal. Expect this market to come back down at some point, but do expect to get teased about “dinky steaks” if you go with one of these breeds.
Dairy Breeds
Holsteins make up 90+ percent of the US dairy herd. If you want gallons and gallons of milk, Holsteins are where its at. Holsteins are full size cattle. Now available in black and white.
Jerseys are smaller, supposedly friendly and good milk producers. Not so good for meat, they’re great for small homesteads who want dairy.
Q: What is the difference between Registered and Unregistered?
Registered cattle are like bovine royalty. Their bloodline is certified by a national organization and they are often kept or sold for breeding, not eating. Theoretically, they represent the cream of the genetic stock of the breed. I say theoretically because our unregistered cow, Yaro, gave birth to the largest, beefiest heifer calf our long time cattle friends have ever seen. We won’t be able to show her in many places, but we’ll definitely keep her for breeding stock. Unregistered cattle are generally cheaper as well.
Q: How much space/land will I need?
Let’s just say that you won’t be doing this behind your two-flat in Wrigleyville. The amount of space you need will range from 1 acre per animal in the temperate northern and eastern parts of the U.S. where grass grows well, to 15 or 20 acres per animal in the hot, arid west. This assumes you want to let your animal feed itself during the summer months. We have about 5-6 acres of pasture and run 4-6 animals. If you want to grow your own hay for winter, you’ll need a lot more land (and a totally different FAQ).
