Getting Started With Raising Calves For Beef On Your Homestead

Imagine the aroma of a perfectly grilled steak or the savory taste of a homemade cheeseburger made with ground beef raised on your own homestead. It’s an enticing prospect, but have you considered taking it to the next level by raising beef calves? Perhaps you’ve already gained experience with smaller livestock like chickens and rabbits, and now you’re ready to tackle something new.

Raising beef cattle can be a highly rewarding and educational process, but it’s essential to understand the challenges involved before bringing home a fragile calf.
To accommodate such a large animal, you’ll need to consider factors like space requirements, nutrition, and the journey from calf to mature steer, ready for processing. This guide will walk you through every stage of raising beef, from the initial steps to the final product, ensuring you’re well-prepared for the journey ahead.

How Much Space Do Your Calves Need?

As you drive through rural areas, it’s not uncommon to see large herds of cattle densely packed into small spaces. Many of these animals are living in unsavory conditions, covered in mud and waste, with diets consisting mainly of corn.

It’s likely that your decision to start a hobby farm or homestead wasn’t motivated by the desire to create an industrial-scale feedlot in your own backyard.

You probably envision cattle roaming freely across acres of green pasture, munching on grass as they go about their day.

Before we dive into the details of getting started with your own agricultural project, let’s take a step back and cover some fundamental concepts.

Acreage

Acreage

When it comes to raising cattle, it’s essential to provide ample space for them to roam. A general guideline is to allocate around 2 acres per steer. However, this number can increase significantly if you’re opting for grass-fed beef operations, which require more extensive grazing areas. While small lots can be suitable for raising healthy cattle, giving your animals enough elbow room and maintaining a clean environment is crucial for their happiness and overall well-being.

The Nursery

Newly born young steers require special care and attention, particularly when it comes to their environment. As fragile creatures, they can fall ill quickly if exposed to drafts or other unfavorable conditions. Compared to goats, chickens, and rabbits, which are often robust and adaptable, calves are surprisingly delicate. Their vulnerability is a stark reminder of the need for careful handling and monitoring in these early days.

Shelter

When it comes to sheltering your steers from the elements, providing a comfortable and secure environment is crucial. At a minimum, they should have access to shade and a windbreak, especially in extremely cold temperatures where the latter can be a lifesaver. As mammals, steers need energy to maintain their body heat, which is essential for maintaining their weight and overall health.

By keeping them out of the cold, you’re not only doing your steers a favor but also ensuring they remain healthy and productive. While mature steers are generally hardy and can tolerate cooler temperatures, it’s still important to consider their comfort level. So, don’t worry about blanketing them – instead, focus on creating a sheltered space that provides the necessary protection from the elements.

Adequate Fencing for Raising Beef Calves

Adequate Fencing for Raising Beef Calves

When it comes to raising beef calves, providing a suitable environment is crucial during their early development. For the first 6-8 weeks, a small, enclosed space with controlled airflow is ideal. This helps prevent respiratory issues that can arise from poor ventilation. If you have a small barn or shed, consider setting up cozy cubbies for your bull calves to thrive. Alternatively, calf hutches can be a valuable investment, especially if you plan to raise beef calves on a yearly basis.

Keep in mind that used hutches may be available on online marketplaces like Craigslist, making them a more affordable option.

Hotwire and Panels

When it’s time to transition your calves to new grazing areas, you’re faced with two primary options for containment: hotwire, panels, or a combination of both. While some still opt for barbed wire, castrated bull calves typically don’t require this type of fencing. On our homestead, we’ve found hotwire to be a reliable and easy solution for introducing young steers to new grazing areas.

With just one or two gentle jolts from the electric fence, your calves will learn to respect the boundary and avoid crossing it. Panels offer a more friendly approach, but they can be cost-prohibitive, especially when dealing with large areas. If budget allows, consider investing in panels or other fencing options for added peace of mind.

Where to Find Inexpensive Calves

Where to Find Inexpensive Calves

When considering the purchase of day-old bull calves, it’s essential to acknowledge the value behind this decision. The reality is that many dairies have no use for these young males and often permit them to perish on the farm. By choosing to buy a calf, you’re essentially intervening in an uncertain fate, which might otherwise lead to a life in fur farming or other less-than-ideal circumstances.

From the Neighbors

When purchasing bull calves from a local farmer, consider establishing a relationship and negotiating a market price deal. To make it easy for the farmer, offer to pick up the calf within 24 hours and pay in cash. This timeframe is crucial because calves need access to colostrum from their mother within this window. Colostrum contains essential antibodies that set the stage for the calf’s overall health.

By buying directly from a local farmer, you’ll avoid the uncertainty of auctions and gain a valuable resource – direct access to the calves’ maternal care. This perk is not to be underestimated, as it can significantly impact the health and well-being of your new livestock.

Auction Houses

When sourcing bull calves from auction houses, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential risks involved. While auctions can provide an opportunity to acquire these young animals at a lower cost, there’s limited information available about each individual animal. You may find yourself in a situation where you’re bidding on a calf with unknown health status, potentially exposing your own herd to illness or injury.

However, this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a healthy bull calf at an auction. With practice and attention to detail, you can learn to identify signs of illness or poor care, such as scours or other visible injuries. This knowledge can help you make informed decisions when bidding on calves, even in the midst of chaos. Just remember that auctions are often competitive, with experienced cattle buyers present.

Paying attention to their bids and purchasing habits can give you valuable insight into which calves might be worth considering.

Fairs

When it comes to sourcing high-quality cattle, fairs offer an unparalleled shopping experience. You’ll have access to some of the healthiest and most desirable steers on the market, with some available for purchase and others not. Prices can vary greatly depending on their performance at the fair, with top-performing animals potentially commanding a premium.

Beyond the livestock itself, fairs also provide a valuable opportunity to network and gather leads on where to acquire healthy beef cattle or dairy bull calves in the future. For families, this event can become an exciting and memorable experience, especially for children who may be considering showing their own animals at the fair in years to come.

Craigslist

When seeking out bull calves on Craigslist, it’s likely you’ll encounter more fishmongers than farmers. While purchasing a healthy, started bull calf from someone who has already handled the bulk of the work (bottle feeding, bucket training, and weaning) is not inherently problematic, it can also be cost-effective to take on these tasks yourself. This approach allows you to raise beef cattle at a lower upfront expense.

Before embarking on this journey, however, it’s essential to have a solid understanding of market prices and to ask plenty of questions.

How to Choose the Right Calves

How to Choose the Right Calves

Breeds

This article’s foundation is centered around acquiring surplus dairy bull calves. While it’s common to encounter Holsteins in this category, buyers may also have opportunities to purchase Jersey or Angus bull calves that are deemed unsuitable for further milk production.

Freemartins

Freemartins, also known as twin calves, are heifers born alongside a bull calf. This unique phenomenon occurs when two eggs are fertilized in the same heat cycle, resulting in one male and one female calf. Unfortunately, freemartins often struggle with infertility issues, making them less desirable to dairy farmers seeking to breed their herds. However, they can thrive as beef cattle, particularly when raised alongside steers.

The absence of castration is an added benefit, eliminating the need for this procedure altogether.

What to Look for Healthwise

When purchasing a calf from a farmer or auction house, it’s crucial to inspect the prospective calf for signs of poor health. This is essential to ensure you’re not bringing home an animal that may require immediate veterinary attention or even be beyond saving. Some telltale signs of illness in calves include diarrhea (also known as scours), limping, lethargy, droopy ears, kicking at its stomach, bloat, goopy eyes, runny nose, and coughing.

If any of these symptoms are present, it’s best to pass on the calf altogether. While it may be tempting to want to save every calf you come across, some are simply not savable and can only end up spreading illness to the rest of your herd. To mitigate this risk, always quarantine new calves when introducing them to your existing herd, as illnesses can spread quickly in a nursery setting.

Feeding Calves

Feeding Calves

When welcoming a new calf to your family through an auction purchase, you might find yourself dealing with a young one that’s already familiar with bottle-feeding. Congratulations! In this scenario, the calf will likely latch on effortlessly. On the other hand, if you’ve brought home a newborn calf that has no prior experience with feeding or bottles, you can expect some initial resistance.

The calf may even exhibit a bit of fidgetiness or outright refusal to accept the bottle, as they try to make sense of this new and unfamiliar process.

Milk Replacer

When it’s time to wean your newborn calf off momma’s milk, you’ll need a suitable substitute. This can be obtained from local agricultural suppliers, where you’ll find a range of products including milk replacers, bottles, and nipples. These come in powdered form, accompanied by clear instructions for mixing on the packaging.

To ensure optimal absorption and prevent any issues like clogging or buildup, it’s essential to mix the milk replacer with warm water – this will also make it more palatable for your calf.

Bottle Training

Bottle feeding calves can be a challenging process, especially for the first few attempts. The calf may not understand what you’re trying to do and may find it unnatural at first. However, with patience and persistence, they’ll eventually learn to accept the bottle. To make the process smoother, start by squeezing some warm milk from the nipple onto the calf’s mouth, allowing them to lick and smell the milk. Once they seem interested, offer the nipple gently and let them get used to it.

If they don’t take to it immediately, try slipping a clean finger into their mouth, letting them suck on it if they want. This can help them associate the bottle with food. Be prepared for frustration – the calf may moo in dismay or try to spit out the milk. But keep trying and eventually, they’ll start to suckle. You may need to gently hold their mouth closed around the nipple until they realize it’s food. Make sure not to block their airway while doing so.

If you’re training multiple calves at once, have a clean bottle for each one and wash your hands thoroughly between training sessions to prevent the spread of disease. Once the calf learns that the bottle is a source of nutrition, they’ll become obsessed with it. You may find yourself becoming their favorite thing in the world, with them mooing to you, nudging you, and trying to suck on your clothing. It’s both adorable and annoying at times, but you’ll eventually grow to love it.

Feed your calf twice a day or according to the instructions on the milk replacer label. Everything they need is contained in that sweet-smelling bag of milk powder. Just be sure to keep the powdered milk replacer sealed tight to prevent curious pets from getting into it and falling ill.

Bucket Training

As you prepare to transition your calf from bottle-feeding to drinking from a bucket, it’s essential to understand that this process can be more challenging than simply switching from one container to another. While it may seem daunting, training your calf to drink milk from a bucket is an important step in their development. It not only enables you to focus on other aspects of care but also prepares them for drinking water and eating grain and hay.

When your calf is strong enough and consistently drinking from the bottle, you can begin introducing the bucket. However, it’s crucial to recognize that some calves may need more time with the bottle before making the switch, while others might pick up on bucket training quickly. To successfully train your steer for bucket feeding, follow these tried-and-true tips:Always secure the bucket, as babies will inevitably try to toss or nudge it, causing milk to spill.

Start by using the nipple (separated from the bottle) and lead the calf to the bucket to drink. Although they may not understand at first, this initial step helps them begin lowering their heads into the bucket, which can feel unnatural. Use your finger instead of the nipple. Dip your finger into the milk, allowing the calf to suck on it while you slowly lower your hand into the bucket and submerge it in the liquid.

Then, remove your finger and the calf might stay in the bucket, drinking milk until they realize your finger is gone. Be prepared for frustration – but persistence pays off. Some calves can be stubborn about adapting to this new feeding method, and that’s okay. If your calf refuses to drink without a nipple, it may take repeated attempts before they learn to drink from the bucket on their own.

In some cases, walking away might give them the motivation needed to finally try drinking from the bucket. Remember, it’s normal for calves to snort and inhale some milk during this transition period. They often plunge their entire nose into the warm milk initially, but with time, they’ll learn to adapt.

The Process of Developing Steers

The Process of Developing Steers

Introduce Grain

As your calves near weaning age, it’s essential to introduce small amounts of hay and starter grain. Thankfully, they’ll naturally develop an interest in these new foods out of curiosity. However, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for feeding amounts, as consuming too much too quickly can lead to digestive issues.

Typically, calves are ready to start eating roughage and solids around 6-8 weeks old, although this readiness is more dependent on individual development than age or weight. Observe your calves’ behavior and wait until they’re fully consuming their grain before considering weaning them from milk.

Castration

As calves mature, they develop into robust young cattle. However, before considering them full-fledged steers, it’s essential to address their reproductive development through castration. This process can be performed by a veterinarian or accomplished independently via banding. Some seasoned cattle owners may even choose to undertake the procedure surgically themselves.

While castration can be done at any stage, I recommend waiting until the calf has settled and is around two months old.

Keep in mind that as your calves grow larger and stronger, it’s crucial not to delay this process for too long.

To facilitate the process, you can acquire banding equipment from a local agriculture store or online.

Dehorning

The decision to dehorn steers ultimately depends on personal preference, with both options having their pros and cons. On one hand, dehorning with irons can be painful for the calf and may not be feasible to do alone. On the other hand, leaving horns intact poses a risk of injury to oneself, others, or even the steer as it grows. Chemical methods that ‘burn’ off horns early on are available, but they’re not foolproof and can cause significant discomfort if not handled carefully.

In our experience, we’ve opted to leave horns intact and haven’t encountered any issues thus far – perhaps we’ve been fortunate. However, after attempting to remove horns with an iron a few times, we concluded it wasn’t worth the stress for either the steer or ourselves. We also tried chemical methods, but unfortunately, my husband suffered an adverse reaction when he accidentally applied it to his skin, leaving us to reconsider this approach as well.

In light of these experiences, we’ve come to accept horns as a natural part of our steers’ anatomy.

Pasturing for The First Time

At around 12 weeks of age, calves can be gradually introduced to pasture, but it’s crucial to do so slowly to avoid overwhelming their sensitive systems. A sudden influx of lush green grass can lead to bloat and potentially fatal consequences if they’re not prepared. Properly supplementing their grain with high-quality hay beforehand will help mitigate this risk.

When you first introduce your calves to the pasture, expect a mixed reaction – some may be ecstatic, while others might exhibit fear or apprehension. As they become more comfortable, they’ll likely start exploring and enjoying their new surroundings. If you’ve opted for hotwire fencing, ensure that it’s visible to your steers by attaching flags, ripped clothing, old socks, or other items along the fence line. This may slow them down enough to prevent accidental fence breaches.

Keep a close eye on your calves for a few hours, verifying they’ve learned to respect the fence and check in periodically over the next few days. Don’t forget to regularly test and maintain your fencing system.

Processing

The typical waiting period for slaughtering a steer is around 1200 pounds. However, this timeframe can vary greatly depending on the specific circumstances of your operation. Factors such as the type of feed you provide – including options like grass-fed, cornfed, and grain-fed – as well as the breed of steer you’re raising, can significantly impact the duration of their growth cycle.

In some cases, it may take up to 12 months for a steer to reach this milestone, while others may require a more extended period of around 36 months.

Where to Butcher

When considering the consumption of beef from your steer, home processing is a viable option for those with the necessary expertise. However, if you’re new to the process or intend to sell the meat to customers, it’s recommended to entrust the task to a USDA-certified facility to ensure optimal safety and quality.

Conclusion to Raising Beef Calves

Conclusion to Raising Beef Calves

As you nurture your beef calves from birth to maturity, savor each milestone in their growth. Witnessing them evolve into sturdy, contented steers is a fulfilling experience for everyone involved. It’s natural to form strong bonds with these animals, but don’t forget to keep things in perspective. By tracking expenses and staying mindful of the bigger picture, you can raise healthy, happy beef without breaking the bank.

Consider maintaining a homesteading journal to monitor costs and make data-driven decisions about your livestock management. With careful planning and attention to detail, you’ll be well on your way to successfully raising beef on your homestead.

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