Raising Cattle

Raising cattle can be fun and profitable at the same time. But it requires a lot of hard works and regular duties. Before entering the cattle business, you should consider your resources, the land available and your level of interest and skill.

There are several ways for raising cattle. Although how the cattle are raised not only depends on the individual raising them, but also depends on the breed, type and class of cattle.

These must be clearly defined and achievable in a realistic time-frame. If not, your operation will lack focus.

A small-scale cattle enterprise can involve a growing and feeding system (calves or weaners are either raised or bought and then fattened for slaughter), breeding herds, or a combination of growing, feeding and breeding herds.

Growing/feeding In a weaner operation, you acquire calves after weaning at 10 to 15 months of age. They can then be fed and marketed in less than a year from the time of purchase.

The investment on each calf is returned within a comparatively short time and you will need adequate facilities to keep the animals comfortable and under control.

In a pasture-based enterprise, you buy weaned calves in early spring, put them onto pasture when the grass is at its best, and sell them when the pasture season is over.

Working with calves requires a good deal of patience, as they are easily excited and stressed. Discuss a health programme with your vet.

Breeding registered cattle to supply breeding animals to other cattle producers usually needs a large capital investment in stock. Both the sire and dam must be purebred and registered with the national breed association on the studbook.

Your selection must be based on fertility, mothering ability, ease of calving, growth rate, and carcass merit.

Good commercial cows are selected according to size, quality, age, condition, stage of pregnancy and market price. You should choose a breed and cow size to match your feed resources and local conditions.

Crossbreeding can be an advantage in a commercial cow herd. Combining the merits of several breeds, plus the extra vigour from crossbred calves, may give you a competitive edge in the market.

If you follow all the steps mentioned above, then you will definitely be able keep your animals healthy and productive. And this will eventually increase your profit from cattle business. Yours in the garden Farm2Markt