Butcher Cow/Bull

[mffarmall]

I am planning on raising a yearling (past bottle fed) or two, cows or bulls for butchering. I am planning on feeding them by the bale. 6 acres in Colorado. What I need to know:

1. Area size needed. Probably with be electric.
2. Good age to get
3. Average Price
4. Good type
5. Corn stock or Alfalfa
6. Time of year to buy and when to butcher (have butcher that takes away and cuts up for freezer)
Thanks for the help
7 Any idea where to buy in N. Colo?

[egon]

From many years ago and may not apply to your area.

Buy shortly after they are weined. [ about six months ]
Area depends on how you wish to finish them and the local grass conditions.

If you are grain/hay feeding butchcer at about 1000 to 1200 pounds and takes a year. If only hay/grass fed takes two years.

Egon

[jdc40]

I'm not a expert on Colorado and there acres/animal but you might be able to contact your local/area extension agent and they could give you information on acerage needed, availability of feed sources, livestock auctions located in your area and any other information you may want to know. If not you could get some information from websites like american angus association and others like that or even from ag universities. I hope this can help and good luck. jdc40

[chadincolo]

I don't know where you are in Colorado, but if you have more than one animal on those 6 acres, you will have a bare pen (no grass at all) after the first year. We often ran cattle around 6-10 acres per cow/calf pair in the summer, fed in a yard during the winter. That's assuming dryland, irrigated I can't help you with, and again, depends on your area.

If you are doing electric fence, get bigger than a weiner calf. You will fight to keep him/her in.

Pick up a copy of the Fence Post, it has weekly cattle sales results. Been running around $1.00-1.25 per pound for yearlings, calves I think in the $75-100 range.

When to buy, when they are available the size you want. Calves are born in March in most of Colorado, limiting when you can get calves...

On feed, what is priced best. Dollar per pound gained is what you are after. Go to the CSU extension page, they have decent guidelines.

[Michael]

I saw calves in my area go for $2.80 a pound last week, so $75-100 per calf is a steal.