Newbie with question

[Goatherd]

I have goats. No cow experience at all. If I got a steer to raise for beef, how long does that take? I'm sure there are many variables, but wondered about a time frame. Also, what is a good, smaller breed for this purpose? Could the cow be kept in the goat pasture? Any advice or suggestions much appreciated.

Thanks. If this isn't the appropriate place to post this, please feel free to move.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I can't answer all your cow questions, since we just have one show heifer, but wanted to say, we keep her with our adult goats. We have her from December to the following August. HOpe you have plenty of pasture and/or hay, they eat a heck of a lot more. And drink a lot more, she is always knocking over the water pans.

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

You can expect it to take around a year to raise the calf to 1200-1500 lbs (assuming you get a weaned calf and not a bottle calf). We like to have ours processed between 14-18 months old. An angus cross would make an excellent freezer steer. I personally enjoy our Limflex (Limousin x Angus cross) for eating because they get great fat and marbling from the angus and the high yeild carcass and growth of the Limousin.

If you get a young calf and raise it around goats, they should get along just fine.

 

[Goatherd]

Thank you both. If you butcher the cow when it is smaller, is there any problem or benefit? I would assume just less meat if sooner?

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Thank you both. If you butcher the cow when it is smaller, is there any problem or benefit? I would assume just less meat if sooner?

I certainly don't know if this is the case with all young or just the one particular experience we had. I will be interested to see what some of the others say. However, we had to butcher one that was roughly 7 months old. She had very, very little fat on her and most of the meat is tough. Definately not what you would want from your own beef. Just a side note: raising cows has been challenging and rewarding for us. We have learned a lot and continue to do so. If it is something you are really interested in, I would say to be as preparred as you possibly can and try and find a good local mentor that can help if you have questions. Let us know what you decide!

 

[Royd Wood]

All depends on what your feed and principles are - Ours are strictly grassfed & hay only = two winters with a good slaughter age of 28 months (late spring or fall) - results are fantastic.
Grain and corn fed options will speed up the process and save that second killer winter cost.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

If you're looking to get a small breed to raise for beef, like a Dexter or a dairy steer, at 14 to 18 months of age you won't be able to get up to the much-too-high weight of 1200 to 1500 lbs that another user mentioned. British breeds like Angus you are best to butcher when he gets around 1000 to 1200 lbs. He will be around the same age (~18 to 20 months of age). With the British breeds, they tend to gain fat more quickly when fed a high-grain diet or 60% forage-40% grain diet. This won't be so much with dairy steers like a Jersey or Holstein steer. You can expect to get a higher carcass weight with more meat on it with Continental breeds and Continental breed crosses, like a Limmi-Angus cross, straight Limousin, Simmental or Charolais.

There's nothing wrong with butchering at a younger age, but you may have to up the nutrition quality of the steer's feed to make the meat a little more tender. This may mean having to feed grain. And yes, it does mean less meat because you are butchering when the calf is growing and hasn't been given a chance to fill out its frame. This is why steers aren't killed until they're past a year old, or between when they are a year and two years old.

Most people find it cheaper to raise a dairy steer for beef because the dairy farmers have no need for dairy steers, unlike beef steers which are bought up much quicker by backgrounders and feedlot folk. So I'd take a look at what the farms in your area are offering and what kind of cattle and the breeds that are being raised around where you are.

Now the length of time it takes to feed up that steer depends on several variables: age you bought the steer (young calf or weanling [which is typically 6 months of age]), the breed of that steer, the feed you have available and able to spend on to feed the steer, the nutritional quality of that feed, when you want to butcher the steer, etc.

And yes, there's nothing wrong with putting the steer in with the goats. Cattle are naturally herd-bound creatures, so he will bond with the goats and make them as a part of his herd.

 

[Goatherd]

Thanks all for the replies and advice. Now I have something to go on and make my decision.

 

[kstaven]

Check with local dairies as some breed to Angus because they know people will take them to raise for beef and this resolves the issue of getting rid of calves for a dairy. That cross produces a very nice beef carcass that fills out quickly.

 

[jhm47]

While a dairy steer might cost less, it actually will cost more in the long run, due to the extra feed needed to get it to slaughter weight. Also, the meat quality and yield will be more for a beef steer. Of course, there are differences between beef breeds too. Be sure not to buy a high strung calf of any breed. There is ample evidence that flighty animals take more feed, grow slower, and their meat quality is not as good. Look for a calm, laid back one.