putting Jersey bulls to pasture

hitnspit

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
90
Reaction score
8
Points
46
ok a short story to get you all on the same page. I bought 2 jersey bulls calves in September for $25 each. I feel I could not pass up the deal. I will hold them in the barn until spring and then put out to pasture. As long as I get a fence up by then. Now my question is as I add new calves to our system will they be fine in the pasture with older ones or would I have to pasture them alone. Right now we are doing this for beef and heard that jersey is a pretty darn good beef cow for starters and pretty lean meat. Our two dulls are doing very well and cant wait to get more. I have other beef questions but will ask them in the proper area. Thanks
 

SheepGirl

Master of Sheep
Golden Herd Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Messages
3,625
Reaction score
909
Points
343
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Jerseys, being a dairy breed, will grow slower than beef breeds and not have as much muscling. Even though the Jerseys seem the cheapest to start out ($25 for a calf plus milk replacer), you will spend a LOT more time & feed to get them to market weight than you will a beef breed that is bred for feed efficiency, high growth rates, etc.
 

hitnspit

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
90
Reaction score
8
Points
46
Interesting. I should have thought of that with the fact I raise many chickens. Meat and egg layers. Kind of the same as meat birds growing heck of a lot faster then layers.
 

hitnspit

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
90
Reaction score
8
Points
46
Yes my bad. I should have said they are castrated.
 

WildRoseBeef

Range nerd & bovine enthusiast
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
2,253
Reaction score
361
Points
313
Location
Alberta, Canada
So they're steers, then, not bulls (thank God, because Jersey bulls are freakin' NASTY. I don't like them as much as anyone else wouldn't once they see just how demonic Jersey bulls can be). How old are they, those calves of yours?

Keeping them in the barn until spring is not a good idea. They do grow, even though they're a smaller breed than Holsteins or Angus, and most likely will outgrow the barn pens or stalls and will need to be thrown outside more often. Make sure they have an outdoor pen to go out to for feed, fresh air, room to run/walk around, etc. Don't confine them to the barn, just leave the barn accessible for them to go in and out as they please.

I definitely agree you should have thought of the beef vs. dairy differences. Some dairy lines of Jerseys are better on grass than others, but you have no idea with these calves so you better make sure you have plenty of grain to supplement in anticipation that they're not going to be gaining well on pasture. Or even just a hay bale. Dairy cattle are indeed slower to fatten and much less efficient on feed in gaining fat and muscle, and the time spent to grow them to a suitable finishing weight is going to take longer. Dairy cattle have higher energy and protein requirements than beef cattle, and that must be accounted for.

Hopefully you consider purchasing beefers instead if you want to save your money on feed. Beef cattle will be a lot easier on your wallet.
 

hitnspit

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
90
Reaction score
8
Points
46
They are going on 8 weeks and 10 weeks. We bought them from an all organized ic farm. We have ten and a half acres but not one foot of it has a fence. That's the reason for the barn until spring. We made the pens 12 X 8 with a hole in the middle wall for the water. We hope to have al animal on pasture next year. Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and so on. Just nervous aabout being right next to a main highway.
 

greybeard

Herd Master
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
5,940
Reaction score
10,803
Points
553
Location
East Texas
Now my question is as I add new calves to our system will they be fine in the pasture with older ones or would I have to pasture them alone.
To answer your question, yes the 2 Jersey steers should be fine as you add more calves later, but there will still likely be some pecking order pushing and shoving going on when you introduce the new calves. Being castrated helps but it doesn't alleviate it entirely.
Build good fences (and cross fences) and plan how you can move them from one paddock to another (sometimes you may have a need to move them from one and across another without them bolting out into the grass in the middle paddock, so plan accordingly.)

How many bovines do you envision eventually stocking on the 10.5 acres?
 

hitnspit

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
90
Reaction score
8
Points
46
It would really depend if I can find a market for the beef. I would like to start to buy females and breed them then sell them as milkers. What ever looks better for me down the road.
 
Top