Raising Grass Fed beef on small scale

**sparkletarte.** · 10-29-2013, 09:11 AM

nice work on the abattoir! It would be nice to have one here, but I do love our butcher.

some people prefer grain finished, but it doesn't have the cache of grass.

I just picked up a steer and 3 pigs. My freezers are full! The steer is from a new ranch for us- the man is an agrologist and range consultant so he's got the care and timing of raising steers down to a science. Looking foward to trying it.

I also found a ranch to get pasture lamb and pigs from which is very exciting. Very nice farm and sweet animals. They are following the Polyface/Salatin method.

**DougW** · 11-11-2013, 10:04 AM

some pics of the "herd"

Cattle are sometimes so dumb. Knowing that we're going to use the neighbours tractor to put a round bale in the feeder I feed in the morning with squares on the other side of the field thinking that will keep them on that side of the field when we do the round bale. Looked around when we getting round and all of them were in a tight group pressed up against the fence watching what we were doing. Of course were in the way when we dropped the bale. All crowded around the round bale feeder when dropped. The about two minutes later 3/4 of them were standing around not feeding , there should have been a bubble above all their heads " shit right we weren't hungry".

**DougW** · 07-08-2014, 12:18 PM

The first 6 are gone, the old cow we bought with the calves became sausage and hamburger in Feb and the last of the steers came back from butchers last week . All sold except for some hamburger and stew meat. Most went to sides but one steer went for cuts which sold well with some big orders. Feed back has been very good. The butchers down in Invermere are buying buying a whole steer between them. They did a very good job and hang the meat for about 3 weeks and the sausage and jerky has been excellent. They were finished on a organic grain pellet for 12 weeks with six week ramp up.

The last 3 big guys before their big day.

**jamesp** · 07-08-2014, 01:19 PM

nice, Konigs did it? their stuff seems to be good.

**DougW** · 07-08-2014, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by jamesp

nice, Konigs did it? their stuff seems to be good.

yup Konigs is doing our stuff

only problem with them they are so busy in hunting season we will need to before or after

**DougW** · 07-26-2014, 09:28 AM

Decided to do 3 or 4 steers as grass fed only. Did a facebook Golden Classified ad and the response was over whelming. Doing this year as the grass has been really good and the hay crop was done in June so are able to get them on second growth in hay fields now. If it was ever going to work this would be the year. Also works out well so we get some steers in before the butchers hunter season rush begins.

So you guys who do the grass fed, do you plan to slaughter as soon as the grass growth slows down? We're planning on the first week of Sept but in a perfect world with no butcher issues I think we would wait a while.

**Beaver** · 07-26-2014, 09:38 AM

I book my butcher 2 months or more in advance. Then I slaughet when I want knowing I can take them in.

Where do you get your steers?

**DougW** · 07-26-2014, 12:20 PM

Problem is that they know that they will be very busy during hunting season so will no take more than a couple. So if we wanted to take in all 10 in the middle of hunting season they would say no even if we booked 2 years in advance. They turn a lot of elk and deer in to tasty sausage.

7 angus we got through a cattle broker and 3 from literally down the road. He raises Limousin. For a while they looked like skinny ginger teenagers but they have really been putting on weight, they are eating machines. They are 6-8 in taller than the Angus at the shoulder.

**Shadam** · 07-26-2014, 12:25 PM

your making me hungry doug !!!

no wait ... the steers not you !!!

**DougW** · 07-26-2014, 06:27 PM

all you have to do is lure one of Larry's in to your garage. Just a bit of grain , a steer will go anywhere for that shit.

Today is the first day I didn't have to lead the steers on the new grass. They were waiting for me to move the elec fencing. Had to make the connections live which was surprizing painful. Its one thing to check the shock with a finger and another thing to grab two ends and make the connection.