Should I raised cattle?

Question

I live in south texas and I always want a ranch with cattle but I really trying hard in reasreaching about cattle raising. But can someone tell me how many acres per cow, what breed, and how do I make money raising cattle. Went to the auction to see what goes on there and I wonder at what age should I buy a cow to start. I'll really want this but not so much in a hurry . Maybe start with a cow. but what age?

Answer 1

How many acres per cow depends on how much good pasture you have to sustain a single cow per acre. :o) For instance, you could raise 1 head per every 2 acres where we are BUT in Arizona you would need much more than that per head since 2 acres of their "pasture" is nothing like ours. (unless they plant and irrigate it)

Instead of explaining everything in detail for you (it's a lot of information and depends on what you want to do in the beef cattle business) I will suggest that you contact your County Agriculture Extension office. Their job is to assist those in their county with this type of thing...

Good Luck... It's NOT inexpensive...

**Let me add this:  Your "Beef" breeds are definitely different than your "Dairy" breeds, so you'll want to learn the difference. I WOULD NOT suggest that you purchase a bull calf to "hand raise" as this other person told you. You'll just waste money. You'll want to invest in your cow/heifer herd (females). You'll need a new bull to every 2 yrs to avoid inbreeding. Heifers are typically bred around 15 months old, so purchasing calves are a waste of money...

You WILL need equipment (ie; head chute or squeeze chute w/catch pen) You'll need bunk feeders, a 24/7 water source and it's best if your pastures are cross fenced for pasture rotation. You'll need to learn about the nutritional needs of your breed of cattle, what you have/don't have to meet those needs on your current pasture.....veterinary, immunology and parasitic topics, etc.. etc...

**You may not be able to simply "sell the milk" from your cows if you choose to go the dairy direction, as one makes it sound so easy. Check your state laws regarding the sale of milk... There are many states which do NOT allow one to simply do this without having met strict building and sanitation codes. :o)

There is A LOT to learn LONG BEFORE you jump right in..

Answer 2

There are a million ways to look at this.  You can buy feeder calves and in the spring and sell them in the fall, you can buy some old cows, get the calves outta them and resell the old cows to slaughter houses and have a cheap herd if you want to invest 18 months.....but them main thing is enjoy what you do and remember, take care of the animals at all times!!   Good luck!

Answer 3

If you just buy a cow your going to waste your time.  The cow gets old and dies then what?  You need a bull and a cow.  Then when the calf is born you can raise it and possibly sell it.  You best bet would be to buy both at an early age.  That way they can be raised by yourself, and they get used to human contact.  This whole thing is going to take a while.  Just be ready for the problems that come up... You have vaccinations to give, the birthing of the calf(when that comes up).  You really need  to focus on the facilities before you start buying cattle.  Your going to need various pens, as well as a chute.  That's used to separate one cow from the others, for the vaccinations and other medical tendings.   I would recommend Beef masters, as a kid they always seemed gentle to me.  You make money, but your not going to be rolling in the dough.  Unless you got thousands of acres down here.  But your primary means of income would most likley be sale.   My grandmother occasionally calls the Edna auction and they send a trailer to pick up the cows, and boom she gets a check in the mail. Got more questions let me know...  [e-mail]

Answer 4

the most perfect breed of cow is the holstein, they produce the most milk than any other cow compared to their food intake, and have fairly high butterfat and protein content,and a low SCC.  If youre just going to feed off the pasture land you may want jerseys, because they produce the most milk off just pasture land.  But they have a little higher SCCand a little lower butterfat and protein content, there milk is also a little yellower.

the milk price is going to start going down pretty soon though to like 18 per cwt, now it is 21per cwt

for a cow it doesnt really matter, heifers are going to cost more, i would say to buy cows through the slaughter/kill ring because they go for less than heifers and they are usually like 4 to 6 years old.  you would be taking a gamble on wether  or not they have diseases like mastitis, but with heifers you would be taking the chance that they may not be able to breed

i wrote a little too much but i know a lot about cows and farming and stuff so i just told you what i know

Answer 5

Nobody can say how many acres you need per cow without knowing what rainfall or irrigation you have available.

We can grow 2 cows per acre on our corn land, and we will need 30 acres per cow on some land near Brooks Alberta.

One can make good money with dairy cattle if you have a supply managed market, otherwise it can be a lot of tough work for little reward.

Raising cattle should mostly be done where the land will not easily support good tilled-soil crops. Hilly, stony, low moisture levels. These do not make it easier to grow cattle. But cattle growing is a best choice for that land, and there is too much land used for cattle that could give better results with better crops.

Answer 6

buy feeder and fatten them up and sell them after you  have a little more experience then buy you some breed cows and try that stay away from dairy breeds like jersey

Answer 7

buy a gersy cow and at any age you do this half acer per cow will be enugh

Answer 8

hi dear,,,

We have been raising registered Texas Longhorn cattle since 1979, as a sideline. Our herd is very small, usually around 20 head of brood cows. The bloodlines we have settled on are predominantly Butler, with a lot of Bold Ruler influence. Our cattle are bred very close, as we feel that this will throw more consistent genetics, especially on an out cross. We don’t want to raise bulls that throw a mixed lot of calves.

This is a hardy herd, gentle, and well mannered. They are not pets, however. We have a zero tolerance policy for fence crawlers, mean cows, or non-breeders. They are a healthy herd, without a lot of unnecessary medications and vaccinations. The heifer calves are all Bangs vaccinated. Our first priority is a maintenance free cow that raises a good calf every year. Horn size next, with color in the back seat.

We sell bull, heifer, and steer calves as available. Only three or four of the best bull calves and the best heifer calves are kept each year for sale as breeding stock. Our cows all can be for sale, each at a different price. We don’t hide the best ones in another pasture.

Sometimes we offer great older bulls for sale. Steers are sold to people interested in seeing a large set of horns and a beautiful hide. They really are a spectacular animal!

If you are interested in purchasing Texas Longhorns, see our Longhorns For Sale below. For details and pricing information, contact Dave Hodges.

Answer 9

For beef cattle get 1 year old angus's, for dairy cows get Holstien heifers. It should be 2 arces a cow of poor land and only 1 acre a cow for good land. By land i mean grass quailty. You should be able to sell the milk, or sell a beef cow to someone, also you can show cattle to build up their price. I hope this helps and if you need more info feel free to e-mail me.

Answer 10

read Nostradamus. Don't be surprised if a genetic bomb shows up this year . If true you will be lucky to live.The ruminants are predicted to be destroyed..

check Isiah 30 (20-30)