![]() The growing stage is exactly what it sounds like the steer is still growing structurally. There are two stages to raising feeder steers: growing and finishing. The age of the steer you purchase will depend on a few factors, all related to how you want to manage your property and animals. The process will be slower and less efficient than it would be with a beef steer, but the outcome can be affordable, nutritious, and delicious. While a female dairy cow is going to shuttle more nutrients to her mammary glands and produce high milk fat and high milk protein, a dairy steer can use those same traits to produce well-marbled beef. ![]() While these cattle are not bred to have high efficiency for turning feed into meat, they can make excellent feeder steers when fed the proper nutrition. This includes traits like high rate of gain, good marbling, good feed efficiency, compact body structure, calving ease, etc.ĭairy breeds are cattle that have been bred specifically for traits that are desirable in cows producing milk: high milk production, high milk fat percentage, high milk protein percentage, calving ease, etc. This means that producers have selected for traits that are good when raising cattle for beef, as breeding has occurred over numerous generations. Those are the more common breeds - check out the Livestock Conservancy for a list of heritage cattle breeds.īeef breeds have been bred specifically for beef production. A few of the breeds that are specific to beef production are Black Angus, Red Angus, Hereford, Limousin, and Charolais. Most breeds we are familiar with are specific for dairy production or beef production. The breed of the steer you choose to raise will make a difference. It is also vital to understand the nutrition behind raising grassfed beef, so you can keep your feeder steers healthy and productive. Having correct information will help you decide what breed is best for your property and how old you want the steer to be at purchase and slaughter. While it is easy to do, it is important to understand a few basics before jumping right in. Raising beef cattle for profit on a small farm appeals to people for multiple reasons.
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