What Is the Full Maturity of a Beef Cattle

Raising beefiness cattle for turn a profit can be a satisfying enterprise. All the same, at that place are a number of management skills that each beef producer should have to be successful. Each livestock enterprise has dissimilar resources: land, labor, uppercase, feed, and direction. To heighten beefiness cattle sustainably, you must manage these resources.

In improver to managing resources, new producers must ask themselves, What do I need to get started? This question involves considerations for the blazon of animals a producer wishes to raise as well every bit where to discover these animals, how to select them, and what equipment volition be needed for the operation. Producers also need to consider how they will feed their animals and what health intendance practices they will employ to keep the animals salubrious. Savvy producers will let markets identify the blazon of animals they should enhance in order to generate a profit. This fact sheet may exist used every bit a guide for beef cattle producers only getting started in the manufacture to acquire:

How to determine what type of fauna yous should raise
About the different breeds and how to select the right one for you
Where to buy your animals
What to expect for every bit the ideal characteristics
What equipment y'all'll demand to enhance your animals
How to breed and raise your beef cattle
What to feed and how to care for your animals' health
What it takes to market your animals

What Type of Animals Should I Enhance?

The first thing to decide when starting a new beef cattle enterprise is what blazon of animals to raise. This decision should directly reflect the markets a producer has bachelor to sell beef cattle and consider the resource bachelor on the farm and the producer's individual goals.

Beef cattle may be used to produce meat or generate seedstock (breeding animals). The intended markets may dictate what breed or breeds are best suited for the functioning. Some producers choose to breed females to produce calves to sell for breeding stock or market animals. Other producers may prefer to purchase weaned animals, also known as feeders, to enhance to market place weight.

Producers should start by determining if they wish to enhance purebred or commercial stock. A purebred operation typically raises animals of one breed. Oftentimes a purebred operation will accept all registered animals that can likewise exist sold through purebred sales. A commercial operation may accept unregistered purebred animals, or they may accept crossbred animals. Crossbred animals have the do good of hybrid vigor, which is simply the power of crossbred offspring to increment in productivity over the average of the breeds that were part of the cantankerous. This means that a crossbred dogie could grow faster, or a crossbred female could produce more milk for its offspring.

Selecting a Breed

Each livestock breed has different traits for which they are recognized. Breed associations tin provide information on those traits and help you narrow your decision regarding what breed or breeds fit best with your operation. Beef cattle breeds are frequently divided into maternal (moo-cow) and terminal (sire) breeds. Maternal breeds are typically moderately sized and recognized for their ability to heighten healthy calves. Last breeds are generally a scrap larger in their size and unremarkably used for meat production. In add-on to these two classifications, composite breeds of cattle also exist.

Composite breeds are cattle breeds that are generally fabricated upwards of maternal and concluding breeds and oftentimes combine genetics for specific environments or markets. While many producers use both maternal and concluding breeds in their systems, composite breeds have been established and are recognized by their pedigree. Many breeds exist in the Usa. The more common breeds are listed in the table below.

Maternal

Angus
Hereford
Shorthorn
Cherry Angus

Final

Charolais
Gelbvieh
Limousin
Simmental
Maine Anjou

Blended

SimAngus
Maintainer
Braford
Beefmaster
Limflex

Angus Photograph credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Grouping

Hereford Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Photograph credit: Dave Hartman, Penn Country Extension

Where Tin can I Buy Animals?

Animals tin be purchased through several unlike means. Many sales are held across the country throughout the year and may offer merely one breed, a variety of breeds, or even crossbreds for sale. Another choice would exist to locate reputable breeders and purchase directly from their farm. A wide multifariousness of animals may be available at a local auction barn; however, allow the buyer beware. Animals sold through this venue are more than likely to take health issues.

Choose breeding males that volition complement the outstanding traits in your females and improve their weaknesses. E'er use the best balderdash you tin can afford to meliorate the genetics in your herd. The male person has a bully influence on your herd because his offspring could remain in the herd for a number of years.

Be conscious of selecting and keeping good productive females that will produce and wean i calf per year without assist and maintain their trunk condition without condign overly sparse or fat.

Choice Principles

There are ii methods to select livestock: creature functioning and visual appraisal. Animals should first be selected on performance (e.grand., how well calves grow or how much calves weigh at weaning), so the higher-performing animals should be evaluated visually.

Performance option principles evaluate measurable traits such every bit birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, or meat yield and quality.

Producers who evaluate growth traits should conform weaning weights to business relationship for the sex of the dogie, age of the dam, nativity weight, and weaning weight. Weaning weights are typically adjusted to 205 days of age.

Progressive cattle producers with registered animals can enroll their herd in breeding clan databases to obtain expected progeny differences (EPDs). These EPDs use genetic linkages to assess genetic merit for growth, carcass, and maternal traits. EPDs permit producers to evaluate animal genetics without environmental influences.

Commercial producers can utilize performance data when selecting a new balderdash. More information on expected progeny differences tin can be institute by contacting breed associations.

Visual beast appraisal evaluates aspects such as structural correctness, muscling, trunk chapters, and breed character. Evaluating structural definiteness allows producers to identify animals with defects that are non apparent through performance evaluation.

Purebred producers who raise registered stock should become familiar with breed characteristics associated with the breed they raise, such as:

ear length and shape
color and distribution of color
polled condition
defects that disqualify animals from registration

These depicted bulls exhibit the platonic characteristics of breeding males .

Angus bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Hereford bull. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beef Producers Working Group

Equipment Needs

Subsequently the advisable animals are chosen for the operation, the equipment necessary to maintain those animals must be gathered. Beef cattle operations can be low input only still need a variety of equipment. Bones equipment includes feeders, water tubs or watering systems, and health intendance equipment. Because safety is a business concern when managing these large animals, beefiness cattle operations should besides have equipment for treatment cattle.

Feeders

Feeders should exist used to prevent animals from eating off the ground. Well-designed feeders will also prevent animals from wasting feed by spilling information technology onto the ground. There are potential health concerns when cattle eat off the footing, including parasite infections; still, feed costs represent the primary input cost on any beef cattle operation and as such, feed waste product is a driving gene for feeders.

Feeders can be simple similar racks to concord circular bales. Photo credit: Bigstock.com

Many different sizes and styles of feeders are available for beef cattle. Some feeders can accommodate feeding both hay and grain, while others may be designed to feed but hay or just grain. Producers should be certain that all animals have access to the feeder if feeding at specified time frames. If animals take gratuitous-option admission to the feeders throughout the 24-hour interval, smaller feeders can be used.

Feeders may also include simple troughs to hold supplemental poly peptide, energy, or minerals for grazing cattle. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

In confinement finishing systems, beef cattle may be fed a more complete mixed ration in a bunk. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Grouping

Beefiness cattle of all classes should e'er take access to a proficient-quality mineral mix formulated for their production needs. Most producers provide beef cows and grazing cattle gratuitous-choice minerals when on pasture, while others limit-feed minerals daily in a grain mix.

Fenceline-manner feeders allow producers access on ane side to place feed and grain into the feeder while animals access their feed on the other side. Walkthrough feeders allow producers to walk down the middle of the feeder. Grain tin be placed in a trough on either or both sides and hay is shared in the central walking area. Producers should exist careful not to contaminate feeders with manure-covered footwear.

Larger operations oftentimes feed hay in the grade of large circular or foursquare bales. Many styles of hay feeders exist, simply the inverted-cone-style feeders are often recommended for beef cattle as they normally waste the least corporeality feed waste.

Water

Water is maybe the most important food because it impacts feed consumption. Poor-quality water or not plenty water can decrease feed intake and result in decreased creature performance. Producers tin supply water using anything from buckets to troughs to automatic watering systems. Equally with feeders, many different styles are available. The fundamental is that h2o should be fresh, clean, and bachelor at all times.

Automatic frost-free waterers may be used on pasture or in solitude for cattle. Photo credit: Betty Cameron, Bedford County Sheep Producer

Permanent bound improvements can provide a year-round water supply for beef cattle on pasture. This system has additional crushed stone effectually information technology to forbid excess mud accumulation in the area. Photograph credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Simplistic float tank trough systems can be easily moved depending on cattle location. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Pasture Systems

Many beefiness cattle, specially mature cows and bulls, graze pastures throughout the jump, summertime, and fall. Producers should pay close attending to pasture height in an effort to maximize provender utilization. Pastures should be subdivided to provide an adequate amount of forage for the grazing fourth dimension, often iv to five days. Animals should be moved to a new section of pasture by the time forage has been grazed down to 4 inches in height. Rotating pastures ensures the nutrients from manure are spread out and that cattle utilize bachelor resources efficiently. Continuous grazing can cause forage stand damage in overused or high-traffic areas and encourages weed growth in other less-desirable areas of the pasture.

A skillful-quality perimeter debate contains livestock within the pasture and keeps predators out. Many producers prefer loftier-tensile fencing with some wires electrified. Subdivision fencing divides larger fields into smaller areas to amend manage forage growth. Subdivision fencing for beef cattle can often be a single strand of polywire with pace-in posts to reduce input costs. Most cattle will respect one strand if it is electrified.

Pastures should besides provide access to water. This ranges from temporary systems that move with the animals to permanent systems. Many producers choose to install underground systems that can exist accessed throughout a pasture arrangement to reduce the labor of hauling h2o. Depending on the organization and region, information technology may be necessary to access electricity to heat waterers in cold months.

Health Intendance Equipment

Routine health care employs practices to prevent disease. Mutual practices include tagging, vaccinating, dehorning, castrating, and deworming. These practices require basic equipment such every bit tags and tagging pliers, syringes and needles, elastrator bands, a band expander tool, and a deluge syringe or drench gun. Tagging is considered a health care piece of equipment because tagging is important to identify treated animals.

Producers may also wish to dehorn their cattle to prevent horn growth. This is frequently performed with an electric dehorner shortly after the horn buds intermission through the peel. Dehorning prevents future injury to other animals and handlers.

Hoof trimming is some other health care equipment item. Hoof trimming is non considered routinely necessary in most beefiness cattle operations. In add-on, nigh beefiness cattle must be put in a tilt tabular array in social club to have their hooves trimmed for the safety of both the trimmer and the animal. Therefore, many beginning cattle producers volition contact a professional should hoof care be necessary.

A bander tin can exist used to castrate young males. Photo credit: Michelle Kunjappu, PA Beefiness Producers Working Group

Other Types of Equipment

Larger equipment may exist used by beef cattle operations to allow producers to handle or manage animals more efficiently. Producers can utilise a scale to monitor animal growth performance at weaning and other times throughout the year. A scale should also be used to counterbalance animals to summate the right dosage for medication treatments. Three types of scales are ofttimes used by livestock producers: beam, dial, and digital.

Equipment for beef cattle product should include these items necessary to maintain herd health, similar this drench for deworming animals. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Country Extension

Most feeder calves and finished cattle are bought and sold on a weight basis. Therefore, because the economics in beef systems are based on pounds of calf to sell or weight of finished cattle, scales are an important part of cattle operations. Scales tin also help monitor weights at critical times throughout the year, such as breeding, weaning, and and then on. All scales should exist tested to ensure accuracy. Simple scales tin be placed in line in a handling system.

Handling system equipment allows producers to more efficiently handle animals. Information technology functions past gathering animals into a group pen and then funneling them into the chute. Animals walk single file down the chute, where they are held for routine health care or sorting. Gates at both ends of the system comprise the animals while producers perform tasks. Gates can function by sliding dorsum and forth or upwardly and down like a guillotine.

A head catch in the chute restrains the cattle for necessary procedures, while ensuring the rubber of both the cattle and the human being handlers. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Land Extension

If the beefiness cattle performance intends to employ implants to increase growth operation of marketplace animals, a handling organisation should be used. In addition, if the operation desires to breed using artificial insemination, a handling organization is a must.

An aisle allows the beef cattle producers to move several cattle at a time, making cattle handling easier and more efficient. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Reproduction and Breeding Seasons

Gestation length for beef cattle is about nine months, varying slightly amongst breeds and sires. However, the typical gestation length for most cows ranges from 282 to 288 days.

Cattle will wheel throughout the year. All the same, managing a divers breeding season will help improve the efficiency of the cow herd and marketability of the calves. Most productive cattle operations maintain a single breeding flavor. While many operations breed animals to calve in the spring when atmospheric condition is warming up, some may choose to calve in the fall to accept reward of a less saturated calf market. Purebred cattle used for seedstock are often bred to calve early in the year, January or February, then that those animals tin enter the breeding herd at heavier weights.

Estrus cycles and age at puberty vary slightly amid breeds. If breeding heifers (females that accept not calved before), they should counterbalance at least 65 to 70 percent of their mature weight past the commencement of the convenance season with a target of 85 pct of their mature weight at calving. Generally, it is expected that heifers will come across this weight and be ready to breed betwixt 11 and fifteen months of age. It is too appropriate to breed heifers i cycle alee of mature cows so that they have additional fourth dimension to rebreed the following season.

Some producers will accept this a stride farther and synchronize their females so that they are sure to brood the heifers at the desired time and the balance of the cows come up into heat, or cycle, at the same time about a month afterward. This synchronization is necessary for an efficient and effective artificial insemination procedure and is most often accomplished with the use of a CIDR, although feed additive protocols exist for heifers. The CIDR contains hormones and is inserted vaginally into the females. Many protocols are bachelor for synchronization and beginning producers are advised to work with their veterinary to institute their own on-farm protocol.

In most instances, cattle give birth outdoors and, thus, calving season is timed to kickoff when atmospheric condition warms up and grass is available on pasture. However, some producers adopt to breed before in the convenance flavour in society to marketplace at specific times in the summer or fall. In other situations, producers may breed before and so that calves are older and heavier while on pasture.

Producers wishing to calve earlier may need to house animals in a barn, such as a bank barn, depending on the climate. Calving indoors can help prevent ears from freezing and ensure calf viability in colder temperatures.

Signs of Impending Calving

As a cow nears her time to give birth, she exhibits several signs that the birthing procedure will begin. Shortly earlier calving, the udder will brainstorm to tighten. This tightening is the udder filling with colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk and it contains antibodies that help protect newborn calves from disease.

When the cow is prepare to give birth, the muscles around her hips will begin to relax and may appear as if they are sinking. The vulva changes color and is well-nigh apparent with lighter peel colors. For example, a light pink color volition alter to a darker pink color. Perhaps more noticeably, the vulva volition swell. The udder will feel full and tight at this point. The cow volition also decline feed and move away from the herd.

The kickoff sign that the female is in labor is the advent of the water pocketbook. Within a curt period of time, the front end feet and nose of the newborn should appear. This volition progress as the female pushes to miscarry the newborn. In one case the dogie is born, the female parent should brainstorm licking to dry out off the newborn and encourage the calf to stand up and nurse.

A visible water handbag or feet indicate impending calving. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn Land Extension

Typically, near beef cows calve on pasture and crave little assistance. If assistance is required, inexperienced producers should consult a veterinarian or an experienced producer for assistance. Assistance may be required if a calf has not been delivered inside 6 hours of the h2o bag appearing or if the cow is institute straining and the water bag appears to take already been ruptured. Always apply circumspection when trying to piece of work with or around laboring cows or cows that have recently delivered. Dams will defend their immature well confronting predators but may plow this assailment on an unsuspecting human trying to tag or examine a new dogie as well.

Pay close attention to newborns for the first couple days after birth. Mothers should exist circumspect to newborns and willing to represent newborns to nurse. Newborns should stretch when they stand and announced alarm. Newborns that cry for their mother or rush to nurse every bit soon as they get up likely are not receiving enough milk. Weak calves may require feeding with a tube. Consult a veterinary or an experienced producer for assistance.

A skilful beef moo-cow should immediately tend to her calf without interference. Photo credit: Wendall Landis, Penn Land Beefiness Barn Manager

Feeding and Diet

All animals require water, protein, carbohydrates and fats (to provide energy), vitamins, and minerals in their daily nutrition. These may come from a variety of sources but should exist balanced to meet nutritional requirements. Nutrient requirements change throughout an animal's lifetime and reflect its phase of production: growth, maintenance, convenance, pregnancy, or lactation (milk product).

Forages such equally pasture and hay ofttimes meet requirements for mature animals, just they may not meet requirements for fast-growing animals. Therefore, additional poly peptide or energy sources may need to exist added to the ration to meet requirements of young, rapidly growing cattle.

Additional protein requirements may exist met with meliorate quality hay or through sources such as soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers grains. Additional energy requirements may exist met with a variety of grain sources, but cattle are most commonly fed corn considering it is often the cheapest energy source.

In most cases, pasture provides the almost economical feed source for mature cows. Cattle should rotationally graze pastures to yield the best quality and quantity of grazing days. In general, animals should enter a pasture when forages are vi to ten inches tall. Animals should rotate out of a pasture by the fourth dimension the fodder has been grazed downward to four inches. This not only provides high-quality feed for the animals simply also helps maintain healthy plants.

Grain supplements are most oftentimes used for growing cattle or in times of pasture shortage. Feeding grain to growing cattle increases weight gain. One common grain feeding practice is pitter-patter feeding, the practice of supplying good-quality grain and/or hay to young calves while they are nursing. This boosts weight gains and trunk condition, or level of fatness.

Wellness Issues

A proficient indicator of healthy cattle is their torso status. Body status for beefiness cattle is scored on a ix-bespeak calibration with one being emaciated and nine being obese.

Breeding females should exist maintained at an average trunk status score of v to six. Animals with decreasing trunk status scores, or that are losing weight, signal a potential wellness consequence.

The beginning footstep to keeping animals salubrious is to prevent diseases from entering the farm. Implementing biosecurity practices tin can aid keep diseases off the farm. Any new animal that arrives at the farm—and animals that leave the farm and render—should be quarantined from other animals for iii to four weeks. In addition, changing shoes and wear after visiting locations where you lot had contact with other cattle can aid forestall bringing diseases to your farm. Visitors to the farm should be asked to either disinfect their shoes or wear plastic disposable boots.

All producers should grade a human relationship with a veterinarian. This veterinarian-client-patient relationship allows the veterinarian to become familiar with your subcontract management practices and your animals and to more than quickly address any wellness bug inside your herd.

Internal and External Parasites

While most beefiness cattle systems do non experience product losses straight as a consequence of parasites, information technology is partly because they are very like shooting fish in a barrel to treat and prevent in beef cattle. Wide-spectrum antiparasitics can be applied equally a pour-on or an injectable product. Many beefiness cattle producers cull pour-on products considering they are easy to apply and fairly effective.

Boosted internal parasites that may affect beef cattle include worms and coccidia. External parasites that may affect beef cattle include flies, ticks, and lice. Consult your veterinarian for more information on individual parasite species and their treatment.

Cattle should exist treated for internal and external parasites to go along them healthy. Photo credit: Melanie Barkley, Penn State Extension

Abortion Diseases

Mayhap more than critical than the parasites themselves are the impacts they may have on reproductive performance. Several parasites that affect cattle can crusade abortions. For example, anaplasmosis causes an anemia so severe that cattle may abort. It is most commonly spread past biting insects like ticks; all the same, because it is a bloodborne affliction, humans may play a part in infecting cattle by reusing contaminated needles and castration and dehorning equipment.

There are other abortion diseases that are caused past sexually transmitted diseases. These can include chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Ownership bulls and replacement females from reputable farms or brokers and asking well-nigh the history of venereal disease tin aid foreclose the spread of these disorders to your farm.

Several other diseases may also cause abortions in cattle. Some of the common diseases that crusade abortions can be prevented with a vaccine for viruses similar bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Work with your veterinarian to establish a good vaccination program for your beefiness cattle herd.

Foot Health

A major reason for implementing biosecurity measures is to foreclose highly contagious, hard-to-eradicate problems such every bit hairy heel wart, as well known as digital dermatitis. Many beefiness cattle producers are noting an increase in the prevalence of digital dermatitis in herds across the country. Digital dermatitis is hard to eradicate and can cause severe lameness. If your herd becomes infected, information technology is time consuming and expensive to treat infected animals and eradicate the disease. Treatment requires hoof trimming and antibiotics, thus veterinary oversight is required.

In addition to digital dermatitis, human foot wellness tin can exist impacted by poor nutrition. Cracked hooves or curved (sometimes called spooned) hooves are often a sign of a mineral deficiency. Always provide a good-quality mineral to beef cattle and feed according to the label instructions.

Marketing

A number of markets are available for beef cattle. When choosing a market, y'all must decide whether your operation will focus on selling alive animals or marketing meat. Many producers in the eastern United states focus on straight marketing of their beef cattle equally freezer beef or retail beefiness cuts due to the access to consumers. Alternatively, many larger producers may focus simply on selling finished cattle to a large meat packer.

Left: Many beef producers choose to sell beef by the side or the quarter. Photograph credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Correct: Steaks are a pop consumer choice, but selling individual cuts requires a proper license. Photo credit: Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State Extension

Keep in mind that state laws prohibit a producer from selling meat unless the animal was processed in a USDA-inspected facility. Therefore, the producers often sell calves alive and the client would make cutting arrangements with the processing facility. Many producers also provide the service of delivering the animals to a local processing facility.

Other options for beef cattle include marketing breeding stock, feeder calves to the feedlot, or marketplace animals for junior shows. Breeding stock are typically purebred animals and may exist marketed directly from the farm and through a registered sale. Many states operate a bull test, assuasive producers to pay to have their bulls developed aslope other young bulls and enter a larger auction at the end of the exam. Work with your local extension educator to determine the all-time markets for your operation.

Conclusion

Raising beefiness cattle can be a rewarding farming enterprise. Very few beef cattle operations are identical to one another, allowing producers a variety of opportunities to develop a plan that uniquely suits their lifestyle and farming enterprise. This brief introduction just touches on a few of the aspects to think well-nigh when considering a beefiness cattle enterprise. Before commencement your ain enterprise, seek the advice of your extension educator or experienced beefiness cattle producers in your expanse.

For more information about beef cattle, visit Penn State Extension Beefiness Cattle

Many opportunities exist for beefiness cattle producers. This publication covers basic concepts related to raising these animals. New and beginning producers should seek farther information on not only basic product practices merely also nutrition, reproduction, and health in order to produce high-quality, salubrious animals.

And then Y'all Want to Enhance Beef Cattle? This fact sheet may be used every bit a guide for beef cattle producers only getting started in the industry to learn:

How to determine what type of animal you should enhance
Well-nigh the different breeds and how to select the right one for y'all
Where to purchase your animals
What to look for as the platonic characteristics
What equipment you'll need to raise your animals
How to brood and raise your beef cattle
What to feed and how to care for your animals' wellness
What information technology takes to marketplace your animals

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Source: https://extension.psu.edu/so-you-want-to-raise-beef-cattle-print