Cattle Raising and Breeding
A successful cattle enterprise will only be possible if you have a genuine interest in raising cattle. It will also need enough funds, enough land, and the right skills for it to be a success. Think carefully if you have access to all these things before you try raising cattle.Once you have considered the factors mentioned above, here are two more things to think about:
Growing vs. Feeding
In a small scaled cattle enterprise, you might be raising calves right from the beginning. An alternative is to run a weaner operation where you buy the calves after they have been weaned. This means that you will acquire 10~15 month-old calves that can then be fed and fattened.
Other aspects of such an enterprise include breeding the herds. Some cattle raisers will be doing all three i.e. growing the calves, buying weaners and feeding them, and breeding herds
The advantage of running a weaner operation is that the amount you invest in a calf will be returned to you – with profit – within a year. Another advantage is that you may not require much land when running such an operation. The drawback is that the animals will need a comfortable environment. Creating such an environment will mean spending money on adequate facilities.
Buying in Spring vs. Winter
If you are opting for a pasture-based enterprise, then you will be buying the calves in early spring. Allow them to feed by putting them onto pasture and sell them when the season is over. However, the calves will cost you more than if you had bought them in spring. You will know the best time to buy the calves when you also factor in the cost of feed in winter feed.
If you are also going to be breeding the herd, then you will have some planning to do. More than that, you will also need more funds. This is because a breeding herd will need more land. They will also have to feed throughout the year. You will also have to keep them safe, which means spending on fences.
Commercial vs. Registered
Decide whether to run commercial cattle or registered purebred cattle.Choosing to breed registered cattle means that you will be supplying other cattle producers with animals to breed their cattle with. This usually means you will have to spend enough money to buy a purebred sire and dam. Both the animals must also be registered into the studbook with the national breed association.
Other measures include keeping records of the times breeding is done and then registering the result of that breeding i.e. purebred calf that you will use for breeding in future.
Opting for good commercial cows will mean that you select an animal that has a proper size, age, quality, condition, market price, and stage of pregnancy. You can also crossbreed your commercial cow herd from two or more breeds. This can result in an offspring with the plus points from both breeds and extra vigor.