Beef, it's what is for dinner.

[Duffster]

We will have plenty of beef for 2010 and 2011.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We usually buy a beef each year from one of the Amish we know. Its plenty big enough to split up with a few of our family members. We buy pigs from another Amish as well. Those coupled with the deer we get or harvest from our own farm gives us plenty of meat each year. I just get tired of butchering after a while. We skinned and butchered 3 deer today and I am very sore as a result. My body just does not like standing in place for any reason to do any task and it seems like all you do is stand in one place to butcher. So I chose to bring the meat from the barn where they hung to the garage where we bone out the meat and grind the burger. That way I am able to keep moving and help me from getting sore even quicker.

I do like butchering our own though as I at least know how well the animal was prepared. We have 100% control in the quality of the meat, if it doesn't look or smell right for any reason it doesn't go in the freezer. I still think half the meat at these fast food restaurants is partially rotted as it just taste terrible

I think it would be fun to raise beef again. My dad use to when I was a kid and I grew up around my grandfathers dairy farm. I always enjoyed being around the cows as they were comical out in the pasture

 

[JESSE1]

I just took an 8 month old Angus bull calf to the butchers. Milk and grass fed. Tender, lean beef. We have them make the hamburger very lean and have very little fat to drain off when cooked. Fork tender ribeyes, just can't beat it.

 

[sparker133]

I grew up on a beef farm. Every year in November were would butcher a cow, and also pigs. I always hated doing it because I thought it was so much work.

When I got older and moved out I started buying meat form the stores, I hated it tasted rotten to me.

After about a year my wife and I started butchering again splitting a beef cow with my parents. We do all of are own butchering and make are own sausages and every thing else.

We still to pig also but buy them form a friend of the family who raises them. We have all are own equipment a large industrial meat saw, grinders, sausage suffers, and a walk in cooler to hang the meat in.

I will never go back to store bought meat. There is nothing better than eating your own beef that you know were it came form.

 

[jimmyj]

Duffster, I know I've said this before but I am amazed at how your barnyard is not torn up by the cows. Anyhow, Mmmmm, beef......

 

[schmism]

while i dont raise my own, i have about 5 neighbors that do. so we simply find out when they are going to send a few to the butcher and usually buy a half from them.

 

[Uncle Doug]

While we still have the acerage we no longer try and raise our own meat. Not that it's not worth it but the family became too attached to each animal. The only time that was not a problem was when one of my daughter 4H pig was mean and kept bighting her. She changed its name to pork chop and told us that pig is going to taste very good.

Now days we have a few friends with cattle or pigs and we just buy one of theirs. We bought one of the other 4-H kids steer after the show. The little girl came around to ask what we were going to do with her pet steer. I had to lie to her and tell her we traded it for another steer to butcher and that hers would be living in a friends pasture. I don't think she belived me.

 

[Believer]

What do you have to do in the way of treating them for any diseases? I mean what shots or medications do you give them, if any, through their life?

 

[Western]

That would be dependent on "if" they had a certain need. I usually always wormed mine with Ivermectin or something similar, pour on was always easier to me, that was pretty much it.

Also, most medications come with a time line after administration for length of time before slaughter. Oh had to treat a few for "pink eye", only ones I had that problem with where Herefords.

Most cattle in Texas get a "bangs" (brucellosis) test at some point of their life too, you know by the little stainless clip in their ear..

 

[Duffster]

What do you have to do in the way of treating them for any diseases? I mean what shots or medications do you give them, if any, through their life?

We have never had to do anything to yet.

This is our 6th set of steers raised at this place.