How to properly raise gobies for meat at home?

Most people think at least once about running their own business related to agriculture, but which area of ​​income to choose is a very difficult question. Raising gobies for meat at home is perhaps one of the simplest and fastest-paying types of entrepreneurship.

Raising gobies for meat

Where to start growing?

First you need to understand: for what purpose the bulls will be raised. There are many options for selling the final product: own consumption, distribution to a narrow circle of people, the sale of meat in the kitchens of cafes and restaurants, the production of meat products and their further sale in stores or independent trade.

The first option can hardly be called entrepreneurship; rather, it will bring moral pleasure from keeping livestock and further consumption of meat, in the quality of which you will be completely sure.

After the final decision to take up such an area as raising bulls, it will be time to purchase calves. You should contact farms specializing in the identical direction of your future business. The most popular beef cattle breeds are: Devonian, Russian Komoloy, Shorthorn, Galloway, Aberdeen-Angus and some others.

Diet of gobies

A good diet is an important part of fattening bulls. Not only the rate of weight gain of the animal, but also the quality of meat will depend on it.

One of the possible combinations of feed ration: corn silage, wheat straw, meadow hay, salt. You can add pulp, meal, other concentrates, such as bone or fish meal. Do not oversaturate feeding with a large amount of feed. The best solution would be to contact a specialist who will help you calculate the exact amount of giving the components of the diet.

Corn silage

Possible summer diet:

• concentrates 2 kg;
• green food 28-35kg.

For the winter period:

• juicy feed 18-21 kg;
• hay 4-5kg;
• straw 2-4 kg;
• compound feed 3 kg;
• salt 50 g

If necessary, the animals are given various supplements to balance the nutrient content of the body.

Reference. Gobies need to be constantly given water or provide constant access to it.

Feeding technology

Nutrition should be monitored from the 20th day of the calf's life, that is, after weaning from the cow. At this age, they begin to form the correct work of the digestive tract, aimed at plant food, instead of the usual milk. Giving roughage at an early age will consume a lot of energy from the calves to digest them, so additional enzymes must be fed.

Additional intake of enzymes will not only speed up the digestion of feed and increase weight gain, but also prevent undigested feed masses from "storing" in the intestines. Such stagnation of food can lead to serious intoxication of the body.

Going to hay

After a smooth transition from milk to hay, cereals and grasses, from the age of 3 months, feed rich in protein is added to the diet. Upon reaching a live weight of 300 kg, the rearing period ends and fattening begins.If in the first the average daily gain can reach a maximum of 800 g, then for fattening this figure rises to 1250 g (in outstanding meat breeds it can be more).

Caring for bulls

Breeding bulls involves competent care, which includes not only balanced feeding and a warm room for the winter, but also the observance of the following points:

• vaccination of calves and veterinary examination;
• periodic examination by a veterinarian as the bull grows. The sudden onset of a disease, especially of an infectious nature, can deprive the expected profit from the sick animal;
• start morning grazing after the dew has subsided;
• observe zoohygienic conditions of detention: dry floors with replaceable bedding, sufficient lighting, no drafts, maintaining the optimum temperature (at least 10 degrees) of air and humidity;
• providing animals with active exercise. If conditions permit, then the bulls should be grazed on a leash as little as possible.

How does castration of bulls affect the amount of meat?

During castration, the sexual function of males is disrupted, and, therefore, a hormonal failure occurs, affecting metabolic processes in the body. In castrated individuals, the formation of adipose tissue increases, while muscle growth is inhibited. That is why "untouched" animals benefit from the amount of meat.

Castration of bulls

From non-castrated bulls, tough and lean meat is obtained, and from castrated meat, fatty and tender, has a more pronounced taste. If you want to receive the second version of the product, then the recommended age for castration is 2 months. It is advisable to carry out the operation before the beginning of the grazing period.

Pros and cons of breeding

Positive sides:

• a large number of options for the sale of products;
• very small cash investments at the initial stages, especially if there is already a site and the minimum necessary inventory for elementary buildings;
• the ability to independently control the bulls;
• quick payback.

Disadvantages:

• you will need to invest a lot of physical labor or additionally spend on hired workers;
• the risk of possible competition in the “meat” market.

How much can you earn?

Before you can make money, you have to invest. If you have a large land plot, this will greatly facilitate the task, but otherwise you will have to spend money on:

• land acquisition;
• construction of premises for keeping cattle;
• arrangement of the barn (feeders, drinkers, floor coverings);
• purchase of young animals (price category from 5 to several tens of thousands of rubles, depending on the breed);
• feed costs (approximately 15-20 thousand rubles per animal per year).

As a result, the investment can vary from 250 to 500 thousand rubles. Large costs are not excluded.

Gobies for slaughter

Breeding bulls for meat lasts from 18 to 20 months. It is at this age that they reach their optimal live weight, after which they can be sent for slaughter. Estimated weight of bulls at the end of feeding is 450-650 kg. The meat yield from each carcass will be 60-70%.

For example, your goby turned out to be not the most outstanding and weighs 450 kg, then you will get about 270 kg of meat from it. With an average price of veal for 1 kg of 300 rubles, one head will get 81 thousand rubles. Multiply this figure by the planned number of heads in the herd - this is only a net yield from meat. The remaining parts of the carcass can also be sold - also additional income. According to such calculations, the agricultural business will pay off within 1-2 years.

Reference. If it is planned to sell meat to large points of sale, then registration of entrepreneurial activity and control of meat by a veterinary sanitary examination will be required.

Conclusion

Growing bulls at home can bring tangible profits to the owner of this business.The main thing is not to be afraid to start a "farming" business, to provide proper care for animals, to find in advance the most profitable option for selling meat, and not to forget about the use of physical labor, which will be necessary to maintain the economy, especially at the initial stage.

Recently, many people in rural areas have become attracted to raising gobies. The essence of this project is to organize a home mini-farm. You buy young animals, feed them and sell them for meat.

Growing features

Breeding gobies for meat is a business that has many benefits:

• relatively small start-up costs;
• wide sales markets;
• decent income.

Every enterprising person understands that the success of any business largely depends not only on the idea, but also on the correctly chosen strategy of action. Therefore, before you start breeding bulls at home, you need to find a suitable land plot and calculate your financial capabilities.

Experienced farmers argue that raising bulls is quite profitable, but it requires significant labor, time and financial investments. Despite the fact that prices for beef are constantly growing, few farms are engaged in fattening cattle. It is believed that raising calves during the dairy period is too troublesome, so they are sold at the age of 1–2 months. But there are also some farmers for whom bull breeding is the main source of income. They buy up dairy calves, raise them, feed them and sell them for meat.

Diet for young animals

The hardest part is keeping newborn calves. This is a rather troublesome business that requires certain knowledge and skills. Of course, a domestic bull raised on milk will differ from its relative both in weight and in appearance. But if for some reason you do not have the opportunity to feed the bull with milk, you can prepare a colostrum substitute. This will require 1 liter. boiled water, 2 tsp. common salt and 2 eggs. All this is mixed and the calf is fed through a teat cup. At one week of age, you can enter into the diet a mineral supplement consisting of chalk, bone meal and salt.

It is added to concentrated feed.

Vitamin hay can be given from 5-6 days of age. Leftover feed should be removed from the trough after each feeding, as it can acidify after the goby saliva gets on the hay. The farmer must carefully monitor the feeding, otherwise unpleasant consequences may arise. In addition to hay, the calf can be given oatmeal jelly. 1 kg of high-quality oatmeal is poured into 2.5 liters. boiling water and let it brew for 30–45 minutes. Strain the finished chatterbox, add a little salt and hold over low heat until thickened.

The first gum (regurgitation, re-chewing and ingestion of feed) appears in calves at the age of 25–45 days. If you feed the bull with hay from 5 days of age, the animal's stomach will fully work in 10-15 days.

Concentrated foods should be introduced into the diet 10-12 days after birth.

Whole grain is used to make porridge. It can be given with milk. From the age of one month, root crops, for example, carrots, begin to give.

Animal care

If you correctly organize the conditions for keeping calves and choose the right diet, a small farm will bring an excellent income. In order to immediately put the animals for grazing, young animals need to be purchased not in winter, but in early spring, preferably in early April. If there are no pastures in your area, you need to equip a corral.

The most common methods of raising calves are stall and free-range. In the stall, cattle gain weight faster, but the animals become more aggressive and their immunity decreases, so each bull needs to be periodically walked. Calves are taken out to graze until puberty.Anyone, even a domesticated adult bull, is dangerous to others, so grown-up calves should not be taken outside the mini-farm. In winter, the street is not the best place to keep bulls, so you need to equip an insulated barn. In the summer, the animals are transferred under a canopy. Remember to secure each animal with strong chains. Caring for calves includes regular veterinary examinations. The specialist must do all the necessary tests and vaccinations.

In addition, the farm needs to be cleaned regularly and disinfected.

Cold keeping bulls

This is one of the most effective ways to raise calves for meat. Daily gobies are placed in special houses with an aviary, installed in an open area. Since such boxes are not insulated, they need to properly organize the bedding. According to experts, keeping calves cold has many benefits:

1. The animals will get enough vitamin D.
2. If you use the cold method of raising calves, all of their body reserves will be mobilized for productive growth.
3. The likelihood of infectious diseases is reduced.
4. The cold keeping of gobies contributes to the correct development of their body. They grow rapidly and gain weight.

It is worth noting that this method of raising calves at home has its drawbacks:

1. Construction costs of individual boxes.
2. In cold weather, the rate of milk consumed by calves increases by 25%.

You can switch to cold keeping bulls at any time of the year. This method is used by many farms. But before raising the calves in separate boxes, you need to make sure that the animals are completely healthy. Houses for bulls are best made of plastic. This will make it easier to sanitize them. From time to time, the boxes are transferred from one place to another so that pathogenic microflora does not accumulate under the structure.

It is important to know that raising bulls at home using this method is only suitable for strong, healthy young animals.

Fattening of adult calves

If you want bull breeding to be profitable, you need to provide them with quality feed. As mentioned above, it is better to feed dairy calves with milk. After they are 1 month old, you can release them to pasture. In addition to fresh grass, calves should be given:

• fodder beets;
• leaves and ears of corn;
• silage;
• corn.

On green forages, gobies gain weight very slowly, so hay and juicy forages must be present in the diet. The simplest technology for raising calves involves feeding them according to the following scheme:

• juicy feed - 20 kg;
• hay - 4–5 kg;
• straw - 2-3 kg;
• compound feed - 3 kg;
• salt - 50 g.

The main condition for a good weight gain of the bull is the correct diet. The animals need to be fed 3 times a day. If grain is included in the diet, it must be crushed or boiled with boiling water. Potatoes are boiled, cooled and kneaded. The green grass must be slightly dried before feeding. At first, it should be given in small quantities.

With abundant feeding, animals quickly gain weight, and if food is limited, they may lag behind in development.

Costs and Benefits

Let's try to calculate whether it is profitable to breed gobies for meat. To ensure proper care of the calf, you will need a special room and land for walking. For each bull, you need to allocate 8-12 m² of area. If you don’t have the money to build a barn, you can rent a goby farm. After that, you can start purchasing young animals. You will have to pay 8000-9000 rubles for each bull. Dairy calves are sold cheaper. But you need to buy milk for them. This is a good option for beginners who have a pet like a cow. In this case, you can safely take newborn calves and thereby save a lot on the purchase of young animals.If you take proper care of the animals, in 1.5 years their weight will reach 350-500 kg.

After that, bulls can be sent for slaughter and delivered in bulk to a butcher shop for 36,000–40,000 rubles per carcass.

Summarize

Now you know how to raise a calf and sell it for meat. As you can see, this is quite a profitable business, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Every person who wants to start breeding gobies should understand that he will have to take care of the animals every day. If you are not afraid of hard physical labor, feel free to start organizing your own farm.

Similar articles

Breeding cattle is considered a profitable business, and therefore many novice livestock breeders ask themselves the question: what is the most effective fattening of gobies? One way to tackle the problem is to add supplements mixed with food and water, which will increase muscle mass. They promote rapid growth without harming the body of the animal itself. The additives are used both by owners of private farms and by owners of large complexes.

Basic rules for feeding

Calves need the right diet to gain weight quickly. It is best to get a special journal in which you can record the weight gain, as well as one or another feeding technique. Most farmers settle on a three-time food distribution schedule at the same time intervals. And if each owner makes an independent decision about the ingredients, then he adheres to certain rules described in zootechnics.

From the postpartum period until day 60, the calves are fed with milk, then a supplement of wheat grits and good quality hay is introduced. Such a diet promotes rapid growth and eliminates problems with the digestive system.

From 60 to 90 days, preference is given to foods with a high protein content, which help to gain muscle mass. This includes vegetables, crushed grain. From day 120, dried or fresh green mass in the amount of 10 - 15 kg is the next addition. This rate must be increased every day. This method of fattening gobies for meat at home leads to weight gain of up to 0.6 kg per day. At the same time, the young do not starve, but they also do not receive food in such an amount that will only be harmful.

The most optimal time for the delivery of animals to the slaughterhouse is one and a half years old, but if we take intensive feeding as a basis, then this period will be significantly reduced.

What should be the diet?

There are a large number of feeding schemes that start from the moment the bull is born. Such technologies allow you to get the desired result in a short time with the greatest effect of gaining muscle mass. It is especially important to adhere to certain norms when it comes to getting marbled beef. Based on the rations already compiled by specialists, each owner can make his own based on what is at hand.

If we talk about the principles of feeding, then there is a summer and winter menu. In the warm season, the basis is green mass with additives of concentrates. In winter, there is no grass, but the animals need to eat something, and therefore its lack is compensated by other components. Further, you can familiarize yourself with an approximate diet for the cold season, which consists of the following ingredients:

• hay can be replaced with straw, but the first option is preferable;
• roots;
• supplements consisting of probiotics and vitamin complexes;
• fodder dry grass harvested in summer.

As for the feed itself, all products, without exception, must be of high quality. Spoiled products lead to indigestion and poisoning, as a result of which there is weakness and a predisposition to a number of other diseases.

How much food does an animal need per day?

During the day, the bull should consume:

• hay - 3-4 kg;
• root vegetables - 4 kg (large vegetables are recommended to be cut into several parts);
• concentrates - 2 kg, per head.

Every day the animal will gain weight and grow, which means that adjustments will have to be made to the existing diet, taking into account the needs of the young.

Note to the livestock breeder! In winter, mixed feed is given instead of green mass. But with the onset of the grazing season, animals must be transferred to grass, but this must be done gradually so that there are no problems with digestion. Otherwise, there will be no positive result, and the whole case may end with the death of the young.

Types of feeding

Use of grain forage... If you use special additives, then the fattening of gobies for meat at home is carried out several times faster. The most affordable means is "Lactobifadol", which is added to feed throughout the life of the animal until the moment of slaughter. As for the time of distribution of food, it is different in each household.

Good weight gain is obtained when using crushed grain forage, with a daily increase in its quantity.

Age group	Amount of feed
60 - 90 days	Not more than 0.6 kg per day
180 days	3.5 kg every day
365 days	9 kg daily
425 days	10-14 kg daily

The proposed scheme makes it possible to obtain a weight gain of up to 500 kg by one year of age. Feed at the last rate is given before slaughter. Use either grain mixtures, for example wheat and barley in a 1: 1 ratio, or grain of the same type. In the latter case, the weight gain may be slightly less. The advantage of this type of feeding is efficiency and economic benefits.

Using the bagasse.This technology allows you to achieve daily weight gain from 800 to 1000 grams.

Feed type	Feeding stages
	Start	Middle	Completion
Sour pulp	45	40	40
Cereal hay	Do not give	Do not give	1
Straw	3	3	2
Syrup	0,5	0,5	1
Rub the corn	Do not give	Do not give	0,4
Bran	0,7	1	1,3
Legumes	0,2	0,3	0,2
Salt	30	40	50
Feed phosphate	60	60	60

The amount of feed is given in kilograms, excluding salt and phosphates, their amount is in grams.

Silo use.With this type of feeding, the average daily weight gain is 950 - 1000 grams.

Name of feed	Feeding stages
	Initial	Average	The final
Corn silage	30	25	20
Wheat straw	3	2	1
Meadow hay	1	1	2
Grain concentrate	1	1,3	1,6
Bran	0,3	0,3	0,3
Salt	20	30	35
Feed phosphate	50	60	70

The amount of feed is given in kilograms, excluding salt and phosphates, the amount in grams.

If none of the listed options are suitable, and preference is given to exactly those products that are at hand, you can try the following technology. Here, an individual approach is carried out based on the conditions of detention and the food supply:

• distribution of special preparations to drinkers;
• fresh juicy feed;
• green mass with hay or straw during the transition period, transfer to grass.

From the age of six months, food waste can be given from a person's table, again initially in a small amount, gradually increasing it. This is the way most private farmers choose because of its benefits. For example, potatoes should be boiled and mashed. There is a gradual accustoming of young animals to the type of feed available on the farm, and if the event is successful, then there should be no problems with fattening calves to obtain meat products.

It only allows adjusting the rations, but not completely changing them, and therefore even a beginner will be able to raise calves on a home farm. The main thing here is setting the correct task and applying efforts to its implementation, and in this case, it will be possible to achieve the desired result without much effort. Animals are kept in an intensive way, in order to obtain products as soon as possible, but at the same time not to the detriment of livestock.

Feed additives

Premixes developed by specialists have a significant positive effect on animal feeding and muscle gain.It is to them that the Superpremix additive belongs. They give it at the rate of 150 grams per animal. As for the exact amount, here you need to know the weight, age group of calves and look at the detailed instructions offered to the drug.

The additive is suitable for both large livestock complexes and home farms. It contains mineral and vitamin supplements, a stimulant that affects growth, as well as a perfume that contributes to better feed consumption.

With regular use, animals have a good set of muscle mass, and at the same time the feeding period itself is reduced by 42 days. In addition, less feed is consumed, which is very beneficial for the owner of the farm. And if under normal conditions about a ton of compound feed is consumed per bull, then in this case they are reduced to 800 kg.

"Superpremix" does not contain harmful substances that have a negative impact on the health of young animals. To obtain marbled meat, the additive is fed to slaughter.

Antibiotics

You can get a lot of weight in animals during fattening with the use of antibiotics. If they are used for 30 days, then the mass increases to 5%. After 90 days, this percentage reaches 15 and the effectiveness remains for 6 months, then the indicator will decrease. By the age of one year, the difference will be only 8%.

There is no clear agreement among specialists on how to administer antibiotics. Experiments have shown that intramuscular injections and oral administration are less effective than mixing drugs with feed.

When using injections, you need to know that they are given twice a day. To influence the growth rate, you can use "streptomycin" or "penicillin". With the correct calculation, a rapid increase in young stock begins in size, their appetite increases, and hay can be started from the fifth month.

Prebiotics

“Restarter” has good recommendations, containing mineral and vitamin supplements, as well as a prebiotic of cellulose. Affects the growth rate, enhances immunity, promotes the good functioning of the digestive system, develops the proventriculus.

The prebiotic is started at four days of age. At first, up to 21 days, the drug is mixed with milk and fed to young animals. With the accelerated version of cultivation, the use of "Restart" is recommended for the entire period according to the instructions, so you can get the desired result.

Affect feeding and breed characteristics, some gobies by the end of the period can weigh about 600 kg. Feed is distributed 4 times a day. The main rule is that when adding "Prestarter" animals must be provided with access to water.

How are biostimulants used?

Today, many livestock owners use "Krezacin", which has a significant impact on the timing of fattening, by increasing the appetite. If you use such a drug, you can achieve a daily weight gain of about 15%.

It's important to know! The use of "Krezacin" is allowed only from six months of age.

"Krezacin" refers to harmless drugs that do not accumulate in the body. It can be added to both feed and drinking water, where it will completely dissolve. Calculation of such dosage per 1 kg of mass is not more than 0.010 g of biostimulant.

Cereal additives

The use of cereals and legumes is the path to rapid weight gain in bulls. Animals raised on this feed give soft, tender meat products, eating green mass containing fiber and vitamins. The diet is intensively reared and young animals gain weight well.

For a home farm, it is important to pay attention not only to the quality of the feed, but also to the place of distribution. The premises where animals are kept must be clean so that pathogenic microorganisms cannot cause this or that disease.Do not think that all the maintenance of cattle consists in the distribution of fodder and the pasture of livestock, here you need to put a lot of work in order to get good meat products.

Some helpful tips

Raising young stock for fattening has its own nuances, and begins with sending animals to grazing lands in the spring months after the appearance of green mass. It is important here not to forget about the distribution of dry food.

A person who has no experience with livestock is advised to think carefully about everything: how to keep calves, how to feed them, how to protect them from diseases and death. There should be no problems with feeding, because all rations have been freely available for a long time. They need to be carefully read and based on the fodder supply available on the farm.

Note to the farmer! Bulls, when organizing the right conditions of detention, together with decent food, will give stable weight gain. It is much more difficult to achieve exactly the same result from cows. It is recommended to think over the entire feeding technology in advance, even before the livestock appears in the farmstead.

The way to get quick weight gain is chosen in such a way that the bulls gain weight without feeling hungry.

Hungry livestock can eat feed indiscriminately, and this is harmful not only to health, but also has a negative impact on the quality of meat products. Youngsters from one year of age should receive special supplements in feed or drinking water to stimulate muscle gain. Also, the diet may contain cereal feed: a mixture of sprouted grain with barley, containing useful trace elements.

Having decided to start fattening gobies for meat at home for the subsequent sale of products, each person should remember that being a supplier is not as easy as it seems - it is associated with a huge responsibility.

Video. Fattening bulls: the most effective at home

Now raising gobies for meat at home is experiencing another boom. But not all novice breeders clearly understand all the subtleties and nuances in the maintenance and fattening of calves for meat. The result is wasted time, nerves and money. To be honest, the business is really profitable, although at first you will have to spend a little and sweat a lot. If this does not scare you, then below we will tell you about the main points of the purchase, maintenance, nutrition and sale of meat gobies.

Purchase of calves

The first mistake breeders make is to save on calves. People buy the cheapest calf from the first cow they come across. The fact is that there are dairy, meat and mixed cattle breeds. So for fattening for meat, you need to take either meat or mixed breeds. If you take a purely dairy goby, then by one and a half years it will at best grow to 300 kg, which will barely pay back the money spent on it.

Speaking specifically about the breeds, in Russian conditions the best results are shown by the breeds:

• charolais;
• Kazakh white-headed;
• Simmental breed;
• Hereford breed.

This is not to say that any breed is better or worse. But, for example, from Charolais bulls and from Herefords, with appropriate nutrition, you can get real marbled beef. True, you will have to spend a lot on feed, plus special care is needed there, in general, for a small farm it is expensive.

There is one more thing. It is advisable to take the calves with all the necessary vaccinations. This information is in the documents for the bull, so if it is not possible to go to the farm with a veterinarian, then make inquiries and write yourself which vaccinations are being given in your area.

Arrangement of premises

For raising bulls at home, one "seedy" barn is not enough. Remember - a goby is not a pig, and if you close it in a confined space and feed it abundantly, then at first it will start to hurt.And then, if he lives to the age of slaughter, then there can be no talk of any lean beef, the bull will simply get fat.

According to the rules, in order to raise one bull for meat, he must first build a barn of at least 12 square meters. m. For a good set of muscle mass, the bull needs to be taken out to the pasture every day. If there are no pastures nearby, then you will still have to build a summer enclosure with a canopy, where for each goby there will already be from 30 sq. m.

Another problem is drafts and frosts. In winter, the temperature in the stable should not drop below 10 degrees. To maintain it constantly, you will have to insulate windows and doors, and then put a stove in the room. Gobies are even more afraid of drafts than frost. Up to six months, a calf can catch a cold from the slightest draft.

It is advisable to make floors in stalls with a slope and equip them with a manure channel at the end. The most effective way to keep it clean and dry is to clean 2 times a day and sprinkle everything with charcoal.

Feeding dairy calves

Some novice breeders buy very small calves in an effort to save money. Indeed, a monthly calf will cost at least 2 times less than a bull calf 3-4 months old. But feeding such calves requires patience, knowledge and additional financial investments.

The calf is still dairy, so every day he will have to feed 6-8 liters of milk. It is impossible to feed a baby with milk alone, because the scar (accumulative part of the stomach) should stretch. To do this, he needs to be given oatmeal jelly and grated root vegetables, potatoes, pumpkin, etc. every day. In the warm season, from the age of one month, the calf can be taken out to the meadow. In winter, be sure to give hay.

By the way, in winter, even in frost, calves need to be taken out for a walk at least for a short time, such a hardening exercise will provide your young animals with good health.

From 3 months, so-called starting compound feeds are introduced into the calf's diet. With these mixtures, it is easier to feed calves to coarse food, plus they receive the full amount of nutrients. By the age of 4 months, hay, root crops and compound feed already account for the lion's share of the diet, and by six months the calves switch to the adult menu.

Fattening bulls

Practice has shown that buying dairy calves and feeding them independently is no cheaper than purchasing a ready-made four-month-old calf. Add to this the risk of disease and the cost of vaccinations. It will immediately become clear that it is better not to bother, but to immediately take the grown and prepared gobies.

At 4 months, milk already acts as a top dressing, and it is not necessary to buy real cow's milk, you can use dry mixes and even whey. In this case, it is important to concentrate on nutritious feed.

Breeding farms try to distribute the work so that the calves are born in winter. Accordingly, by the end of April, you can already buy a formed goby, which can be taken out to the pasture.

But fattening meat has its own characteristics. Even the most "elegant" flooded meadows will not give the desired weight gain. Moreover, the proportion of hay or succulent grass should be about 30-40%. The rest of the diet of the calves is selected from cereals, legumes and energy-rich compound feed, do not forget about root crops.

From six months, gobies can be given potato peelings, but in the first 2-3 months these peelings need to be boiled and pounded.

Is castration of calves necessary

Now experts do not have a consensus about the castration of beef calves. If a bull is castrated, it will become calm and peaceful. Accordingly, free-grazing calves will no longer mutilate themselves. Again, a castrated calf has a significant increase in appetite, which young breeders are incredibly happy about.

But seasoned farmers know that the good appetite of a castrated bull does not guarantee the same weight gain. In such calves, energy is more processed into fat mass than into muscles.There is, of course, an option to drive such a bull, but these procedures can lead to weight loss.

What you definitely can't do is castrate a bull at an early age, you will ruin the calf. Meat breeds are capable of fertilization as early as 6 months, which means that at this time they become more aggressive. But if the bull is castrated at six months, then growth will seriously slow down. Therefore, in order to maintain the ability to gain muscle mass, it is advisable to castrate bulls not earlier than a year.

Costs and profits

To begin with, it makes sense to engage in such a business only in rural areas. Moreover, it is desirable that the meadows are accessible. If you drive calves through the mountains, then they will never gain weight. And next to the swamps, animals will simply be poisoned. To build a more or less decent barn, at least 20-30 heads, you will have to spend from 300 thousand rubles. Plus nice meadows may also need to be rented.

On average, it takes about 15 thousand rubles to feed one bull. If you keep 5-7 heads, then although it is difficult, it is still possible to take care of the calves yourself. When there are more animals, you will have to hire a shepherd and a couple of cattlemen. For households up to 10 heads, the tax office has no claims, then you will have to issue an individual entrepreneur. Plus, you need equipment for the preparation and delivery of feed.

As for the profit, the situation is something like this. The goby is slaughtered at 18-20 months. The useful yield from such bulls ranges from 60 to 80%. Normal slaughter weight is 400-500 kg. The benefits of selling in bulk are small. Profitability will skyrocket if you slaughter the bulls and sell the meat yourself.

Use of medications

Another controversial issue is the use of drugs that stimulate muscle growth. Such medicines are divided into 2 directions. The first direction activates the body's work, as a result of which muscles grow. The second is represented by steroid feeds and anabolic steroids.

Ideally, any medical intervention in this area is highly undesirable. But in practice, the application or rejection of this method remains on the conscience of the breeders themselves. The sanitary and epidemiological station on the market is indifferent to steroids, but supermarket owners, restaurant owners and advanced consumers can easily identify such drugs with the help of special tests.

Plus breeding calves for meat at home provides that you and your family will eat some of this meat. And now you rarely meet a person who agrees to feed their children with meat stuffed with steroids.

The beef calf business will only grow. We will not argue that this is daunting, but a lazy amateur has nothing to do there. Share the article with your friends and perhaps your like will keep someone from rash decisions or, on the contrary, will arouse interest in this business.

Tags: Business, Cows