CATTLE RAISING GUIDE

Beef is one of the protein we eat to give the body the necessary support to stay healthy. Although meat consumption is urgently needed by us but it has limitation based the frequency only enough to keep the system going. There are many beef meat products in the market. Too much consumption will elevate the dangerous cholesterol level.

A good beef meat has more lean than fat meat. One problem faced by cattle raisers in a big scale operation is the supply of feeds. For small cattle raisers, they can’t afford to depend on commercial feeds. What they did is to improve pastures in their lands to have a healthy grasses and legumes as the source of forage they can afford. For fattening purpose, the cattle needs enough nutrients to fatten. A balance diet is important to be able for the cattle to gain weight.

As small scale raisers, what you can do to make your cattle competitive to market.

-Look for an ideal location where to raise your cattle. There should be favorable climate. The location should have sufficient source of cheap feeds. The area should not be too far from the market in order to minimize cost in transporting cattle to slaughter house.

-Unfavorable climatic condition will result to heat stress and it will affect their feed intake that will affect the fattening operation as you can’t reach the desired weight of the cattle to be profitable. Weight loss will affect the quality of the meat.

-A cattle placed in cool environment will increase their food consumption during the day. It is favorable for the raisers to have their cattle to gain weight.

-Even small investor in cattle rising needs sufficient capital for additional commercial feeds aside from the regular intake of grasses and legumes.

-The raiser should have full knowledge on how to effectively raise cattle. He should have enough understanding on how to do the proper nutrition, control of disease, select the right species of cattle, enough feeding ground and alternative feed processing.

-The cattle raisers should have establish marketing outlets to them protect against price fluctuation and manipulation that will be a disaster to cattle raisers.

-Lean meats demands high price in the market. Good fattening process is important to maintain profitability. Look for dealers of cattle fattener that can guarantee you with lower price especially if you are regular buyers to them.

-In selecting cattle variety, look for healthy cattle to serves as your stockings that has good body formation, healthy and has enough vigor. Never buy sickly stocks as it is costly for you to procure enough feeds for his recovery.

-See to it that cattle should be given commercial feeds that contain vitamins and minerals, protein and energy booster. This is to produce more meat, less bones and give less fat content. A low quality meat from the cattle that are bony, narrow body frame and thick skin will not demand better price in the market.

-To give you enough time to fatten the stocks, buy yearling above 2 years to produce better, meaty and leaner quality of meat. If you thoroughly know how to fatten cattle, you will shorten your fattening activity, cutting your expenses in raising them.

-Prepare dry area where the cattle can be down and take rest for a while.

-Be sure to give the cattle with fresher feed in clean bunkhouse. Feeds cattle regularly. Clean water should be available.

-Regulate the contents of the bunk only up to their desired appetite. Excess feed in the feeding trough will become stale wasting portion of the costly feeds instead of saving it.

-As the cattle has delicate digestive system. Make a gradual rotation of feeds from roughage to concentrate feeds.

-Check the condition of the cattle. If there is visible sign of parasite infestation then use de-worming tablet for the animal to maintain its normal body weight. Too much infestation in the intestines will reduce their weight losing chances to fatten them quick.

-Maintain better feedlot condition. It should be clean to prevent the outbreak of diseases and insect habitation in the area. Better sanitation programs and disinfection process will reduce the carrier of the disease to maintain their presence in the feeding ground.

-Place your feeding trough in higher ground. It should have better waste disposal facilities to maintain cleanliness around the area. There should have better drainage system to remove obstruction of waste materials from the feeding area.

The success of the fattening process to have meatier, juicy and leaner meat will depend on your full knowledge on how to correctly handle them. Increasing weight gain will increase your profitability in selling them to market.