There is more than one way to raise livestock, and everyone can have a method, whether it is novice or experienced breeders it doesn't matter. The method of raising livestock does not depend only on the techniques, but also on the breed, type and category of livestock that is bred. For example, cattle for slaughter are raised differently from dairy cows: cattle for slaughter are raised with minimal management and raise a calf which, in 95% of cases, is sold for meat; a dairy cow is raised to give milk, but not to raise a calf. As long as it comes to cattle, there are many variations in breeding compared to that of dairy cows.
Therefore, this article focuses on the "general" aspects of livestock farming, summarizing the practices for both slaughter and dairy cattle. Do not consider the article, therefore, as a "guide", but as a means to understand what a farm presupposes and what results it can produce.
Steps
Step 1. Buy your herd and start breeding
You will have to choose the cattle before buying them to start all the management operations.
Step 2. From the business plan created prior to purchasing livestock, carry out the various strategic and operational projects that you have prepared to the best of your ability
You may quickly find that some of your projects don't work as expected and you will be forced to make compromises where necessary.
- However, there will be few projects that will need change if you have done thorough research before buying the animals.
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The main things you will need to follow your business plan are as follows (some are mentioned in the steps to follow):
- Mating (cattle and calves for slaughter and dairy only)
- Farrowing (slaughter or dairy calves only)
- Weaning (first of all calves for slaughter; even dairy calves if they are reared on the farm)
- Marketing and sale of the various categories of livestock (all sectors: calves and dairy or slaughter cattle, after the preparation of the livestock fattening pen)
- Management of selection criteria for the replacement of heifers (dairy or slaughter cattle)
- Management of discarded cows, bulls and heifers (dairy or slaughter cattle)
- Bull management for the herd (mainly for slaughter cattle, sometimes for dairy cattle)
- Milk production (for dairy cattle)
- Care of unweaned calves (dairy cattle) or orphans (slaughter cattle)
- Herd health management, including vaccinations and deworming (for all sectors)
- Pasture nourishment and management (for all sectors)
- Management and disposal of unsaleable livestock (for all sectors)
- Production of wheat and / or hay (for all sectors)
- Human resource management (especially for dairy and fattening cattle, sometimes for slaughter cattle, especially those raised on a ranch)
- Asset and capital management, including fences, machinery, equipment and structures, in terms of maintenance, repair and reconstruction (all sectors)
- Goals and resolutions for future developments (in each sector)
- Inheritance and division of the herd and / or farm (in all sectors)
Raise Cattle Step 3 Step 3. Carry out food and pasture management
You cannot raise cattle if you have nothing to feed them with or have no space for them to graze. Make sure you have food available and adequate pasture before purchasing the animals. Cattle eat grass, hay, silage, and grain and tend to thrive on the first two or three types of food.
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The type of food you will feed your animals with depends on the type of livestock raised, the objectives and the location of the breeding. For example, you can quietly raise a herd of cattle and calves on grass or hay, or raise a few sales calves on grass during the summer. The conventional way to fatten cattle requires silage and grain first, while dairy cattle food requires adding wet hay in bundles.
Some dairy cattle may graze for part or most of the year, depending on whether grass-based feeding is provided or not
- For pastures, make sure you have adequate space to avoid overcrowding. It would be ideal if you could try rotational or intensive management grazing as much as you can.
Raise Cattle Step 4 Step 4. Maintain a good herd health program
Do it even more if you feel the need. Such a program is essential especially if you are buying animals to be included in the herd, for the new animals could be carriers of diseases that would affect everyone else. It is also important to do this if you are breeding in an area where certain diseases are widespread, such as in a barn or outside a dirty plot, or if you are feeding animals with food, such as wheat, that tends. to cause various problems.
- A health program is not just about what will be used to vaccinate, deworm or treat animals, but also what will be used for the prevention of diseases and ailments. Prevention phases include vaccinations and quarantine periods, avoiding activities with livestock during certain times of the year, ensuring adequate nutrition and the availability of mineral salts, and maintaining a rigorous breeding program.
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You also need to have the knowledge and tools available in case of an emergency. Items such as calf chains, part pullers, epinephrine, dexamethasone, a trocar, cannulas, mineral oil, esophageal tube, ropes (lasso, or cotton or polyester rope), latex gloves, shoulder gloves, syringes, and needles, disinfectants, 70% alcohol solution, and other items that should be present in the emergency kit (they also depend on the type of animal) are useful in case the vet is not available or does not arrive on time.
Finally, you may face the difficult situation where some animals cannot be cured and you are forced to euthanize. Many breeders simply use a gun to kill them, firing a shot between the beast's eyes. It is the fastest and most humane method to put an end to the suffering of the animal, rather than let it die alone, slowly, in pain
Raise Cattle Step 5 Step 5. Learn to manage unsaleable items
By raising animals, you can expect to have one or more dead animals on your hands to manage. Research livestock disposal laws to find out the best way to get rid of a dead animal carcass.
Raise Cattle Step 6 Step 6. Learn when, where and how to market and sell your animals
There are five main avenues to sell livestock: at fairs or at auction, by private negotiation, by direct sale, by sale of thoroughbred animals, or by a total sale.
- Most of the livestock is sold via auction or fair. The animals to be slaughtered, the weaned calves, the fattened animals (ready to slaughter) are emphasized. It is usually known when "problem cattle" are released to be disposed of or sold for slaughter, and when weaned calves change owners from the ranch they were born on, to a farm or pen where they will be fattened to be later sent to slaughter. Replacement garments are usually not sold here, except in cases where prices are not very affordable and producers want to buy as much livestock as possible, no matter if they are in trouble or not. The cattle can be sold via internet auctions or simply by hauling them in a cart to the nearest auction house. Both slaughter and milk items are sold in this way.
- In private negotiation, you can negotiate sales or buy livestock directly from the seller, whatever the relationship between you and him. You can sell livestock through an advertisement in newspapers, weeklies or on websites such as Kijiji or Ebay. People who read your ad can call you for information and to find out if the items you are selling are interesting. Private negotiations can also be spread by word of mouth, without any advertisements in newspapers and the Internet.
- Direct sales also work like private negotiation, except that, in this case, you are selling meat and not cattle to a consumer interested in the product. You can sell directly through word of mouth or advertisements where you sell your product as "the best ever" on your website or in a local newspaper. You can also sell on a stand at a breeders' market.
- Sales of Thoroughbreds are only for those who sell pedigreed garments and market Thoroughbreds live for other manufacturers or buy them for themselves. Riding bulls and heifers are the best sellers in this way, including through farm auctions, or through advertisements to encourage private negotiation.
- In total sales you can sell a whole herd or a large part of it to interested buyers, whether they are meat packers or other producers. Sales of this type are reserved for those who want to sell almost the whole herd, not for those who want to sell the most profitable part of the cattle of the year, perhaps bought a few months earlier.
Raise Cattle Step 7 Step 7. Manage the grain, hay and silage businesses
If you are a producer who prefers to produce food yourself rather than buying it, it is one of the most important activities to develop. You can manage operations for all three things or just one. It depends on the type of livestock you raise and your goals (more conventional such as grazing in summer and a shelter to eat in winter, or cheaper such as year-round grazing, only on grass, without producing grain or silage.). Whatever you choose, business management must be conducted in such a way that you get good quality food back for your livestock.
- Crops must be sown and harvested on time.
- Silage must be harvested at the right stage of ripeness, not too early or too late.
- Hay needs to be properly prepared to make sure there is no waste or burning hazards. Cut it at the right time, let it dry, then rake it and wrap it in bales. Make the bales as necessary, especially well squared, so as to be more ready for stripping than the round ones.
- The machinery for one or more activities must always be in working order. They do not need to be brand new, but still lubricated, oiled, stored and repaired in the faulty parts to ensure that they continue to work in a balanced and efficient manner.
Raise Cattle Step 8 Step 8. Make a good note of all your operations
Record everything on your computer. Regardless of the type of document, try to record everything continuously.
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Livestock farming records include (but are not limited to):
- Health records (which animals are sick, diseases, treatments, vaccinations, deworming, etc.)
- Mating records (which cows or heifers mated with which bull, when mated, which female head comes free after mating season)
- Registration of calves (which female heads have had calves, which calves have problems, when were the calves born and what sex they are)
- Financial records (expenses, loans, rents, bills, income, etc.)
Raise Cattle Step 9 Step 9. Always know your financial situation by keeping bank statements, cash flows, balance sheets and tax returns
It is a good way to understand if you are making or losing money. Don't worry if you are losing money by the time you are starting breeding operations. Worry if these losses continue when you've been in business for ten years. If you're breaking even or earning a small amount, pat yourself on the back for doing a good job.
Raise Cattle Step 10 Step 10. Enjoy
You won't make a lot of money with this business. So, if you need money, this is the wrong business. Livestock farming has become and remains more of a lifestyle than a business for making money, and there is therefore a need for a real desire to raise livestock rather than a need for money. I will be a challenge for you and there will be difficult times. Sometimes you will wonder why you launched into breeding these beasts in the beginning, but then you will continue to love them and want to care for them.
Advice
- There is a large number of breeds and crosses that you can use and implement in your herd. Whatever you choose, from the most thoroughbred to the most popular cattle, commercial breeds should be the ones that suit your business and goals best.
- Be ready to learn a new thing every day.
- Be aware of what kind of livestock the markets are asking for, especially if you plan to sell through auctions.
- Be flexible as you manage things. You won't get far if you don't want to change or be creative in the face of tough challenges.
