2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
Every villager has ever thought about starting a livestock business. But many do not even want to try to create their own small farm, they are afraid that the business will be unprofitable. Is it possible to turn bull raising into a profitable business? Yes, if you listen to the advice of experienced farmers.
Buying calves
If a farmer is already selling milk from his cows, then you need to feed your own calves for meat. Every year, a cow brings offspring that can be raised. Starting a business with your own calves is profitable because you don't need to buy them.
But not all beginner farmers have personal cows. How to grow bulls for meat in this case? Young growth can be bought. Here, inexperienced farmers often make the main mistake - they get the first cheap calves that come across. Often, young animals, which are given away for nothing, are sick with something or are simply very weak. Dairy gobies are sold inexpensively, they gain weight poorly even with intensive feeding.
Sometimes unscrupulous farmers sellpopulation of weakened calves that soon die. Also, the seller can deceive with the age of the animal and its breed. For each bull, the buyer must provide a veterinary certificate. Before purchasing, you need to examine the calf: it must be active and clean.
Where will the bulls live?
The calf housing can be either brick or wooden. The main thing is that there are no drafts and dampness in it. Before construction, you need to decide on the number of heads. In the barn, space should be allocated for the storage of feed and equipment. An area of 6 square meters is enough for one bull.
If a farmer plans to keep animals in a barn during the winter, then you need to think about a heating system. The barn needs to be equipped with an exhaust fan, calves raised in rooms with fresh air are usually he althier.
You can make a hayloft on top of the barn. This will make the room warmer, and it will be more convenient for workers to get dry grass to feed the calves. Indoors, it is imperative to make windows for natural light, this will help save on electricity. Near the cowshed there should be pastures for walking young animals.
Caring for bulls
Having calves properly is half the battle. Bulls that live in an old damp barn will never give tangible gains. The room in which animals are kept must always be dry. Therefore, it is recommended to clean the floor from manure at least 3 times a day. If due tobusy farmer does not have time to clean as often, the procedure may be rarer, but very thorough.
How to grow bulls correctly? Without good he alth, there are no high gains, so cattle should be regularly examined by a veterinarian. If an epidemic of some infectious disease begins on the farm, the farmer will lose profits. Gobies must be vaccinated and treated for parasites.
It is impossible to drive out calves for grazing on wet grass, this threatens to stop the scar. Gobies can be kept on a leash in paddocks, in which case food is distributed to them several times a day. If the calves are released for walking, then in hot weather they need to be brought under a canopy.
For tribe or meat?
Before growing bulls, the farmer must decide why he will do it. If calves are subsequently planned to be taken for meat, then it is better to give preference to breeds that easily gain impressive body weight:
- Simmentals;
- Herefords;
- limousines.
These bulls will spend less time on fattening and will absorb feed better. Calves of meat breeds are more expensive, but their live weight with the same feeding will be higher than that of dairy ones. Such animals are less whimsical and have an excellent appetite.
Is it profitable to grow bulls for a tribe? Yes, but only if there is a shortage of good productive animals in the area. Then a bull that passes on high milk production to its daughters will line up for covering. Butnow, artificial insemination is mainly used in farms, so the producer is unlikely to be in demand. Therefore, in the villages, calves are usually kept for meat.
Ration of a breeding bull
The nutrition of animals raised for reproduction has its own characteristics. How to grow bulls for a tribe? Producers need good care and a balanced diet. If the owner cannot pick up feed on his own, then he needs to seek advice from a livestock specialist at the nearest farm. You can also discuss a calf's diet with a practicing veterinarian.
For a small bull, the ideal ratio of protein to carbohydrates is 1 to 4, for older animals - 1 to 5. Livestock should not be deficient in vitamins and minerals. It will be good if the farmer adds a quality premix to the diet. Especially for future producers, a sufficient amount of vitamins E and A is important.
Fatting a calf for meat
In order for a bull calf to gain weight well, its digestive tract must absorb a large amount of nutrients. A he althy calf with a developed stomach will achieve sufficient body weight faster than its sickly neighbor. When developing a diet, the owner should take into account that animals under the age of 4 months should receive approximately 2 kg of grain per 100 kg of weight daily.
The diet of a young bull is 25% protein, 17% fat, and the rest carbohydrates. A high-quality premix is necessarily introduced into the diet of a fattening calf. If abulls were born in spring or summer, then after a few days they begin to release them to the pasture with their mothers. There, the kids get both fresh grass and milk at the same time. If the farm uses a non-grazing method of keeping young animals, then they try to quickly accustom the bulls to feed for adult animals. Calves kept in individual pens gain weight faster than those who go to pasture.
Does castration affect the weight of a bull?
Males, growing up, begin to create problems for the owner. They can show aggression towards people, smash the barn, turn over the feeders. Castration is used to subdue a grown bull. This procedure disrupts the sexual function in males, they become more accommodating and calm.
Farmers have noticed that castrated bulls absorb more food, but they gain muscle mass worse than full-fledged individuals. However, their meat is valued more, as it does not have a specific smell and is more tender in taste. Castrated bulls are better at gaining fat than muscle mass. In order to get a good carcass, farmers perform an operation on animals after 1 year. For castration, the most favorable dry season. After the operation, the owner always monitors the cleanliness of the bedding of the bull, it must always be dry to avoid infection.
Keeping a bull under a cow
On large farms, calves are taken away from their mother immediately after birth and never seen again. In villages, bulls are often left under the cow-nurse. Burenka is able to grow notonly his own calf, but also a few others. Usually 2-3 bulls are left with a cow. They go with a nurse for several months, and then they are separated.
This way of growing bulls at home is very convenient for the farmer. The owner does not need to waste time feeding the young, and the calves are always full and happy. Bulls with this method of rearing drink plenty of milk and quickly learn to eat adult food, looking at the cow. Closer to the time of weaning the babies from the mother, the farmer must ensure that they eat enough roughage. It is undesirable to separate calves that only drink milk from the cow. How to raise bulls for a farmer who has little free time? In this case, the method in which the calves are kept with a cow nurse is ideal.
Cold growing method
How to raise a bull for meat for a farmer who has no free premises? The cold method of keeping the young is suitable. Gobies a few days after birth are planted in individual houses that are in the fresh air. The only condition is that the calves must be he althy. If the animal does not eat well or vilifies, then the cold rearing method is not suitable for him at this stage.
He althy calves on the third day after birth are transferred to individual houses with a walking area. If the bull was born in winter, then it is kept on a deep litter. The advantage of the cold method of keeping is the absence of ammonia fumes, which are harmful to the lungs of the calf. How to raise a he althy bull? Living onin the open air, the calf is hardened, its protective functions work at full capacity. According to farmers, cold-raised bulls have a 10% higher disease resistance. Thanks to this technology, the owner receives he althy calves, which are much cheaper to maintain.
Medication use
How to grow bull-calves for meat with the maximum benefit? There are veterinary drugs that will speed up muscle gain and help the calf cope with diseases. During fattening, 2 groups of medicines are used:
- Drugs that boost the bull's immunity and allow him to develop faster.
- Drugs that accelerate the growth of muscle mass without spending internal resources of the body.
Some farmers give antibacterial agents to bulls as a preventive measure, for example, "Penicillin" or "Oxytetracycline". The use of these drugs has a beneficial effect on the digestive system: the intestines lengthen, all parts of the stomach increase. Even the weight of the heart and other internal organs of these bulls is greater than those that were not given antibiotics. But before starting to use these drugs, the farmer should consult a veterinarian, their independent prescription is unacceptable.
Is it possible to make money on bulls?
The animal fattening business is popular in rural areas. Is it profitable to raise gobies for meat? Yes, but subject to certain conditions. If the farmer plans to drive the calves to pasture, then he musttake care of the availability of meadows. It is undesirable to build a farm in wetlands or in the mountains. If the pasture is far away, then this will negatively affect the weight gain.
Growing bulls for meat is profitable if there are at least 10 of them. The farmer will not feel the profit after the delivery of one animal. But the proper rearing of a calf is a long process. It will be better if the farmer buys his own agricultural machinery. This will make it possible to prepare food for the winter.
Butchers can be cut on their own or handed over to resellers. The first option will bring more profit than the second. If a livestock breeder decides to start fattening bulls, then he must understand that he will receive the first money not earlier than in a year.
Advice from experienced farmers
How to raise bulls at home and make a profit? First of all, you need to responsibly approach the choice of young animals. From sick calves, the farmer will only receive losses. When examining animals, you need to pay attention to their appearance. If the calves have dull coats, a large bloated belly, or liquid fecal contamination in the anus, then you should not buy them. He althy bulls have clear eyes, a clean nose and a neat appearance. Calves should be active and with a good appetite. Never buy sick animals out of pity, they will most likely die.
If a farmer plans to grow bulls for sale, then he must correctly balance their diet. It is important for calves to get everything they need, including premixes. If athe farmer cannot make the right diet on his own, then he needs to contact a veterinarian or a livestock specialist.
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