Beef Cattle Management - With Information on Selection, Care, Breeding and Fattening of Beef Cows and Bulls

By William C. Skelley

This early work on beef cattle farming provides a comprehensive guide to the selection, care, breeding and fattening of beef cows and bulls. Suitable for the cattle farmer, animal husbandry enthusiast or livestock historian, this book features a variety of information that is still of practical use today. Contents: Cattle Farming; Beef Cattle Management; William C. Skelley; Factors Favourable to Beef Production; Phases of Beef Production; Factors in Establishing the Herd; The Beef Breeds; Selecting individuals; Care and Management of the Bull; Care and Management of the Cow Herd; Care of The Beef Calf; Winter Management of Young Breeding Animals; Production of Fat Cattle for Market; Feeds for Beef Cattle. Complete with a new introduction and the original illustrations, we are republishing this vintage work in a high quality, modern, and affordable edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Oct 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781447490494

Book preview

West.

FACTORS FAVORABLE TO BEEF PRODUCTION

(1) Utilization of pasture and waste land.

(2) Proximity to market.

(3) Utilization of home-grown feeds and use of unsalable roughage.

(4) Preference for young beef.

(5) Small investment for buildings and equipment.

(6) Distribution of labor.

(7) Maintenance of soil fertility.

Utilization of Pasture and Waste Land

Every state which has considerable acreage of rough land not suited to cultivation is a potential source of beef cattle. The best use for such land is to grow the pasture indispensable to beef production, as the breeding herd can be maintained on it alone throughout the grazing season.

Proximity to Market

With the high cost of transportation for livestock and animal products, the producer closest to the great consuming centers has the advantage of shortness of haul and saving in shrinkage of products in transit—a favorable factor for this class of livestock production.

Utilization of Home-Grown Feeds and Unsalable Roughage

Beef cattle furnish a home market for grain and roughage. Excepting wheat, comparatively little of the immense supply of grain and hay produced in this country is used otherwise than as food for farm animals. Under the programs of crop rotations used in the East, there are certain waste products such as corn stalks, straw, and poor quality hay that can be profitably utilized by a herd of beef breeding cattle; the grain itself may be used for the finishing of market animals.

Preference for Young Beef

Formerly, the bulk of cattle that went to market were 4 years old or over, but now the consuming public is demanding younger animals, for which they will pay a premium. These animals weigh from 800 to 1,100 pounds and, as young gains are the cheap gains, this is favorable to small-scale