Cattle fattening is one of the lucrative business in modern farming. We can describe this as a livestock production practice that reduces animal activities, thereby fattening cattle more quickly. Larger animals might be sold for extra money on the market as they yield more meat.
Cattle fattening is one of the newly incipient actions. The man is rising for increased employment and income-generating activities for urban and pre-urban inhabitants, primarily, for those vacant farmers think to urbanization and cattle fattening association organized at small-scale microcredit stage.
Cattle fattening is a comparatively short term or sessional business, though in modern farming method cattle fattening business is occurring throughout the year. Unlike fish farming or aquaculture practice, it is more difficult to continue the cattle farm.
It is an effective process or culture for poverty easing and becomes a really important business also, but care must be focalized on smallholder cattle fatteners’ farm with the private sector as the engines of economic vitality.
Cattle fattening farming business may be a profitable business, and many individuals are making money everywhere on the planet by doing cattle livestock farming business. Cattle beef fattening engages the feeding of beef with a balanced protein, high-energy diet for a period of only 3 months under restriction to extend live weights and develop a degree of finish and thus obtain bettered grades at the abattoir.
Table of Contents
Cattle Fattening:
You need the cattle to feed in order to start out cattle beef fattening production. There are two options, either you employ cattle from your own herd; otherwise, you purchase the cattle from other farmers. You’ve got to take care when buying cattle to use for cow pen fattening. If you decide an incorrect decision or inappropriate business plan, you’ll be at a loss before starting the cattle fattening business.
When buying the cattle, you want to be ready to evaluate the potential for beef fattening of various sorts of cattle, in reference to the market value of various grades of beef, factors to think about containing the breed of cattle, gender, maturity type, and age. This is often because different types of cattle react differently to the meat fattening process. Some cattle breeds are more fitting for cattle fattening than others breeds. Money to shop for cattle must be obtained in the least times. A scarcity of funds to shop for the cattle for beef fattening when prices are favorable may be a lost opportunity to make a profit.
1. Site Selection
Cattle production is sensitive to the changes within the value and quantity of feed supply. They grow normally well get the proper feed supply. Adequate feeding must be attained during grass pasture, grains, and fibers supplemented with protein, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, and fats that contain proper food value for the cattle. It’ll be highly profitable if feeds are obtainable within the locality. Feed components like rice straw, corn stover, copra meal, rice bran, and molasses should be copious in stock. Grass supply must be adequate for the cattle to graze throughout the year.
Better quality feeder stock can get from your neighbors, livestock markets, and commercial cattle farm. People who are well adapted to your area must be selected.
Tips In Selecting Feeder Stock
1. You’ve got knowledge of the relative prices.
2. Know the load of the animal or cattle.
3. Know the standard of the animal or cattle.
4. Consider the body conformation and physical appearance of the animal or cattle.
2. Plant Capacity
The cattle fattening will have a capacity of 2500 heads of cattle, per batch and therefore the objective is to procedure four batches per annum with 90 days feeding period per batch. Stock mobilization is often arranged on a weekly source with 210 cattle per week. This level of production (10,000 heads per annum) is taken into account to be more realistic because it will enable better management and efficient utilization of resources and assets. The typical weight of each animal after fattening is assumed to be about 300 kg.
3. Housing
Proper housing and equipment are vital during a successful backyard cattle rising. Cattle must be shielded from extreme hot or cold conditions. The shade is extremely necessary. The standard shed under Philippine conditions is the creation of sunshine native materials. The roof is ready of nipa or cogon mounted on either bamboo or ipil-ipil wooden posts to guard the animals against extreme weather. The flooring is often prepared with concrete or gravel and sand. The typical floor area must be about 4 X 7 feet.
4. Selection of Fattening Cattle
To ensure a profitable income from fattening cattle, these below factors are to be considered:
4.1 Age Of Cattle
Younger animals need an extended feeding period. The feed is employed for maintenance, growth, and cattle fattening. Older animals get a shorter time for fattening. The preferred age of cattle for fattening is 2 to three years old.
4.2 Sex Of Cattle
Steers (castrated males) are chosen over heifers thanks to their inherent capacity to realize weight, grow faster and easier to manage.
4.3 Disposition
A lively yet mild, quiet, and simply handled steer generally grow fast and fattens easily. Restless, nervous & erratic cattle waste an excessive amount of energy.
4.4 Constitution- and Vigor
These factors are determined by the dimensions and quantity of the vital organs. An outsized feeding capacity, a robust appetite, an enormous heart girth, well-sprung ribs, and a good, depend upon full chest show good constitution and vigor.
4.5 Breed
Improved breeds gain weight quicker with less feed than native animals. The method of fattening cattle like us:
• Introduction of sorts of cattle
• Management of beef farming
• Cow feed
• Beef cattle health
• Reproduction of beef
• Livestock products
• Analysis of livestock business
Before we start raising cattle, it’s good we all know and identify the kinds of cattle which will be fattened, to make it easier for us to understand where it’s come from and the way to boost the kinds of cows that exist.
4.6 The Recommended Breeds
All cattle breeds are not appropriate for both meat and milk production. Some cattle are famous for meat and some cattle for milk. You have to find out the right cattle breeds for meat. We recommend the following breeds for you.
Brahman – the color of Brahman is ash gray, some with dark shade ahead and at the rear. This animal is popular thanks to its resistance to diseases and warmth and is superb beef type cattle.
Ongole or Mellore – the color of Mellor is white, but bulls could also be dark gray on the top, neck, and hump. Knees and pastures are often black.
Indu-Brazil – the color differs from light to ash gray. Indu-Brazil and Zebu originated from Brazil.
Other Important Cattle Breeds
Kryoshi
Gelbvieh
Shorthorn
Charolais
Galloway
Simmental
4.6 Health Condition of the Animal
A healthy animal is alert, with bright eyes; hair coats are going to be a smooth and moist muzzle. Bullocks are suitable for fattening. For this purpose, it’s better to get a bull calf of 1.5 – 2 years aged.
5 Feed And Nutrition
What is the simplest feed for fattening cattle? Barley is that the best grain for lot feeding cattle, but wheat, triticale, sorghum, maize, and oats are often used. Oats isn’t a perfect grain on its own for cattle fattening but are often used with any of the opposite grains. Hay or silage might be used because of the roughage source.
It’s very essential that you simply provide the proper quantity and sort of feed to your cattle. The success of the cattle fattening business depends on the power of the cattle to realize weight and to form high-quality beef. These factors are suffering from the worth and quantity of feed. The great feeding techniques will make sure that the cattle will grow and utilize the feed efficiently and make good quality beef. This may maximize the profits of the cattle fattening farming business. Failing to properly feed the cattle will cause losses. The losses are going to be thanks to failure to satisfy the target slaughter weights and beef quality grade.
There are many companies and organization that sell fattening cattle stock feeds commercially. These are complete guideline, balanced feeds, which are pre-planned for fattening cattle in feedlots over 3 months. The stock feeds are high energy fattening meals that have all the nutrients necessary for ad libitum cow pen fattening.
You can make your own homemade cattle beef fattening feeds. The number of feed consumed by the cattle daily will depend upon factors like live weight and age of the cattle. Generally, it averages between 8 to 15kg per head per day and about 3.4% of a steer’s live mass daily. The typical daily weight gain of cattle at 350Kg live mass is about 1.6Kg.
When you sell cattle to the butcher, they’re going to slaughter it and grade the meat consistent with its quality. Beef is graded in two ways they are; quality grades for tender cattle, juiciness, and flavor; and yield grades for the quantity of usable lean meat on the carcass. After fattening cattle in feedlots for 90 days, its beef must fetch the very best quality grade.
This grade or process is usually known as Prime beef or Super beef in the cattle fattening method. This is often the meat, which fetches the highest price on the market. The aim of cattle fattening is to extend the load of the cattle over 90 days and to boost the standard of the meat (higher grade of beef, extra money once you sell).
6. Feed Formulation For Fattening
Feed that’s mixed with urea and molasses are useful for fattening. These things are often supplied in two ways they are; 1) By mixing with straw and 2) By mixing with concentrate.
Preparation of cattle feeds by a mixture of urea with straw. Firstly, an outsized sort of basket is taken and plastered with mud then dried. Then 20 liters of water is crazy a bucket. Use urea about 1 kg is mixed thereupon water. A touch amount of straw is kept within the basket then the urea solution is sprayed over it. Pressing is completed while adding a straw.
The massive sort of basket is fulfilled with straw during this way. The massive sort of basket is roofed with polythene after filling it and kept it tied. After 10 to 12 days straws are going to be taken out of the basket and can be kept outside for sun drying. After the sun drying straw is going to be appropriate for feeding. Generally, cattle must be furnished with a straw that’s mixed with 3 kg of urea. Each day, about 300 to 400 gm of molasses should be mixed with straw properly.
7. Marketing of Fattened Cattle
Six months after the date of purchase, fattened cattle must weigh approximately 275 to 325 kilograms and, therefore, ready for market. Improper handling of animals before and through transport to livestock markets can cause serious injuries or maybe the death of animals. In transporting animals or cattle, see thereto that there are adequate bedding and loading facilities. Avoid overloading or overfeeding.
Be conscious of the present market price of livestock. Sell the animal per head basis supported the prevailing price per kilo live weight. Before selling, know the load of the animal. Dispose of all marketable animals. Finally, never try to market sick animals.
