Of course, cattle (cattle) in livestock complexes, farms and farmsteads are bred primarily for milk. Heifers in such farms, respectively, are valued in particular. But even bulls, with the right approach to business, can become a good source of profit for the farmer. Such animals, even dairy breeds, not to mention meat ones, are capable of gaining large muscle mass. However, you can grow a strong muscular cattle in the farm, of course, only by knowing how to fatten the calves correctly.
There are several technologies for growing cattle for meat. In any case, animals will need to develop a special diet. About how to fatten gobies, and we will talk further in the article.
How to choose a breed?
Feeding on meat in farms in our country in most cases of dairy gobies. Only some of these animals with good pedigree characteristics are left on farms as producers. The latter are further used to replenish the herd with new calves. They are killed only when they lose their ability to reproduce strong healthy offspring.
Sometimes farmers give birth to gobies and especially for fattening. In this case, of course, meat-bearing calves are acquired. Such bulls gain weight very quickly. Moreover, in terms of body weight, they can significantly exceed their dairy counterparts.
The best meat breeds of gobies for fattening today in Russia are:
Hereford;
shorthorn;
Charolais
Aberdeen-Etruscan;
Kazakh white-headed.
How to choose a bull?
Of course, the calves themselves for fattening must be chosen correctly. First of all, you should make sure that the exterior of the animals matches their breed. In any case, when choosing a bull for fattening, you should pay attention to:
The presence of the umbilical cord indicates that the sold goby from birth is no more than 10-20 days. Farmers do not recommend buying such calves for fattening. The optimal age of the gobies purchased for growing meat is considered to be 1.5-2 months. Too small calves, the body is still quite weak and fragile. Therefore, such an animal can easily die when changing the conditions of detention and environment.
Determining the age of a goby is also easy by its teeth. They grow in such animals in the following order:
from birth - 4 dairy;
at weekly age - 3 and 4 pair of incisors;
at the age of 2 weeks - the 3rd pair of primary molars;
in 3-4 months - the incisors reach their full development;
at 4-5 months, the hooks and the inside of the middle teeth begin to grind, permanent posterior molars appear.
At the age of 1-2 months, calves behave actively and cheerfully. They approach curious people and are approached without fear. Sick calves look lethargic, continue to lie down and show no interest in a stranger. To distinguish such an animal from a healthy one will be completely uncomplicated.
Do I need to be castrated?
Beginner farmers who decide to profit from the sale of meat are usually interested not only in how to fatten the gobies. Many beginners would also like to know about whether cattle should be castrated, like, for example, the same piglets. This procedure is not carried out for fattening bulls. After castration, calves gain weight worse by consuming more feed. In addition, this procedure can adversely affect the quality of the meat of a goby. Instead of muscle mass, the animal will gain excess fat.
Gobies are usually neutered only after their skeleton is fully formed. That is, at the age of about 12 months. Such a procedure is usually performed in this case only in two cases:
if there is a chance of unwanted insemination of cows (for example, joint grazing);
due to the too active and hooligan character of the goby itself to facilitate the care of him.
To what age to grow?
How to fatten gobies for meat quickly is thus understandable. To do this, you must first purchase thoroughbred animals. Gobies, especially meat ones, can grow very large. It is believed that the optimal age of slaughter of cattle is 15-20 months. By this time, the calves usually reach a weight of 400-500 kg. Cattle bred for meat are usually not kept longer. After 1.5 years, the mass of gobies begins to increase quite slowly. At the same time, animals consume more feed.
What conditions do you need to create on the farm?
We will talk about how to fatten gobies at home for meat, a little lower. To begin with, we’ll figure out what conditions of detention such animals need to create. Live bulls raised for meat should, of course, in a clean, well-ventilated barn. Each fattened animal must have an individual spacious paddock. The litter in the barn is supposed to be changed daily.
In the winter season, the shed with animals must be heated. The floor in the barn for meat gobies is made inclined to drain sewage. Of course, the barn, among other things, must be equipped with a ventilation system. Also in the barn should provide windows for good lighting.
How to fatten gobies: techniques
The conditions for farmed cattle on the farm should be created good. But even more important is the development of a suitable high-calorie diet for animals. Most often, standard technology is used to feed the bulls. But sometimes in farms can be applied and:
Intensive method. This method is the best answer to the question of how to feed a bull in a short time. Using this technology, calves are raised from two weeks of age to 14 months. During this period, the calves usually gain weight in 450 kg.
The middle method. In this case, the calves are fed from 2 weeks to 18 months. The live weight of cattle by this time can reach 500 or more kilograms. A feature of this technique is that the proportion of concentrated feed in the daily diet of animals when using it is not more than 40%.
The method of growing. This technique is also a good answer to the question of how to fatten bulls. When applying this method for the farm acquire four-month calves. They keep animals until slaughter on farms with up to 18 months and a weight of about 500 kg.
Silo-concentrate method. In this case, calves are raised in corn silage. This food gives a daily increase of 550 grams even in the absence of concentrates. The latter are usually introduced into the diet using this technique, 35-55%.
Concentrated senage method. This type of feeding is well suited for small farms. The diet of cows in this case is built on haylage. The ratio of such feed and concentrates in the animal menu when using this technique is 60:40%.
Technology on the bard. This by-product of distillation from alcohol mash is prepared from grain, lemon balm, fruits containing starch, potatoes. Feed the barda to the calves fresh. The daily portion of bards for each calf can be up to 50 liters.
Technology on the pulp. In this case, products such as legumes, grass meal, and grass hay are introduced into the diet of calves. The maximum daily dose of the pulp itself for calves is 4 kg.
Standard Technology: Feeding
Methods for growing calves for meat, thus, can be used different. But nevertheless, it is standard technology, according to many farmers, that is the best answer to the question of how to fatten gobies. Using this technique, animals can receive all three types of feed:
juicy - root crops, silage;
concentrated - grain, animal feed, bran;
rough - hay, hay, grass.
When using this technology, calves can be fed individually, in groups, dosed or ad libitum. The main thing is to make sure that each animal without fail receives the necessary daily amount of food. This will guarantee quick weight gain. Actually, the calculation of the amount of feed itself is made depending on the age of the animal.
Four different diets
There are four stages of fattening using standard technology:
lactic;
main;
growing;
intensive.
Milk stage
So how to quickly feed a bull? What should be the diet of animals at first? Usually, calves are not separated from their mothers for a long time. Dairy gobies are artificially fed. After all, the milk of their mothers is for sale or for food to the owners.
In any case, very small calves should receive colostrum during the first month of life. The scar in such gobies is not too well developed, and therefore they are not able to digest grass. The first one and a half weeks the calves eat only colostrum. His daily dose for each animal is 10 liters.
Subsequently, salt is gradually added to colostrum. From the third week of life, calves and barley flour are included in the diet of calves, diluting it with colostrum to the consistency of porridge. Two weeks later, calves gradually wean from milk. At the age of 1 month, it is replaced by a reverse in the diet of young animals. This product is also given to babies in the amount of 10 liters per day. At the same time, potatoes are gradually introduced into the gobies menu. Cattle does not give grass and hay in the dairy period.
How to fatten a goby for meat: the main stage
This period is, although the shortest, but the most important in fattening calves. It lasts on farms for 4 months. During this time, the calves build muscle mass, the commodity properties of meat will subsequently depend on the quality of which.
Calves can be fed during this period:
In the first case, the daily diet of animals includes:
hay - 2 kg;
silage - 10 kg;
salt - 30 grams;
concentrates - 3 kg;
phosphate - 40 g.
The second method of feeding involves such a diet:
hay - 2 kg;
silage - 10 kg;
silage - 4 kg;
concentrates - 3 kg;
salt - 30 g;
phosphate - 40 g.
When using the third technology, the calves are given:
hay - 5 kg;
silage - 8 kg;
vegetables - 5 kg;
concentrates - 3 kg;
salt - 30 g;
phosphate - 40 g.
Those who are interested in the answer to the question of how to fatten gobies for meat should also know that at the main stage, among other things, animals are usually given prebiotics. Most often these are Monosporin and Lactobifadol. Such additives contribute to the rapid digestion of concentrates. As a result, the calf’s body quickly adapts to the transition from milk to an adult diet.
Growing stage
This period is also very important for those who wondered about how to properly feed a bull at home. During this period, nothing new is brought into the diet of calves. That is, animals continue to be fed, according to the scheme selected in the previous step. Only the amount of fed foods is changed during the growing period.
So, when using the senazhny scheme, the number of concentrates is reduced to 2 kg per day, salts are given 40 g, and phosphates - 50 g. When applying the second silage technique, the calves are offered 14 kg per day, haylage - 5 kg, concentrates - 2 kg . The remaining products and additives are offered in the same quantities. When applying the third technique, calves are introduced into the diet:
Concentrates, salt and phosphates are provided in the same quantities.
Intensive stage
This feeding period lasts 3 months. At the end of this stage, the goby is killed. With intensive fattening for cattle, the same feeding pattern is maintained as in the previous two periods. But at the same time, part of the rough and succulent feed is replaced with concentrates. In addition, at this time the bulls are offered pulp and bard. These products are also a good answer to the question of how best to fatten gobies for meat. As already mentioned, sometimes they are used even during the entire period of growing calves for slaughter. The silo in the animal feeders during the period of intensive fattening should be constantly.
Grazing
The technology described above is the best answer to the question of how to fatten a goby for meat in the winter season. Approximately the same technique is used by many farmers in the summer. However, most livestock breeders still believe that meat gobies, like dairy cattle, are very useful to drive out to pasture during the warm season.
Green fresh grass contains a lot of nutrients, carotene and all kinds of vitamins. Using this technology of feeding on pastures, farmers usually expel their cows by at least 20 hours a day. Additionally, cows, of course, are offered concentrates and root crops.