How to Rear Cattle

Owning cattle can be a lucrative venture that saves you a great deal of money on buying meat and can also ease your mind in knowing exactly what is in your meat and how it was raised before slaughter. When you rear your own cattle you have complete control over its environment and its diet.

Things You'll Need

  • Pasture
  • Shelter
  • Water
  • Grass
  • Grain/Feed
  • Cattle Pen
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Instructions

  1. Rearing Cattle

    • 1

      Begin by making sure you have a safe environment for your cattle. A paddock or pasture must be provided. Ideally you should have one acre per cow. Cattle can be raised on much less than this, but then additional food must be provided. Fencing must be sturdy and safe. A cattle pen small enough to hold one cow and made of heavy panels is necessary for doctoring and medicating your cattle.

    • 2

      Provide a basic shelter for your cattle. This can be as simple as a grove of trees or as complex as a dairy barn complete with feed chutes. Any of these shelters is sufficient as long as the cows can get out of severe weather and hot sun.

    • 3

      Feed your cattle hay and grain according to their needs. Cattle on adequate pasture of an acre or more per cow may need no extra feed at all. Cattle in a feed lot may need up to 3% of their body weight in feed and hay. Keeping your cow fed is an important key to its health.

    • 4

      Provide salt and minerals to your cattle to balance their diet of grass, roughage, and concentrates. Clean water must also be available at all times. Cows with calves must have fresh water in bulk to drink to maintain their milk production.

    • 5

      Vaccinate, de-worm, and trim your cattle's feet at least once a year, more if on smaller acreage, to maintain prime health and production. Parasites and disease can quickly decimate a herd, so maintaining overall health is vital to the well being of your cattle.