Beef Production
'Finishing' or Fattening'
One of the questions that only recently came up in my operation is; is 'finishing' (i.e.'fattening') really necessary? I had always previously (except in times of emergency) penned up the animal to be butchered in order to give it rest from daily walking, and extra grain. And my beef had always been fine. That said, I had also read various texts on 'grass-fed' or 'pasture-raised' beef, which claimed this finishing period was not necessary, and in fact resulted in beef that was less healthful to eat.
In 2010, I had a herd with 3 bulls; the herd bull Ted (2 years old), his 'litter mate' Tiny (also 2 years old, but a mini), and a yearling bull Bill. In 2009 Bill and Tiny had co-existed without any strife, and Ted did the breeding, no questions asked. As I review previous years, in fact, any other bulls had always been younger than the herd bull.
2010 turned out to be a very different story. When cows started to come into heat, the battles began. Tiny wanted his chance to breed, and altho he was smaller by far, he was feisty, and gave a good accounting of himself. My fences took a beating, and my cows were getting no rest. Samantha, the oldest cow, who had started to have uncertain cycles and needing to be bred more than once, almost lost her milk, they pursued her so incessantly.
The plan had been to butcher Bill (he was not high enough quality for a breeder), and put off the decision on Tiny; as, being a mini, I might find someone interested in buying him.
The incessant brawling necessitated a change in plan. So plan B was to pen up Tiny, 'fattening' period of about a month as per usual, and then butcher.
Well. THAT didn't work. He was very good at breaking fences, too. i wasn't actually there to see if Ted broke in, or Tiny broke out, but the fence got the worst of it. So- on to plan C; drop in place and butcher without fattening.
I do have a walk-in cooler I built a few years ago, and have slaughtered, butchered, hung, and cut up beef many times. However, due to increased work on the farm recently, I have use a local meat-cutter. I drop and bleed the carcass, then immediately truck it over to him. He dresses out and hangs the carcass for my specific time and temperature (1 week at 34*), In this particular case, I told him of the age and recent history, and he looked over the meat for tenderness, modifying his cuts accordingly.
I will say that the relative tenderness was somewhat uneven, but not wholly unacceptable.
This year (2012), I have Ted, now 4 years old, and 2 bull calves born last year. El Presidente is a good looking fellow, hopefully to be herd bull somewhere, sometime. But Chub-chub is a mini, quite fat even in the winter, and is destined for the freezer. I have a mind to repeat the experiment of *not* fattening. It has the advantage that the beast is not separated from the herd and doesn't have the additional stress of watching his family walk about where he cannot follow. The relative quality of the meat will be a determinant for future plans.
How long Ted remains as herd bull depends on his behavior. He has been doing well so far. I don't believe El Presidente will challenge him in any meaningful way this year, but we shall see.
In 2010, I had a herd with 3 bulls; the herd bull Ted (2 years old), his 'litter mate' Tiny (also 2 years old, but a mini), and a yearling bull Bill. In 2009 Bill and Tiny had co-existed without any strife, and Ted did the breeding, no questions asked. As I review previous years, in fact, any other bulls had always been younger than the herd bull.
2010 turned out to be a very different story. When cows started to come into heat, the battles began. Tiny wanted his chance to breed, and altho he was smaller by far, he was feisty, and gave a good accounting of himself. My fences took a beating, and my cows were getting no rest. Samantha, the oldest cow, who had started to have uncertain cycles and needing to be bred more than once, almost lost her milk, they pursued her so incessantly.
The plan had been to butcher Bill (he was not high enough quality for a breeder), and put off the decision on Tiny; as, being a mini, I might find someone interested in buying him.
The incessant brawling necessitated a change in plan. So plan B was to pen up Tiny, 'fattening' period of about a month as per usual, and then butcher.
Well. THAT didn't work. He was very good at breaking fences, too. i wasn't actually there to see if Ted broke in, or Tiny broke out, but the fence got the worst of it. So- on to plan C; drop in place and butcher without fattening.
I do have a walk-in cooler I built a few years ago, and have slaughtered, butchered, hung, and cut up beef many times. However, due to increased work on the farm recently, I have use a local meat-cutter. I drop and bleed the carcass, then immediately truck it over to him. He dresses out and hangs the carcass for my specific time and temperature (1 week at 34*), In this particular case, I told him of the age and recent history, and he looked over the meat for tenderness, modifying his cuts accordingly.
I will say that the relative tenderness was somewhat uneven, but not wholly unacceptable.
This year (2012), I have Ted, now 4 years old, and 2 bull calves born last year. El Presidente is a good looking fellow, hopefully to be herd bull somewhere, sometime. But Chub-chub is a mini, quite fat even in the winter, and is destined for the freezer. I have a mind to repeat the experiment of *not* fattening. It has the advantage that the beast is not separated from the herd and doesn't have the additional stress of watching his family walk about where he cannot follow. The relative quality of the meat will be a determinant for future plans.
How long Ted remains as herd bull depends on his behavior. He has been doing well so far. I don't believe El Presidente will challenge him in any meaningful way this year, but we shall see.