Unless, you're lucky enough to have a bull in the neighboring field who hops the fence when it's time, and then goes back home. They need a constant supply of fresh clean water, and during the winter, feeding.īreeding-If you keep a cow to breed back every year, you either have to purchase a bull, artificially inseminate, or haul your cow to a bull or a bull to your cow every year.

Be ready to herd them back.Ĭare-Cattle don't take an extreme amount of care, but they do require some. However, cattle can be notorious for getting out of any fence. It's fairly easy to put up and unlike electric fence where you have to worry about the electrical ground, weeds/brush touching the wire, and a constant power source, barbed wire is good to go. Our hay bill is usually around $900 for the year, depending on the season, and going rate.įencing-There's the initial cost of fencing. Depending upon your climate, an acre per cow is a good rule of thumb.Ĭost of feed-Even with adequate pasture, you'll have to purchase feed for the winter months. Space-Unlike chickens, cows need more than just a backyard, so you need some acreage to raise cattle. Like any homesteading venture, there are pros and cons.

I use the term herd generously as we only have 6 cows. We now have our own herd of natural grass fed beef.

It was the difference between real sweet cream butter and margarine. I couldn't believe the amount of liquid I had to drain even though I'd purchased lean. The odor (it wasn't rancid or bad, but it smells different) made my nose curl. I had no idea how different it was, and not in a good way. After my husband and I were first married, we ran out of beef (never to be repeated) and had to purchase some meat from the store until butchering time rolled back around. The sound of my father's old red Ford pickup truck rolling across the dirt track of the long abandoned railroad track called the herd better than any cattle dog.Įvery evening from October to May, I drove the truck while Dad tossed out about 35 bales of hay from the back. White face Herefords dotted the green pasture like daisies. I grew up on a small cattle ranch nestled in against the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains.

Raising bulls for profit