Today, in our country, the process of reverse urbanization is noticeable - wealthy people move from stuffy, noisy, bustling cities to small villages and even villages. Many of them start their own business. For example, some are involved in growing bull-calves for meat at home. This is hard work, but you can always provide yourself and loved ones with quality, clean products, at the same time making good profits.
Which breeds to choose
In many ways, the profitability and success of the breeding depends on how well the breed has been chosen. After all, they differ significantly in a number of the most important factors: the rate of weight gain, maximum weight, resistance to diseases and climatic characteristics of the region. According to experts, the taste of meat even depends on the breed! So, if you are interested in growing bull-calves for meat as a business, you cannot ignore such an important factor.
In general, the following breeds can be called a good choice: Hereford, Charolais, Simmental. However, this is only a rough recommendation. Before buying, it will be useful to find out about the characteristics of each breed from the listed ones, to think about whether you can provide them with suitable conditions, whether they are suitable for growing in a specific area and climate. Only a serious approach and a well-considered strategy will allow you to make a profit, and not to lose all the money invested in an expensive project.
Where to get calves
When you have decided which breed is optimal for you, you can proceed to the next step - purchase. This is also a very serious decision. You should not buy young from private and especially unfamiliar individuals - it is highly likely to buy not just purebred, but also sick animals. The best solution is to use the services of large farmers whose farms have existed for more than one year. At the same time, you can get advice from them, additionally learn about the pros and cons of specific breeds of greatest interest to you.
Of course, in this case, you may have to overpay. But it’s better to spend a few tens of thousands of rubles, but it is guaranteed to get high-quality, healthy young animals. After all, with good care you can count on a profit of hundreds of thousands of rubles. Well, trying to save a relatively small amount, you seriously risk all investments - animals can become seriously ill, slowly gain weight or just die, leaving the novice farmer without capital.
Another important issue is the optimal age. Here, the opinions of experts differ. Some recommend buying young animals at the age of 1-2 weeks, motivating this by the fact that this option is the cheapest, and after all, reducing financial investments is an extremely important step in the formation of any business. But keep in mind: at this age, calves need milk. If you do not have your own dairy farm, then such maintenance will be very expensive. Therefore, other experts advise buying bull-calves that have already switched to grass. Yes, you have to overpay. But subsequently, you can save a lot on feed. In addition, stronger bulls are less likely to get sick.
Where to keep the gobies
If you are interested in growing bull-calves for meat at home, you should definitely think about the place of their keeping. Moreover, before the young will be purchased.
In some regions of our country, where the climate is quite mild, you can get by with temporary light buildings that protect animals from rain and wind. Alas, there are relatively few such places. A harsh climate dominates over a large area of the country - in winter animals need to provide comfortable conditions for survival, possibly even heating. Initially, you should not engage in the construction of your own complex. Even the most budgetary standard project for growing bull-calves for meat will cost several hundred thousand rubles. Therefore, even with a good scenario, it is not always possible to compensate for financial costs.
It is much better to find a finished farm or complex that you can rent - these can be found in many areas. In extreme cases, you can even rent a part of a large farm that is sufficient to keep your animals. This will significantly reduce costs. If the business brings sufficient profit, you decide to expand, then you can think about buying or building your own farm with a well-equipped barn to be as independent as possible.
Stall maintenance or free-range?
This is not the first year that the stall method of growing bull-calves for meat has been very popular. Almost all agricultural corporations choose this option. Its essence is as simple as possible: animals are sent to the stall, where they spend the rest of their lives. They are fed, watered, and waste removed.
What are the advantages of this technology for growing bulls for meat? First of all, simplicity and convenience. You do not need to have vast fields to drive animals there. In our climate, in any case, we need high-quality, reliable cowsheds to protect the gobies (especially young animals) from cold and rainfall. So why not use them for a year and a half in a row until it is time to send the animals to the slaughter?
It would seem that everything is reasonable and balanced. However, as practice shows, this option cannot be called ideal. Yes, the content then becomes as simple as possible. But animals that do not leave the stall, are not able to move freely, get sick much more often. What is especially dangerous is that it is enough for one bull to catch an infectious disease, as all the inhabitants of the barn become infected from it in a matter of days. Even quick quarantine does not always save. Accordingly, you have to spend a lot of money on medicines, veterinarian services.
On the one hand, this increases costs, which is already very unpleasant. On the other hand, the meat of an animal stuffed with antibiotics cannot be called environmentally friendly. But for many people, raising bull-calves for meat at home is a business and an opportunity to provide themselves with a quality product.
In addition, the bulls who spent their whole lives in the stall become more aggressive - the risk of injury when working with them increases. Finally, animals that cannot go into fresh air, actively move, are in worse physical shape, which means that the taste of meat will suffer.
Therefore, small farmers prefer free walking. Yes, for this you need to have a large pasture and daily animals to be distilled from the barn to the field and back. But this approach avoids many of the problems mentioned above.
Conditions of detention
People who are interested in growing a bull for meat as a business need to learn many important nuances.
For example, when purchasing young animals, it is necessary to vaccinate the animals, and then regularly show them to the veterinarian. Moreover, the larger the farm, the more often inspections should be carried out - because the risk of a disease in a large herd is always higher.
The room where they are kept in the cold season should be well insulated, and also have a heating system for the most frosty winter days. The temperature here should not fall below +10 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, there is a high risk of colds, which quickly cover the entire herd.
Of course, the floors should be thoroughly cleaned, washed. Leaving food residues and dung in the barn, the owner stimulates the development of dangerous infectious diseases that can cause serious harm to the household.
On hot summer days, you need to make sure that the bulls do not overheat. Therefore, pasture is carried out mainly in the morning, as well as in the afternoon, when the heat subsides a little. From 12 to 16 hours the bulls must be in the shade.
It is very important to remember that grazing should begin only after the dew has dried. Eating grass with plenty of water often leads to tympanum (acute scar bloating). Yes, this disease can be easily cured if there is an experienced veterinarian nearby. But if you hesitate, the animal may well die from suffocation.
Optimal diet
In order for the animals to grow actively, be healthy, gain weight well, and their meat has a great taste, you need to take the issue of dieting very seriously. To cope with the task is much more difficult than it might seem at first glance to an inexperienced beginner. Yes, most of the diet is grass or hay. But even different herbs contain various substances and trace elements.
Up to 1 month, calves need to be fed milk - about 8-10 liters per day. After that, they are gradually transferred to the grass.
The best combination: meadow hay, corn silage and wheat straw. You can also supplement the diet with pulp, fish or bone meal, as well as potatoes, carrots. Of course, we must not forget about salt - this is an extremely important dietary supplement. Water is equally important. A cow should receive enough clean drinking water, especially in winter, when it eats a lot of dry food.
From the correctness and sufficiency of the diet depends on how quickly the goby will grow, for how long it will gain optimal weight. But it’s very difficult to specifically determine the right amount of feed and proportion - it depends on the breed, as well as on climate, age. Therefore, it will be useful to consult with specialists so that they help to draw up a suitable schedule and diet.
How old are you?
In most cases, gobies are allowed for meat at the age of one and a half years - plus or minus a couple of months, depending on the breed and the conditions of detention.
Why exactly this age? It is optimal in terms of economy. It is up to 18 months that the calves gain weight the fastest, reaching about 400-500 kilograms. After that, the growth rate is significantly reduced. Of course, with good nutrition, a thoroughbred bull can reach a weight of 800 kilograms, and sometimes tons. But for this it will have to be kept for 4-5 years. That is, in each subsequent year he will gain less mass. And more and more food will be eaten. So this approach can be called irrational and wasteful.
In addition, in a year and a half, the meat of a castrated bull remains tender, soft and therefore especially tasty.
How to realize gobies
Another extremely important point is the sale of finished products. After all, the profitability of growing bull-calves for meat depends on it. Feedback on implementation methods can be found very different - a lot depends on the region, the farmer’s ability to find the right people and just on a certain luck.
Judging by the reviews, the easiest and easiest way to implement it is to turn in live bulls or carcasses to sausage shops. However, in this case, the profit will be relatively small - when buying in bulk, you have to significantly reduce the price. And not a single enterprise agrees to buy two dozen carcasses at a retail price.
Another option is to conclude a contract with a restaurant or other catering place. Usually it stretches for several weeks or even months. When the restaurant runs out of meat, they inform the farmer, and he brings the carcass cut or most of it - by appointment. According to experienced businessmen, it’s a rather profitable option, but the meat should be of high quality - otherwise a serious restaurant that values its reputation will most likely refuse to cooperate.
Finally, the third option is selling on the market. Perhaps it can be called the most profitable. Indeed, in this case, the meat is sold at retail. Consequently, the profit will be maximum. But there is a minus - you will have to spend a lot of time on implementation. It will be necessary to spend whole days on the market either to the farmer himself or to the employed person whose services must be paid.
Which option is best for you - decide for yourself.
We draw up a business plan: briefly on the main thing
Now we’ll draw up an approximate business plan so that each reader can estimate approximate expenses and income, deciding whether such a business suits him. Indeed, although the reviews about the business of growing bull-calves for meat leave mostly positive, it is hard and expensive work.
The largest one-time cost, according to farmers, is the purchase of young animals. Alas, here you can’t give a definite answer - the cost of a bull-calf depends on age, breed, even just relations with the seller. Therefore, the price can range from 5 to several tens of thousands. For example, take the figure of 10 thousand - the cost of a strong, healthy, thoroughbred bull. Purchasing 20 goals, you will spend 200 thousand rubles.
Renting land and building a barn for the acquired herd will cost another 300-400 thousand rubles. The spread can be even greater - a lot depends on the region and the specific place. For example, somewhere near Tambov land will cost much cheaper than in the suburbs. Keep in mind that for one bull, there must be at least 10-12 square meters of area.
Alas, the costs do not end there. After all, you also need to provide cattle with food. True, these costs can be extended over time, but it is advisable to purchase in bulk during the harvesting period - people say that you can save a decent amount. The main thing is to take care of the availability of a suitable place for storage. About 15 thousand rubles will have to be paid for an annual supply of feed - again, it strongly depends on the region. Consequently, in a year and a half it will take about 22 thousand, and for the whole herd - about 440 thousand.
The total expense will be about 1-1.1 million rubles. Please note that you may also need the services of a veterinarian.
In a year and a half, the bulls will achieve an average weight of 450 kilograms each - plus or minus 100 kg, depending on the breed, conditions, and diet. In total, the herd weighs 9000 kilograms. The approximate yield of meat is 60% (also highly dependent on the breed). In a good situation, it will be possible to sell beef at a price of 300 rubles per kilogram. But it’s better to count on 250 rubles - if you hand over in bulk. Total total profit will amount to 1,250,000 rubles. Of these, net profit is about 150-250 thousand rubles. Yes, not too much. But keep in mind that for a year and a half you fully compensated for the cost of land rental and construction. Accordingly, for the next season, profit will increase by 300-400 thousand rubles. And this is already a very good indicator, especially if it can expand over time.
Having at hand a well-prepared business plan for raising bull-calves for meat, you can estimate the costs and incomes, make appropriate adjustments to the case to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Now you know enough about a business such as raising bull-calves for meat: what costs await you, how long the whole cycle will take, what profit you can count on, and much more. Of course, growing bulls, you must also have serious patience, endurance and a willingness to work a lot and hard.