# How Long To Reach 800 Lbs?



## Tango

My Jersey bull calf (steer now) is 4 weeks and on a bottle getting a gallon a day of milk-based replacer. He's also nibbling on grass and grain. A neighbor stopped by and told me he'd buy him at 800 pounds. I plan on giving him grain but not to push him on grain. How long will it take to grow him out to 800 pounds on good hay, grass pasture, and grain. Also what type of grain should I feed him? Right now he and his calf mate are eating dairy special 16%, neither will take the calf starter I bought for them (fortunately the pigs like it  TIA,


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## agmantoo

Tango, I cannot answer your question with the Jersey breed. However, with a commercial beef cow(mostly Angus) and a quality Angus bull, I can get their offspring heifer to 750 to 800 lbs. in approximately 14 months on nothing but fescue grass interplanted with clover. With a steer or bull calf I can get to the same weight a couple of months earlier.


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## JulieLou42

My 3/4 Guernsey Angus heifer on grass/hay and COB was at 800# breeding weight at about 17 months...at 5.5 years, she's about 1500# by her weight tape.


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## Tango

Thanks for the help agmantoo and JulieLou42. I knew Jerseys take a while to grow out. I hope it is worthwhile.


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## topside1

Tango, my two 5 month old Jersey steers were just weight taped with a reading of 325lbs each. They were born three days apart. They are grass fed with starter feed in the morning and evening. My 13 month old Holstein who is off to the butchershop on the 15 of Sept. weights 1130 pounds. Quite a difference I'd say....John


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## Tango

Thanks fro the perspective topside  Yeah, that is quite a difference. I'm told the Jersey beef is worth the wait. I just hope it is worth the time (from my side  ) Still... it is a good feeling to give them a good life for as long as that.


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## topside1

Tango, the general consensus is that Jersey meat is worth the wait. In fact that's the only reason I bought these two just to taste what others are talking about. Long wait, you bet I hear that a large butcher weight 800-900 pounds. I'll post another weigh-in in the next few months...Enjoy Jerseys....John


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## Vere My Sone

Does it make a difference in the taste of the beef if the calf has been weaned or not?

if so, how long does the calf need to be off milk before butchering


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## JulieLou42

Topside, what were your Jersey calves' weight at birth? Or, if you know how much they've gained each month, that would be helpful to me. 

My month+ old 1/2 Jersey was estimated by the vet to be 65# at birth, and I'm wondering how much weight to expect he might gain by 18 months. His older brother ...yearling plus 2 weeks...looks rather small to me...this one has the dairy hindquarters, whereas this new one...named 'Ribroast' ...has beefy hindquarters. He seems to have grown quite a bit in his first few weeks.

Thanks!

Vere My Sone: My cow weaned her last calf that we're now eating...would have been 2 year old on May 26th...at about 8 months old, and his meat is just super! He had very little grain, till his last few weeks when it was all rolled barley at 4-No. 10 cans per day. He was a Saler X and weighed about 1200 at 16 months.


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## topside1

Julie, sixty-five pounds is an average weight. At five months old both weigh 330 pound. I don't expect either of them to exceed 900 pounds within two years. As you know just a small, slow growing loveable breed. Hope this info is helpful...John


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## uncle Will in In.

Tango, After your calf gets old enough to grow well without having grain, it will cost you less to get him up to near 800lb with mostly hay and pasture. You could give him ground corn to plump him up for about 3 months before selling him. 
It will take a little longer for him to get as heavy as you want, but what's time to a steer?? 
Saving money is a good plan.


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## Up North

I'm with Uncle Will. I'd feed grain till he achieves 400 pounds body weight, then grow him out to 1,000 pounds on grass. When he gets near harvest size, there will always be somebody glad to buy a farm raised beef.


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## JulieLou42

Thanks, John for input...

I measured my calf today [1/2 Jersey, 3/8 Guernsey, 1/8 Angus] and the weight tape says he's at 40" which means his weight could be between 190 and 205. How can that be? He's only 39 days old! That equates to a gain of 3.6# per day! He's only getting momma and hay!?!?


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## Up North

JulieLou42 said:


> Thanks, John for input...
> 
> I measured my calf today [1/2 Jersey, 3/8 Guernsey, 1/8 Angus] and the weight tape says he's at 40" which means his weight could be between 190 and 205. How can that be? He's only 39 days old! That equates to a gain of 3.6# per day! He's only getting momma and hay!?!?


Calf has Hybrid Vigor.
Momma is eating green grass, Yes?
Momma a good cow.


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## Tango

Thanks for the information and input agmantoo and UpNorth (et al  ) He will reach 400 pounds going by Topside's accounting during the winter months so won't be til spring that he gets pasture but there will be plenty of it then. I'll let the buyer decide if he wants pure pasture for him. The buyer raises beef cattle- has about 1000 acres and no telling how big his beef herd is. They have a custom butcher and also raise a couple hundred hogs a year. Says something that he wants Jersey beef.


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## Up North

Tango- I'm not real big on booking meat animal's that far out in time. Too many things can happen between now and then, Buyers can move away or die, the steer could bloat and die, etc, etc. I would raise him in the manner most profitable for your operation. Most important thing with raising dairy steers is to recognize that you are now doing the difficut part - Bottle to 400 pounds. Once you get them past 400 pounds, the easy part makes your workload much more bearable. Then they just grow with hay or pasture, water, minerals and salt.
I would strongly reccomend you do an experiment - Buy 2 Jersey bull calves and 2 Holstien Bull Calves in a fairly close time frame. Then record all inputs. Do an honest appraisal(To Yourself) of which require least special care and medicines. Keep a small notebook of all details just for this controlled experiment. Then, when you sell all 4, you can take gross sales amount, subtract off all costs, evaluate which is best for YOU & your operation. You may find an interesting outcome!!..cheers.


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## JulieLou42

Thanks, UpNorth!

Still hard to believe he could put on that much weight! We did wrap it 'round him twice just to be sure. He does look quite healthy.

His momma is on early, prime-harvested orchard grass hay, and COB with alfalfa pellets about every other day. He's not interested much in the latter yet.

This rascal...Ribroast...even tho' he's been elastrated a few weeks back and his balls are shriveling up, he still tries to jump his ma's bones...and she's showing no signs of heat, which are always very pronounced with her. 

Three times I caught her on top of her steer we've been eating since last Oct. Thought she'd break his back or legs. I remember seeing them once with her crosswise him and him under her up to his belly in the manure pile. Wish I'd gotten a picture of that time.


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