# How much does roping cattle affect their meat quality?



## Reed77 (Mar 20, 2011)

I'm kinda curious, if I use a young steer/heifer for cutting, roping, ect. Once he becomes butcher weight how much will it affect the meat quality?


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

He won't ever make butcher weight out of the roping pen, you'll run the extra calories right back off. Just feed him out for 30 to 60 days after his "sports career" is over. Millions of steers used for roping, dogging, team penning, cutting, you name it, every year. They all have a second career as beef. But the meat quality will be better with some sedentary time and feed between one career and the next.


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## Reed77 (Mar 20, 2011)

So even after resting him 60 days and getting the weight back on. The meat quality will still be as if he was never worked?


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Reed77 said:


> So even after resting him 60 days and getting the weight back on. The meat quality will still be as if he was never worked?


The meat will be fine. I raised roping cattle for years and once they retired, we brought them home and fed them out and there is no negative effects on the quality of meat at all.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

And if you are using Corriente (or Longhorn) as your sport stock, you'll probably really like the flavor. The Euro breeds seem to have a deeper flavor profile than the British breeds, those Spanish influenced ones in particular. I have eaten Corriente beef as burger, prime rib and jerky and it was all top notch. And all from used roping cattle.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Put them on corn for 6 to 8 weeks before butcher, put some marbling in the meat and you'll be fine.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Roping cattle are a bit too small to butcher. Retire them and let them grow a little more.

If you want to kill them right as they walk out of the arena, expect to lose a little of the meat to bruising.


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