One of the most rewarding, and also most challenging, endeavors you can engage in as a homesteader is raising beef cattle. Cows need a lot of everything: a lot of food, a lot of room, and most importantly a lot of care. There are tons to do and lots to know, and choosing the right … Read more
When it comes to livestock, cows can be some of the most intimidating animals around for homesteaders. It’s easy to see why: they are huge, expensive, need tons of room and lots of food. Plus, they can be genuinely dangerous and hard to handle. And at the end of the day, if you aren’t keeping … Read more
Animals are typically classified as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores. Our cows, for instance, are herbivores because they eat nothing but plant matter… but just how strict is this classification? Ask around and you’ll hear plenty of stories from cattle owners about how, every now and then, one or more of their cows will eat a … Read more
Everybody knows that cows are herbivores, right? And that an herbivorous animal is one that eats solely plant matter… They don’t eat mostly plant matter and a little animal protein: they eat only plants. Simple enough, but when you stop to consider the various types of feed and other foods that are sometimes given to … Read more
Calves are bar-none the most adorable animal you can have on any homestead. They’re energetic, friendly, playful – and they look so darn cute! It’s so funny to watch them sucking on milk, too. It makes you wonder if they’re ever going to switch to other foods – especially given how big they are. If … Read more
If you want to make a go of it on the homestead raising cattle, picking the right breed is a crucial part of your success. Every different domestic cow breed has its own attributes, good and bad, that you must learn to maximize or minimize accordingly. And, of course, you should pick based on what … Read more
If you’ve ever noticed a herd of cows standing around in a field, or if you own cows yourself, you’ve probably seen something peculiar about them… Something you might even call a little bit creepy! Sometimes cows will stand there, perfectly still, with their eyes closed and heads sagging. They might even do it all … Read more
A conversation on any topic of any depth will be liberally sprinkled with lingo… Sometimes, lingo is just a stylistic choice, a way to quickly and easily identify who is an insider, or “read up,” on a topic and who is not. Other times lingo is very important, and serves valuable purposes when it comes … Read more
Steak is undoubtedly one of the most popular and delicious cuts of meat out there, and enjoyed all around the world in various preparations. There is hardly anything better if you ask me: a perfectly roasted, juicy steak with steamed veggies and a big baked potato. But have you ever wondered just how many steaks … Read more
There’s an old proverb that says familiarity breeds contempt. I don’t know if it always breeds contempt, but familiarity can definitely breed apathy and a lack of appreciation. This is certainly true for our animals. Concerning our livestock, when you work with them day in and day out, or have your livelihood tied up in … Read more
A cow’s diet a crucial factor in their health and productivity, whether you are raising cows for meat or for milk. And cows are herbivores, which means they primarily pretty much solely on plants, and that means that feeding them the right plants, in the right amounts, is going to be essential if you want … Read more
If you ever look at a herd of cows standing around out in the field, they usually look a little sad. They just stand around, chewing their cud. And of course, everybody knows how infamously grumpy bulls can be. But is it possible that cows can be happy, even friendly? And do cows play amongst … Read more
One of the strangest things I remember growing up in the country, and one that I still think about all the time, is when I’d occasionally hear cows out in the field at night. They didn’t sound panicked, they didn’t sound stressed. But you could hear them mooing and moving around, and the gentle clank … Read more
It is really easy to think of cows as these plodding, huge brutes that sort of slouch from one place to the other. Every once in a while one of them will get startled and take off at a modest trot, bell tinkling musically. That is, it’s easy to think that until you make a … Read more
When you think of cows, it’s natural to imagine a female standing around sweetly, chewing her grass and generally enjoying life, but on the other hand we imagine bulls or big steers stomping and stamping swinging their horns and getting their way. Generally, most folks only think that male cows have horns, but is this … Read more
Most people think that cows eat only grass. And while this is true to a degree, anyone who has worked with cattle for any length of time knows that they have a varied if still strictly plant-based diet. But, cows are also ruminant animals, animals which are somewhat notorious for their highly sensitive digestive system. … Read more