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Alberta, Canada | I agree with Jim. Start with 20.
Long term and large-scale feed alleys are likely your best bet to minimize waste. Better than feed bunks in the sense of cleaning them. However, for 20 head, you'll be better off with feeding in bale feeders for a while.
Make sure you have someone with experience who can guide you. What are your plans? You're not going to feed them just grain, so are you going to make your own feed or purchase it? You're going to need straw (well, you could use saw-dust etc) for bedding, so don't sever all ties with that end of things. Personally, I recommend barley straw over wheat, though I can't seem to find the studies to back me up at the moment.
What equipment will you need to purchase in order to get into the cattle? I'm assuming you have loaders, but what for putting out the bedding feed/grain? And for storing the grain? You will need some sort of handling facility/squeeze chute for loading out and/or in the event you have an issue. Do not put a head-gate in between two fence posts, your vet (which you will need) will not appreciate it.
What my question is, why the switch? I'm actually looking at getting into baling wheat straw, in addition to the cattle. I really like baling straw, and it seems like a guy could generate some decent cash doing it. I'd like to hear your thoughts/experience in regards to it? | |
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thinking about getting into cattle
