How Long Does It Take for Beef Cattle to Go from Birth to Market? Detailed Explanation of Rapid Fattening Methods

Beef cattle are cattle raised specifically for meat production, primarily for beef, and they also provide other by-products besides beef directly.So how long does it take for beef cattle to go from birth to market? How do you fatten them rapidly?

1. How long does it take for beef cattle to go from birth to market?

The slaughter age of beef cattle at market is 1-1.5 years (12-18 months), and no later than 2 years (24 months) at the latest. However, different beef cattle breeds may have slightly different times to market. In general, bulls grow faster than cows, while cows have better meat quality than bulls. Crossbreeding between different purebred beef cattle can increase beef production capacity by 15%-20%. In China, crossbreeding purebred beef cattle with local yellow cattle can also increase the meat production performance of first-generation crossbred beef cattle by 20%-30%.

2. How do you fatten beef cattle rapidly?

To fatten beef cattle rapidly, the choice of beef cattle feed, the choice of beef cattle breed, and deworming and appetite stimulation before fattening are all very important.

1. Breed

Choose healthy 1-year-old fourth-generation Simmental crossbred cattle, or choose Black-and-White or Yellow-and-White dairy cows culled from dairy farms, and then use the effect of compensatory growth to fatten them rapidly. Alternatively, choose other beef cattle breeds suitable for the local area.

2. Feed

Choose beef cattle feed produced by manufacturers that specialize in researching beef cattle and sheep feed, as the quality of such beef cattle feed can be guaranteed. Also, the daily ration should not consist only of roughage and concentrate; some premix should also be added appropriately according to the ration ratio. Premix mainly supplements the vitamins, trace elements, macro elements and minerals necessary for cattle growth.

3. Deworming

Administer fenbendazole orally at 8 mg per kg of body weight, given orally once, once a day, for 3 consecutive days. Or feed albendazole mixed into the feed at 10 mg per kg of body weight. In addition, drugs for clearing heat and reducing internal heat should be given regularly, such as honeysuckle, isatis root, and woad leaves, or some Chinese patent medicines can also be used.

4. Method

Use reasonable beef cattle feed, with the concentrate-to-roughage ratio of the daily ration controlled at 60:40 to 70:30. The daily dry matter intake of the ration per 100 kg of body weight is required to be no less than 2.2-2.5 kg. In addition, beef cattle feed should be processed and prepared carefully to increase palatability and make it easier to digest and absorb.

3. What are the common breeds of beef cattle?

1. Simmental cattle

Adult bulls weigh 1000-1300 kg, and cows 650-750 kg. They have good adaptability, tolerate roughage, have a gentle temperament, and are suitable for grazing.

2. Charolais cattle

Under intensive feeding conditions, body weight can reach more than 500 kg at 12 months of age, with a maximum daily gain of 1.88 kg. Adult bulls weigh 1100-1200 kg, and cows 700-800 kg. They have strong adaptability, tolerate roughage, tolerate cold, and resist disease, but their reproductive rate is relatively poor and the rate of difficult calving is high.

3. Limousin cattle

Under good feeding conditions, live weight can reach 408 kg at 10 months of age and 480 kg at 12 months of age.

Different beef cattle breeds may require different fattening methods, and farmers need to fatten them according to actual conditions.