So, you’re thinking about raising cattle? Ah…the romance of it all. Maybe you’ve pictured yourself in a cowboy hat, leaning against a fence, sipping coffee on an early summer morning, watching your cattle grazing peacefully in your pastures. Sure, the journey of raising beef has its dreamy moments, such as those adorable newborn calves. But let’s review some things to consider when you want to add cattle to your homestead.
10 years ago, if you had told me that I would be trading in the beautiful high heels, I wore to work for mucking boots covered ankle-deep in wet, sloppy cow manure. I would have thought you lost your mind! I had a bedroom closet dedicated to shoes!
My husband Rick and I had talked and dreamed of moving to the country, but I should have known better. Rick is not a dreamer; he is a doer. Before I knew it, I was packing up heels to put into storage and moving into a 5th wheel. While we built our dream house, we also planned where our home garden, garlic farm, chickens, horses, and cattle would be on our new property.
With everything we have done around the property, raising high-quality beef for our family and small clientele has been an entire journey full of learning.
Recently, after cutting a round bale feeder to release, one of our yearlings who had climbed in the feeder and then got stuck got me reminiscing. He climbed into the feeder to get the “better hay” on the other side, and his hind end was too large to follow. Backing out was not an option, he was past his ribs. Standing there watching Rick and our son, Conner, trying to free this little steer made me think…How did we get here, and what did we learn?
Let me share things you should consider when deciding to raise cattle.
Land requirements
Cattle need ample room, especially if you plan to feed them primarily from pasture land. Ideally, it is suggested that one acre of good pasture be used for one to two cattle. It can be done on less land if supplemental feed and more land management are included. We have a couple of pastures on which we rotate our cattle and plan to create more pastures, which means more fencing!
If you live in an area that has Ponderosa pines and are planning on breeding cattle, you need to know that Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) contain a toxin called Isocupressic acid, which causes pine needle-induced abortion but is not dangerous for non-pregnant cows. Please read my post, Pine Needle Abortion in Cattle – What You Need to Know.
Fencing Needs
Fencing, fencing, and more fencing! New fences and fixing old fences. Fences that baby calves squeeze under and rambunctious young bulls run through. A lot of fencing is in your future!
Just the other day, after days and days of rain, we needed to move the cattle to drier land. This was a dark, cold, and sloppy wet day at the end of November. We waited for daylight which is around 7:30 am at this time of year, and it was Sunday. We don’t want to make angry neighbors with our loud fence pole pounder (a skid steer implement I am not sure we could live without). Having 11 acres means we have close neighbors who would not appreciate the noise so early on a Sunday morning. This is a reminder that fencing never ends if you have a homestead, ranch, or small farm, even on Sundays or holidays. The work went quickly because we had the right equipment, and cattle were soon moved to drier land.
It is just the beginning of the winter weather, but I am sure that there will be more fencing that will need to be done soon.
Equipment requirements
I don’t mean to alarm you, but the truth is – you’re going to own all this stuff…eventually. You’ll start small, telling yourself, “We will just get the basics.” You will be up at 3 am researching “cattle chutes” and a million other cattle-related items in months or years ahead. I do it all the time! It is a slippery slope, and before you know it, you will own most of these. Some items can be rented, especially if you live in a farming community.
Here is the equipment you will need to consider:
- Tractor or skid steer. Ouch – this is a big ticket item, even if it is used equipment. Then there are implements: Hay attachment, manure spreaders, etc.
- Gates and Panels. You will need these not only to contain cattle but also to sort them out for various reasons, such as castration, first aid, vet visits, graining, etc.
- Electric Fence Energizer. You will need electric fencing; cattle are curious and will push fences. As we all know, the grass is always greener on the other side!😂
- Hay feeders. Hay feeders are needed to contain the hay; otherwise, the cattle will just tear it apart, looking for the tastiest pieces. Once they tear it apart, they will lay on it and cover it with manure, and it will be wasted.
- Troughs. You will need troughs to grain or supplement with pellet feed.
- Mineral Feeders. Minerals play a vital part in the health and well-being of cattle. Read my post on why salt and minerals are important for cattle. There are a variety of salts and minerals that come in block form, but some are loose. You will need mineral feeders for these.
- Water troughs. Plenty of water, of course, is essential! You will want at least a couple. I like to have an extra one or two around so they can be drained and cleaned regularly.
- Hoses, pumps, and tanks. Purchase good quality farm hoses; you will never have too many. They will be drug around and will be driven over by trucks and tractors. If water has to be trucked into their pasture, you need water tanks and pumps.
- Wheelbarrows and carts. Like water hoses, you will never have enough.
- Stock Heaters. Stock heaters are important if you live in a cold climate and cannot break the ice regularly.
- Cattle Chute. At first, you may think that a head catch only will be all that you need. Wrestling a large animal for vaccinations, first aid, or multiple other reasons is dangerous work for you and the animals. Our first year, we tried roping older calves, which was a comedy of error that luckily ended with no injury to man or cattle! It is important to consider that some large animal veterinarians will not work on cattle unless they are in a chute.
- Head Catch. There are headgates/catches only without the chute. We tried this, and it does have its application for basic things like vaccinations, but it is not good for other medical treatments or trimming hooves. This can end in an unwanted rodeo of an animal stuck in a head catch, potentially injuring the animal or handler.
- Sorting stick or cattle prod. These will help sort cattle without having to get too close to them and potentially getting kicked. Our lowline Aberdeens are gentle animals until you try to sort them. They get confused and irritated, which can result in running and kicking.
- Health and Medical supplies. Ear tags, Vaccines, dewormers, first aid kit, fly control products, and scales for weighing newborn calves. A medical kit and general supplies will grow and grow.
- Trailer. Trailers are needed for transporting cattle to a vet, market, or butcher. This is one purchase we have not made…yet. I see one in our future.😂 We have been able to rent or borrow one when needed.
Breed Selection
Beef, dairy, or both? What do you want to raise cattle for? Different breeds have different temperaments. Read my post The Best Cattle Breeds for Hobby Farms or Homesteads.
Feed and Water
If you have the acreage, you may want to do rotational grazing. If not, supplemental feeding and graining may be needed. Adult cattle drink 10-20 gallons per day, depending on the weather. Lactating dairy cows can drink twice as much. If you do not have power to your water source for a trough heater and live in a colder climate like we do, then there will be days when the ice must be broken. Have your axe ready.
Shelter
If you live in an area without natural shelter, such as trees, you will want to provide a windbreak shelter, especially for sick and calving cows. Be sure to add bedding material to provide a dry and warm place for them to lay.
Veterinary and Other Care
Sometimes, you will need to have veterinary care for your cattle. It is a good idea to get established with a large animal veterinarian by having a general wellness check and reviewing a plan for access to the cattle with them. They need good road access close to the cattle and a containment area for the animals needing care. This will also help establish whether or not your chosen veterinarian will work on a large animal without a chute or head catch.
There are professionals who trim cow hooves. One comes to our area yearly to trim hooves at the local dairies and then smaller farms. Cows will need hoof maintenance.
Time and Labor
Okay, this is important. Feeding, watering, and checking on their general well-being are daily tasks. There are no days off for holidays, sick days, or vacations. Be ready for some early mornings and late nights, especially during calving season.
Cattle will break through fencing. Gates will not get properly latched. You could be in the house with cattle running by the living room window. Small or large, your herd will need to be rounded up after they escape. Naturally, it never happens at a convenient time.
This should not stop you from raising cattle, but it needs to be thought about, and a plan should be made. We just finished a ranch-hand studio apartment in the barn we built. This allows us to have someone to assist us with these daily chores, especially if we decide to take a vacation. You may not be able to build a ranch-hand apartment, but it is a good idea to create a network of friends and neighbors in the same situation to be able to trade for some much-needed days off.
Manure Management
Okay, this is one thing I had not researched before we first got cattle. The management of poo is part of the lifestyle, like it or not. An adult cow produces 65 pounds of manure per DAY!
If only they were golden eggs, we would be tycoons! I do have to remember it is not crap, it is compost!! When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Our land has poor and never-managed soil, and I can use all the compost that our herd provides.
By the way, we also have a garlic crop we are growing, so believe it or not, I do get excited when I see large amounts of manure turning into beautiful soil to improve our land. Boy, these are words I never would have thought would EVER come out of my mouth 10 years ago. Those were the days when I owned all those high heels and not one pair of mucking boots, before this lifestyle that I would never want to give up!! But after days of non-stop rain, you begin to wonder what to do with it all.
Clothing and Boots
No cattle farmer’s life would be complete without boots, hard-wearing jeans, coveralls, and coats. These need to withstand the rough wear and tear of farm life and raising beef cattle.
Budget and Costs
I don’t love budgets; I would like to live like all that manure in the pasture are piles of gold. Sadly, they are not! So, budgeting for the initial investment of cattle, fencing, and other must-have equipment must be considered and planned for. Feed, veterinary care, and land management can add up. If you must buy hay and supplement feed, this is a large cash layout before you can sell beef to recoup your money. So, budget, budget, budget, and prepare.
Meat Processing and Milk processing
Understanding the handling and cost of butchering is essential. Read my post, Buying Half a Beef – How to Guide And What You Need To Know.
Since you may be raising beef for your family’s consumption, I understand you are not buying half a beef, but this post gives good information about having beef butchered and terms you will want to get familiar with.
We do not have dairy cows, but if you want to have dairy cows, be prepared to understand the equipment needed and the milk processing for your family. If you are planning to sell milk, be sure to understand the local regulations and requirements.
Local regulations, Support and Education
Regulations
Check into your local zoning laws and regulations regarding cattle and large livestock. Some areas have restrictions on livestock size, numbers, or how waste management is handled.
Support
Get together with people of like mind who may also be raising cattle or other livestock. We have learned invaluable information about cattle from others in our area. These new friends will be a great place to get references on things like local large animal veterinarians and even have equipment that can be borrowed or traded for.
When we first started, our local agricultural extension office gave us a lot of good information, including the type of cattle that did well in our area. They also provided us with some of our first connections to the world of cattle.
You can also make new friends and build connections at the local feed and farm supply stores. If you are like Rick, my husband, you will spot a fellow cattle or livestock owner from a mile away and can strike up a conversation with just about anyone.
Education
If you are in the cattle world for any time, you will hear the name Temple Grandin.Temple Grandin is a legendary name in the world of cattle and animal welfare. Her groundbreaking work revolutionized how livestock should be handled, showing the world that better treatment of animals isn’t just more ethical—it’s also more efficient. You have heard of horse whisperers; she is THE cow whisperer. We learned about her when we watched the 2010 movie “Temple Grandin,” acted out by Clare Danes. Since then, I have read her book Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working With Farm Animals. We also saw her speak at this year’s Modern Homesteading Conference near us in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Her passion is cattle welfare, and she has written many books on this subject.
There are many experts to learn from, and Temple Grandin is just one of them. More importantly, learn all you can.
So, after all the muck, sweat, and no days off, do you still want to raise cattle?
If yes, welcome to a world where your mornings start with early coffee and then move on to feeding and watering the cattle. Your evenings could involve fence repairs and calving by flashlight, and your boots always have a faint smell of manure. But there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of raising cattle, knowing you’re putting wholesome food on the table and enriching the land (even if it’s one poop pile at a time). Who needs high heels when you’ve got muck boots and a lifestyle you love? Now, grab your gloves; check the fences – I am sure some fixing needs to be done.
More Posts on Cattle You Might Enjoy
- Pine Needle Abortion in Cattle – What You Need to Know
- Weaning Tags for Calves and Why We Love Using Them
- Why Salt and Mineral Licks are Important for Cattle
- The Best Cattle Breeds for Hobby Farms or Homesteads
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Hi, I’m Yvonne — the voice behind Our Country Life. I share from-scratch recipes, garden know-how, and simple living inspiration rooted in real farmhouse life. Thanks for being here ❤️
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