Last month, I posted an update about how my wife and I are raising a cow for beef. This is a summary of our activity and costs for month 9. As always, let’s first check Bambi’s growth. Here he is at eight months old:
And here he is at nine months old:
A few weeks ago we checked Bambi’s weight. He was around 520 pounds then, so he should be close to 550 by now. I think he’s growing quite well for a Jersey, and I’ve had several farmers comment that he looks like he’s doing well. Despite his increasing size, he’s still easy to handle most days. Even when he gets to acting up, it doesn’t take much for me to calm him down again.
Costs & Time
I’m still taking Bambi out to graze every day except when the weather is especially bad. He’s actually become quite handy because I’ve been using him to mow down the weeds behind the barn. If he’s not out there, he’s in specific places in our yard (the places we don’t walk much…).
We only had to buy feed this month. I estimate I spent a couple more hours this month than last because I’ve been taking Bambi out nearly every day. It takes time to move his stake and the blocks I use to hold his water bucket in place. Plus, I have to deal with trying to get him where I want him to go and then back to the barn in the evening. (Though I’ve gotten pretty good at that part now.)
- Feed – $40.06
- Time – 11 hours
And here are our total costs over the past nine months:
- Cost of Bambi – Free!
- Castration & Dehorning – $16.00
- Milk Replacer – $45.54
- Miscellaneous – $46.87
- Feed – $281.84
- Hay – $88.00
- Straw – $20.00
- Medicine – $5.00
- Total Spent – $503.25
- Time – 83 hours
After nine months we’ve spent a total of $503.25 and 83 hours raising a cow for beef. We’ve finally broken the $500 mark and Bambi’s pushing 550 pounds. It’ll be interesting to see what my final totals are and how much meat we get. I’ll have to figure out how I’ll measure the value of that meat later.
Cleaning Bambi’s stall is going easier just as I expected. More time outside means less manure in the barn. This is a very good thing. I could have been finished in less than half an hour the last time if I hadn’t turned the compost pile first (which isn’t really composting very well). I guess time spent turning compost isn’t an actual cost for raising Bambi, but I wouldn’t have the compost pile if it weren’t for him.
That’s it for this month. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. And make sure you sign up for free updates to Provident Planning if you’re interested in knowing what it takes to raise a cow for beef!
