Backyard Farming: Raising Cattle by Kim Pezza - Series Introduction
So you want to raise cattle. Maybe just one cow. Maybe a small herd. Either way, you probably have questions. A lot of them.
Backyard Farming: Raising Cattle
A Brief History of Cattle in America
Pop quiz: where did American cattle ranching start? If you said Texas or somewhere out West, you’re wrong. The first cattle region in America was actually southwest Florida. Not exactly what the cowboy movies told you.
Dairy Cattle Breeds Guide
Before we get into specific breeds, let’s cover some basics. Because cattle terminology can be confusing if you’re new to this.
Beef Cattle Breeds and Miniatures
We covered dairy breeds last time. Now let’s talk about the cattle you raise for meat, and the miniature breeds that are quietly becoming a smart option for small homesteads.
Should You Keep a Bull or Just a Cow?
So you’ve picked a breed. Maybe you’re leaning dairy, maybe beef. But now comes a very practical question: should you get a cow, a bull, or both?
Housing and Fencing for Cattle
Your cow needs a place to live. And she needs to stay where you put her. Those are two separate problems, and both cost money. Let’s talk about shelter first, then fencing.
Feeding Your Cattle Right
There’s a simple formula for healthy cattle: good diet plus good management. That’s it. You can have the best breed and the nicest barn, but if you’re feeding your animals wrong, nothing else matters.
Common Cattle Diseases and Ailments
Nobody gets into cattle farming because they’re excited about disease management. But this is one of those chapters you need to read. Knowing what can go wrong is how you keep things from going wrong.
Breeding Cattle on Your Homestead
Not everyone who raises cattle needs to breed them. If you’re just buying calves every year to raise for beef, you can skip this whole chapter of your life. But if you want to raise your own beef from birth, or you’re keeping a dairy cow that needs to freshen, breeding is part of the deal.
Raising Calves From Birth to Weaning
You bred your cow. She’s been pregnant for roughly 285 days. Now what? This is where things get real. A calf is coming, and you need to know what’s normal, what’s not, and what to do in both cases.
How to Milk a Cow by Hand
If you have a dairy cow, you need to learn how to milk. There’s no way around it. This is probably the single most important skill a dairy cow owner needs to develop. And it’s not as simple as just sitting down and squeezing.
What to Do With All That Milk
So you have a dairy cow. She’s producing milk twice a day. And pretty quickly you’re going to realize something: that’s a lot of milk. Like, way more than your family can drink. A single dairy cow can produce 6 to 8 gallons per day.
Raising Your Own Beef Cattle on a Small Farm
This is the chapter where things get real. If you’ve been reading along thinking about cute calves and fresh milk, chapter 11 is where Kim Pezza talks about the other side of cattle farming. Raising beef. Processing meat. The whole deal.
Culling Your Herd and Other Uses for Cattle
Two chapters in one post here because chapters 12 and 13 are both shorter but cover topics that fit together well. Culling your herd and other things you can do with cattle besides the obvious milk and meat.
Fun Facts About Cattle and Beef Recipes
After thirteen chapters of practical cattle farming information, Pezza wraps things up with some fun stuff. Interesting cattle facts from history and a bunch of recipes you can make with your own beef and dairy products. This chapter is basically the dessert course of the book.
Final Thoughts on Raising Cattle
Sixteen posts later, we’ve made it through the entire book. So let’s talk about what it all adds up to.