Essential Things to Know If You Are Planning To Rear Angus Cattle
If you are looking to venture into cattle farming, the first thing that you need to do is identify the best breed of livestock to rear. In Australia, most discerning farmers will lean toward Angus cattle, as this breed is renowned for its resilience and reliability. Nonetheless, once you decide to look at Angus livestock for sale, it is judicious to know how best to care for your cattle or else your herd will begin to succumb to health problems due to clumsy handling. Therefore, if you are planning to rear Angus cattle on your farm, here are some of the essential things that you should know.
Establish your preferred feeding method
A mistake some newbie cattle breeders make when purchasing their first herd is assuming that they will decide how they will feed their livestock once they are at the farm. The problem with this approach is that without proper preparation, it can be cumbersome to ensure that your herd is receiving the right nutrition. As a result, some cows may suffer from malnutrition, and this will lead to losses for your farm. There are various solutions you could choose including grain feeding, open foraging and so on. Depending on your preferred method, you need to make changes to your plan — for example, storing a substantial amount of grain, purchasing supplements for your cattle or even keeping your land lush with pasture.
Provide sufficient shelter for the Angus cattle
Even though Angus cattle are quite hardy, they still need to be protected from the weather. And if your specific part of Australia is prone to inclement weather patterns, then it is mandatory to ensure your farm has adequate shelter for your cattle. These shelters could be in the form of tree coverage around the farm that the cows can huddle under. Alternatively, if you do not have many trees on site, you should erect structures that allow your cattle to stay sheltered from the changing weather conditions without having to herd them into their corral.
Enlist the services of a veterinarian
Another misconception newbie farmers have about rearing cattle is that they will only require veterinary services once they develop a health problem. The problem with waiting for this to occur is that if one of your cows falls ill and is asymptomatic, it is highly likely that the disease will spread to the entire herd and leave you cattle-less. Enlisting the services of a vet from the beginning ensures that their health is monitored on a regular basis, which means any potential medical issues are caught at the onset and treated in good time.