librarian
Well-known member
Thinking about the increase in average hanging weights pointed out by JIT.
A neighbor pointed out to me that some of this is accomplished with more aggressive implants.
Also by longer feeding, etc, and not by instantaneous increase in frame size of the national herd.
Being a simplistic thinker, I was asking, How are you supposed to instantly increase size?
But, I was surprised to read that in 1904, a prime Shorthorn steer, at 3 years old, weighed 1675 lbs, so he would have hung over 900 lbs at 55%?
In the picture, it is not what we would think of as fat-unlike pictures of fat cattle in England.
https://books.google.com/books?id=vCNGAAAAYAAJ&lpg=RA3-PA20&ots=mDHVo7R_Pf&dq=butterfat%20and%20marbling%20in%20beef&pg=RA32-PA2#v=onepage&q=butterfat%20and%20marbling%20in%20beef&f=false
If that animal had been implanted and fed out as we do today, I wonder what the hanging weight would be? Seems like the implant just buys time, not size? Maybe this is all obvious and I am just catching up on common knowledge.
I also see that what the grass fed producers are targeting is essentially baby beef. ?
Maybe a super dumb question, but do they implant show steers?
My neighbors also implant their heifers one time to recoup the pelvic dimension the lost by using calving ease bulls? Kind of scary.
A neighbor pointed out to me that some of this is accomplished with more aggressive implants.
Also by longer feeding, etc, and not by instantaneous increase in frame size of the national herd.
Being a simplistic thinker, I was asking, How are you supposed to instantly increase size?
But, I was surprised to read that in 1904, a prime Shorthorn steer, at 3 years old, weighed 1675 lbs, so he would have hung over 900 lbs at 55%?
In the picture, it is not what we would think of as fat-unlike pictures of fat cattle in England.
https://books.google.com/books?id=vCNGAAAAYAAJ&lpg=RA3-PA20&ots=mDHVo7R_Pf&dq=butterfat%20and%20marbling%20in%20beef&pg=RA32-PA2#v=onepage&q=butterfat%20and%20marbling%20in%20beef&f=false
If that animal had been implanted and fed out as we do today, I wonder what the hanging weight would be? Seems like the implant just buys time, not size? Maybe this is all obvious and I am just catching up on common knowledge.
I also see that what the grass fed producers are targeting is essentially baby beef. ?
Maybe a super dumb question, but do they implant show steers?
My neighbors also implant their heifers one time to recoup the pelvic dimension the lost by using calving ease bulls? Kind of scary.