BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHEEM
www.Allah.com
This document has been compiled to assist Muslim cattle raisers in the fellowship of the Prophets Muhammad and Moses, peace be upon them, with a Zakah Chart (the obligatory charity) which is due at the appropriate time. If you do not pay the Zakah, Sayidina Abu Bakr will fight you in this life and in your tomb as he fought those who refused to pay Zakah during his caliphate.
BUYING, RAISING, CARE,
AND HEALTH OF CATTLE
For Weights and Measures Conversion Chart see end of the book
Raising cattle can be a rewarding experience, Al Hamdulillah, and a lot can be learned from observation.
The information contained in this brief booklet draws the attention of prospective cattle raisers to some of the situations which they may have to deal with.
After having read this booklet, you may incline to think raising cattle is too difficult for you on account of the many diseases that may affect your herd. However, one must remember that just as in a human health care book there are also numerous diseases, very few affect a person. The information is to make you aware just in case you need to know how to deal with a specific illness. Abortion is not unknown however, it is reassuring to know that only approximately 1 out of every 200 cows will abort. Raising cattle has many benefits not just financial but also the satisfaction of seeing the hand of Allah in yet another aspect of His wondrous creation. Al Hamdulillah!
We advise you to read this booklet in its entirety to get a better understanding on how to raise cattle rather than relying on the Index Quick Reference alone.
The information in this booklet is believed to be true and complete to the best of our knowledge, however you may also experience situations etc. not covered in this booklet as it is presented as a general guide. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the compiler and Allah.com or Muhammad.com. Both the compiler and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 – Buying Cattle, page 2
Chapter 2 – Behavior and Guidelines, page 4
Chapter 3 – Pastures, Fencing, Housing, Where to Raise, page 7
Chapter 4 – Health of Cattle, page 14
Chapter 5 – Growing and Breeding Heifers, page 32
Chapter 6 – Care of Pregnant Cows, page 37
Chapter 7 – Calving, page 40
Chapter 8 – Care of the newborn Calf, page 57
Chapter 9 – Calf Health, page 64
Chapter 10 – The Importance of when you Wean, page 82
Chapter 11 - Rebreeding, page 87
CHAPTER 1 BUYING CATTLE
Crossbred cows are more fertile.
They are hardier and have a higher survival rate.
They gain weight faster, grow bigger and adapt to harsher environments.
Crossbred calves are usually 20% heavier than pure bred.
If your target is for milk rather than meat, pure bred cows such as Holstein cows are best.
If you want cattle that produce fast-growing calves, you need cows that milk well. Bulls whose mothers milked well produce daughters that are better than average in milk production, weaning bigger calves.
Defects can be inherited and include:
Extra toes. Double muscling, recessive trait received from both parents in which the muscles have extra fibers, giving an extremely muscled appearance. Two toes joined together. Hairlessness, this can also be caused by disease. Dwarfism, which is a recessive trait in which the skeleton is small and the forehead bulges.
Many defective traits are the result of inbreeding.
Udders:
If beef cattle are the target, start with cows that have good udders, that is, well developed and nicely shaped, but not too large. Udder size is not what determines milking ability. A large pendulous udder is easily injured and can lead to mastitis. It is also harder for a newborn calf to nurse.
Bulls:
Buy calm bulls, not bossy or aggressive.
Bulls have been known to kill their herdsman.
Gain trust – never let it lose respect for your dominance.
Do not make a pet out of a steer (young bull).
Calves:
Avoid buying calves with runny nose, cough, runny eyes, droopy ears, or dull attitude. If a calf is sick when you bring it home, it will become more sick on account of being taken from one place to another because they have been separated from familiar surroundings etc. and you run the risk of it dieing.
If you buy a calf that has not been weaned and never been away from its mother, expect problems when you get it home. It will try to get back to her, most likely won't eat and pace up and down and bawl. It is a stressful time and it will be most prone to illness especially in cold weather. If the weather is dry or dusty the dust can irritate his lungs and subject him to pneumonia.
A newly weaned calf has a problem it will still search for its mother and try to escape through a hole in a fence. The calf should not be put out to pasture until it gets over this period and feels secure. If you are buying two calves it is much easier to deal with than one.
Calves must have been weaned for at least three weeks before being vaccinated.
Heifers:
Selecting a good heifer (a young female) for breeding purposes is different from selecting a steer to fatten for beef.
The biggest, fattest heifer doesn't always make the best cow.
If there is too much fat in the young developing udder it will hinder the heifer's milk production later on. Her calves will not grow as well as those born to a medium sized heifer.
The best cows are slim having an angular body – that is not covered with bulging muscle like a bull – fairly long narrow head and neck and a well developed udder.
The beef cow doesn't have to have these traits because she does not have to produce that much milk. She should be more muscular and not have such a big udder.
A heifer should have feet and legs set at correct angles, a straight back – not swaybacked or arched up. It should have a hip sloping down rather than up at the tail. A high tail with pelvis tipped up can cause calving problems as she gets older. A downward sloping hip is better.
Steers:
Choose a steer in preference to a bull.
A steer is a male calf that has been castrated, that is he has had his testicles removed.
Calves are castrated when young at time of weaning.
A bull can provide good meat however it is more difficult to handle than a steer and is more likely to break fences to find cows.
Yearlings:
You can make a good profit by keeping calves over winter and then selling them as yearlings. When you buy them the price per pound is lower, but they weigh so much more as yearlings that compensate for the extra feed you provide for them during the winter unless the price of feed is high that year.
Cull Cows:
Cull cows are those that have become to old to raise a good calf or no longer get pregnant – sell her especially if winter is approaching when you will need to provide her with more fodder, get her dewormed, and vaccinated.
Cows to be culled are 10 – 12 years old, however, some are still highly productive in their late teens! If you decide to keep them, then in the autumn when they are due for vaccination get them checked to see if they are pregnant.
Be aware of the tricks of the trade:
The weight of the cattle depends on the time of the day – how much it has eaten or exercised and how far it has traveled. This is due to the size of the rumen - which is the largest stomach compartment - and the volume of water mixed with the feed in it. Cattle carry a large percentage of their weight as food and water in the gut. Loss of weight – which is termed as shrink – shrink loss can be up to 10% - 18% of the weight. Cattle buyers walk among the cattle to stir them around supposedly to get a closer look at them, so they are moved around a lot. This makes them lose weight before being weighed. CATTLE ARE EMOTIONAL DUE TO STRESS. If possible get the cattle in a corral, which is a fenced area where an animal can be confined overnight without them being fed before weighing. Calves weaned and shipped will loose weight due to shrink more than those that are used to hay. OTHER STRESS FACTORS THAT CAUSE LOSS OF WEIGHT ARE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Another fact to draw to your attention is that if your choice is that of a purebred animal you must be aware that many purebred breeders feed grain to make their calves grow fast and look good at sales. Purebreds fetch a higher price, they are sold individually by the head, not by the pound, so purebred breeders can afford to use grain or buy extra feed to make their cattle larger and fatter more quickly. THIS IS AN ARTIFICIAL SITUATION. A grain fed bull or young heifer looks good to buyers but this is not a true indication of how the animal would do on your natural feeds like grass and hay. A nice looking fat heifer you bring home from the purebred sale may not do so well on your pasture and lose weight, or not breed on schedule without reverting to the pampering she used to have by her former owners. When she calves there is the possibility that her calf may not grow as well as she did unless you pamper it and feed it grain!
BUYING PREGNANT HEIFERS OR COWS
Pregnant cows or heifers cost more but will give you a payback on your money.
Find out as much as you can about the bull that sired the mother-to-be cow/heifer.
You want heifers that were bred to a bull that sires good calves, but also small, easily born calves. You need to know what time of year they to expect calving. Calves born in the winter need to be born in barns if it is cold or else you may loose it.
You should get a guarantee from the seller that the cow/heifer is pregnant done by a veterinarian (vet). Also get veterinarian to check its age. If seller does not know when the calf is due, get the vet to give you an approximate date.
It is best to start with heifers or young cows, but sometimes you can get a good buy on older cows that are still sound – get a veterinarian to check. If you can get several calves from them they will pay for themselves. Older cows are already proven producers, they will calve more easily and you know they will look after their calves.
General:
Smaller animal normally cost more per kilo than larger ones.
Buy a calm animal because its meat will be more tender, better color and put on weight quicker. When it comes to slaughtering if the animal is of a nervous nature it releases hormones that can make the meat dark and tougher. This was taught to us by Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, when he told his Companions not to let the animal see the knife as it is about to be slaughtered.
BRINGING THEM HOME
Most calves have lived with their mothers in pastures. They may have been relaxed and calm in their familiar place. When you unload them they will be scared and upset. They may even knock you in their haste to get away especially if you corner them or are in the way when they come out of the truck.
CHAPTER 2 – BEHAVIOR AND GUIDELINES
Cows are smart! How a calf is handled when it is young affects it attitude.
Cowboy should be gentle, calm and not get excited.
Cows do not forget a bad experience.
Cows submit to a hierarchy cow/bull as it were the "boss cow".
Once cows know and respect you they will submit and you become the "boss cow" to them. For example going through a gate when you insist, rather than running off or knocking you down.
The bossiest, most aggressive cow of the herd is called "top cow" she gets first choice or water and feed.
Trouble can occur when a lower ranking cow fights seeking a better "social position". Top cows rarely have to defend their position.
Understand their social order to make things run smoothly.
Spread feed out so that lower ranking cows find space to eat/drink/locate salt. If you put it in a corner the dominant cattle keep the lower ranking ones out.
If they are nervous speak softly to them
Cows have a sense of smell that tells them about their surroundings and each other. Do not wash the coat you usually wear when you are with the cows.
Smell is more important to a cow than sight or sound.
Cows have two smelling glands one in the nose and the other in the roof of its mouth. Cows can smell by raising their heads, open mouths with tongues flat, with upper lips curled back.
Cows know their calf and vice versa by their smell and sound.
Cows check by smell before nursing their calf.
Cows smell each other before deciding to fight, a "lesser cow" will back off timidly.
Bulls use smell to check if a cow is ready for mating, it can tell whether she is coming into the mating period, ready to mate, or the time has passed.
Cows/bulls release chemical attractants that display, nervousness, relaxation, anger and so on.
WHY WONT MY COW EAT?
ONE OF THE REASONS
Smell helps cattle to determine what to eat. THEY ARE FUSSY EATERS and rely on their noses. They do not like wet hay or grain and often refuse feed that looks OK to a human, just because it smells different.
A cow that has never had grain may refuse to eat it.
Weather hot or cold affects cattle and can cause them to loose weight.
In hot weather they spend more time in the shade rather than grazing then graze at night. If the weather is very cold they most likely will need supplements. They may need hay in cold weather.
Grazing: