IS COW FATTENING PROFITABLE?
How to make cow fattening profitable, is cow fattening profitable? It is a question that has been lingering in the minds of many will be livestock farmers.
And some other entrepreneur’s that are intending to venture into cow fattening business.
A lot of friends and family members that have come by and have seen me keep cows for quite some time now, for the sole purpose of fattening them.
Over the years kept asking me this question from time to time, is cow fattening profitable.
My answer to them is emphatically simple “yes” cow fattening is profitable and rewarding. If you do your homework very well, no doubts about that.
As long as you do it the natural way, no artificial growth buster. They should be fed naturally with organically formulated feed.
Feed got from your farm practice, such as hay and silage, and the by-product of some cereal/root plants. Such as maize bran, wheat offal, cassava, and yam peels are all very edible to cows.
Cow fattening is simple a livestock production practice that restricts animal activities within a confined and comfortable area. Thereby fattening it (cow) more quickly.
They will yield more meat and flesh twice more than the cows allowed to fend for themselves.
And cows allowed to move around without restriction or adequate provision of feed, water, minerals, and multivitamins.
cow fatten at home
Cow Fattening Is Profitable
Cow fattening has helped a lot of people improve their financial standing, especially around my neighborhood.
I have seen a lot of farmers/families purchased emaciated, thin-looking cows. From the local cattle herders/breeders popularly known as the (Fulani’s) around this part of the world.
They transformed them into something big and profitable.
I have seen a family friend who bought two emaciated cows one at the rate of N90, 000.00 which is equivalent to $250.00. And the other at the rate of N82, 000.00, which is equivalent to $220.00.
After about six (6) months of fattening, he was able to sell them at the rate of N310, 000.00 ($861.00). And N280, 000.00 ($778.00) respectively during Idi El-fitr the Muslim festival that follows immediately after the Ramadan fasting.
He was able to use the proceeds from the sales of those cows to acquire a piece of land he used in building their family home. He motivated me to go into cow fattening after seeing the gains or profits he made.
Making a profit from cow fattening requires a lot of calculations and planning. On how to source for very rich feed for your cows at a reasonably affordable price.
This is very crucial in increasing your overall profit margin. You must be willing to work in providing a clean, dry, and conducive environment for your cows to eliminate the incidence of diseases.
A boy playing with a locally fatten cow
A cow feeding
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Cow Feeds
If you want to make cow fattening profitable. The following factors are to be considered:
Making cow fattening profitable entails you providing or buying the right kind of feeds that is rich and nutritious.
Feeds constitute about 70% of the total investment in this business, and if you are not wise and careful about it, you will run into a serious loss.
Cows, unlike goats or sheep, consumed a whole lot of feed, to keep them healthy at the same time help them, add weight fast.
You can’t afford to compromise their feeding at any stage because time in this game is money.
They can be feed with high quality manufactured or formulated feed from time to time. And supplementing it with locally formulated feed sourced from local farmers and farmers markets around you.
These will help in reducing the cost of production.
You can also cut the cost of production considerably when you stockpile their feed and buy them when the feed is less expensive.
For instance, in Nigeria, livestock feed is usually less expensive immediately after the raining season, which is after the harvest of farm produce.
Such as maize, beans, groundnut, cassava, and yams, they are all very good sources of high-quality cow fattening feed. Because you get good quality hay from beans and groundnut leaves, cassava and yam peels when dried are also a good source of feed for cows.
A truck load of cow feed for fattening, headed for the market.
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Local Sourcing For Feed to Maximize Cow Fattening Profits
Dusa (local name is a by-product of the milling of guinea corn, millet, and maize). With wheat offal mix with natural animal protein sourced from groundnut and soybean can be feed to cows at regular intervals.
For instance in the far Northern States of Nigeria maize stalk when dry can be used in feeding cows, supplementing it with maize brand or wheat offal.
Dry beans and groundnut leaves are also excellent sources of hay as mentioned above that are highly nutritious and palatable to livestock particular cows.
It is therefore advisable to buy these feeds in large quantities for storage when they are cheap and are less expensive. So that they can last you throughout the cow fattening period and also reduce your cost of production.
Visiting rural markets like these, after harvest, comes with its advantages i.e the feeds are cheap you can buy in bulk to stockpile.
In rural markets like these, you can find various livestock feeds at an affordable price
READ: Cattle Rearing, Maximizing Your Profit through Minimizing Your Cost of Production
Farming the Feed Yourself
Another way you can reduce the cost of production is to farm the produce yourself.
From practical experience, I remembered when I planted beans and groundnut last year.
The hay I got from my farm was enough to fatten the two cows I bought until I sold them.
The idea is that when you farm groundnut or beans on your farm you get two advantages especially if you are a farmer.
You get beans and groundnut at the same time you also get beans and groundnut hay to feed your cows. And other livestock thereby reducing the cost of production considerably.
You can also buy formulated concentrates and mix it with maize brand, wheat offal, or maize especially when it is remaining less than a month to the sale of your cow.
The concentrates contain a good percentage of crude protein, energy, fiber, and other vital and essential mineral and vitamins needed for the cow to flourish and do well.
Bringing a fatten cow to the livestock market
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Choice of Cow and Medication Is Paramount to Cow Fattening Profits and Success
Most people in my locality prefer to buy bulls because of their market value at the end of the day. Though there is nothing wrong with buying other sex. Buying cows about 2 to 3 years old is better.
There is no point buying a baby cow and feeding it for a long time, at the end of the day you end up not making any serious profits.
Buying an emaciated cow, but healthy and free from any underlying disease or sickness is better and most times are cheaper.
Just bring them home to treat them with the help of a good veterinary doctor feed them with a good quality feed. And in no time they will regain their weight and you will also have the desired weight to make a profit.
Some breeds grow faster and are bigger than others when fed properly with the right kind of feed.
Breeds to Use for Your Cow Fattening Business
In Nigeria Sokoto Gudali is a very good breed to consider if you want to go into cow fattening, they grow bigger, faster, and larger.
It is always advisable to ask questions from around your locality. Which breeds of the cow is better. As the breeds may differ from region to region or even from country to country.
This will enable you to make an informed decision as per which breeds to go for. With good gains and profit at the end of the day.
Looking out for diseases and treating your cows adequately and properly will save you a lot of trouble.
Especially deworming them regularly also treating and attending to them when they are sick or suffering from internal and external parasites.
If not done, these may delay or hamper their growth rate and weight gain. When in doubt of any drugs to use, or not sure of what to do.
Consult with your veterinary doctor for proper diagnosis, treatments, and drug prescription. Avoid indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
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Housing
Proper cow shade should be provided for the cows to protect them from extreme or adverse weather conditions.
Such as intense sun, cold, and rain, though cow has some level of tolerance to some of these weather conditions. But it is not a good reason to leave them in bad weather conditions.
Make them as comfortable as possible so that in the end you will have a cause to smile and get good results and make substantial gains.
Marketing of your cow at the end of the day
Be very sure you are aware of the current market value of the products you are about to sell.
It doesn’t make sense after all the suffering, you now sell your products at a price that you can’t even make any profits from.
When it comes to cow fattening profits making you have to take your time. And ask for the value of your products before you sell. Especially if you are new in the cow fattening business.
Once your cow attains a marketable size and weight sell it off, there is no need to keep and feed it longer than necessary.
Well, depending on your region or community, I will rather advise you to target festive periods. Because most livestock animals are generally in high demands during festive periods.
In fact, not just livestock other agricultural products such as poultry and the rest.
In conclusion
Making cow fattening profits just like in any other business venture. Requires mapping out a strategy on how to source for your raw materials (breeds of cow and feed).
Which is the bulk of the expenses followed by medication at a cheaper and reasonable price. With dedication and determination to achieving your goal, success is inevitable.
I must confess I am very impressed with your article.hope to start my fattening soon.
Thanks a lot for the commendation. we will be glad to share more ideas with you.
I appreciate your blog for having original content.the pictures you are adding makes it more wonderful. 10 years from now this article will still be relevant.i will appreciate it if you can write on small scale dairy farming, and fresh milk sales.(even Nono or yogurt)
We shall consider that in our future blogs
Good write-up, very informative and precise, thank you for sharing your practical experience.
Thank you for the commendation