Hey Chelsea - wow...that is an old post. I'll take a shot at your questions...
1. We get about 250 lbs of beef off each finished steer. Hanging weights around 450.
2. We don't milk ours. There is a lady down the highway from us that has though. She shared with the calf and I think she said she got a gallon milking once/day. She just put a stool beside her cow...no other setup.
3. They need grazing. The cows weigh between 750 and 950, and eat about 2.5% bodyweight dry matter each day...same as most other ruminants. Figure 20-25 lbs of dry matter daily per cow. During the winter if there is no grazing, we plan to provide a 4x5 round bale per cow per month...about a bale a day for our herd. We usually end up with leftover at end of winter though.
4. I have a friend that has one that is 18 and still calving. My oldest are 11 now and provide a calf every year.
5. They are much more docile than the angus herd we have. Easy enough is hard question for me to answer. Other than them stepping on my foot every now and again, haven't had any problems.
6. They don't have health issues. We've lost one cow and one calf out of an average of 50 head over the past decade. I belive the two we lost were due to snakebites, but not real sure.
7. Yes, we graze them in silvopasture part of the time. Given their small size, I would think they are perfect for a nut orchard.
Good luck...I suspect you are from somewhere near me. We sell heifers every year, so find evergreen east farm on facebook and you'll find us.
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