Raising the Animals
   

Highlights: 

Low Stress Life, Clean Water and Sunshine, Vaccinations to ensure a healthy life, Banded Castration, Healthy Diet, Raised their full life on the Ranch, No Hormones, Steroids or Antibiotics
Our Animals are Grass Fed and never finished on grain or corn, providing us with a  product that is rich in healthy nutrients: Read About the Health Benefits
 

Young Life 
 
The ease of life starts with birth at the Kiskatinaw River Ranch. The cows are calved out starting in mid April. Late calving reduces the stress on the animals and lowers the chance of weather related fatalities and pneumonia. The cows calve in pastures that average 40 acres in size and are fed nutrient rich natural hay. They rotate through new pastures every ten days to provide them with a clean environment for calving. Water is supplied through solar systems that pump clean water from protected dugouts to the cattle. Reducing the damage on the ecosystems around the water source as well as decreasing the contact of animals with muddy conditions; thereby reducing the chance of naval infections, as well as injuries to the cattle. 

In late May, all cow and calf pairs that have birthed are removed from the calving pastures and they receive their first vaccinations, it is important that to note that these are not antibiotics but vaccines to prevent harmful conditions (similar to the flu shot in humans). The herd is then turned to pasture where they are managed with intensive rotational grazing for the summer months and watered using portable water systems when possible to alleviate damage on riparian areas such as creeks, rivers, and dugouts.

They are managed in an intensive grazing style to maximise organic matter in small areas and control forage and weeds. Much of this is accomplished using portable electric fence that is easily set up to grid pastures that are perimeter fenced with high-tensile electric fence. Electric fence is used as a humane and more efficient substitute to barbwire. Barbwire can cause damage to animals through threats of cuts or contracting tetanus as well as other problems. 

The animals are then rounded up once more in September at the beginning of the month where they receive booster shots. At this time the bull calves are castrated using banding techniques to reduce stress.

Mid  Life

The herd then grazes until the second week of October the cows and calves are then separated. The calves are kept on ranch for winter back grounding. The animals never receive hormones and 99% of them never need antibiotics. While the animals are being back grounded they receive a specific type of ration as well as hay. The ration made up of Grain Screenings, Canola Meal, Trace Minerals and Peas. What are Grain Screenings? They are the hull and germ of the grain that is removed before the grain is used in either human or animal food. The benefits of screening are often overlooked but are a very usable and healthy source of protein and fibre. When mixed with Canola Meal and Peas it produces a good protein supplement to the energy that the calves receive in their hay. The energy of this ration is different than the ones used to finish animals in the feedlot as there is practically no grain in it meaning that it does not lead to acidosis or such extreme declines in the healthiness of the fats in the meat of the animals. 


Processing Stage

When they have finished wintering they are turned into their own pasture system where they graze until they fall into one of our processing groups. This can be anywhere from 6 to 12 months. 

The two groups of cattle processed for meat on the ranch vary my maturity of the animals in the program. Animals of different sizes develop to a finish weight at different rates. Determining when they will be processed for beef. The forst group is Heifers and Steers between the ages of 16-20 months at an approximate weight of 1000 pounds depending on demand. The second group is Heifers and Steers that are between 24-29 months old. These are cattle that take a little longer to develope. These are then processed at a weight between 1000 and 1250 pounds. All of the cattle processed in our meat program are under 30 months of age. 
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