It is difficult to compete with summer pasture gains by feeding harvested forages in these months. Kind of cattle to buy You will want to buy the weight, sex and type of cattle that best fits your production and marketing plan. Cattle weighing from 250 to 650 lbs. or heavier can be backgrounded before they go to the feedlot. Purchase weights of 350 to 550 lbs. are most popular for steer calves. Heifers will tend to weigh 30 to 50 lbs.
Pregnancy is a problem with heifers from some herds.
Heifers tend to gain 5 to 10 percent slower and about 5 percent less efficiently than steers. Mismanaged cattle that can be upgraded in quality, or those from a poor environment that make compensatory gain, have advantages if healthy. Certain breeds or crosses are popular in some regions but not in others. Don't be overly influenced by breed to evaluate performance since there is more difference within than between breeds for performance traits. A recent study at Purdue University indicated that the ideal steer is a Continental-British breed cross, containing at least 25 percent but not more than 75 percent Continental breeding.