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Ranchers.net

First off - I don't know anything about keeping cows, so please excuse my ignorance:)

I've never had cows, just horses, but my senior horse is on her way out in the next couple of years, and I'm thinking about a cow or two as companions for my other horse. Ideally, I'd like to be able to keep this cow(s) for a year or two and then slaughter it for beef for my family and friends. I don't really want to get into breeding or bottle feeding calves at this point - I would just like to buy a young cow or two and raise them to slaughtering age. Is this an unrealistic idea? I'm not looking to make a profit - just hopefully raise my own beef without it costing an arm and a leg!

Also, I live in northern MN, so I would need to feed hay out during the winter - assuming I would feed good quality hay (same as my horse would get), what would be a good estimate of how much hay per cow/per day? I have roughly 4 acres of pasture for summertime.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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