Cattle care??

Breed is not so important, just find out what most people run in your area and thats a good place to start. Although being tropical I'd say something with Brahman in it is a good way to go. More important is functionality. If you are wanting momma cows the most important thing in my opinion is to have a cow that is femenine. Cows that look like bulls or steers are always culls in my opinion. She should have a feminine head, wide hips with shoulders narrower than hips, lean muscle and not bulky like a bull. 3-5 cows on 36 acres should be good in a tropical inviroment (that is green almost year round i think?). At that rate you should not have to feed them much. Momma cows would be your best bet in my opinion but your only problem would be getting them bred you could barrow a bull or buy your own and run it on them year round. But a good blooded bull will be expensive to buy 1500-2500$ is a fair price around here for a good but but it will be hard to keep him happy with only a few cows. He might tearn into the neigbors to find some other cows. You could buy an older bull that has lost his hussle but still has enough in him to cover a hand full of cows and would be cheaper. All I can say is don't buy junk because having a sorry cow is worse than having a sorry dog.

As far as care goes. All cattle really need is grass and water for basic survival. A salt/mineral supliment is also very important to keep them in good health. Regular deworming with Ivomec (for example) is also a good idea. Vaccinating the calves when they are young for what ever viruses are common on the Islands is also something that needs to be done, because they will most likely get sic if you dont. A feed store employee should help you find out what is apropraite for that climate and what is most often used by others. Also its best to wean the calves when the reach 6-8 months old or around 500-600 lbs or if they start to draw the momma cow down too much. In your case weaning would most likely involve hualing them to a local auction. You will also need some sort of pen to work them in for worming and vaccinations ect. Most cows in Texas calve between Jan and April and the calves are weaned in the fall. Thats just the basics.

Waylon