I know full well what cattle will shrink from here. We have started sending sale yearlings and cull cows 3 days previous to sale time. The gain back in shrink from the truck ride is recovered by roughly 75% and more than pays the feed bill. Calves from here are best weighed off truck asap and forward contracted. I've had 700 lb yearlings shrink 100 lbs on the haul and overnight before the sale.Over the years i helped unload on Sunday for a Monday sale at 1pm. We had a certified scale in a difference area of the stockyard where we weighed loadlots that didnt go through the sale. We would weigh some if we weren't busy and compare to the next day.
Most 500lb calves will loose at least 30 lb with some up to 50lb if they were fat and tender. I have weighed bulls at 2000lb that would loose 100lb.
Yes sometimes I will give more also because I know they have already lost weight.
Lets compare a 500lb calf at $3 to a 470lb calf at 3.10 and at 3.20.
1500 vs 1457 vs 1504. So the calf would have to bring almost 20 cents more to break even. At 10 cents extra you loose $43.
Too many variables to send the day of sale.