My one and done calves

[Dave]

The one and done cows took a trip to town on Thursday. The calves are in my corral and just about done bawling. This isn't all of them. There is still 13 pairs somewhere up on the mountain. B says gathering off that mountain isn't a clear cut, it is a thinning. They have been weaned for 4 days now. Tuesday or Wednesday they will get kicked out of the corral on to the regrowth in the hay meadow.

 

[kenny thomas]

Lots if not most of those should bring more than the cow cost last fall.

 

[Dave]

Lots if not most of those should bring more than the cow cost last fall.

I am pretty sure they will. The cows averaged $100 more than I paid for them. The pasture bill against them is only $75. The ball park winter feed bill is about $325. So feed and pasture is about $400. Minus the $100 from the cows leaves $300 against the calves. That leaves a pretty good penny in my pocket.

 

[Dave]

Calves are weaned and out in the field eating grass. They seem to be happy campers. No one is sick and they are eating plenty of minerals. You can see in the back ground it does get steep real quick as soon as you get to the edge of the valley

 

[Hpacres440p]

For buying random bred cows, that’s a pretty uniform bunch of calves

 

[Travlr]

For buying random bred cows, that's a pretty uniform bunch of calves

The black ones appear to be. But it's easy to see similarities in all black animals. I'd like to see the first shot if it was clearer.

 

[Dave]

The black ones appear to be. But it's easy to see similarities in all black animals. I'd like to see the first shot if it was clearer.

The chars tend to be to the bigger end weight wise. I would have to look up the birth dates to be certain but I don't think they are to the older end of the group. We don't get that black bonus here that people talk about. The chars and reds will sell right with the blacks. Out of 52 calves out there I think there is about 6 or 8 chars.

 

[Dave]

I looked it up. I have 5 char cross calves. The first one born was on February 26. The others all born in March. There was 16 black and red calves born before that first char. I also got to thinking about it and I know there are 3 (maybe more) char calves out there which belong to B. There are still cows and calves left up in the hills. I have no idea when they will get caught. I do know that the big push to clean up that area is traditionally after deer season (Oct 14) and before elk season (Nov 1).

 

[farmerjan]

The char cross calves I have also will be a little bigger, a little more muscled.... the heifers all get kept for replacements .... had one with a nutty attitude that got sold but I love the way they grow, and the ones I have kept are super mothers. They are getting "diluted" because the 1/2 char cows, bred back to angus have 1/4 char calves... many are still the smokey grey color... we have even talked about a "remote" possibility of maybe getting a char bull in the future...
The char crossed steers will weigh a little more, so what "discount" we get for them not being black, usually is made up in the weight gain. Sold a single char steer that brought $.07 less per pound than the best group of blacks, but he weighed nearly 35 lbs more than their average... so he did just fine.

 

[Dave]

The char cross calves I have also will be a little bigger, a little more muscled.... the heifers all get kept for replacements .... had one with a nutty attitude that got sold but I love the way they grow, and the ones I have kept are super mothers. They are getting "diluted" because the 1/2 char cows, bred back to angus have 1/4 char calves... many are still the smokey grey color... we have even talked about a "remote" possibility of maybe getting a char bull in the future...
The char crossed steers will weigh a little more, so what "discount" we get for them not being black, usually is made up in the weight gain. Sold a single char steer that brought $.07 less per pound than the best group of blacks, but he weighed nearly 35 lbs more than their average... so he did just fine.

B runs more Charolais bulls than he does Angus bulls. A couple years ago I was at the sale when he sold 300-400 calves. They had sorted the calves based on sex and size. The ring load lots would have more char cross calves then they had black calves. They topped the market in every size group. I generally doesn't keep any char heifers. Mainly red or black hided heifers.

 

[Dave]

Some pictures taken while on the quad trying not to spook the calves and my dog rubbing on me wanting to be petted. The best I got. Lots not nearly this good. The dog seemed to bump me just as I was about to click a picture. Dang mutt. The first one is the oldest Char calf and the oldest red calf. Not a true side by side as the red is probably a good 30 feet farther away. Red is about 10 days older. They weigh pretty much the same.
The second picture is a black heifer standing between 2 char cross steers. Heifer was born 2/18. Steer to the right (Hereford x Charolais) was born 3/12. White steer to the left was born 3/1.
Third picture was the red steer with his mom back around Valentines day.

 

[Travlr]

Some pictures taken while on the quad trying not to spook the calves and my dog rubbing on me wanting to be petted. The best I got. Lots not nearly this good. The dog seemed to bump me just as I was about to click a picture. Dang mutt.

You have a good eye to get calves this good from cheap cows. I've seen some pretty good cheap cows and others that are nothing I would bid on.

 

[PPRM]

The chars tend to be to the bigger end weight wise. I would have to look up the birth dates to be certain but I don't think they are to the older end of the group. We don't get that black bonus here that people talk about. The chars and reds will sell right with the blacks. Out of 52 calves out there I think there is about 6 or 8 chars.

That’s good to know. We plan to use the chars in our beef program. But it’s nice to know a saleyard where they compete for them if I ever want some cash.

 

[Dave]

You have a good eye to get calves this good from cheap cows. I've seen some pretty good cheap cows and others that are nothing I would bid on.

I don't know that I have that good of an eye. I am blessed to live in an area with full time ranchers and very few hobby farms. Being as these people make their entire living from ranching they buy the best bulls they can find. And they have been doing that for generations. So even if an old broken mouth cow looks a little tough she has real good genetics. She was also bred to a real good bull. Of course there are some cows which I just watch them walk through the sale ring.

 

[PPRM]

The chars tend to be to the bigger end weight wise. I would have to look up the birth dates to be certain but I don't think they are to the older end of the group. We don't get that black bonus here that people talk about. The chars and reds will sell right with the blacks. Out of 52 calves out there I think there is about 6 or 8 chars.

Actually, this information might be really valuable. I have some 700 pound steers that were destined to a Willamette valley program. These folks have money and resources. Sometimes they pay the same week as invoice. Other times it’s two weeks. This week I find the gal is on vacation and it might be 3.

The money is really good, but I’m not sure I can cash flow with this uncertainty. I might be selling these and replacing with open heifers .

 

[crossbreed]

The char cross calves I have also will be a little bigger, a little more muscled.... the heifers all get kept for replacements .... had one with a nutty attitude that got sold but I love the way they grow, and the ones I have kept are super mothers. They are getting "diluted" because the 1/2 char cows, bred back to angus have 1/4 char calves... many are still the smokey grey color... we have even talked about a "remote" possibility of maybe getting a char bull in the future...
The char crossed steers will weigh a little more, so what "discount" we get for them not being black, usually is made up in the weight gain. Sold a single char steer that brought $.07 less per pound than the best group of blacks, but he weighed nearly 35 lbs more than their average... so he did just fine.

I’m seeing more red char bulls advertising (likely ciri listening to much), but does anyone think the reds have the same growth numbers as white? Might be a good compromise?

 

[Dave]

Actually, this information might be really valuable. I have some 700 pound steers that were destined to a Willamette valley program. These folks have money and resources. Sometimes they pay the same week as invoice. Other times it's two weeks. This week I find the gal is on vacation and it might be 3.

The money is really good, but I'm not sure I can cash flow with this uncertainty. I might be selling these and replacing with open heifers .

Yesterday at La Grande 700 pound steers pushed $4.00 real hard. Some of the light 7's even beat $4. I was sitting between and in front of several order buyers. Lots of yearling cattle. Those guys kept calculating the dollars per calf and showing it to each other then questioning how does that work?

 

[farmerjan]

The smokey colors bring more money than the reds here... much as I loved our Red Poll cattle, would not go red at this point. If we went red for any reason, it would be limi.... The man who had the red polls here, has passed away and the cattle were dispersed. We buried the last red poll bull we had... he was just dead one morning several years ago... but he was also over 12... and we had been talking about shipping him at the end of the year. We used him as a cleanup as he was very good about catching cows that seemed to be hard to settle... Super dispositioned and his daughters all are exceptional mothers...

 

[Dave]

B's hired man dropped off 16 calves here yesterday. I just saw 16 assorted black calves who quickly mingled with the calves already here. So this evening I was cruising through the calves. Clear in the back end I came on a black steer who had a pretty good limp. Yellow ear tag so he is B's calf. A little later I look across the field and see one who looks off. So I drive over closer. Turns out to be a Wagyu bull calf. That is why he looks to be half dead when compared to the other calves. I called B. What did you bring me? Some calves off some one and done cows plus some others which were just hanging out around his house. The limper had a broken leg back in the spring. It healed but he is never going to walk right. He said the Wagyu was from a cow well over the age required to buy booze plus he is just a Wagyu. There is also a couple of real nice deep thick Angus steers. Gives me 70 calves out there. So I am under stocked right now. I am certain B will correct that issue given time.