Hoppy72450":j6964ylv said:
Well I am 29 yrs old 2 kids, 4 and 7 Married and Yes I am educated and work. I have a 4 yr Crim-Jus. Degree. And I never said I got a gift.. I said I have 30 Acres of Land that doesnt mean It was given to me. So stop makeing Assumptions. And If I was a millionaire with an Exspensive habit why would I be asking help from someone with a name like Cowhand which obviously shows they have no education.<---Sorry that was too much >< Instead wouldnt I of just payed someone to teach me it all.. Use your brain. And I didnt post on this board to hear someone be an azz. So if you have nothing better to say then trying to cut someone down for trying to start a hobby that he hopes he can turn to a full time living one day, then dont post a reply. At least if your going to be an azz learn how to spell it first
Try spelling azz on this board and see what happens to the word my newb friend. Perhaps that education did not make you as smart as you think you are. 8)
You make your wife go to work to support your hobby - well you are the idiot - sooner or later it will come back to haunt you - that you can take to the bank.
I am an uneducated old fat guy - missing most of his hair, missing a few teeth - some were taken without the use of a dentist, unlike you I was never afraid or too lazy to use distance as an excuse to go to work which is what you wrote.
I drive a rusted out truck, wear clothes with holes in them - never claimed to be educated or smart - but I manage to get by.
I got you a present though. You will see it in a few lines - best you raise chickens for a few years - make you more money and will not take up your wallet - and not likely to hurt your kids either. Go work for that hay producer for a while if you will not work for a cattle producer - it will teach you more than you think - and he is probably smarter than you - because if he screws up he goes hungry - you screw up - you just wait until the next pay cheque rolls in.
Do not spend a dime for a couple years - you can go broke saving money - but if you insist on being bull headed and starting out you can use most of this - try not to spend any money doing it - and always go first class with fences and grass - you may raise cows but you farm grass.
After all I am just a cow hand - what would I know?
Regards
[Bez]
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by Bez on Tue Mar 01, 2005 3:11 am
I do not know you and you do not know me – but I think I am going to keep this on file as my standard answer to this regular question.
You mention nothing about your esperience, or your infrastructure and so on – so there is some pretty basic stuff here that you need to know – if you do not – it's a learning day. If you do – then accept my apologies for boring you.
These are animals - not pets. They are tough, ornery, eating machines that one day will run you over and the next day look at you with a calmness that you cannot believe. They are one heck of a great hobby - that is how wife and I got started in the business years ago. Love 'em, but if you spoil 'em you will end up with problems.
As for breeds - well, any beef cow that can live in Canada can live in the U.S. of A. - some may do better than others - but darned near every breed you have down south is found in Canada. I happen to like the British breeds and run HH – but that does not mean you have to stay British. If you have the right kind of ground and the right kind of feed they will ALL do well.
Just remember this little tidbit ... and this is important - you probably do not have experience in breeding, calving and doctoring. Not a slur, just a fact - so find something that will not crush you when something goes wrong - and believe me, it sooner or later will.
Nearly all breeds do well - especially if they can be contained, sheltered, fed and watered. That's it in a nutshell. The rest is easy.
So get your grasss in order as well.
We all have our favourites - but who cares if you have a patchwork quilt of animals in the field - if they are solid, quiet animals with calves at side - well, be happy.
Go cheap. Go with pairs. Instant moms that are bred back. Go with quiet. Do not ask what breed – at this stage you had better not care - it is not important, walk in amongst them before you buy - if they are gone like deer - then forget them. If they jump, fight or run you - run for your truck. If they load hard - run for your truck and leave. If they are not vet checked and preg checked - with you present - run for your truck and put your money away for another day.
Split the call out fee – you pay vet bills for the ones you take – vendor pays for the ones you do not.
Go with mature to prevent calving probs and mothers who disown or kill their calves with starvation - not common, but it does happen. Go private - not sale barn - do not buy someone elses trouble – unless it is a TOTAL herd dispersal – and these can be real good sales to go to. Tell the owner you WILL be back if there are problems that may have been hidden. Get all their records - herd health, vaccinations, dates of birth, and so on. If those records are not available - run for your truck.
Look up my thread - Ding! Dong! Brindles Dead - and avoid any brindles like crazy - no matter what the breed. Perhaps I am just superstitious?
Find an old hand in your area - have him go with you and look at least 5 different outfits before you make up your mind - that way you have an idea of what you are up against. Bargain hard - know your price before you leave your own driveway and stick to it. Don't deviate - there are lots of really good animals out there for sale.
Have a good fence, SOLID FENCE IS BEST, some feed and water available when they show up at home - even quiet animals can become tornadoes for a day or two. If your penning area is small and poorly fenced, plan on searching for them for a couple of days before they settle in.
Others who back me – and I quickly found two – both know their stuff:
Craig-Tx wrote:
But if you're wanting a few cows that will pay their own way why not buy cheap pairs. Then you know she can calve. Buy young momma cows that look somewhat poor but sound. Or buy 6-8 year old sound cows with light calves at their sides. You will get a pair for $hundreds less than a fancy cow will cost and you'll be amazed at what she will look like next year if you've put her on good grass and taken care of her thru the winter. She might not be anything to brag about but you'll be in the money on her next calf. The same principle, with a little more risk, can be applied to young bred cows. And same for bulls.
Old Timer wrote:
Craig- I agree with you-- If you just want to run a few cows the best money is in buying a few older bred cows--many places cull them when they lose 1 tooth (sometimes only 4-5 years old) or hit 10 years of age-- Sell for $350- 500 as brokenmouths - Some of these cows have several years left in them if you have good pasture-- I've bought them over the years just to put on one good pasture I have and probably made more off them than some of the ones I raised-- Although this year those same cows that were selling for $400 are now selling for $800-900..... Might just have to run some of the old girls one more year on that pasture.
So, it looks like there are three of us in the same boat. Start slow and build. You have enough ground, but do you have enough experience and time to handle more than 10 – 15? A good number for a beginner with your ground available. Sell the excess hay for the first couple of years. Do not sell it until January – by then you'll know what you need for the remainder of the year.
If you plan to sell them - make sure that you are selling into an accepting crowd. As an example - if the area you are in loves that black hide, you will suffer with a dollar penalty by trying to sell red. In my area black AND red are guaranteed to sell 10 - 20 cents a pound less than a TAN colour. Go figure - if you take the clothes off of them 99% of producers could not tell you what breed they were. Do your homework. If you want to go "exotic" fine – be darned sure they are quiet and you can handle them.
Far as I am concerned - solid animal is good - but cheaper is better.
Calves all sell - you just want good 'uns. Healthy and lively.
Get all your fences and PENS in order FIRST!
Find a veterinarian and put the number on the fridge - you WILL need him / her someday - trust me on this and darned well do it asap!
Probably missed a few things – but you get the idea.
Go for it - have fun and welcome to an interesting life - that of a cattleman!
Regards
Bez
