I can get half Angus Half Holstein bull calves from a dairy near by for $60 dollars. My question is how well does the cross do at the sale ? The calves are black . And does anyone have experience with this cross or know how bad of any they are docked at sale barn ? My plan is to band them , maybe implant and take them to sale before 500 pounds. Thanks
Angus x Holstein bottle calves ????
- Thread starter Lrj505
- Start date
kenny thomas
Well-known member
They will sell as the cross they are but should grow well. Look at how that cross sellks in your area to get an idea of how much dock you will get
Son of Butch
Well-known member
$60 is cheap, they grow very well and sell well here.... better than holsteins, but of course less than angus.
You can view it as a premium over holsteins or a dock vs angus. At $60 your glass is half full (or better)
You can view it as a premium over holsteins or a dock vs angus. At $60 your glass is half full (or better)
My dad had Holsteins bottle calves when I was a kid. Haven’t raised one since. Any advice on keeping them alive ? And when to wean ? I can get fresh jersey milk for $2.50 a gallon I was thinking of throwing some of that in the mix with replacer . WhT do you guys think?
RanchMan90
Well-known member
Sold a 500 lb steer a couple weeks ago for 70¢ a lb. Maybe a small margin if you can keep them alive.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
RanchMan90":2lxj76b5 said:
They have been $1/lb here. A few local farmers buy 400 to 500 pounders and feed them shell corn.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Immediate fresh cows milkLrj505":2814yi55 said:
Calf Guard
Inforce 3
RanchMan90
Well-known member
Could assemble a pot load here to send your way and make some serious $Stocker Steve":1b29i5ms said:
Ky hills
Well-known member
Had a few of them back when I raised dairy calves. They won't sell near as good as a black beef calf, but should sell a little better than a straight Holstein. In my experience the older and bigger they get the better they will look. I was able to get heifer calves too at the time and kept a few for cows, they made good but big cows, and had several people say they would like to buy some of them if I ever had any to sell.
As for tips on keeping them alive, the most important thing is that the dairy makes sure that the calves receive adequate colostrum in a timely fashion. That is perhaps the thing that angers me the most in the cattle business is that some dairies disregard the calves especially the bull calves if they aren't raising them themselves. It's not all dairies and may be better now, but it was something to be aware of back then.
Then when you have the calves in your care it is imperative to quickly diagnose and treat illness. I found that dehydration resulting from scours either from disease or overfeeding was a danger. I would have electrolytes on hand as well as a scour medication such as Sustain 111 pills if needed, and be ready to go to a vet for an antibiotic at first signs of illness.
As for tips on keeping them alive, the most important thing is that the dairy makes sure that the calves receive adequate colostrum in a timely fashion. That is perhaps the thing that angers me the most in the cattle business is that some dairies disregard the calves especially the bull calves if they aren't raising them themselves. It's not all dairies and may be better now, but it was something to be aware of back then.
Then when you have the calves in your care it is imperative to quickly diagnose and treat illness. I found that dehydration resulting from scours either from disease or overfeeding was a danger. I would have electrolytes on hand as well as a scour medication such as Sustain 111 pills if needed, and be ready to go to a vet for an antibiotic at first signs of illness.
Son of Butch
Well-known member
Think clean, clean, clean. Baby bottles and milk buckets need to be cleaned and dried after every feeding.Lrj505":zodtokbw said:
Remember they're just babies, everything clean, clean, clean.
BluLite C is a good cheap electrolyte to have on hand, it mixes well in milk, use whenever any sign of dehydration.
Bacteria growth could be a problem bringing in off farm milk. I'd stick with a medicated 24/20 milk replacer.
18-20% textured calf starter available from week 1 along with clean fresh water. Wean at 6-7 weeks,
but they need to be eating at least 1 lb per day of +18% textured calf starter for 7-10 days before weaning.
No hay until 2 weeks after weaning. After they're eating 6-7 lbs/day of calf starter plus free choice hay switch them
to a 16% grain mix.
At $60 head are you sure they are angus x holstein and not Jersey x angus?
Holstein bull calves are $75 - $125 hd here.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Calf prices here are like a yo-yo....$60 is a fair price for some areas and low for others. Here it is a cheap price right now. Seen some bring $150 to $200. Honestly, if it wasn't for my nurse cows that I like, I wouldn't fool with them anymore. Used to be you could make something, but nowadays they just don't seem to do more than break even on costs, not counting your time. They will bring half of what an angus/all beef calf brings. Somewhere in the $.60 to $.90 range. It takes more feed to get them up to the 500 lb range than a beef calf and they seldom do much better than a holstein at the sale. Most show that lankiness and the "skinny butt" of the holstein.
Making sure they had colostrum is # 1 most important, cleanliness and paying attention to details, like drinking enthusiasm and scouring and just seeing if they are "bright eyed" and active.
Making sure they had colostrum is # 1 most important, cleanliness and paying attention to details, like drinking enthusiasm and scouring and just seeing if they are "bright eyed" and active.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Some farmer feeders here have quit feeding stein steers. I was told one of the major slaughter operations no longer takes them and so the fat market is now much less competitive here.
