dave_shelby":1pf16y92 said:
jan don't you raise Jersey cows?
Yes, I have a couple of jerseys, a guernsey, 3 1/2 jersey 1/2 holsteins, and 4 1/2 angus 1/2 dairy cows that I use as nurse cows. Want to do some cow shares for milk once I get retired so for now they just raise calves and I milk for the house. Have 1 in milk now, 3 calves on her, 3 more due in October. My joints have been a big factor in my not doing much milking lately. Plus I get jersey bull calves off a dairy that I test for when I have cows needing calves. The market has gotten soft for jersey steers lately and I am also tired of people that want them then don't have the money to pay when the time comes or change their mind and all that. Have gotten burned a couple of times, so if they are ready to go and buyers disappear, they go to the market. At least I walk out with a check that I know is good even if it isn't what I should have gotten. The going rate here is about .70/ lb and holsteins is in the .85 to 1.00 / lb.
I don't use sexed semen but get mostly heifer calves it seems. In fact our beef herd has been running 75% heifers for the past 3 calving seasons...we calve spring and fall. And we use anywhere from 4 to 7 bulls with cows scattered at different pastures, so it isn't the bull. Must be in the water !!!!!! I breed some AI and some get put out with the bull. Got my oldest hol/jer cow out with the beef bull, her last ditch chance.
Some of my angus/dairy cows will raise 2 calves if I keep them where they can get grained as it will drag them down on pasture with more than one calf. Most of the dairy girls will raise 3-4 and I figure that if I have to buy 2 calves to go on them plus their calf then maybe one is profit over and above the cost to keep the cow and some supplemental grain to keep her in good shape and milking well, so that she will also breed back. With the price of beef feeders down in the 1.50 plus or minus range, it just isn't very profitable to raise dairy steers, and holsteins are better than jerseys. I prefer the jerseys for beef in my freezer.