Bottle to sale UPDATE from 2022

[2old]

This is where I started asking for advice:

This is my first experience since leaving the farm as a teenager now I am retired and really 2old. I have 20 former bottle calves. 10 calves born in April (4.5 months) are on good pasture that I supplement 2 lbs of grain daily. 10 born in May (3.5 months) are on 4 lbs of grain plus pasture. I want healthy calves but don't want to spend more than necessary. My thoughts were to wean from grain at 5 months, providing hay during the winter and then finish with hay and 8lbs of grain daily for 3 months, prior to market at 18 months. These are angus/holstein crosses and 3 holstein. Any suggestions without breaking the bank?

The cold spring rains and the fresh spring grass provided a steep learning curve, we lost 3 to pneumonia and bloat. My intentions were to eat one...but I couldn't...I even had to look away as they left the farm. I named the first 3 we got Robert (biggest) Bob (medium sized) and Bobby (sickly little thing who consumed $$) I thought I was a tough old bird, not so much. Cattle are much smarter than I remembered and Robert should have been named Houdini. My husband (80) survived a traumatic atv roll over during this time and I had family members step up and help. They said he would not be standing for at least 3 months, 4 months later, by God's grace I was running to keep up with him. We didn't lose money, but we didn't pay ourselves either. 17 made it to market ranging in weight from 1380 to 1076 (Bobby). In retrospect, feeders would have been cheaper AND a lot less work. Net $389.75 per head. We now have 14 steers 8 months old and just implanted synovex one. We havent lost any yet and I will watch them closer in the spring because I don't want to pay the cost of tuition to cattle school again. The intangible, absolutely priceless part is that even our grandkids can care for cattle now. I truly appreciate the view over my shoulder, I know it's better because of the knowledge shared here! Best wishes to all!

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

You managed to make $6625 profit with all that hard work. I'm glad your husband is well. That must have been a tremendous injury for him.

I raised a Jersey bottle heifer. The cost of milk replacer is sky high.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

The price of milk replacer is even more expensive this year. I get the good kind, not made with soy.

I'm a two cow operation and I have a new management plan. That many gallons of milk a day is too much to deal with and I'm not selling milk to the raw milk crazies. If one of them gets sick, even from the way they stored the milk you can get sued and lose the farm. Farm insurance does not cover raw milk (I wonder why). We've got good pasture and I love raising calves. My plan is to raise jersey bottle heifers on milk, vaccinate, dehorn and halter break them to sell for family milk cows. I'll have to keep a cost list like you did.

 

[blackladies]

This is where I started asking for advice:

The cold spring rains and the fresh spring grass provided a steep learning curve, we lost 3 to pneumonia and bloat. My intentions were to eat one...but I couldn't...I even had to look away as they left the farm. I named the first 3 we got Robert (biggest) Bob (medium sized) and Bobby (sickly little thing who consumed $$) I thought I was a tough old bird, not so much. Cattle are much smarter than I remembered and Robert should have been named Houdini. My husband (80) survived a traumatic atv roll over during this time and I had family members step up and help. They said he would not be standing for at least 3 months, 4 months later, by God's grace I was running to keep up with him. We didn't lose money, but we didn't pay ourselves either. 17 made it to market ranging in weight from 1380 to 1076 (Bobby). In retrospect, feeders would have been cheaper AND a lot less work. Net $389.75 per head. We now have 14 steers 8 months old and just implanted synovex one. We havent lost any yet and I will watch them closer in the spring because I don't want to pay the cost of tuition to cattle school again. The intangible, absolutely priceless part is that even our grandkids can care for cattle now. I truly appreciate the view over my shoulder, I know it's better because of the knowledge shared here! Best wishes to all!

Thank you for sharing all the numbers. Bring some to the sale barn and get asked how much did you get by family and they don't realize how much I put into the operation.