Buying Bred Heifers

[dcara]

What are your opinions on buying 3 month bred heifers from a reputable breeder that supposedly palpated them but then end up not calving?

 

[dun]

My opinion is that the breeder should make it good, wither pairs or dollars.

 

[angie1]

Happened to us. We bought "bred heifers" from reputable breeder.
Did not get money or calf ~ nothing.
But, did learn an important and expensive lesson.
That is too bad to have happen to you.
dun is right, it should be made right by either money or calf.

 

[MikeC]

There is no way to guarantee a cow/heifer will keep a calf to full term. If several in a group of heifers does not calve, there could be a problem however.

When I sell bred or open heifers, my vet will check them and guarantee them to be "safe with calf" at the time of sale only.

 

[MikeC]

There is no way to guarantee a cow/heifer will keep a calf to full term. If several in a group of heifers does not calve, there could be a problem however.

When I sell bred or open heifers, my vet will check them and guarantee them to be "safe with calf" at the time of sale only.

Even though they might slip a calf you do still guarantee them as breeders dont you? I have had vets call cows 30 days off from calving and it be 4 months. That said the best can have an off day but 4 months.

I also wonder if sometimes checking them to early cant cause one to slip a calf?

Yes we guarantee them to be breeders. If you bought her bred, she's a breeder. :lol:

I've never checked them less than 90 days after conception.

A vet that can't guess within 30 days is a waste.

 

[MikeC]

So lets phrase the this way. If your vet calls one a breeder and the buyer dont get a calf nor do they ever get a calf. I take it they are just SOL would that be the the correct asumption?

Nope. Didn't say that. I'd make it right with him.

I'd breed her again. If she slipped that time I'd swap her out or give him his money back.

That is, if she ain't a bag of bones......Been there too. :lol:

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

It doesn't much matter what the scenario is,if you are an honest breeder/seller you stand behind what you sell or you won't be in business very long. Don't take long for the word (Bad) to get around.

 

[MikeC]

So lets phrase the this way. If your vet calls one a breeder and the buyer dont get a calf nor do they ever get a calf. I take it they are just SOL would that be the the correct asumption?

Nope. Didn't say that. I'd make it right with him.

I'd breed her again. If she slipped that time I'd swap her out or give him his money back.

That is, if she ain't a bag of bones......Been there too. :lol:

First I truly believe you would stand behind what you sell!

Ok heres a question for you. If you sold a breeder a cow of yours bred to a bull of yours and the buyer ended up with a monster calf. The buyer lost the calf and the cow tore up and wont rebreed. You had no previous calves from this bull before and you to have calving issues with the bull when your cows bred to the same bull start calving. What should you do or would you do as the original breeder of the cow purchased from you?

I'd guess I'd just have to cross that bridge when I got there, but we'd work something out fair.

 

[auctionboy]

How can a seedstock producer exspect to be profitable if everytime someone buys a heifer and feeds it wrong and exposes it to lepto they exspect there money back. I think unless the breader went out of there way to guarantee a live calf then they don't owe anything, but the vet could be liable, court wise. This is why I only buy at the auction and exspect the worse.

 

[Wewild]

How can a seedstock producer exspect to be profitable if everytime someone buys a heifer and feeds it wrong and exposes it to lepto they exspect there money back. I think unless the breader went out of there way to guarantee a live calf then they don't owe anything, but the vet could be liable, court wise. This is why I only buy at the auction and exspect the worse.

We don't borrow trouble with other's heifers or the salebarn.

 

[auctionboy]

How can a seedstock producer exspect to be profitable if everytime someone buys a heifer and feeds it wrong and exposes it to lepto they exspect there money back. I think unless the breader went out of there way to guarantee a live calf then they don't owe anything, but the vet could be liable, court wise. This is why I only buy at the auction and exspect the worse.

We don't borrow trouble with other's heifers or the salebarn.

That's your operation then.

 

[Wewild]

How can a seedstock producer exspect to be profitable if everytime someone buys a heifer and feeds it wrong and exposes it to lepto they exspect there money back. I think unless the breader went out of there way to guarantee a live calf then they don't owe anything, but the vet could be liable, court wise. This is why I only buy at the auction and exspect the worse.

We don't borrow trouble with other's heifers or the salebarn.

That's your operation then.

You must be master of the obvious.

i never expect the worse and usually don't get it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Need to start a Crap Shoot board about heifers. This has got to be in the top 5 of problem's posted over and over. A heifer is an unknown commodity bought or raised.

 

[auctionboy]

We don't borrow trouble with other's heifers or the salebarn.[/quote]

That's your operation then.[/quote]

You must be master of the obvious.

i never expect the worse and usually don't get it.[/quote]

How did you want me to repond to your boasting? Congratulations or job well done? Your statement did nothing to inform or question. Most people usualy don't get the worst. Why the chip on your shoulder? Never lost a calf, never had a prolapse or an open cow? Tell me about the time you walked on water?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Need to start a Crap Shoot board about heifers. This has got to be in the top 5 of problem's posted over and over. A heifer is an unknown commodity bought or raised.

Bulls have a problem also maybe not as much so as heifers. But they also are a crap shoot but wait even more so than bred heifers. With a group of bred heifers there are percentages of good and then some bad.

A bull with bad genes is responible for loosing a whole calving season. How would you say it best cautic one could end up with a lot of mutts from a bad bull.

So it would be best to use this rule of thumb. Listen to the sales pitch but go to some other farms and ranches to check out the bill of goods you are being sold be it bulls or heifers.

I have said it time and again, I want to see the bulls calfs on the ground or his sires.
I stated the other day on the Bull buying post we have created a generation of Cattlemen and women they can not function or buy without numbers on paper. All my animals are papered they say Scott 1000 and I always carry them in my right hip pocket.

 

[sidney411]

3 yrs ago I bought 2 reg heifers from a breeder. I had them w/ 2 different bulls and they never bred. I had them ultrasounded and everything inside looked good but was small. I took the results back to the breeder and the animals were in good shape. He would not make the deal good, would not trade the heifers out either. They went to the sale barn and I will NEVER set foot on his farm again, nor will I direct any traffic to his farm either.

I sell heifers also, but Knock on wood, I've never had anyone come back w/ a problem. I've yet to have a heifer I've kept to not breed either. In time I'm sure something will come up and I'll have to cros that bridge when it gets here but I don't want anyone feeling about me the way I feel about that guy.

 

[dun]

I don't want anyone feeling about me the way I feel about that guy.

Exactly why I posted that it should be made good. A good reputaion is worth a lot. And one "Ah sh.." wipes out all attaboys. We've only had one heifer that we bought bred that didn;t calve. She had been palpated bred but never calved. I had her palpated again and her repro tract was under developed (classified as juvenile) and by then she was 2 plus years old. I hauled her back and he gave me my money back. We transferred her to his trailer and she went to the sale barn that day. That is how it should be done and that's how I do it.

 

[dun]

I don't want anyone feeling about me the way I feel about that guy.

Exactly why I posted that it should be made good. A good reputaion is worth a lot. And one "Ah sh.." wipes out all attaboys. We've only had one heifer that we bought bred that didn;t calve. She had been palpated bred but never calved. I had her palpated again and her repro tract was under developed (classified as juvenile) and by then she was 2 plus years old. I hauled her back and he gave me my money back. We transferred her to his trailer and she went to the sale barn that day. That is how it should be done and that's how I do it.

Who was the looser or winner when it came to the groceries you had put into the non breeder? How should that be handled?

I just let that dog alone. Was happy enough to get the upfront money back.
I should have said that's how I "would do it" since we've never had a complaint about fertility or breeding status. If it happens I'll have to confront that quesiton then.

 

[MikeC]

I don't want anyone feeling about me the way I feel about that guy.

Exactly why I posted that it should be made good. A good reputaion is worth a lot. And one "Ah sh.." wipes out all attaboys. We've only had one heifer that we bought bred that didn;t calve. She had been palpated bred but never calved. I had her palpated again and her repro tract was under developed (classified as juvenile) and by then she was 2 plus years old. I hauled her back and he gave me my money back. We transferred her to his trailer and she went to the sale barn that day. That is how it should be done and that's how I do it.

Who was the looser or winner when it came to the groceries you had put into the non breeder? How should that be handled?

There is an obvious assumed risk when buying or selling any animal. The seedstock seller does his dead level best to sell sound animals because he is expected to satisfy the buyer as an end result but things happen beyond anyone's control.

For a buyer to expect a seedstock seller to pay for the cost of feeding animal after the sale, that agreement should have been signed and sealed at the time of sale.

 

[dyates]

Different strokes for different fokes, but this is why I choose to raise my own. Some would argue it costs more, which I disagree with. The fact is, our heifers grow out on our farm, subjected to whatever bugs or environmental conditions we have, and the type of forage we have available. If they won't perform under that exact set of parameters, then they don't stay. Yes, we still have breeding problems and open animals just like everyone else, but I'm inclined to believe less than if we have brought animals in from elsewhere. Just my opinion.