Buying bulls

[CowboyRam]

It looks like I am going to have to replace a bull. I went out to feed the bulls this morning, and I have a cripple bull out there. He got up on his feet and his hind legs were way under him. He was moving like it was hard for him to move those hind legs. With all this snow we have I'm not sure how I am going to get him in the trailer, I guess I will have to get a friend with a horse to help me get him loaded. There is a sale on Tuesday, so I think I am going to take him to the sale on Monday. I was not really looking for this expense, but oh well, it's part of the business.

Where do you like to buy your bulls. Private treaty or bull sale?

 

[faster horses]

Private treaty is less stressful. But you don't get to hear comments
from other bull buyers and the food is always good at bull sales.
You have access to some good bulls in your part of the world.
Let us know what you decide to do and what you buy.
Good luck!
Maybe your injured bull will get better in a few days. Sometimes
what comes on quick, goes away the same way.

 

[GoWyo]

We have an online sale March 25 on DVAuction. Will deliver to Fremont County. www.horsecreekangus.com
There will likely be some bargains on good bulls. Mods I was trying to figure out how to do a PM, but didn't figure it out.

 

[Rafter S]

I've bought two or three I found at the Cattle Range website. It went fine. I prefer taking my time instead of having to make a quick decision at an auction.

Listings Cattle Range

www.cattlerange.com

 

[BFE]

Bought a new bull last spring after the sale. Called the breeder Monday after the sale and asked him if he had any left. Had 8-10 to choose from, paid the starting bid price.

I asked why he didn't sell. Reply was "not calving ease enough, too many guys with 25 cows and 3-5 heifers, they want one bull to do it all."
His calving numbers aren't bad, just not considered calving ease.

 

[Dave]

I talked to the neighbor on Tuesday. He had just come from an Angus bull sale. They averaged over $8,000. I said that I had planned to go to a sale at a big time Hereford breeder on Monday but had to go to a funeral. Neighbor (was at the same funeral) said the Hereford bulls averaged over $8,000. They had some Angus bulls that brought $7,000. There is a relative of the Hereford guy who has some real well bred Quarter Horses that sell there too. Two year old horses green broke. The geldings sold for $14,000 and the fillies for $9,000....... I would have been just watching the bulls and the horses. And maybe eating some of their food.

 

[gcreekrch]

I've bought two or three I found at the Cattle Range website. It went fine. I prefer taking my time instead of having to make a quick decision at an auction.

Listings Cattle Range

www.cattlerange.com

You shouldn't have to make quick decisions at an auction. Go through the bulls before the sale. Put your top price beside each pick you make. Be realistic pricing bulls to quality. When sale is going, you bid each of your picks to your limit or until you get them bought.

The other method is to pick the bull you want and hold your hand up longer than anyone else.

 

[gcreekrch]

Going up to look at some private treaty bulls on Friday after steers are weighed. A 1000 lb steer is worth $2500 Canadian, what are good yearling bulls worth?

 

[tex452]

Private treaty is less stressful. But you don't get to hear comments
from other bull buyers and the food is always good at bull sales.
You have access to some good bulls in your part of the world.
Let us know what you decide to do and what you buy.
Good luck!
Maybe your injured bull will get better in a few days. Sometimes
what comes on quick, goes away the same way.

I would pen him up to see if he will get better in the next couple of weeks.
If he's crippled , he will get docked pretty hard.

 

[Stickney94]

Going up to look at some private treaty bulls on Friday after steers are weighed. A 1000 lb steer is worth $2500 Canadian, what are good yearling bulls worth?

What are they worth or what are they selling for?
Angus bulls are very much averaging all of 5K in a large chunk of the upper midwest/cattle country. Simmental may be slightly cheaper, but not much.

 

[Brute 23]

Private Treaty

 

[simme]

Private treaty usually allows you to see several bulls raised under the same conditions. Usually able to form opinions about how they have been managed and fed and able to compare performance under the same conditions. And may be able to see the dam and form opinions about the cow family. And meet the seller.

 

[Travlr]

Bought a new bull last spring after the sale. Called the breeder Monday after the sale and asked him if he had any left. Had 8-10 to choose from, paid the starting bid price.

I asked why he didn't sell. Reply was "not calving ease enough, too many guys with 25 cows and 3-5 heifers, they want one bull to do it all."
His calving numbers aren't bad, just not considered calving ease.

Those are the kind I look for. And one more reason to buy older cows instead of heifers.

I've also had good luck dropping in on purebred breeders to talk and just putting it out there that if the right bull for a good price came up I'd be interested. I don't buy bulls from auctions. They are always too high.

 

[BFE]

Those are the kind I look for. And one more reason to buy older cows instead of heifers.

I've also had good luck dropping in on purebred breeders to talk and just putting it out there that if the right bull for a good price came up I'd be interested. I don't buy bulls from auctions. They are always too high.

My opinion only.

I think my heifers should be able to handle the bulls I run. I expect an 70-90 pound calf across the board. That should be acceptable for a heifer.

I don't care for 60 pound or less calves especially when the weathers bad.

 

[Travlr]

My opinion only.

I think my heifers should be able to handle the bulls I run. I expect an 70-90 pound calf across the board. That should be acceptable for a heifer.

I don't care for 60 pound or less calves especially when the weathers bad.

I agree strongly. Ever since "calving ease" got popular the ability to drop a normal sized calf has become problematic. We're breeding heifers that can't perform. (Well not "us"... but the industry)

 

[Brute 23]

A few years back I was looking for a Hereford bull and potentially some heifers so I drove a pretty good ways to a fairly well known ranch for their sale. Drug the trailer up there, got a hotel, the whole deal. I got to the ranch real early and got signed up. When I started walking then pens, some of their cowboys were talking as they saddled up about what bulls they did not catch. They were going out to rope them one by one.

That was a definite red flag for me but I figured I would have no issue spotting them as they ran by.

Got my wish list togther and put some numbers beside them.

As I sat down and got situated some guys came out and set up several big tv screens in front of the normal half circle ring.


No animals actually went by. It was videos of them on tv. I was pissed. I didnt by any thing. As I was leaving out the manager asked me if I found any thing I liked. He got an ear full. He told me they decided to do it like that last minute because it was easier on the animals.

 

[Travlr]

A few years back I was looking for a Hereford bull and potentially some heifers so I drove a pretty good ways to a fairly well known ranch for their sale. Drug the trailer up there, got a hotel, the whole deal. I got to the ranch real early and got signed up. When I started walking then pens, some of their cowboys were talking as they saddled up about what bulls they did not catch. They were going out to rope them one by one.

That was a definite red flag for me but I figured I would have no issue spotting them as they ran by.

Got my wish list togther and put some numbers beside them.

As I sat down and got situated some guys came out and set up several big tv screens in front of the normal half circle ring.


No animals actually went by. It was videos of them on tv. I was pissed. I didnt by any thing. As I was leaving out the manager asked me if I found any thing I liked. He got an ear full. He told me they decided to do it like that last minute because it was easier on the animals.

LOL... I went to a black Angus bull sale in Faith, South Dakota. One of the bulls literally flew through the ring so fast, only touching down once on his way through, that he exited with the previous bull that had sold. I decided then that auctions were not the place I wanted to buy bulls.

 

[CowboyRam]

I was down at the sale barn today to see when the next cow sale was and when the next bull sale. Got talking with one of the guys that works there and it sounded like the last bull sale they had nothing sold for under $7000. I thought well that puts me out.

I found a black hereford for around $3500, he is coming 4. Have a line on another black angus, I have to give them a call tomorrow for a price, he is coming 2 virgin bull. I called about a black baldy, have not heard back yet. The guy I bought my other bulls from only has yearlings.

 

[Travlr]

I was down at the sale barn today to see when the next cow sale was and when the next bull sale. Got talking with one of the guys that works there and it sounded like the last bull sale they had nothing sold for under $7000. I thought well that puts me out.

I found a black hereford for around $3500, he is coming 4. Have a line on another black angus, I have to give them a call tomorrow for a price, he is coming 2 virgin bull. I called about a black baldy, have not heard back yet. The guy I bought my other bulls from only has yearlings.

Ya know... I hear a lot of people say you can't use a young bull on a lot of cows, but I have. The last bull I bought was a black Angus out of a red Angus cow, from a high powered breeder that only had the red cow because he had a kid that liked it and he gave it to the kid. One of the best looking Angus I've ever seen and I got him cheap because, of course, he was heterozygous. He was 18 months old and I put him on forty cows, and he settled them all. I don't know your situation but I'd look at the (long) yearlings with the idea that they will be older when I would be using them.

 

[gcreekrch]

I have observed the same people that are cheap on bulls also bi+ch about their calves not bringing enough in the fall.