buying feeder calves

[Calhoun Farm]

I'm going to attend a feeder calf sale thursday night at my local barn and wondering what I need to look for in terms of size. 400lb steers are in the $550 to $600 range. I would prefer to buy a little smaller, but looking at the last sale in September there were only 9 calves brought thru that weighed less than 400lbs. I am a newb to these sales also and wondering how many do they bunch togather at a time? I've only got $2500 to spend so if all the small calves are brought in together and say there's 10 of them I'm screwed. I can' afford to buy 800 pounders.

 

[backhoeboogie]

400 lb steers are bringing around $750 locally. Don't think it would be worth you messing with to be honest.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Buy some sheep

 

[Calhoun Farm]

Prices that high I may buy up some holstein steers.

 

[Kscattle]

With these record prices, and you being new to this, I'd say you better not buy a darn thing unless you take someone else with you to look at calves. Lots of sick ones go thru sale barns and once you get em home their your problem. As said before if you only have $2500 to spend I wouldn't bother. If you do end up buying a couple I would keep about $500 back for vet bills down the road. This could be a year to make a lot of money or lose a lot of money so I hope your ready to throw good money away as a learning experience.

 

[Aaron]

These are not the years to be buying backgrounders to try and make a buck. Your better off trying to buy some smooth-mouthed bred cows, babying them and calving them out. Then you might actually have a chance at making a profit.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

With 2500$ I wouldn't put it all in to 4 400lb calves. What are 200lb Holsteins bringing there? Here about 1.25cwt, if you could buy 10 of them you could make a profit. Or buy about 3 cheap third stage cows. Both will make money.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

These are not the years to be buying backgrounders to try and make a buck. Your better off trying to buy some smooth-mouthed bred cows, babying them and calving them out. Then you might actually have a chance at making a profit.

Agree with Aaron. If you can buy some older heavy bred cows and not pay over $200-250 above their kill value they should make you good money to calve out, then sell both cows and calves when you start running short on grass in the summer. If you have to pay too much premium above their kill value for breds then buying thin cull cows and adding weight/increasing their grade can work better than the breds. As long as you buy healthy cows, they generally have few health issues. Just give them a good home and nutrition, get out of their way and let them do their job.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I'm not going to the sale, I can't make any money paying $700 for 400lb steers. I'll buy up some holsteins and keep them thru the winter. I've got a couple guys close to me who buy from local dairys and then wean them. We buy them weaned and take them to about 550lbs. I wanted to buy some beef steers just to mix it up a little but their to dang high.

 

[Taurus]

I do not understand why you keeps buying Holstein steers....why not buy some bred cows?

 

[Calhoun Farm]

Because I don't want to fool with cows, thats what we are trying to get away from.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Because I don't want to fool with cows, thats what we are trying to get away from.

It's also the best way to go most of the time. But in this case with your budget I agree 100% that small weaned Holsteins and feeding to 550lbs is the best thing you can do.

 

[BC]

I'm not going to the sale, I can't make any money paying $700 for 400lb steers. I'll buy up some holsteins and keep them thru the winter. I've got a couple guys close to me who buy from local dairys and then wean them. We buy them weaned and take them to about 550lbs. I wanted to buy some beef steers just to mix it up a little but their to dang high.

I really hate to see when a beef producer complains about calves being too "dang high". Those 400 lb calves are bringing just over $2.00 per lb here in East Texas to go to wheat pasture. Coming off grazing, those calves will be worth just over $1200 when ready to go to the feed yard. it will cost $275 to $300 to put 375 to 400 lbs on those calves. They should make $100 to $135 per head above expenses. Making about the same per head, it just costs more to play.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I'm not going to the sale, I can't make any money paying $700 for 400lb steers. I'll buy up some holsteins and keep them thru the winter. I've got a couple guys close to me who buy from local dairys and then wean them. We buy them weaned and take them to about 550lbs. I wanted to buy some beef steers just to mix it up a little but their to dang high.

I really hate to see when a beef producer complains about calves being too "dang high". Those 400 lb calves are bringing just over $2.00 per lb here in East Texas to go to wheat pasture. Coming off grazing, those calves will be worth just over $1200 when ready to go to the feed yard. it will cost $275 to $300 to put 375 to 400 lbs on those calves. They should make $100 to $135 per head above expenses. Making about the same per head, it just costs more to play.

Don't get me wrong I wish I had the time to fool with 50 momma cows and be hauling 40 or so steers off every year. I just don't have the time too fool with cows. The steers we've had are like dogs, follow you every where, easy to deal with. Big momma cows are a handful at times, and a 5 strand barbwire fence is just a suggestion for them. We don't have the time or money to completely re-do our handling capabilities so its just easier for us to raise steers and get out of cow/calf. I'm not a full time farmer, I work a M-F 9-5 job and help my wife raise our 11month old little boy. By the time I get done with my husband/father duties I don't have alot of time left for cattle. I do it because I enjoy it, I wish I was in a situation where I could farm 100% of the time, but its just not in the cards at this stage of my life.

Sorry to get on the soap box, just trying to explain its not as easy to do this or that like some comments I'm getting.

 

[John SD]

Because I don't want to fool with cows, thats what we are trying to get away from.

I don't understand your reasoning at all. Good solid old bred cows like Aaron suggested are pretty much foolproof. Turn bred cows out on decent grass with a salt block with some decent protection and they do for themselves. Can't do that with a calf.

All freshly weaned calves are a lot more fooling with than cows simply because they need daily attention. Then add in significant risk for sickness/death loss. Holsteins as a dairy breed are the worse by far in terms of risk/reward potential than most any beef breed calf.

Personally, I'd prefer to raise Correintes or Longhorns before I would fool with a Holstein. At least theywould do well in the roping calf market.
:2cents:

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Because I don't want to fool with cows, thats what we are trying to get away from.

I don't understand your reasoning at all. Good solid old bred cows like Aaron suggested are pretty much foolproof. Turn bred cows out on decent grass with a salt block with some decent protection and they do for themselves. Can't do that with a calf.

All freshly weaned calves are a lot more fooling with than cows simply because they need daily attention. Then add in significant risk for sickness/death loss. Holsteins as a dairy breed are the worse by far in terms of risk/reward potential than most any beef breed calf.

Strongly agree!
Have done stockers for 30+ years and discovered old bred cows a few years ago. They are soooo much easier. You run them just like stockers, except little sickness/death loss. Just buy some heavy breds when you have grass/feed and sell both cows and calves when feed STARTS to get short. No bull or breed back problems. Don't even consider trying to breed them for another calf as that's where the headaches start. Doesn't take much fence to keep in an old cow when there is plenty to eat on her side of the fence. Now if grass starts getting short, it's a different story. That's why you need to sell some/all depending on your feed situation. It's possible to do 2 turns a year with them under the right circumstances.

I am continuously selling and buying these cows. When feed starts getting short I sell more than I buy and when feed is plentiful may buy more than I sell. I adjust my numbers throughout the year to match my feed availability. Older cows have the experience necessary to do their job as long as they have a good home. You don't get to be an older bred cow if you didn't properly do your job as a younger cow. Bottom line is 99% of the time these older cows don't need our help as long as they have a good home and good nutrition.

 

[backhoeboogie]

You asked for opinions and you got some good ones.

My reasoning:

I put "bottle calves" on nurse cows occasionally. I spend a few more nickels for beef calves because it means a lot more nickels when it comes time to sell. It could be my market tho since I send it through the sale barn. I don't understand why you would buy dairy steers.

Steers are a one way street. You won't keep them for five years if the market tanks. Heifers can be converted to cows. Dairy heifers can be converted to nurse cows etc.

It is fine that you and I don't think alike. If I only had $2500, I'd sit and wait for a bargain to come my way. To many times in my life I have had to pass on bargains because I didn't have any extra nickels to invest.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

So where are you guys buying old bred cows? Stock barn?

I bought a few 4yr old bred cows that were *supposedly* 7 months bred and vet checked at the barn. I kept them for 5months and not one had a calf. I took them to barn I bought them from and watched them come thru, they had 7's stamped on their hips again. I have a hard time trusting sale barn for bred cows now.

 

[backhoeboogie]

So where are you guys buying old bred cows? Stock barn?

I bought a few 4yr old bred cows that were *supposedly* 7 months bred and vet checked at the barn. I kept them for 5months and not one had a calf. I took them to barn I bought them from and watched them come thru, they had 7's stamped on their hips again. I have a hard time trusting sale barn for bred cows now.

That's a bad deal! The barn vet is not worth his salt in that case. He is feeling a fetus size and giving his best guess as to how old the calf is. I have bought 7's that calved in a week or two.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I've bought alot of Salebarn bred cows and never had one mis pregged, but I can see how that would get you away from wanting to buy any.