Buying Old Cows Strategy

[Wewild]

You tell me where they came from and I might :shock: You sure as the devil can't prove they wern't!!!

I usually respect your posts you do a good job. This seems like a little bit of histeria.

We don't feed CS except out of the spreader that fertilizes our land. I'm sure our cattle eat some.

I heard a piron was mighty small and tough. It might just take a bite.

You got a link as I asked before?

 

[Wewild]

Why don't you just buy 10 GOOD cows and know what you are getting?

Thinking like this is what is hurting the problem of "Inconsistant" beef on the grocer shelves.

Putting a "GOOD" bull on a danged cull still won't cut it. :roll:

It came down to squeezing a nickle for my granddad. If it was good then it is probably good now. He could do it and I can't so I do as you have said above except we retain.

Low cost and high return on investment is what he was looking for.

He always used good bulls.

I admire your Grandad and I admire my father for doing it too!

But the beef business is changing fast. The Choice select spread is widening and the cost of gain has become more important than ever.

Where do people take their culls? To the salebarn. ;-)

The mobile culls go to the sale barn.

The ones with obvious mobility problems go straight to the kill plant. We make more money that way.

 

[MikeC]

Where do you take them? Shapiro?

We don't have a plant here anymore. Closed down about 5 years ago.

 

[bigbull338]

Where do you take them? Shapiro?

We don't have a plant here anymore. Closed down about 5 years ago.

the only way you can butcher downer cows here is take them to the local packing plant.our local sale barn outlawed taking crippled cows.as well as cows that could go down in the pens ring an cattle pots.they wont even let you unload them.sp the people here wont take cows like that to the sales.

 

[Wewild]

the only way you can butcher downer cows here is take them to the local packing plant.our local sale barn outlawed taking crippled cows.as well as cows that could go down in the pens ring an cattle pots.they wont even let you unload them.sp the people here wont take cows like that to the sales.

The local kill plant here won't take downers. They have to walk in.

I don't think any place takes downer cattle.

 

[bigbull338]

the only way you can butcher downer cows here is take them to the local packing plant.our local sale barn outlawed taking crippled cows.as well as cows that could go down in the pens ring an cattle pots.they wont even let you unload them.sp the people here wont take cows like that to the sales.

The local kill plant here won't take downers. They have to walk in.

I don't think any place takes downer cattle.

theres a place close to me.an unless the rules have changed they take downers.as long as they dont have a fever or are sick.

 

[Wewild]

the only way you can butcher downer cows here is take them to the local packing plant.our local sale barn outlawed taking crippled cows.as well as cows that could go down in the pens ring an cattle pots.they wont even let you unload them.sp the people here wont take cows like that to the sales.

The local kill plant here won't take downers. They have to walk in.

I don't think any place takes downer cattle.

theres a place close to me.an unless the rules have changed they take downers.as long as they dont have a fever or are sick.

I'd shut that place down if that's the case.

Find out and let us know. It must not have the inspectors in place or either you are wrong.

If they don't walk they don't go into the food chain anymore.

I think It's a good rule unless you want to eat it yourself.

 

[novatech]

Seems to me you could combine the seggestions. Have some of your cow calf operation. Keep your pasture understocked. When you have extra grass save it as standing forage, put stockers on it, bred, or open cows or anything else that you could make money on. This way you are controling, and makeing the best use of your forage and not so dependent on weather, rain, hay availability etc.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think your idea is sound in respect to making money. After all, what is a cull cow. I have sold some "older culls" that were three or four years old that just didn't fit my program. Nothing wrong with them and I didn't get diddly at the barn for them and I know plenty of people who have done the same.

I did a little experiment this summer along these lines. Had a day to kill, so went to salebarn early and talked to people delivering cattle. Most would tell you all their reasons for getting rid of them - many were just concerned about feed or other minor things. Jotted numbers down and watched them sell. Sure enough, most sold for canner prices. Probably be hard to make a uniform herd this way without making several trips to the barn though.

 

[novatech]

I think your idea is sound in respect to making money. After all, what is a cull cow. I have sold some "older culls" that were three or four years old that just didn't fit my program. Nothing wrong with them and I didn't get diddly at the barn for them and I know plenty of people who have done the same.

I did a little experiment this summer along these lines. Had a day to kill, so went to salebarn early and talked to people delivering cattle. Most would tell you all their reasons for getting rid of them - many were just concerned about feed or other minor things. Jotted numbers down and watched them sell. Sure enough, most sold for canner prices. Probably be hard to make a uniform herd this way without making several trips to the barn though.

And if you don,t have the skill that CB, Dun and others like them have, thats the only way to buy at the barn.

 

[MoGal]

This is what we did back in November, ten of the 17 head were aged as "old". We vacinnated and I wormed them for double their weight (I figured they probably hadn't been wormed for at least six months or maybe even a year or more).

All ten of them are doing very well and have picked up weight, slicked off nice and I'm beginning to wonder if maybe they were on a rough, rocky pasture that wore their teeth down instead of them being "old" cows.

We bought them in 2nd and 3rd period though and that's something you'll have to figure for yourself whether its more profitable to buy the old bred cows or just the old open cows.

I was told to watch the old cows and as long as they kept their condition fine, but when they started losing bcs then it would be time to ship em. Hopefully we'll be able to raise about 3 calves on em before that happens.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I think your idea is sound in respect to making money. After all, what is a cull cow. I have sold some "older culls" that were three or four years old that just didn't fit my program. Nothing wrong with them and I didn't get diddly at the barn for them and I know plenty of people who have done the same.

I did a little experiment this summer along these lines. Had a day to kill, so went to salebarn early and talked to people delivering cattle. Most would tell you all their reasons for getting rid of them - many were just concerned about feed or other minor things. Jotted numbers down and watched them sell. Sure enough, most sold for canner prices. Probably be hard to make a uniform herd this way without making several trips to the barn though.

And if you don,t have the skill that CB, Dun and others like them have, thats the only way to buy at the barn.

Another one to put on your list is I will not buy an open cow at the salebarn, unless there is a little one running beside her.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Perhaps someone whould define "old" if we are buying them. If she's 12, healthy, nice udder, long ears, she has some years left in her. The dairy cows are considered washed out at 6 years old by some.

 

[RazorbackRed]

You aren't getting it. These old cows are not culls. if they were culls why would anyone be keeping them til they are old. These are good producing cows that have proven track records of consistent calf production. Obviously, no one wants to breed a bad cow.

 

[lunker]

Buy thin, healthy(energetic)and most importantly BRED cattle.
If you buy "old" do not keep them for more than 1 year.
I let them raise theyre calf to weaning weight and them
they both go to the sale.

NEVER, NEVER buy lame or in any way crippled or stiffled up
cattle , regardless of how cheap they go. Been down that
road once to often. You will cuss yourself for buying them.

lunker