Buying older bred cows

[HalfCircleJ]

Has anyone had any success buying older bred cows or cow/calf pairs at the sale barns or from a rancher and put them on pasture to get the calf around 4-500lbs and then just sell back the cow and calf at the sale barn? Kinda bypassing having to mess with a bull and what not. Any ideas or suggestions? I'm thinking buy an older (8-10 yrs old) bred cow at a low packer price then hoping that the weight put on the calf will give me some profit left over when I sell back. My thinking is that you can turn your cattle over more times per year increasing your cash flow by doing it this way and you don't have to stand a bull. Thanks.

 

[bigbull338]

Has anyone had any success buying older bred cows or cow/calf pairs at the sale barns or from a rancher and put them on pasture to get the calf around 4-500lbs and then just sell back the cow and calf at the sale barn? Kinda bypassing having to mess with a bull and what not. Any ideas or suggestions? I'm thinking buy an older (8-10 yrs old) bred cow at a low packer price then hoping that the weight put on the calf will give me some profit left over when I sell back. My thinking is that you can turn your cattle over more times per year increasing your cash flow by doing it this way and you don't have to stand a bull. Thanks.

what your asking about doing is very tricky even if you know what your doing.because your at the mercy of the cow prices when you buy.an the cow an calf prices when selling.an you buy short an solid mouth or broke mouth or thin bred cows no body wants.then you have to feed them some an hope they get in calving shape.when you sell the cows they will go to the packing house.

 

[HalfCircleJ]

Thanks buddy. Just thinkin' out loud on some ideas. A lot of possibilities out there.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Has anyone had any success buying older bred cows or cow/calf pairs at the sale barns or from a rancher and put them on pasture to get the calf around 4-500lbs and then just sell back the cow and calf at the sale barn? Kinda bypassing having to mess with a bull and what not. Any ideas or suggestions? I'm thinking buy an older (8-10 yrs old) bred cow at a low packer price then hoping that the weight put on the calf will give me some profit left over when I sell back. My thinking is that you can turn your cattle over more times per year increasing your cash flow by doing it this way and you don't have to stand a bull. Thanks.

This has worked very well for me over the years. Some of the keys are buying the breds during Nov-Dec when the packer price is the lowest and start selling them whenever the grass BEGINS to decline in the summer. Also packer prices are at the years higher levels between April & August. It is very important that the cows have good enough nutrition so they at least maintain their weight/condition during the process of raising the calf. If you keep them too long and the cows lose condition their value decline will offset the calfs increasing value. From this point on you will basically be giving away that last grass that could be stockpiled for use the next winter. Having plenty of stockpiled grass for the winter is also important to keep your feed cost down. A dry bred cow can do quite well on stockpiled dormant grass with just a little supplement. A cow nursing a calf needs a lot more and better nutrition, so I try to buy cows that will calve just as the grass starts to green up in spring. For the reasons mentioned above, I do not recommend holding them until the calves reach a certain weight or a specific date, just sell them when both the quality and quantity of grass starts to decline. Also stay slightly understocked for the same reasons. If you figure out you are overstocked sell off a few ASAP to get your numbers down. Also as your grass declines in summer it is usually better to sell off a few of the larger pairs from time to time as your grass growth declines. This also spreads out your marketing and cash flow.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[Stocker Steve]

what your asking about doing is very tricky

I have had a lot of mothering problems or tooth problems or even some health problem with this approach unless it it a total dispersal. Buying pairs seems safer unless you are an expert. And yes you need good grazing for those old girls or some of them will met.

I bought some of each this July, and tried to move up the summer calvers to match my main herd. One is a gummy looking SD simi cross we named Queen but she is doing just great. Could use a herd like her.

I budgeted in that I will end up culling half of them. A neighbor loves to pick up cheap "families" in the summer - - but he has both a spring and a fall calving herd so I expect his cull rate is much lower.

 

[Double R Ranch]

This has worked out well for us in the past. Right now the prices are FAR to high for it to be profitable right now.
Be prepared for delivery issues as well as calf weights. All in all, for us, this is a great way to get some extra income if you have the time and feed.
Double R

 

[Stocker Steve]

This has worked out well for us in the past. Right now the prices are FAR to high for it to be profitable right now.

Decent out of season pairs are running 1300 to 1400 here.
Some rough stuff in the 1100 to 1300 range.

 

[HalfCircleJ]

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful.