buying open heifers and breeding them

[cattlepower]

Anyone do this? I know a man that buys open heifers ready to breed around first of April and sells them as bred heifers about 5-7 months later. He's almost been doubling his money as he doesn't do it in the winter months and doesn't have to have hay. He leases bulls so he doesn't have anything during the winter months.

 

[Aaron]

A local here used to do the same thing. Buy cheap cull yearling heifers at the sales barn and the cheapest Angus bull he could find and sell them as breds in the fall. Only people that bought them, as I recall, were order buyers - for kill, as the regular folk knew what kind of animals he was trying to peddle. He soon just started keeping them for himself and calving them out. He really follows the markets, so he might have cows today, and be out entirely tomorrow and then buy the same number back a year from now. He is a fellow that makes real good money on cattle, because he has zero attachment to them and as long as the cow survives the winter and the calf survives the summer, everything is just dandy.

 

[JWBrahman]

A local here used to do the same thing. Buy cheap cull yearling heifers at the sales barn and the cheapest Angus bull he could find and sell them as breds in the fall. Only people that bought them, as I recall, were order buyers - for kill, as the regular folk knew what kind of animals he was trying to peddle. He soon just started keeping them for himself and calving them out. He really follows the markets, so he might have cows today, and be out entirely tomorrow and then buy the same number back a year from now. He is a fellow that makes real good money on cattle, because he has zero attachment to them and as long as the cow survives the winter and the calf survives the summer, everything is just dandy.

Sounds like he will be down here working for Tyson as a contract cattleman pretty soon. Tyson is pretty strict about only hiring convicted felons, welfare to work, and those with serious substance abuse issues so you might be stuck with him for a while. :roll: :lol:

 

[cattlepower]

The guy I know buys good stock from locals. He pays a little more but sells for more also, I think it's important also to look at this as a business and not pets. I treat my cattle good and humane but when it's time for them to go they're gone. I like the idea of not running anything through the winter months. Of course you could do another set of heifers through the winter but then you got hay and extra costs.

 

[randiliana]

Lots of that goes on around here. Take the original value of the heifers, add the summering cost ($150) and the cost of breeding ($35). And hope you make enough to give yourself a profit...

 

[Dave]

I did this last year. It worked for me. I started buying again for this year in February, finished last week. You have to be a little picky about the heifers you buy and then do everything you can to add value. I vaccinate the heck out of them, I test them PI negative, and I sync them and AI breed to a bull with great CED and BW numbers. I do feed some for about half the winter mainly because I can't just go buy the kind of heifers I want in a week or two. But I don't feed any in November, December and January. And darn few in February.

 

[bse]

I did it with my own heifers 4 years ago A Ied them sold them all at double what i would have got at weaning, the next year had the same deal and almost had to give them away, last year sold them at weaning and i think this year i could have tripled my money, weaning next week and dont know yet what ill do with them, its a gamble, with the supposed shortages it should work but if everyone does it supply goes up price comes down.
I do think there will be a demand for good cattle, it will depend on how many your trying to do.
small numbers may not be practical if you have to lease a bull all those costs factor in. If you use just just any bull and folks have calving problems, bad news travels real fast.

 

[Dave]

And one of the down sides of this operation. I preg checked all the heifers yesterday. Out of 63 heifers there was 2 free martins, 5 that were short bred that I luted, and 7 that were bred and too far along for the lute to be affective. Anyone interested in some teenage pregnancy heifers? I really wish people would pull their bulls. Last year I had 20% that turn out to be bred when I bought them as 700-800 pound heifers. This year counting the free martins it is 22%.

 

[wacocowboy]

I have had mixed results doing this with purchased heifers but have had good results keeping my heifers until they are 16+ months breeding them and selling them.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Anyone do this? I know a man that buys open heifers ready to breed around first of April and sells them as bred heifers about 5-7 months later.

One of our auctioneer does this so there must be a lot of $ in it IF you know how to market and spend enough time in the sales barn. Heiferettes are about $1000 per head now. Could be $1800 this fall ???

A local guy sold his dairy cows and loaded up on open black heifers in fall of 2011. Seemed to think Texas oil money was going to flow all the way to Minnesota. Prices didn't jump in 2012 so he borrowed $$$ to keep going, and then calved them out in spring of 2013. Sold them as breds early last fall just before prices took off there and left a lot of money on the table...

 

[Stocker Steve]

I really wish people would pull their bulls. Last year I had 20% that turn out to be bred when I bought them as 700-800 pound heifers. This year counting the free martins it is 22%.

I think a 75 to 85% calf crop per exposed female often comes with a put together sales barn herd - - unless you are buying out of a total dispersal.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Desperate folks in some of our sales barn. Usually fall calvers go to kill at this time of year, but this week they are worth $1500 as short breds.