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Once you move them, I wouldn't feed out of a bag at all. Get you a high energy cooked protein tub and let them take advantage of the grass you're talking about. Save your money to winter them. Sale them late next spring as breds. You'll make a killing.
 
Rowdy,

That's a really interesting idea! I produce all my own hay and could easily stock pile enough in the barn to winter the 10 heifers. I also have a good low birth weight bull to put in with the heifers. He is homozygous black and I think that might help sell them in the spring as I could market them to be guaranteed to have black calves. When would you recommend turning the bull in with them knowing they weigh 340 pounds now? I figure next spring they would bring at least 1200 dollars a piece as short bred heifers and maybe more depending on the market!
 
You have the right idea on what your doing on the rest of there shots and pouring them. I would not buy a creep feeder, I would buy a bin bulk feed will save you money. I would not breed them to sell, turning in with the bull at under a year like rowdy is saying is going to give you some bred heifers in may that knowone is going to want to give 1200 dollars for, at least not in this part of the country. I would let them grow for 7 months feed as much as you can afford and sell for about 1000$ a head, you keep them less time and can move on to some more.
 
No one is going to want? October calving 22-24mnth old heifers not in demand??? Surely you jest.
 
Rowdy":2emw7l1o said:
No one is going to want? October calving 22-24mnth old heifers not in demand??? Surely you jest.
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With the numbers you gave of 4 to 5 months now breeding the first of the year witch is another 6 months, has them calving at 18 to 20 months. Around here a first calf bred heifer that is not at least 16 to 18 months before breeding and coming from a very reputable farm, will not bring any more than the market price if she didn't have the calf in her. Now if they were bred right and really fancy witch they do look good but I can't say how there going to look in 10 months, they could bring 1200 to 1600 no problem, but still I don't see how keeping the extra time for no more than you might get if they did sell good as Breds is worth it if you really want to make as much as possible.
 
Back to the op, the just of why you probably don't want to breed them is, you either have to keep them to long to do it right, and then it won't be worth it, or breed them to quick and take them to a sale and possibly get less than had you sold them open to go to a feeder, or get them sold private to someone who probably isn't going to have the best luck with them because they really were not old enought to breed, and that ain't going to help your name if you want to stay in this business. I guess you should do what ever you want, I have bought,sold,raised, and feed a lot of cattle and I am just telling you what I have learned.
 
Rowdy and Denver,

Thanks to you both for your comments. I think the one thing you both agree on is that I keep the heifers longer than the 120 days I had planned??? Maybe keeping them till late winter/early spring is the best choice knowing my hay costs are going to be very cheap. What kind of feed ration would you guys put the heifers on once the grass has been depleted? I know Denver suggested feeding as much as I can afford but what would you recommend?

Getting a grain bin has been my plan all along as feeding bagged feed for very long will kill most of the profits.
 
I don't know for sure that your grass will get depleted with 10 head of these smaller cattle on 20 acres, it wouldn't here. As I said I would feed all you can afford but watch what you spend. And yes I would sell late winter.
 
An animal 5 months old on July 10th will be 11 months old on jan 10th. Ok, wait till. Feb 10th.
 
Rowdy":atmxjvzu said:
An animal 5 months old on July 10th will be 11 months old on jan 10th. Ok, wait till. Feb 10th.
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Your still breeding at a year, I don't know how you do it, but to make good cows 16 to 18 months Is how it's done, at least 14 to 15 but the extra over that will make better cows and they will last longer. The problem with the idea is he could sell them for about 1000$ in January, or wait till may or June, and I think not get any more, but how much more do you think he would get? Also figure what he would be losing off of the next bunch of calves he could have had for that extra 4 to 5 months.
 
The opportunity cost of selling those calves and buying new I agree would likely be more profitable.

But no, that's not "how it's done." I've calved heifers out at 22-24 months for over a decade now as we'll as the overwhelming majority of cattleman breed heifers to calve on/by their second birthday.
 
Around here most people so that the heifers are calving at 24 months or later. I bred two heifers last year around this time so they would calve in the spring at the end of April. That put one at 24 months and one at 25 months old.

I think I'll keep the heifers till late winter as both of you have suggested. Hopefully I can get a good price for them and turn around and buy another group of calves before the prices go up in the spring.

I've got another question for you guys. What medicine/antibiotic do you keep on hand at all times? LA 300? I'm looking for something that's effective but not so expensive as it will be kept on hand all the time and I hate to have a expensive medicine just sitting in the fridge if there is not a need for it.
 
I run sevarel hundred at a time so I keep baytril,draxxin and zuprevo. For you to have on hand I would just get some baytril, it's good and cheaper than some.
 

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