Can I turn them around?

[True Grit Farms]

I see a lot of post on here, that seem to be intended to brag. I guess this post is the polar opposite of that:

I've spent the day, getting things ready to start weaning my fall born calves. It's 25-30 calves, all 6-7 months old. Worst looking calf crop I believe I've ever turned out. I could blame a lot of things. 1. Bull power.....he's gone thank goodness. 2. Bad hay. 3. There off of my oldest cows. 4. Wet winter (hey, anything is better than taking the blame myself).

They are smaller than what I like to wean, and they look like what I call hard winter calves.

If I went to the yard, to buy calves I wouldn't buy these calves.

Think it would pay to worm em again, to keep them till mid June? Give em a few pounds of feed a day, and hope they hit a pound and half of gain a day. Maybe a little more on the best ones. Wgat would you do? send them down the road, and hope for brighter days?

What do you think they weigh? We pulled some ourselves and pretty disappointed. Blaming it some on my bull also and considering changing.

The best cows went on, and had good calves. I guess that's why you call them your best cows. I'd say the average on the rest is going to be 425.

I'd be happy with that gain around here. I figure anything over 2 lbs a day is gravy.

 

[Bigfoot]

What do you think they weigh? We pulled some ourselves and pretty disappointed. Blaming it some on my bull also and considering changing.

The best cows went on, and had good calves. I guess that's why you call them your best cows. I'd say the average on the rest is going to be 425.

I'd be happy with that gain around here. I figure anything over 2 lbs a day is gravy.

They look bad though.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Here, if you start taking those big yearlings to grass and come back 1050 to 1200 lbs, your going to get docked at barn. No buyers for fat cattle here, so dockage could be .30 or more. Order buyers don't have market for them either, they just buy and flip in another market.

In their case, I am not sure if they used the community pasture or not. The manager was busy making land deals and leasing the majority of what they needed for pasture. Need a lot of acreage for 1000 stockers and community pasture limit is about 750 head, and full the day they day they start taking applications in March. With the waiting list of locals, I don't think they would consider non-resident applications.

We're getting screwed again by NAFTA.

Care to enlighten us?

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

I'll be glad to just get them off these cows. There sucking the life out of them, in conjunction with the hay I'm feeding. I usually feed my cows a little to, starting in February, and run til grass comes out. I didn't do that this year.

That's why I calve in the spring BF, it always helps when you work with mother nature not against her.

 

[Bigfoot]

I'll be glad to just get them off these cows. There sucking the life out of them, in conjunction with the hay I'm feeding. I usually feed my cows a little to, starting in February, and run til grass comes out. I didn't do that this year.

That's why I calve in the spring BF, it always helps when you work with mother nature not against her.

75% of my cows calve spring, and probably 25% in the fall. I usually find little difference in weaning weights, and normally a higher price on the ones I sell in spring. And then this happened.

 

[Sd1030]

Bigfoot, wish i could offer some advice but i too often find myself wondering if i should hold or keep. I just sent 9 steers to the sell last week. 6wts brought 157.5/cwt, 5wts 171.50/cwt, 4 wts-180.50-184/cwt, and one 3wt-190.5/cwt. Only thing i prolly would of done different was hold the lighter one to send with the next load. I had originally planned to sell my calves in may or june but i had some on 1st calf heifers that needed to be weaned. Also had some unexpected expenditures arise so i kinda had to generate a little income. Overall i was pleased i ended up avg just shy of 860 a head

 

[Bigfoot]

Bigfoot, wish i could offer some advice but i too often find myself wondering if i should hold or keep. I just sent 9 steers to the sell last week. 6wts brought 157.5/cwt, 5wts 171.50/cwt, 4 wts-180.50-184/cwt, and one 3wt-190.5/cwt. Only thing i prolly would of done different was hold the lighter one to send with the next load. I had originally planned to sell my calves in may or june but i had some on 1st calf heifers that needed to be weaned. Also had some unexpected expenditures arise so i kinda had to generate a little income. Overall i was pleased i ended up avg just shy of 860 a head

That's a good sale. I need to print some market reports and do some figuring. Rained today, that's going to set me back a week on weaning, so I get a little longer to decide to.

 

[Midtenn]

Sounds like a lot of folks in the south that's not too happy with the fall born calves. Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe our cattle don't look as well as I thought but I'm pretty happy with ours after this winter. It's been the wettest on record , not coldest but pretty cold and unstable. this is the first year we ever creep fed continuously since 2 months of age but the cost was pretty minimal ($1100 for 26 calves). Free choice anipro mineral and 4# of 14% to the cows every third day. I don't think these cows or calves look rough at all considering the winter. Not bragging but I'm just thinking creep feed might have saved us and thought I would share that.

 

[Bigfoot]

Sounds like a lot of folks in the south that's not too happy with the fall born calves. Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe our cattle don't look as well as I thought but I'm pretty happy with ours after this winter. It's been the wettest on record , not coldest but pretty cold and unstable. this is the first year we ever creep fed continuously since 2 months of age but the cost was pretty minimal ($1100 for 26 calves). Free choice anipro mineral and 4# of 14% to the cows every third day. I don't think these cows or calves look rough at all considering the winter. Not bragging but I'm just thinking creep feed might have saved us and thought I would share that.

I would say that if creep feeding was ever going to pay the producer back, this would be the year. Ive been rerouting some fencing lately, to give cattle access to a barn, that I can creep feed in. Been years since I've done it, I'd like to have the option back.

 

[tom4018]

Sold some yesterday, light than I like on my heifers. Average on heifers was 505# - $146.69
Steers 552#-$163.95. These were the averages they figure on the check. $765 a head clear money.

 

[Bigfoot]

Sold some yesterday, light than I like on my heifers. Average on heifers was 505# - $146.69
Steers 552#-$163.95. These were the averages they figure on the check. $765 a head clear money.

I could be happy with that.

 

[dieselbeef]

ship m the sooner the better..wean em on the trlr..the less inputs the better unless theyre just eating grass theyre costing you money..and even that aint free enough

 

[Bigfoot]

ship m the sooner the better..wean em on the trlr..the less inputs the better unless theyre just eating grass theyre costing you money..and even that aint free enough

I should have about 50 cents per day, added expense in keeping them. Cost me about $45 to hold them 90 days, plus deworming. Still haven't studied a market report. I was hoping if I went that route, gain 100 plus pounds, and 10 cents of value. Half a dozen of them are still bulls. They'd have plenty of time to heal.

 

[Lazy M]

I vote to hold them until late April or early to mid May. Feed is cheap, so lay it to them. Castrate, worm, implant, and revaccinate them. Prices should improve a little by then, too. As long as you don't have any death loss you'll be money ahead.

 

[Luckiamute]

Not sure what the market is bringing in your area, but in my region beef steer calves of your size are going for $160-$215 a hwt depending on the auction yard and the quality. Maybe look ahead to your spring calving cows and ask yourself how much grass will you really have for those cows and their calves, especially if they aren't in the best condition compared to past years. Maybe you need to send the fall calves to market, hope for the best, and refocus the efforts and energy on that next calf crop.

 

[Bigfoot]

I caught about half of them this evening. Most of them went to feed, like they knew what it was. They looked a little bigger standing in the weaning shed, than I made em out to be running with their mommas. I could guess a chickens weight and miss it by 10 pounds.

 

[Bigfoot]

I am just almost smack out of hay. It's calling for wet/cold/damp for the foreseeable future here. I hauled off what I considered the low end today. 8 head total. Included one half LH, average weight on those 8 was 475. I guess I suck at guessing weight. That'd make the big end way over 500. Market has dropped here 10-15 cents in the last month. Probably should have moved all of them today. Assuming grass ever comes out, I will hold the rest til about 725. If grass doesn't pick up fast, I'll have to sell them all.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I am just almost smack out of hay. It's calling for wet/cold/damp for the foreseeable future here. I hauled off what I considered the low end today. 8 head total. Included one half LH, average weight on those 8 was 475. I guess I suck at guessing weight. That'd make the big end way over 500. Market has dropped here 10-15 cents in the last month. Probably should have moved all of them today. Assuming grass ever comes out, I will hold the rest til about 725. If grass doesn't pick up fast, I'll have to sell them all.

I've been buying hay from all over in our area. Hope I got enough to carry them through to green up.

 

[Bright Raven]

I am just almost smack out of hay. It's calling for wet/cold/damp for the foreseeable future here. I hauled off what I considered the low end today. 8 head total. Included one half LH, average weight on those 8 was 475. I guess I suck at guessing weight. That'd make the big end way over 500. Market has dropped here 10-15 cents in the last month. Probably should have moved all of them today. Assuming grass ever comes out, I will hold the rest til about 725. If grass doesn't pick up fast, I'll have to sell them all.

Grass is very green over here but no volume. The calves are weaned so the cows are picking what ever they can. I am totally out of hay except for square bales that I am feeding the calves.

 

[pricefarm]

Same here grass is green but not growing much. Seems like the cows are eatting more hay now than they was a month ago. Lots of people around here are about out of hay. I sold my neighbor 20 rolls today he was out. I should have plenty but always like to have some left over hay for next winter.