Can someone help me price a heifer?

[Lannie]

I don't even know if this is the right subforum, because it's regarding selling a heifer, but it's not about "a sale," like at a sale barn. So if it's in the wrong place, maybe someone could move it for me?

I don't know if any of you remember, but a couple of years ago, I was posting on here about my Jersey/Hereford cross cow, Bandit, that was due to calve and I thought she was too fat. Well, she calved the prettiest little heifer, who's 3/4 Jersey and 1/4 Hereford. She grew up and we bred her to an Angus bull and SHE had a pretty little heifer who's 3/8 Jersey, 1/8 Hereford, and 1/2 Angus. Whew. Probably didn't need to know all that, but what the heck... So now this granddaughter of my mama cow, is going on 7 months old and I'd like to sell her, but I have no idea what to ask. I've been handling her from day one in training to be a milker like her mom and grandma, and she's turning out to be an angel. Obviously, she's still young, but she's halter and lead trained, she'll let you touch her anywhere, including her baby udder, and she has a fabulous personality. I'd love to keep her, but I don't have the room, nor the money to keep them all in hay all winter. I'm not willing to part with either Bandit or her daughter, so little Samantha must go.

She weighs about 400 pounds at the moment, possibly more, I'm not sure, and she's weaned. She did that herself, go figure. She's much more interested in hay than milk and I'm not able to use her for letdowns like I've been doing, so I figured it's time for her to go.

Here's a current picture of her (you can almost see her under all that hair! LOL!):

How would I go about pricing her? I can look up beef prices (she IS half Angus) but she's intended as a dairy prospect. I don't know where to find prices for dairy cattle - the only thing I've found so far is slaughter prices. I'm in South Dakota, as well, and the prices for cattle here seem to be higher than down South, so if you live in or around the northern plains and have any experience with something like this, could you let me know?

This is the first animal IN MY LIFE that I'm thinking of selling, so I'm a complete NOOB when it comes to that! LOL! Help? :?

~Lannie

 

[piedmontese]

your best bet for selling her would b on craigslist.hopefully u will find someone looking for a milkcow prospect,although she dont have much dairy n her.maybe u can get around $600 or more for her if she is weighing 400 + lbs.if u need to sale her quick u could take her to the salebarn and hopefully get around 1.15 per lb.

 

[3waycross]

This came off the sale report from Riverton Wyo today.

XXXXXXX, PAMELA [ BIG PINEY WY ] 33hd Heifer 466avg 144.00

They were fancy blk heifers so yours is worth about 20cents a lb less.. Just an educated guess.

 

[francismilker]

Because dairy cattle prices are so low at the time, (and don't seem to be getting better in the anywhere near future), I'd sale her as a beef calf. Because of her dairy influence she'd have the prospect of making a great future mama cow and shouldn't have all the problems that putting a full bred dairy critter in the pasture has. (edema, mastitis, etc.)

I'd try to advertise her on craigslist or the local paper for what she is though if you want to fool with it and have the time to deal with it. The local salebarn might be your only other avenue. Full dairy cattle are just too easy and cheap to come by right now. Besides, most people who get the notion to have their own dairy cow want one like they remember grandpa having when they were a kid and those usually were fawn colored jerseys. Yours don't have the physical characteristics of a milk cow.

I would commend you though on one seriously good looking calf. She looks great!

 

[Lannie]

Thank you.

I just don't want her to go for beef. I've put a lot into her training. She's got almost as much Jersey in her as her grandma (Bandit) and Bandit is a GREAT milker. She was giving 6 gallons a day at peak last year with her second calf, and even though she was a "wild range cow" when I got her at a year old, she's very well mannered now. I have two really good (one I'd call excellent) milkers here, and I believe Samantha will be as well. I realize a lot of people want a "Jersey looking" kind of cow, and that might be fine in milder climates, but those of us who live on the frozen tundra can well appreciate a cow with enough beef in her to survive here without a lot of pampering and fuss. All three of my girls (and the steer) are grassfed and thriving. Even Samantha's mama, Cricket, who's 3/4 Jersey. She's got enough Hereford in her to make her tough, but she's the sweetest girl, and has never given me a bit of trouble in the milking stanchion.

I've never ever used Craigslist, so I hadn't thought of that. I guess I'll check it out and see what it's about. Any pointers or tips for someone new to Craigslist? We don't have a local paper here. Did I mention we live in the sticks? LOL!

~Lannie

 

[dun]

At her age you need to find some one that is looking for a pet with a longrange plan of maybe having a milk cow.

 

[mjnetex]

I agree with Dun. Take your time and find her a good home so you won't worry about her after you sell her. If you can't find
someone wanting a milk cow, ideally you could sell her to someone with a small, pampered herd of Angus. As fond of her as you are, don't take her to the sale barn.
If it does turn out later that she has too much milk for a pasture cow (seems likely to me), she could be converted to a nurse cow (one or two extra calves). Again, take your time if you can, don't agree to sell her to someone you don't feel totally comfortable with, she's a sweetie. I'd try to get $500 for her.

 

[GMN]

why not just keep her and get a small herd started yourself?

 

[Lannie]

You know, I would LOVE to keep her, and although we have the acreage and pasture, we don't have the facilities such as barn space, hay storage space, etc. Not to mention the money to BUY the hay. Up here, I'm feeding hay for nearly 6 months a year, so it's a substantial expense. No, we don't have haying equipment, either. We're a couple of retired folks (hubby is disabled, but can hobble around and is good at fixing things) who live on Social Security, so you can imagine our funds are quite limited. I could keep her if I was willing to give up either her mom or grandma, but I can't. I've had it in my head since the day she was born that Samantha would have to go away some day. One of the things I was going to do with the money I get for Samantha is buy a milking machine because my hands are getting worse and worse. Right now I'm only milking Cricket (Sammi's mom) and it's hard to get all the way through each milking, but in late March, Bandit will calve again, and then I'll be dealing with milking her as well, and like I said, she made 6 gallons a day last year. I just can't even imagine handmilking both of them... Although if I have to, I'll figure out a way.

I've heard from other people that have Angus/Jersey crosses that the milk is absolutely fabulous, which is why I'd like to keep her, but I can't. Also, Bandit is a TANK, and eats like a hippopotamus (she kind of looks like one, too! LOL!) and I think Sammi will end up smaller like Cricket. It would be SENSIBLE of me to get rid of Bandit and keep the other two, feedwise, but Bandit's my first, and I have a bond with her that I don't think will allow me to send her down the road. I'm also the first human that was ever really nice to her and she loves me. :heart:

I make a pretty crappy rancher, don't I? <wink>

~Lannie

 

[GMN]

I understand, cows are expensive to feed and maintain. I would try Craigs list, i have seen Jersey/other animals being sold for future home milk cows-they usually sell pretty good and quick-good luck

 

[Lannie]

OK, will you guys tell me if this sounds right?

Last night I called the guy I'd originally bought Bandit from, to see if either he was interested in buying Sammi or if he might know of someone looking for a young heifer. Unfortunately, he has a glut of milkers right now, 14 to be exact, and doesn't need any more. The very first thing he said was, "Why don't you keep her as a range cow?" My reply was, "But I have no RANGE!" LOL!

Then we talked some more and finally he said, if I could keep her long enough to get her bred, I could sell her next fall at the salebarn for $1,700.00! He said he was just at a sale last weekend and a bunch of bred heifers sold for $1,700.00 to $1,800.00, the 4 to 5 year olds were going for about $1,200.00, and even the older "broken mouth" cows were going for almost $1,000.00. I realize prices around the country are going to be different, but these were the local SD sale prices, as of last week. He told me that if I was worried about her being beefed, this would be a good option for me, because nobody would send a pregnant heifer to the butcher. Is that true? He said with the Jersey in her, she's bound to make a good supply of milk (I agree) and the fact that she's solid black makes her more "attractive" as a range cow prospect. (Why does the color matter? Isn't it breed?)

Since we probably won't be able to sell her until March or so when the weather breaks anyway, even if I found a buyer, I figured I might as well go ahead and keep her because the pasture will be coming in about then, so it wouldn't be any extra expense to keep her around for the summer. It's next winter I'm worried about. I could take her over to the Angus guy that I take my milkers to for breeding and have her bred to one of his bulls, which should produce a very nice beef calf.

If what he told me is somewhat accurate, I think I'd rather go THAT route, and sell her next fall as a bred heifer. The only catch is by not selling her now, I won't have the money for that milking machine I want, but I guess I'll try milking the two cows, and if I can't do it, I'll go ahead and dry Cricket off and just milk Bandit. Cricket's bred again now, so by the time she calves again in September, maybe I'll have enough money for the milking machine then.

So, all you beef people (of which I am NOT - but I'm trying to learn! LOL!), what do you think about that idea? Can I really get that much more for her if I just wait until fall and see that she's bred? If so, that might have to become my new plan for any future heifers!

~Lannie

 

[dun]

these were the local SD sale prices, as of last week.

There in lies the rub. Right now prices are higher then a cats back! When they drop, and they will, there is no gaurantee to what level they will go.

 

[Lannie]

Raising animals IS a gamble, isn't it? I wouldn't risk a nickel at a slot machine, so what am I doing now? ROFL! It's kind of funny when you think about it.

Chances are, though, that I'd probably get better than $700.00 or $750.00 if I waited and sold her bred in the fall, right?

~Lannie

 

[dun]

Raising animals IS a gamble, isn't it? I wouldn't risk a nickel at a slot machine, so what am I doing now? ROFL! It's kind of funny when you think about it.

Chances are, though, that I'd probably get better than $700.00 or $750.00 if I waited and sold her bred in the fall, right?

~Lannie

Yes, BUT, how much more are you going to have in her for feed and breeding?

 

[mjnetex]

If she is only about 7 months now, she will be a year in June or so, and you don't want to breed her til
14 months, at least, so you won't want her bred til about Aug., right? If you take a light-bred heifer to the sale barn,
she might go to slaughter, I believe, I am not sure but they need to be at least 5 or 6 months bred to be FAIRLY sure this won't happen, isn't that right, guys? Plus, a buyer has no idea what she is bred to and might not want to take a chance on her being
bred to something that will result in a huge calf. I'd put an ad in your local paper or whatever, "7-month-old blk Jersey/Angus
heifer, VERY gentle, halter-broke, will make good milk cow or 2 or 3-calf nurse cow, $550, your phone no." Tell whoever calls that you have someone you THINK is coming to look at her but will call them back if that falls through. Ask them lots of questions, how many cows they have, what kind, etc. (you want to find her a good home and if you talk to them a few minutes you should get a good idea of what they are really like). After you think about it a few hours, if they sounded good to you as far as giving her a good home, call them back. Or take several calls and call the best back! (and you might come down to $500). If you know how to use Craigslist, do that, but I wouldn't recommend it if you haven't posted ads there before.
As attached to her as you are--well, if you send one to the sale barn, you NEVER know where they are going from there and how they will be treated--even if they don't go to the slaughterhouse--and the sale barn experience is pretty terrifying for a gentle, pampered calf.

 

[mjnetex]

Oops, you don't have a local paper. Have a friend put her on Craigslist.

 

[Lannie]

Well, as far as additional costs, it will cost nothing to keep her on the pasture, and breeding will only be $25.00. I have a nice neighbor.

Yes, I was figuring to have her bred in August. I took Cricket to be bred when she was only a year old, but it was either do it then, or wait 6 months, and she was a raging maniac in heat. I have a narrow calving window in the spring/early summer and again in the fall. So if Sammi were bred in August, she'd calve in May or thereabouts, and if she was just in a herd and raising her own calf, that would be perfect. I don't like having them calve in high summer because of milking in that heat and battling the flies. Anybody who thinks we have cool summers here hasn't been to South Dakota in August. LOL! I felt at the time that I took a risk breeding Cricket at one year old, but she was very good sized, and 3/4 Jersey, so not likely to have calving problems, and as it turned out, she popped that baby out before I could even work up a good panic. LOL! So it worked out OK for her, but I don't know how Sammi would fare if I had her bred earlier.

I guess the fact that if she's not 5 or 6 months bred she might go to slaughter anyway will be a problem with me. That would mean we'd have to keep her on well into hay season (we usually start feeding hay in late October or November) and sell her next winter. So there would be that additional expense, if we kept her into next winter. As far as the salebarn, I've never been. Maybe I need to go to a few sales and see what it's all about.

And maybe I can put up a flyer at the feed store or something. What the heck? Someone might want her. I sure wish I could keep her...

Thanks for all the information!

~Lannie

 

[mjnetex]

Flyer at the feedstore sounds like a great idea, with picture.

 

[Lannie]

I apologize for resurrecting such an old thread, but I've been gone from the forum for years and just found my way back. I thought, if anyone was interested, I'd update this thread. So many of you were so helpful to me in trying to figure out what to do with my beautiful little heifer...

Turned out, our hay guy wanted her, and traded us hay for heifer. He put her in with his small (8 to 10) cow beef herd, and she calved a sturdy bull calf. She had plenty of milk (no surprise there!) and raised the biggest calf of the year for him. He kept her and she raised on average 2 to 4 calves for him every summer. She ended up making a very good amount of milk and he was able to pick up extra calves to put on her each year, so she not only paid her way, she made him extra money, too. Yay for "little" Sammi!

She was so tame (and frankly, I think our hay guy spoils his girls as much as I do), he could go out in the pasture and just call her and she'd come running. He always gave her a little treat, but then she'd stand there and let him scratch her ears and love on her. He said she was a GREAT little momma cow, and the friendliest he'd ever had.

However, he lost her a couple years back. She had some kind of cancer, and couldn't be saved. So sad, but she had a happy, productive life, and I'm happy for that. Meanwhile, he had such a good experience with Sammi, he now takes all our heifers (we still trade for hay). I guess you could say I have a beef herd, but they live with our hay guy, LOL! My girl Cricket, who's now 13 years old, has given us a heifer every year except for one, and the hay guy has taken all of them, plus any heifers from our other girls. Bandit passed away from a twisted gut in 2015, but I have one of Bandit's other daughters, and one of Cricket's daughters that I kept. I just keep getting older, but I do love my girls, and I'll have cows until the day I die.

It's good to be back, by the way!

 

[farmerjan]

I wasn't on here when you were posting about Sammi.... but I can well relate as I have a few of the jersey crosses and such. Use them as nurse cows, and milk for the house etc. I have a hard time selling the ones I raise out of my "pets". My son and I run 150 or so beef brood cows... cow/calf operation.... but my milk cows are my "thing". I am a milk tester, but in my "later 60's" so I well understand the aches and pains. I had my ankle replaced Feb 2020 and am going to do both the knees late this fall after our hay season is pretty well done.
So glad to read the update though, to know that you found a perfect solution for the animals that you raised with care. Love the way it worked out for you.