Cattle Pricing Help Please

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slick4591

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I'm want to sell everything commercial I have via private treaty and don't have a grip on pricing these animals.These are the best pics I have, so if you could help me out I'd appreciate it. Also, this is how my ad will read.

#2 is a traditional herf/ang born in 2010. She calved 6-30-17 with a 50% Piedmontese bull calf.





#4 is a half sister to #2 born in 2010. I watched her get bred by my Piedmontese bull on 3-21-17 and have not caught her cycling.



#9 is a daughter to #4 and is 50% Piedmontese. She is a registered Tendercross and was born 11-14-14. Her first calf was from my Piedmontese bull and born unassisted. She has again been exposed to the same bull and I have not caught her cycling.

 
Start with market price in your region and add on to it accordingly. I am assuming the calves are out of a registered bull, so perhaps check into recent registered stock sales for comparable listings. I personally would avoid using cattle listed on craigslist or facebook for comps unless you know the herds the other cattle are from well....it seems like prices on these sites are all over the place and often outrageous.... :2cents:
 
Thanks. The easy answer is check the sale barn reports. They'll give you a low and high end, but they don't tell you where your animals will fall and I don't hang out at barns to know myself. BJB, my registered stuff wouldn't mean anything to anyone that wasn't familiar with the breed so I won't be pricing these animals to that group. Guess I'll make up numbers and go from there.
 
Here is a sale closer to you:
http://www.vanzandtcommissionco.net/Market-Report.html

That $1550 bred cow was a big fancy Brangus type cow 5years old and 7 months bred. That $650 cow was a Jersey heifer that was 8 months bred and weighed about 600 lbs. to give you a comparison

Based on your pictures and what I saw last week your pair would bring $1200 to $1350, the 3 year old 3 month bred should bring $900 to $1100 and the last cow $750 to $900.
 
Sure wish you were closer, I would take all 3 sets just the way you listed them at a fair price. I would love to have some of your pied crosses. Any chance you have a truck coming to VA?
Just bought 5 pairs; 4 angus and one charolais, all have 200 lb calves by their side, for avg 1000 a pair. I suspect yours would be worth somewhere in that range average at least. And the ones I bought had no listed ages and only 1 was old but she has a nice enough calf, so will do okay on her even if this is her only time. 4 of the 5 are bull calves. We have culled quite a few old - as in no teeth- cows and are replacing some and keeping a few more heifers. Would really like to have some of your genetics to mix in.Your browser does not support drag'n'drop file uploads.Please use the fallback form below to upload your files like in the olden days.
 
slick4591":3o5ce6wd said:
Thanks. The easy answer is check the sale barn reports. They'll give you a low and high end, but they don't tell you where your animals will fall and I don't hang out at barns to know myself.
There are a lot of sale barns all around the country that broadcast video auctions.
Perhaps watching the closest ones to you online could help you get a handle on prices in your area without even having to leave your own kitchen.... warning they can be addicting.
 
farmerjan":3jof64bt said:
Sure wish you were closer, I would take all 3 sets just the way you listed them at a fair price. I would love to have some of your pied crosses. Any chance you have a truck coming to VA?
Just bought 5 pairs; 4 angus and one charolais, all have 200 lb calves by their side, for avg 1000 a pair. I suspect yours would be worth somewhere in that range average at least. And the ones I bought had no listed ages and only 1 was old but she has a nice enough calf, so will do okay on her even if this is her only time. 4 of the 5 are bull calves. We have culled quite a few old - as in no teeth- cows and are replacing some and keeping a few more heifers. Would really like to have some of your genetics to mix in.Your browser does not support drag'n'drop file uploads.Please use the fallback form below to upload your files like in the olden days.

I sure wish I had something going your way! I'm getting out of the crosses and will be going strictly full blood like I started out. I originally bought the two older cows for recips but the wife cut me off from buying more embryos when we had both of them not stick. Since I had them I just started breeding them to my bull.

I've seen a couple of them, Butch. This is the first time I'm selling commercial cows privately and not knowing the market I'm was pretty lost.
 
BC":mlm2mou0 said:
Here is a sale closer to you:
http://www.vanzandtcommissionco.net/Market-Report.html

That $1550 bred cow was a big fancy Brangus type cow 5years old and 7 months bred. That $650 cow was a Jersey heifer that was 8 months bred and weighed about 600 lbs. to give you a comparison

Based on your pictures and what I saw last week your pair would bring $1200 to $1350, the 3 year old 3 month bred should bring $900 to $1100 and the last cow $750 to $900.

And you were on the money, BC. I just accepted a deposit for #2 and #4. Guy is paying $1350 for the pair and $1100 for #4. Probably haul #9 to the barn if there's no bites this week.
 
The bag on the second one from the top would concern me long term as would her eyes. He can grow the calf out and sell that calf and her as a bred and make money in the short term. Long term, I would take 9 over 4 any day.

Good thing is you can see how you did on the private sale compared to the barn.
 
Brute 23":1fr1qfls said:
The bag on the second one from the top would concern me long term as would her eyes. He can grow the calf out and sell that calf and her as a bred and make money in the short term. Long term, I would take 9 over 4 any day.

Good thing is you can see how you did on the private sale compared to the barn.

Top two pics being the same cow and the first pic is a couple weeks before calving. First time she's bagged up this way. Calf is sucking the back two tho. I have seen 8 cows out of the Hereford bull and he doesn't put pigment around the eyes, but have so far not heard of any eye problems with them.

I've always thought #9 was pretty nice as a calf, but had lost that look now. This pic is a couple of months after weaning her first calf.
 
slick4591":2n5pecfz said:
Brute 23":2n5pecfz said:
The bag on the second one from the top would concern me long term as would her eyes. He can grow the calf out and sell that calf and her as a bred and make money in the short term. Long term, I would take 9 over 4 any day.

Good thing is you can see how you did on the private sale compared to the barn.

Top two pics being the same cow and the first pic is a couple weeks before calving. First time she's bagged up this way. Calf is sucking the back two tho. I have seen 8 cows out of the Hereford bull and he doesn't put pigment around the eyes, but have so far not heard of any eye problems with them.

I've always thought #9 was pretty nice as a calf, but had lost that look now. This pic is a couple of months after weaning her first calf.

That will lead to issues long term. Eventually that calf may get on the front two and suck her down. As the years go by those front two will keep stretching and keep stretching until even as the calf gets bigger they can't get on them. It tends to take it tole on the back two since they are the only ones being used. Finally one day you will get a calf is having a little trouble sucking on top of the fact that half of the bag being bad... next thing you know you got a weak or dead calf.

I learned the hard way on that deal a couple times. Its never the sorry cow that does it either. You start trying to get one more calf... one more calf... then you lose the calf.

Especially being that you are selling her it may be some thing you want to talk about with the buyer and make sure they are aware of it. IMO its not worth risking your reputation long term for one cow.
 

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