Changing Direction

[faster horses]

It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to change direction. I have run a very small cow/calf type operation for the past 8 years, and the "if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all" saying applies. It has been an uphill battle, but since we had access to our own hay field and it's a hobby, we kept going with the "maybe next year will be our year" mantra. Last year we AI'd everything, and they came up open. Lost a cow, and had two others that were supposed to have calves have medical issues that prevented them being fruitful. Sold them off, buried the other one, and stupidly bought another (this was before we decided to give up). That one had a calf, the other two we had have proven to be open. I'm going to slaughter everything I have and will make double going to the sale with them.

I have beat myself up about this, so please...be nice.

I'm going to change to running weaned calves on my place, let them eat all the grass they want through the spring, summer and fall, and then take them back when I run out. I will be keeping 2 over the winter so slaughter later b/c I can afford that much hay and it will be worth more to do that than to take them in.

The guy that hays my field is 78, and probably done. I've got another guy that could possibly do it, but with land prices as they are folks are selling out and moving all the time. There's no way I could afford to buy the equipment, and hay is at $300/ton here.

So, help me out. Give me advice. Tell me the good, the bad and ugly of running weaned calves. To grain or not to grain? Bring them all in together, or make a couple of groups of similar sizes? Steers over heifers? I won't have them long enough to do heavy bred heifers (nor will I have access to a bull).

When selecting calves what do you look for? Would you buy all the same size? What is the "optimal" size, younger vs older? How would you select which ones to keep? Those that don't fit the group going back to town, smallest in the group, largest in the group?

When they hit my place they'll go from trailer to chute for brand, vaccinations and dewormer. Anything else?

Mineral. It will help with everything. Health. Weight gain. Hair coat.
Good luck to you!!!