cost of raising heifer to be bred vs buying bred cow

[uscangus]

i wanted to buy young heifers (300-400lbs) about 40-60 at december of 2009 and breed them on december of 2010.
i am hoping to calf them on august of 2011 so that they have enough time to graze the pasture and have hay for winter in the
barn. my ultimate plan is to sell the steer in may or june where the demands are strong. i am currently looking to acquire black angus, and my friend will lease his bull during november of 2010 @ very low cost or nearly free. this way, i could time them when the cows are calves and sell at my plan.

the other option is to buy bred cows but can't pick the quality of cow and age of cows. also, i would not be able time the selling of steer or young heifer. since this is my second year of raising black angus by buying and selling steers, i prefer to purchase in winter and giving them enough time to grow their structures. i have 100 acreages which has four section of pastures, and a barn that could
handle 100 cows. our winter is not harsh in lewis county, wa (central or mid-point between seattle and portland, oregon).

 

[jkwilson]

2nd year with cattle + 40-60 calving heifers = train wreck

Nobody would want to calve that many heifers, IMO

 

[Dixieangus]

jkwilson,AGREED.USCANGUS i would either buy less heifers or i would just buy cows..Lets see the pros and cons..Heifers cons=calving problems, longer wait for calves.heifers pros=you get to a young cow well cant think of anything else..cows cons=could be older,but i dont get but why can't you get the quality of cow yiou want?cows pros,has had a calf before,if you don't buy from a sale there is a good posibility that they are good moms...If any one would like to add or subtract from what i have said please feel free

 

[kerley]

I am not the pro at this but before I bought my cows I ask the board for opinions and got some very good advice. I bought grown cows, probly someones culls. Worked for me with worming and good pasture and minerals all are healthy and calved unassisted. I now have three bread heifers out of these cows as they were bread when bought. The cows are ready to calve again and I am not worried about it as they know what there doing. Its the heifers I am worried about. First calvers anything can and may happen. If you have a mentor and take care of your cows they will teach you. JMO
Tom

 

[Angus Cowman]

Calving hfrs is a full time job no matter what bull they are bred to or what type because I just never rest easy with hfrs, and yes I calve hfrs every yr and I have very few problems (knock wood) but I have also had some train wrecks
as far as economics go you would be better off buying bred cows from a reputable breeder until you have some calving experience under you belt
also you said buying 400lb hfr in Dec of 2009 and not breeding until 2010 that is a long wait and those hfrs would be about 20 months of age before being bred which in most operations is a little old I like my hfrs to calve at 23-26 months and you will have alot more money by keeping them that long
buy ya some good 4-6yr old bred cows or 3 in 1s from someone reputable and get started sooner
JMO

 

[uscangus]

2nd year with cattle + 40-60 calving heifers = train wreck

Nobody would want to calve that many heifers, IMO

with 15-17 months to wait until their structures are developed, they will be barely over several months over two years
by the time of calvings. :? but anyway thank you

 

[uscangus]

jkwilson,AGREED.USCANGUS i would either buy less heifers or i would just buy cows..Lets see the pros and cons..Heifers cons=calving problems, longer wait for calves.heifers pros=you get to a young cow well cant think of anything else..cows cons=could be older,but i dont get but why can't you get the quality of cow yiou want?cows pros,has had a calf before,if you don't buy from a sale there is a good posibility that they are good moms...If any one would like to add or subtract from what i have said please feel free

thank you and jkwilson for kind advice :tiphat:

 

[uscangus]

I am not the pro at this but before I bought my cows I ask the board for opinions and got some very good advice. I bought grown cows, probly someones culls. Worked for me with worming and good pasture and minerals all are healthy and calved unassisted. I now have three bread heifers out of these cows as they were bread when bought. The cows are ready to calve again and I am not worried about it as they know what there doing. Its the heifers I am worried about. First calvers anything can and may happen. If you have a mentor and take care of your cows they will teach you. JMO
Tom

you are right but thanks anyway :clap:

 

[uscangus]

Calving hfrs is a full time job no matter what bull they are bred to or what type because I just never rest easy with hfrs, and yes I calve hfrs every yr and I have very few problems (knock wood) but I have also had some train wrecks
as far as economics go you would be better off buying bred cows from a reputable breeder until you have some calving experience under you belt
also you said buying 400lb hfr in Dec of 2009 and not breeding until 2010 that is a long wait and those hfrs would be about 20 months of age before being bred which in most operations is a little old I like my hfrs to calve at 23-26 months and you will have alot more money by keeping them that long
buy ya some good 4-6yr old bred cows or 3 in 1s from someone reputable and get started sooner
JMO

you are right. most breeder want their heifer to be bred 14-15 months and calves around 24 months. thank you for your advices

 

[backhoeboogie]

3 and 4 weights are going to have to be fed supplement unless you want to have a bunch of doggies. Doggies seldom reach their full potential. Some outgrow that belly but most keep it.

If you buy a bunch of cheap bulk feed, you're still going to have a lot of nickels tied up in those calves.

There's a reason cattle are cheap in December. Even if you grew your own hay, you still have fertilizer, time, fuel and equipment cost tied up in the hay.

There's also a reason folks are telling you to buy heavy breds or 3 in 1's in this thread.

 

[bigbull338]

1st off let me say that im a reg breeder.but my weaned heifers are worth $800 or more.now id have to carry them 500 days till they calve an thats $750.add in the value of the calf in her belly ive got $1750 in her.an if i buy bred heifers im looking at giving $1700 to $2500.reg cows i can get for $1500 to $2500.being in your shoes id buy as meny cows as i can afford.calving heifers can an will bite you on the butt.

 

[uscangus]

3 and 4 weights are going to have to be fed supplement unless you want to have a bunch of doggies. Doggies seldom reach their full potential. Some outgrow that belly but most keep it.

If you buy a bunch of cheap bulk feed, you're still going to have a lot of nickels tied up in those calves.

There's a reason cattle are cheap in December. Even if you grew your own hay, you still have fertilizer, time, fuel and equipment cost tied up in the hay.

There's also a reason folks are telling you to buy heavy breds or 3 in 1's in this thread.

thank you kindly, backhoeboogie, what do you mean ""3 in 1's in this thread." anyway, thank you for your advice.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

3 in one means bred cow with calf at side.

 

[uscangus]

1st off let me say that im a reg breeder.but my weaned heifers are worth $800 or more.now id have to carry them 500 days till they calve an thats $750.add in the value of the calf in her belly ive got $1750 in her.an if i buy bred heifers im looking at giving $1700 to $2500.reg cows i can get for $1500 to $2500.being in your shoes id buy as meny cows as i can afford.calving heifers can an will bite you on the butt.

you are right but the quality of bred cows are not the best. you are looking that many owners are dumping their bred cows are either too old or not the best quality at the auction.

 

[uscangus]

3 in one means bred cow with calf at side.

if you are looking at a black angus cow but not register with great confirmation and structure, what is the average price with a young calf in her side. i did not want to ask this question because there is so much factors in the quality of cow and demand of price in each location at the auction. when i sold my steer, at late september, the price were around 80 per pound. the black angus were around 1000lbs, and if i sold them in august or late july i would have the price around a buck per pound. by purchasing in late december, the price should be suppresed. but thank for your experienced advice :clap:

 

[bigbull338]

1st off let me say that im a reg breeder.but my weaned heifers are worth $800 or more.now id have to carry them 500 days till they calve an thats $750.add in the value of the calf in her belly ive got $1750 in her.an if i buy bred heifers im looking at giving $1700 to $2500.reg cows i can get for $1500 to $2500.being in your shoes id buy as meny cows as i can afford.calving heifers can an will bite you on the butt.

you are right but the quality of bred cows are not the best. you are looking that many owners are dumping their bred cows are either too old or not the best quality at the auction.

you do not want to try starting a herd on sale barn cows.unless you know what your doing.the best way is to go to your selected breeds assoc sales.an buy from there.thats how i got my start.plus i made 2 real good friends in the breed.an they will help me anyway they can.

 

[uscangus]

1st off let me say that im a reg breeder.but my weaned heifers are worth $800 or more.now id have to carry them 500 days till they calve an thats $750.add in the value of the calf in her belly ive got $1750 in her.an if i buy bred heifers im looking at giving $1700 to $2500.reg cows i can get for $1500 to $2500.being in your shoes id buy as meny cows as i can afford.calving heifers can an will bite you on the butt.

you are right but the quality of bred cows are not the best. you are looking that many owners are dumping their bred cows are either too old or not the best quality at the auction.

you do not want to try starting a herd on sale barn cows.unless you know what your doing.the best way is to go to your selected breeds assoc sales.an buy from there.thats how i got my start.plus i made 2 real good friends in the breed.an they will help me anyway they can.

thank you for your generous and experience advice,bigbull338, :banana: :tiphat: :wave:

 

[grubbie]

I hope you don't go with the heifers. Your buddies bull is most likely not a bull suitable for heifers, for one thing. You could end up pulling most of the calves and losing half of them. I don't care what bull you use, with 40 heifers you will run into some calving trouble.

 

[uscangus]

I hope you don't go with the heifers. Your buddies bull is most likely not a bull suitable for heifers, for one thing. You could end up pulling most of the calves and losing half of them. I don't care what bull you use, with 40 heifers you will run into some calving trouble.

thank you for your generous advice, grubbie, i am worried with 1st year yearling eventhough i was planning to wait for the heifer
to calf around over 2 years to give enough structure to develop. my friend bull was not big. easy to calf. but after reading everyone kindly advice, it made me realize in thinking of bred cow or 3 in 1. :banana: :tiphat:

 

[dun]

Just my nickels worth. You would be better off starting with some better quality older cows 7-10 years old that are a proven performer. Would cost a little more up front but would make up for it downstream. There are a good number of seedstock producers that sell their cows at 7 to make room for newer genetics.