Cow Leasing

[vs_cattle]

I have heard of cow leasing I was wondering
Before I approch a friend to see if I can lease 2-4 Cows to be recipets for Embryos whats a fair market price or how do you go about setting it

 

[CPL]

You would need to think about what's involved. Are you feeding the cows? The "friend" is not going to have a calf, so you will need to compensate him for that. Also you will want to make sure his cows are capable of calving a registered high quality calf- and providing enough milk to express its full potential.

Some know more than me, but there was a thread a while ago that had these same questions. Might try a search.

 

[Bez+]

Leasing cows in the small numbers you are talking about may become a nightmare.

I started out leasing cows a lot of years ago. This was the arrangement.

I took on about a hundred animals. I fed them, doctored them and did everything necessary to keep them alive and healthy.

The owner left them with me at his risk. That way when one died I was not responsible for the cost of the loss.

He had the right to inspect at any time - and he did. Always went away happy with the way they were being kept.

I kept some of those lease cows for nearly 10 - 12 years.

I took 70% of calves by number of surviving head.

If there was one left over due to rounding numbers up or down - the animal was sold and I took 70% of that cash. Owner got 30% of calves - all of those 30% were to be sold. I did not raise any of his yearlings and indeed I did not want to.

Today the percentages are a little different but the idea is the same.

If I was you - for the cost of some cows for recips - I might seriously look at some dairy - and see if they could come cheap enough - they certainly have the milk.

Buy them - use them - then sell them. It may very well be cheaper than attempting to lease.

The number of lease cattle you are talking about is low enough to be potentially prohibitive to most deal makers.

If the deal is cash - then I would personally want the cow back along with a percentage of the value of the calf I had lost by giving up the cow. That same cow would have made me cash money if I had sold her.

If you were to ask me if you should lease 2 - 4 cows to someone who was in your situation - I would advise against it. The deal would cost YOU money in the long run unless you made almost the sale price of the cow.

Just my thoughts on the deal.

Good luck,

Bez+

 

[hillsdown]

I have heard of cow leasing I was wondering
Before I approch a friend to see if I can lease 2-4 Cows to be recipets for Embryos whats a fair market price or how do you go about setting it

The most important thing is that your embryo will be accepted by the recip. Because that is the biggest cost, flushing and implanting.DO NOT use anything but heifers.The most important thing is that you get a healthy calf in the end.If you need a c- section so be it.Also if you have to bottle feed, oh well. The money is in the live calf ,that is always your top priority.Therefore I wouldn't lease ;can you get some good heifers that are not registered but are very fertile and capable of carrying a calf to term?After you can breed them back and sell them as bred 2 year olds.

 

[TheBullLady]

It doesn't sound like a good idea to me either. I would buy some commercial 2 year olds and buy them... use them for your embryos and if something happens, like they aren't good milkers, wild, etc. etc. then you can still recoup your $$.

 

[CPL]

I always thought you wanted to use older cows when doing ET work- not 2 year old heifers?

 

[hillsdown]

I always thought you wanted to use older cows when doing ET work- not 2 year old heifers?

The older the cow the less fertile they are.In a realistic world anyways.When you are spending 1000-2000$ per embryo after the drugs, semen and flushing /implanting costs believe me you want a young fertile animal otherwise you might as well burn your money at least you know where it has gone and there are no expectations.A young animal will accept an embryo over an older one that has had calves of it's own.

 

[msscamp]

I have heard of cow leasing I was wondering
Before I approch a friend to see if I can lease 2-4 Cows to be recipets for Embryos whats a fair market price or how do you go about setting it

The most important thing is that your embryo will be accepted by the recip. Because that is the biggest cost, flushing and implanting.DO NOT use anything but heifers.

I don't understand. Given the cost, time, aggravation, and everything else that goes into flushing and implanting recip animals - why on earth would you choose to do this with heifers? :shock: As a group, they are the least proven - fertility wise, have the highest number of problems - delivery wise, are the most likely to abandon their calf due to inexperience, hormones may or may not be conducive to settling, are highly excitable - which contributes to not settling, and are just a general pain in the butt. Why not go with a proven 4 or 5 year old?

 

[WORANCH]

I have some Embryos implanted in cattle belonging to someone else , I pay $900 for the calves at weaning . I furnish the Embryos and cost of implanting.

 

[tryinhard]

I don't like the idea of heifers, but some people around here come out n look at cows in a few pastures, look them over well. They offer something like sale price plus $250.00 for a healthy weaned calf, from thier embryo, and they have that done, their expense, not the cow owner. It seems to work well for both parties, I haven't heard anyone complaining.


tryinhard

 

[JDI]

I just put in some embryo's & the cost was 1500.00 per preg. If preg. is attained I own the cows after 60day preg. check. I will pick cows up in Sept. & all expenses are mine from then on. Cattle prices like they are it isn't bad price. These are 4-5 yr. old 2nd or 3rd. calf cows in excellent health. I still have more embryo's to put in so next spring I will use these cows again for recips. Next time I just pay for transplants but it got me going on my embryo calves. We put in 3 eggs & so far nothing has cycled back so it looks 100% on these. Got 50% on another set of only 2 eggs.

 

[vs_cattle]

I have some Embryos implanted in cattle belonging to someone else , I pay $900 for the calves at weaning . I furnish the Embryos and cost of implanting.

So a good way of going about it is just making sure he gets what he usaly gets per calf plus a little or something?

 

[hillsdown]

The most important thing is that your embryo will be accepted by the recip. Because that is the biggest cost, flushing and implanting.DO NOT use anything but heifers.

[/quote]

I don't understand. Given the cost, time, aggravation, and everything else that goes into flushing and implanting recip animals - why on earth would you choose to do this with heifers? :shock: As a group, they are the least proven - fertility wise, have the highest number of problems - delivery wise, are the most likely to abandon their calf due to inexperience, hormones may or may not be conducive to settling, are highly excitable - which contributes to not settling, and are just a general pain in the butt. Why not go with a proven 4 or 5 year old?

[/quote]


Personally I don't think there really are any animals out there that should be flushed.A handful perhaps.Also the money and risk involved is not worth it unless you have a very well known herd and can market embryos all around the world.A new herd should not waste their money on this process.


FERTILITY.The only concern is the embryo.Also before you flush a cow and before you use a recip all must have an ultra sound and a complete and thourogh exam by a very qualified Vet.One that specializes in this area.A 4 or 5 year old is more likely to absorb the embryo therefore you will be out your moola.