Custom feeding

[Rniemann]

Curious what you should expect when you send calves to the feed yard. Cost per head per day?

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

Educated guess would be $1.30 per head per day, not counting any sickness requiring medication and trips through the chute. Around here, yardage is 40 cents per head per day.

 

[Rniemann]

Educated guess would be $1.30 per head per day, not counting any sickness requiring medication and trips through the chute. Around here, yardage is 40 cents per head per day.

What do you mean by yardage? Is that in addition to the base of $1.30?

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

Yardage is 'rent' for each calf in the pen. It would be included in my guesstimate of the $1.30. Yardage pays electricity, water, employees, insurance, fuel, repairs and the stamp on the envelope that sends you a bill twice a month.
If I were you, I'd figure a little higher than the $1.30. I don't know where you're located and what feed is available or it's cost. I like to pencil costs on the high side so I'm prepared for whatever the actual cost is.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Yardage is 'rent' for each calf in the pen. It would be included in my guesstimate of the $1.30. Yardage pays electricity, water, employees, insurance, fuel, repairs and the stamp on the envelope that sends you a bill twice a month.
If I were you, I'd figure a little higher than the $1.30. I don't know where you're located and what feed is available or it's cost. I like to pencil costs on the high side so I'm prepared for whatever the actual cost is.

I figure it cost a 1.50 a day to keep a cow standing in the pasture.

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

I wouldn't be surprised if it cost $1.60 to $1.75 to put a calf in a feed yard. I know the 40 cents yardage is spot on. The feed cost is what's hard to calculate. I don't know the cost of distillers grain or if it's available. Are they feeding silage? Cost of hay?
I quit buying wet distillers last year when it hit $75 a ton.

 

[Chocolate Cow2]

I just saw an add on FB for someone who is calving out heifers. They're charging $1.00 a day yardage + feed+ $100 per live calf. I know this is a little off the subject from feeder calves but thought someone might find it interesting/useful.

 

[mwj]

Look at the cost per lb. of gain for the true figure. The ''cheapest'' yard on a per day basis, could be feeding a lot of extra days for them to hit harvest weight and grade.

 

[Rniemann]

Thanks guys, good info.

 

[Lucky]

I just saw an add on FB for someone who is calving out heifers. They're charging $1.00 a day yardage + feed+ $100 per live calf. I know this is a little off the subject from feeder calves but thought someone might find it interesting/useful.

That's very interesting never heard of anyone doing that for the public. Wouldn't want that job though.

 

[BC]

Closeouts on feedlot cattle are showing the cost of gain being around $0.85 per pound of gain. If your calves were gaining 3 lbs/day, it would cost $2.55 to keep an animal