Do you ever...

[MurraysMutts]

Do you ever kick yourself for not buying something?

Yesterday, there was 3 BIG beautiful red angus heifers.
2 were 1200 lbs, bred 4 months
The 3rd was 1300lbs and bred 6 months

The 2 brought 1000 each
I bid a lil on the 3rd. She sold for 1125

I talked to the older fella selling them, he said they were bred to a registered black angus, I forget the name. And he was wanting to be perfectly clear they were NOT cows. They were 2 plus year old heifers!

I think they would've been a bargain at 1200 each and they went pretty cheap.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda....

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Yeah, you blew it.

 

[Dsth]

They sound like they would have made good replacements for you. my personal opinion is that if they were already 2+ years already and 4 months bred, they would possibly be close to 3 years old already when they have their first calf. I have heard that heifers that calf at an older age tend to be lazy and not raise good calves because they naturally use more of their nutrients to maintain themselves rather than produce milk for their calves. Hope that makes you feel a little better about not purchasing. Maybe next time

 

[gcreekrch]

I would say they would have been fine. A good chance for all black calves too.
Lots of old timers bred heifers at two in this country to give extra growth before calving.

 

[Rydero]

I never regret things I didn't do, no sense looking back. Be ready next time. Always remember when you're talking about what something went for at auction that you wouldn't have got them for that because that's what the other guy was willing to pay. Maybe he'd go much higher and not such a deal anymore.

 

[WFfarm]

That's cheaper than we can raise our own.

 

[Ky hills]

Yes, but I try not to let it worry me too much. My most recent regret was a couple years ago. I was buying some black and red cows, and passed on what looked like some real nice Charolais first calf heifers with calves. Then there's the other side of the equation, I've bought some things that I wished I'd just let gone on.

 

[Dave]

The majority of the time if I go to the sale I take both my trailer and my checkbook. There are times like now when grass is a bit short and hay is getting really costly that I leave the checkbook at home even if I am hauling something in and have the trailer. The sale one has to be able to analyze, calculate, and bid in just a few seconds. That takes some practice. Both by doing it and by just sitting there doing the figuring in your head when you have no intent of buying.

 

[farmerjan]

I am one that breeds my heifers a little older, so nice big heifers like that would be right up my alley. BUT the dry conditions are going to have more nice animals being sold. If you have the feed/grass/hay then you might make out real well in the future if you buy animals now.

 

[MurraysMutts]

They were very nice indeed.
I sold 2 cows, one older. One a pain in the butt. Those 2 wouldve bought me 1 back.

These would've been an upgrade for sure.

Gotta keep my eyes open...

 

[Jafruech]

I regret not buying 10,000 sheets of plywood and osb Jan of 2020 and selling it Jan of 2021 for a 1000% gain. Does that count?

 

[MurraysMutts]

Too many speckles. But shes sure cute!

 

[Ferd]

Her calves may not have speckles.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I bought the lil fart.
No one wanted her.
She was dirt cheap!

 

[coachg]

I calve all my heifers at 2+ ; they are full grown , breed back and raise great calves . Never heard of an older heifer being lazy ?

 

[Peace]

I do know one thing for a fact, if you win an auction you are the person that was there that was willing to pay the most for that specific item. That stated, not all auctions are equal. Sometimes things fall through the cracks and you get a deal because the competition for that item is not present, or those present aren't interested in the same items you are. So in that case a deal can be had, but you were still the person willing to pay the most.

 

[faster horses]

They sound like they would have made good replacements for you. my personal opinion is that if they were already 2+ years already and 4 months bred, they would possibly be close to 3 years old already when they have their first calf. I have heard that heifers that calf at an older age tend to be lazy and not raise good calves because they naturally use more of their nutrients to maintain themselves rather than produce milk for their calves. Hope that makes you feel a little better about not purchasing. Maybe next time

Their bag tends to fill up with fat, so they never milk as good as they would have, had they raised a calf as 2-year olds. Plus they are much bigger, so if you have a problem with one, there's that. The place we started on kept heifers and bred them as 3's. Some of them wanted nothing to do with a calf so we had our hands full.

Those were pretty big heifers, (for our country anyway) which could be good or bad. How big will they be as mature cows? That's the question.


All things considered, I think Murrays did fine not buying them.

 

[Ky hills]

Their bag tends to fill up with fat, so they never milk as good as they would have, had they raised a calf as 2-year olds. Plus they are much bigger, so if you have a problem with one, there's that. The place we started on kept heifers and bred them as 3's. Some of them wanted nothing to do with a calf so we had our hands full.

Those were pretty big heifers, (for our country anyway) which could be good or bad. How big will they be as mature cows? That's the question.


All things considered, I think Murrays did fine not buying them.

My thoughts too. I want heifers to calve no later than 2 yrs definitely so for British breeds and most continentals.

 

[Rydero]

My thoughts too. I want heifers to calve no later than 2 yrs definitely so for British breeds and most continentals.

For any that turn out to be bad mothers/culls - an extra year's feed and pasture spent to find out.