They were home raised calves. After weaning they are preconditioned for 60 days. They receive 10# of feed each day at a cost of $1.79/head per day. And they have free choice hay when the grass is not sufficient. As for the others catching up, it would be possible, but since I sell them at the end of 60 day conditioning period, I have no test group for further down the chain. They made me more money, and surely did not negatively affect them down the road.
Had I bought these calves, I agree it could even make a bigger impact since trucking and co mingling are huge stress points that affect calves the most.
There's a real return on investment in spending a little to reduce stress in cattle. That's why I advocate so much for giving a dose that will surely have the best effect on as many head as possible. We as cattlemen cut so many corners to save a penny here and a penny there that it almost becomes second nature for us to try to cut even the pennys that make us dollars.