first time to sell at auction

[pdubdo]

Well... deciding to sell my steer calf. Was gonna process him next August but we've been trying to wean him for a month and he is a Houdini when it comes to fences. He somehow crawls under my barbed wire fence and is the only cow I've got that doesn't care about the electric fence in order to get back to momma. We are a pretty bare bones operation so I don't have a more secure place to separate him out that also has winter water. Went out today and his momma is noticeably more thin than the others--so time for him to go. Any tips for a complete newbie at the sale barn? Do I need to get there before they open? Bring vaccination dates? Feed him a bunch of range cubes beforehand?...Just assume I'm a city boy who knows nothing

(and pic was taken 2 months ago)

 

[SBMF 2015]

Don't feed him anything extra. ( nothing that morning would be best)
Get there before the sale. Definitely take a copy of his vaccination records.

Do you have way to restrain him? A chute? Have you considered a weaning nose flap or crown ring? Then he could stay with his momma and still be weaned. And you could still eat him next Aug.

He's a heck of a nice looking str. I'm afraid he probably won't bring what he should, selling as a single.

 

[Hpacres440p]

Could you sell him private treaty?

 

[Dsth]

agree that a single calf going to the sale barn usually gets docked around here because buyers think it has a problem of some kind. Do you have a neighbor that has cattle or a safe lot to keep him in for a couple of weeks until he is weaned? Also agree that he is a good looking steer and will probably look even better coming off of a hot grill. good luck

 

[Lee VanRoss]

How many joules in that fencer? You need at least 8 joules along with 3 ground rods 8 -10 feet apart.
It sounds like you are giving up. Whether you think you can't or think you can you will probably be right.
It is up to you to decide if a weaner calf is going to win the day or you can Cowboy Up !

 

[okiek]

Looking at your location I am guessing you'll take him to Ardmore, Durant, or Ada. They won't care about your vaccination dates but they will announce he's had one or two rounds of vaccine. Most people will take calves the evening before, but you could take a single early the morning of the sale. Taking an un-weaned single to the sale does get you docked a little but it's not like you're depending on the sale of this steer for your annual income. If you have time to sit through the sale you'll learn a lot just watching and taking it all in. Most order buyers aren't going to want to talk to you during the sale but the three barns I mentioned are fairly laid back.

 

[Rafter S]

. . . He's a heck of a nice looking str. I'm afraid he probably won't bring what he should, selling as a single.

I agree that he's a nice-looking calf. I don't know about southern Oklahoma where @pdubdo is, but here in my area almost all calves sell as singles, so if it's the same there it won't matter.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I agree that he's a nice-looking calf. I don't know about southern Oklahoma where @pdubdo is, but here in my area almost all calves sell as singles, so if it's the same there it won't matter.

Interesting. The farmer/feeders will piece a load together one and two at a time, but the order buyers around here tend to sit on their hands when single feeders come in the ring. So most of the bidding power at a sale just watches and waits for sizeable groups that have been vaccinated the same.

 

[Dave]

I agree that he's a nice-looking calf. I don't know about southern Oklahoma where @pdubdo is, but here in my area almost all calves sell as singles, so if it's the same there it won't matter.

Here they sell groups first and singles last. I have seen groups of 150 similar calves sell together. Groups of 40-50 are a normal everyday thing. These are not put together groups but one owner.

 

[chaded]

They sell singles here as well. It doesn't matter how many there is at the sale either. I went up to watch one morning and it was late afternoon like 4 olock and they just got done with the feeder calves and they go first. I didn't wait around for the bred cows. Lol.

 

[callmefence]

Looking at your location I am guessing you'll take him to Ardmore, Durant, or Ada. They won't care about your vaccination dates but they will announce he's had one or two rounds of vaccine. Most people will take calves the evening before, but you could take a single early the morning of the sale. Taking an un-weaned single to the sale does get you docked a little but it's not like you're depending on the sale of this steer for your annual income. If you have time to sit through the sale you'll learn a lot just watching and taking it all in. Most order buyers aren't going to want to talk to you during the sale but the three barns I mentioned are fairly laid back.

This right here.
Shouldn't be much dock on that calf, sell him take your check and put it towards getting your fence right.
They will throw your vaccine papers in trash. That's not a feeder it's a stocker and he's going to get worked again where he's going no matter what you put into him

 

[sstterry]

This right here.
Shouldn't be much dock on that calf, sell him take your check and put it towards getting your fence right.
They will throw your vaccine papers in trash. That's not a feeder it's a stocker and he's going to get worked again where he's going no matter what you put into him

To add to what Fence said, build a proper fence. Electric is not good for weaning. One of my lots has a chain-link fence around it (don't ask, I didn't do it). I had two of my smallest weaning heifers that kept getting out and for the life of me I could not figure out where. After about the third time I realized they were pushing the wire out at on a small gate and going through. The wire was bouncing back into place like it had never been moved. Trust me, nothing will get through there again.
For weaning calves, a solid barrier works best.

 

[pdubdo]

Looking at your location I am guessing you'll take him to Ardmore, Durant, or Ada. They won't care about your vaccination dates but they will announce he's had one or two rounds of vaccine. Most people will take calves the evening before, but you could take a single early the morning of the sale. Taking an un-weaned single to the sale does get you docked a little but it's not like you're depending on the sale of this steer for your annual income. If you have time to sit through the sale you'll learn a lot just watching and taking it all in. Most order buyers aren't going to want to talk to you during the sale but the three barns I mentioned are fairly laid back.

Thanks for the info. I'm only about 20 min from Gainesville, and hadn't really looked at Ardmore or Durant. Do you have a preference between any of these locations?

 

[pdubdo]

thanks for all the responses. And the guy who told me to cowboy up was just the right motivator to try one more time--put him in my back yard with the 2 other heifers who are already weaned. The fence wasn't built to keep cows in, so we added the 2 strands of electric at 7 joules (I'm short a ground rod), added a small water tank next to the house, and got some hay bales ready. Always something new to learn

 

[kenny thomas]

We all should learn all the time. Either from mistakes or from advice others give. You have to sort through the advice and the mistakes and see what works best for you.
That being said take the net wrap off your rolls when you feed them. I see you have cut it but a calf or cow could chew on it if not removed totally

 

[MurraysMutts]

thanks for all the responses. And the guy who told me to cowboy up was just the right motivator to try one more time--put him in my back yard with the 2 other heifers who are already weaned. The fence wasn't built to keep cows in, so we added the 2 strands of electric at 7 joules (I'm short a ground rod), added a small water tank next to the house, and got some hay bales ready. Always something new to learn

View attachment 1290

Very nice! A couple weeks like that, and he will make his dinner date for sure!
Agree on the net wrap. I can't stand that myself.
Sounds like hes got a pretty good owner. Good on ya!

 

[okiek]

Thanks for the info. I'm only about 20 min from Gainesville, and hadn't really looked at Ardmore or Durant. Do you have a preference between any of these locations?

I like Durant for your purpose but probably Ada if you sell 5 or more.

 

[pdubdo]

I like Durant for your purpose but probably Ada if you sell 5 or more.

good to know. I'll have 5 breeding cows next spring so working my way up! Prob max out around 8-10.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Glad to see you have fire in the belly. Best wishes for a long successful career in the business! Lee VanRoss

 

[okiek]

By the way I saw you said you were close to Gainesville. I've never been to their barn but it looks like they run numbers comparable to Durant. You might be just as well off there.