Frowned upon Cattle Sales

[dun]

Here they are called "jockeys" and not too highly thought of. Most times you would be money ahead just staying home and not wasting the dollars for diesel hauling them from sale to sale to sale...............

 

[Deepsouth]

I have been working the numbers on buying cattle at one sale lets say on a Thursday and Selling them at another sale the next Tuesday. I was talking about this at the feed store and they said they didn't think that was a right thing to do for a cattleman. Why is this a wrong thing to do? I figured im taking the risk of losing $ however unlikely at this day and age but still its a risk.

Just another reason for me not to buy cattle at the stockyard.

 

[Kingfisher]

Did you run out of trees to cut for other people? ;). I would think you could do better buying poor cattle either at the barn or private treaty and getting em ready to sell. Don't you have plenty of hay?

 

[cross_7]

Sky you can use wd-40 to get the tags and glue off before you haul them to the next sale ;-)

 

[kenny thomas]

M5 Thank you very much for that link. I figure if I do try it once that will tell me whether to proceed or not. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The cheap sale barn may cost me 25 bucks worth of fuel to and from and other sale barn 100 because I sell at the furtherst one and typically fill up before going. The shrink aspect would b biggest concern.

Well I will make a bet with you. I bet you that the week you decide you want to buy a load the current guys that are already doing the same thing there will give you a lesson in calf buying. The calves will be as high or higher at the first market as the second one that week. If you start getting a load every week and making money they wont be making it. They will break even or maybe even loose money for a couple weeks until you get tired of trying. hahaha

 

[Kingfisher]

M5 Thank you very much for that link. I figure if I do try it once that will tell me whether to proceed or not. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The cheap sale barn may cost me 25 bucks worth of fuel to and from and other sale barn 100 because I sell at the furtherst one and typically fill up before going. The shrink aspect would b biggest concern.

Well I will make a bet with you. I bet you that the week you decide you want to buy a load the current guys that are already doing the same thing there will give you a lesson in calf buying. The calves will be as high or higher at the first market as the second one that week. If you start getting a load every week and making money they wont be making it. They will break even or maybe even loose money for a couple weeks until you get tired of trying. hahaha

Agh now KT don't you think Sky would make a cute " pen hooker" and beat them out of their game?

 

[BC]

I have been working the numbers on buying cattle at one sale lets say on a Thursday and Selling them at another sale the next Tuesday. I was talking about this at the feed store and they said they didn't think that was a right thing to do for a cattleman. Why is this a wrong thing to do? I figured im taking the risk of losing $ however unlikely at this day and age but still its a risk.

Just another reason for me not to buy cattle at the stockyard.

I buy stocker cattle on order and know that there are going to be some second hand cattle at nearly every sale. Some times the trader calves stick out like a sore thumb. Those calves look stale or show signs of sickness. You just let the trader catch them back or buy them at such a discount that you can afford to recoup your medicine costs. It will take care of itself. There are other calves that some farmer/rancher tried to cheat the system and come to the ring too full. You can take those calves (bought at a discount) and put in front of another set of buyers with the proper fill or draw depending on the situation and make them look a good deal better.
Sky, it sounds like you have one sale that may not have as much competition as the other. Take good care of those calves with good feed, hay and clean water. Use the WD-40 to ease the tags off so as not to make the blow out marks. You will learn a lot.

 

[skyhightree1]

Did you run out of trees to cut for other people? ;). I would think you could do better buying poor cattle either at the barn or private treaty and getting em ready to sell. Don't you have plenty of hay?

Na I am feasting for now trees still plentiful but I just had a thought. Yea, I bought some obese cows and seeing how that venture goes lol I do have plenty of hay and pasture I don't have that many cattle left now.

Sky you can use wd-40 to get the tags and glue off before you haul them to the next sale ;-)

:lol2: ;-)

M5 Thank you very much for that link. I figure if I do try it once that will tell me whether to proceed or not. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The cheap sale barn may cost me 25 bucks worth of fuel to and from and other sale barn 100 because I sell at the furtherst one and typically fill up before going. The shrink aspect would b biggest concern.

Well I will make a bet with you. I bet you that the week you decide you want to buy a load the current guys that are already doing the same thing there will give you a lesson in calf buying. The calves will be as high or higher at the first market as the second one that week. If you start getting a load every week and making money they wont be making it. They will break even or maybe even loose money for a couple weeks until you get tired of trying. hahaha

:lol2: True. What I was gonna do is send a different guy there I go one week a friend go one week a guy that works for us another and rotate so that no one caught on for a while atleast :lol2: You never know I may do the same to them :lol2:

 

[highgrit]

Kenny, I ride to the sale with a guy that buys cows and bred heifers. And he knows everything that goes on at the barn. And on the way home he will ask me if I saw this or that. Sometimes I catch the look and sometimes I don't. It's hard to beat someone at their own game.

 

[skyhightree1]

I have been working the numbers on buying cattle at one sale lets say on a Thursday and Selling them at another sale the next Tuesday. I was talking about this at the feed store and they said they didn't think that was a right thing to do for a cattleman. Why is this a wrong thing to do? I figured im taking the risk of losing $ however unlikely at this day and age but still its a risk.

Just another reason for me not to buy cattle at the stockyard.

I buy stocker cattle on order and know that there are going to be some second hand cattle at nearly every sale. Some times the trader calves stick out like a sore thumb. Those calves look stale or show signs of sickness. You just let the trader catch them back or buy them at such a discount that you can afford to recoup your medicine costs. It will take care of itself. There are other calves that some farmer/rancher tried to cheat the system and come to the ring too full. You can take those calves (bought at a discount) and put in front of another set of buyers with the proper fill or draw depending on the situation and make them look a good deal better.
Sky, it sounds like you have one sale that may not have as much competition as the other. Take good care of those calves with good feed, hay and clean water. Use the WD-40 to ease the tags off so as not to make the blow out marks. You will learn a lot.

Yea I haven't decided to do it yet but I would like to try it. I don't mind keeping them for a while and getting conditioning right then selling. I just saw the opportunity to make money by doing that and figured I would ask yalls opinion and wondered why so many people didn't like that idea in the feed store. lol wd40 must work well everyone says it.

 

[kenny thomas]

Sky, I have done it in the past. It helps to have someone on the selling end that is a buddy also. You might have to give him a share of the profit but he will earn his part. My thought is that they loose the day they sell, dont gain any back the first day and then get real hungry the second day so the second or third day is a good time to resell. The sales comission here is not bad and is by the head but just west of here it is on % and that takes away a lot of the profit.

 

[Rafter S]

I don't see anything morally or ethically wrong with it, as long as you're willing to accept the risk.

 

[skyhightree1]

Sky, I have done it in the past. It helps to have someone on t selling end that is abuddy also. You might have to give his a share of the profit but he will earn his part. My thought is that they loose the day they sell, dont gain any back the first day and then get real hungry the second day so the second or third day is a good time to resell. The sales comission here is not bad and is by the head but just west of here it is on % and that takes away a lot of the profit.

You are right.

 

[skyhightree1]

I don't see anything morally or ethically wrong with it, as long as you're willing to accept the risk.

That's what I thought but I guess its taboo to speak about.

 

[kenny thomas]

I don't see anything morally or ethically wrong with it, as long as you're willing to accept the risk.

That's what I thought but I guess its taboo to speak about.

There is risk and it is work just like any other work you do. But if you are going to the sales anyway try a few. If I decide to go to a different sale I try to buy something to at least pay my fuel for the trip. Denvermartinfarms does well from some markets.

 

[cross_7]

I'll tell something else that works if you don't mind dealing with people
You can put together little groups of calves and advertise them in the local paper, craigslist, FB and etc
Folks that have small places and don't like to or afraid to go to the sale barn would rather deal directly with someone.
You price them by the head and you can do pretty good

 

[skyhightree1]

I'll tell something else that works if you don't mind dealing with people
You can put together little groups of calves and advertise them in the local paper, craigslist, FB and etc
Folks that have small places and don't like to or afraid to go to the sale barn would rather deal directly with someone.
You price them by the head and you can do pretty good

Theres a thought as well.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'll tell something else that works if you don't mind dealing with people
You can put together little groups of calves and advertise them in the local paper, craigslist, FB and etc
Folks that have small places and don't like to or afraid to go to the sale barn would rather deal directly with someone.
You price them by the head and you can do pretty good

Theres a thought as well.

Good thought and I will add something else. Here groups of like size and kind calves sell better than singles.

 

[skyhightree1]

I'll tell something else that works if you don't mind dealing with people
You can put together little groups of calves and advertise them in the local paper, craigslist, FB and etc
Folks that have small places and don't like to or afraid to go to the sale barn would rather deal directly with someone.
You price them by the head and you can do pretty good

Theres a thought as well.

Good thought and I will add something else. Here groups of like size and kind calves sell better than singles.

If I do anything I will sale back to salebarn instead of worrying with dealing with private people honestly.

 

[bird dog]

The calves you buy will have already shrunk so you won't lose much more if you flip them. One thing you might try if available in your area is to buy thin calves at the cheap barn, keep them for 45 days. Get them started on grain and then resale them in a weaned sale where they feed them while at the barn. They won't shrink very much at all if they are used to eating whatever the barn is feeding and have enough time to fill back up.
Scales will open your eyes on the shrink factor. As mentioned above the big buyers can get away with buying with a 2% shrink because they know that the cattle have already shrunk 3 to 4% just gathering them. A 700 lb calf will empty his bladder and rumen and lose 20 lbs in 15 minutes. They also know that the shrink is easily put back on once the cattle settle down and resume eating.
If you ask, most cattle folks will tell you their cattle lose around 3% going to the sale because that is what they have read or been told by those people who should know. The truth is closer to 8%.