Down here, you can bring 2 pot loads of calves that are identical...100 of them.... and they are still going through the ring one at a time, at 1-2 seconds per calf. Out of those 100, there may be 50, 75, even 100 different people buy them. For years (until this year's crop, actually) we had 100-120 cows in the herd, and we'd put in 5 or 6 bulls, so that they all calved in February. In March we'd round them up for tagging and cutting steers, and end of August we'd round them up, sort off the calves and carry them to the sale. We did this because we only had to fool with them twice a year like that. Actually 4 times because when all the crops were in, we'd drive them over there and let them winter on the crop residue for the whole hunting season When quail and rabbit season was over in February, we'd drive them (and most had calved). But, we didn't have to do anything with them...never even swung a rope during the move over and back. When I bought the herd back last winter, the guy I had sold to had used 1 bull in the pasture with them. And he had sold a few and bought a few more. so they calved from January to May this year. And, I have bought a few more here and there, in different stages of pregnancy, and/or with calves from 1 week old to old enough to wean. We decided we wouldn't try to get back to a 40-45 day calving window. Scott and I are both older and have health issues, plus we have more time now, as we are slowly starting to retire from our other businesses. We had 9 January calves, and the biggest crop was 43 in March and 40 in April. ` It sure was a lot easier to work that many than 100-120 at one time. Plus, it does no good to bring them all in one group. And now that I have made a deal with Clay's boss to sell him 400 a year, he'd rather have 30-40 or so a month any how, rather than 400 at one time. And he sends his trucks and trailers, and 2 of his cowboys down to get them. All I do is sort and pen them the morning they are coming. And most of the time, Joe and Lisa come over to help with that.
The only time you may see a "group", is someone may be selling 2 to maybe 8 cows, pairs, or bed heifers by the head,, and want them run in the ring together. I learned long ago, you just bid as much as the worst one is worth by itself. I see people run in 4-5 black cows, with a red, white, yellow or smoky cow or 2 in with them. They will bring per head what the off colored-cows would have by themselves. They would have come out better to not have those off colored cows in with the black ones. Several times this past year, I might buy the group, and tell them to weigh the non-black ones. And because the blacks didn't cost top dollar, I could then sell them to someone for what they were worth. In 50+ years, I have always made money off people selling cows in a "group". If the bid gets close to what the black cows might bring, I just don't buy them. Occasionally, though, there will be someone there...a newbie wanting to "get some cows", that will end up having more in the off-colored cows than they are worth. But, usually these aren't people buying them to "flip". They are gonna keep them and raise calves off of them. And hey...if they use homo for black bulls, those red Herefords and Angus and Simms,etc., will raise them a calf that sells for as much as the black cows' calves.
