Good or bad deals?

[onthehoof]

We bought these fellas for 100.00 each - (not the jersey, the calves) They were bulls when we bought them, but are now steers:

This one we had to pay more for, we gave 500.00 for her, but figured we got such a good deal on the calves that she would repay us with calves herself:

This one my friend bought, she gave 600.00 for her. Not sure what kind, I thought a hereford x maybe. She is 4 yrs. old (and did I mention NOT fun to load into the stock trailer....) She is just here temporarily until she gets her fence in order. I told her if she gets out, they might as well shoot her (a real pain in the &*#, this cow is) I think she got a good deal on this cow, too bad she doesn't know anyone with a bull :

Here is Lilly, we're gonna keep her around for a while. We know we paid to much for her (950.00) because she was from a proven milk producing herd. She is bred and due to calve in March. She is bred to a Shorthorn. (I AM MAKING BUTTER I SAY!!) (lol):

None had ever been grained; only hay and pasture. We feed hay and a mix that a good friend of mine sells to us that has cows. Ground corn, vitamins minerals, etc. so hoping to put some weight on everyone (except that big one...lol)

Now before you slam em' too bad - realize we are not big cattle ranch people. We have a family of four, and our only goal is to keep the freezer full.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Hard to say if a good or bad deal. If the steers (formerly bulls) were 200 lbs or more at time of purchase, that's a pretty good deal. An even better deal if they are healthy. And the one for $500.00, how old is she? How big is she? could be a good deal.

The one that belongs to your friend looks to be a dairy cross of some sort, or a well fleshed pure dairy breed like red Holstein, or Ayrshire mix, just a guess.

Prices vary a little from one part of the country to the next.

Either way, good luck with them.

Katherine

 

[Rustler9]

I say you did fine on those $100.00 calves. Probably not too bad on the Jersey heifer either. Thar butter's going to be mighty fine. I don't know if you are aware of this but you can make butter in a blender. Seperate your cream and put it in a blender with a little salt. I can't remember which setting but it's ready to go in just a few minutes. Take it out and mold it if you like.

 

[rkm]

The one your friend bought is probably a red and white holstein. If she is bred, a real bargain, if she is open and dry there is probably a reason. If she is bred you can more than double your money when she starts to spring. If she is open she probably won't breed, if she does breed it will take a lot of groceries until she is readyto calve.

 

[cypressfarms]

OTH,

If your goal is to keep your freezer full, I'd say your doing fine. The first two steers will fill your freezer nicely.

Not everyone is blessed(or cursed) to be a big farmer, and not everyone wants to be. To each his own.

I do like the Jersey, though. She can visit the nice pastures of Louisiana anytime she wants ;-)

 

[jgn]

If the cow your friend bought is as tempermental as you describe I'd have to say bad deal on that one. The herford I'd say dood deal provided she produces calves for ya. The picture of the calves looks strange to me for some reason but if they're as big as they appear I'd say good deal. As far as the jersey I think you'd been better off buying a true beef breed but she does look good.

 

[warpaint]

I'd say probably a good deal on the steers. (Depends what you plan to do with them)

I would probably have passed on the hereford, but that's just me.

Your friends is a hit or miss at best.

The Jersey, I'll not comment on, as I've had some bad experiences with them.

 

[*Cowgirl*]

100 dollar ones - deal

hereford heifer - probably overpayed IMO (but it really depends on age, breeding status, weight, etc.

your friends - I'll agree w/ the others hit or miss

Jesery - probably a good deal

 

[Crowderfarms]

I take it those 100.00 Bulls were bottle calves?

 

[stocky]

Onthehoof, to me, the calves are a great deal. The hereford heifer is a good deal. The red holstein is a great deal if bred, not a good deal if open. The jersery depends on your purpose. You paid alot of money for her to outbid the dairy people. Now the dairy heifer price has gone down because of poor milk price. I think if you want a cow to hand milk for family use, you can sell this one as a springer for profit and buy a 5 or 6 year old jersey, maybe one with a blind quarter for 400-500 dollars that will suit your purpose. Good Luck

 

[onthehoof]

Crowderfarms, no these calves were not bottle fed. We actually took them away from their mammas ( ). They were born in May or June.

Cowgirl, I agree on the hereford heifer - but my husband just had to have it.... :roll: She weighs around 425 lbs. or so. I guess that would be like me at a horse farm with a bunch for sale...just gotta have it....I have seven of those 'gotta have its' so far :shock: .

warpaint, tell me tell me! what was your bad experiences with Jerseys? Would like to know so I know what to look out for.

That big red and white cow is not bred. She had a calf last spring.

Workinonitfarm, the calves weigh about 300 lbs., they were probably like 275 when we bought them. Here is a picture of them the day we brought them home from the side, compared to Lilly. My weight calculations could be off, but they sure drug us around..

stocky, yes I thought we paid alot for her too; but she was the cheapest one at the sale and also near the end. All the others, even unbred, were going for between 1400.00 - 1750.00 :shock: :shock: , so I was surprised I ended up with her. The thing is, I only had 950.00 in my pocket too. 8)

Here are some in the stock trailer:

Rustler9, thanks for the butter tip!

And everyone else, thanks for your opinions too!

 

[backhoeboogie]

If you turn a profit with anything, you can consider it good. The more profit you turn, the better the deal.

You can make nickels on rag cows. The difference is you can put the same time and effort in on better cattle, and get better returns.

Different breed of cattle are better suited for different environments. Some fetch more nickels than others. It all depends on what the buyers are wanting to buy when you are ready to sell.

If I spend $1,000 on a cow that calves every 12 months and throws good calves, I am much better off than buying one for $100 that calves irregularly. I might sell that $100 cow for $300 dollars next year, but I will have lost money on her.

 

[aplusmnt]

I think the bull calves was a great deal a person would have to try hard to loose money on them, and the Hereford was a good deal, doubt you could loose any money on her if you took her and sold at the stock yards. Not a good enough angle on her picture to tell for sure but she looks like she might be good enough to keep as a cow.

Dairy heifer have no idea what they are worth.

 

[ctlbaron]

I'd say you did very well on the deal.

 

[HOSS]

I may be wrong but isn't breeding that Jersey heifer to a larger breed like the shorthorn a very risky proposition? I would be very, very worried about her calving normally.

 

[glover36]

HOSS milking shorthorns dont weigh that much when there born just had one yesterday about 60-70 pound bull calf you do get the odd one just depends on the bull

 

[Gale Seddon]

No expert here, for sure, but I like the animals you bought. The one your friend bought is a whole lotta cow, but she does have that "don't mess with me" look in her eye. My favorite is the Jersey, and I hope she does well for you...very delicate and pretty...there's just something special about a nice Jersey's face, isn't there? Hope you'll post good news when she calves!

 

[Alan]

I may be wrong but isn't breeding that Jersey heifer to a larger breed like the shorthorn a very risky proposition? I would be very, very worried about her calving normally.

A freind of mine breeds her Jersey to a milking Shorthorn bull, AI, and still retains a Milking Shorthorn.

The 2 calves I would have jumped on that deal in a second. The Jeresy: You stated is staying so it's a good deal for you (Jersey bulls, like other dairy bulls) can be real mean, watch a bull calf closely.

The friends cow, she may come out of it okay if she has a healthly calf, I probably would not have paid $950 for that cow.

Over all good deals.

Alan

 

[Alan]

Sorry my mistake I see she paid 600 for the cow in question, she does have that "I'll kick you behind" look to her, but over all a good deal.

Jersey still a good deal if you like her and is a good milk cow, that will produce a calf to fill the freezer also. The trick is not to get attached to the freezer calf... don't name it!

Alan

 

[onthehoof]

lol, I may name it but it would be ...mmmm..... like Stew, or Porter, or the all popular TBone...!

Yes, my friends cow does have that nasty look about her. I watch her (and the others, but her especially) very closely when I go out to feed. I don't trust her one bit. I hope she is buiding herself a heavy duty fence....