cowboy43
Well-known member
at auction today saw 80 lb run of the mill baby calf sell for $320 , even if it lives how can money be made on such an investment?
High price of baby calves
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denvermartinfarms
Well-known member
Money can't be made on them right now, I fed around 60 at a time for sevarel years, and about a year and a half ago it got to where it wasn't worth it and hasn't been since IMO.
Here baby Holsteins are around 250$ then 75$ for milk replacer, 20$ in grain before there weaned, figure 1 out of 5 will need a 5$ shot, and to be safe figure losing 1 out of 25 10$, plus there vaccinations and ear tag about another 5$, there's 365$ in a 8 week old Holstein that might weigh 200lbs if he did good, and that's the problem, 200lb steins aren't bringing 1.85cwt anywhere in the land. I can go buy them for 1.30cwt and save over 100$ to not take the risk and save all the work.
Here you can sometimes buy good beef calves off old cows for around 300$ if you can put about 4 of to 1 old milk cow you can do ok still, but that's about the only money right now in any baby calves.
Here baby Holsteins are around 250$ then 75$ for milk replacer, 20$ in grain before there weaned, figure 1 out of 5 will need a 5$ shot, and to be safe figure losing 1 out of 25 10$, plus there vaccinations and ear tag about another 5$, there's 365$ in a 8 week old Holstein that might weigh 200lbs if he did good, and that's the problem, 200lb steins aren't bringing 1.85cwt anywhere in the land. I can go buy them for 1.30cwt and save over 100$ to not take the risk and save all the work.
Here you can sometimes buy good beef calves off old cows for around 300$ if you can put about 4 of to 1 old milk cow you can do ok still, but that's about the only money right now in any baby calves.
skyhightree1
Well-known member
cowboy43":1c1rx0hv said:
City people that want a pet since they just moved out to the country? or was the buyer someone that buys cattle on a regular ?
greybeard
Well-known member
I can remember buying them for $20.........
denvermartinfarms
Well-known member
When my dad was about 15 in the late 70s people would put them in your trailer at the salebarns to get rid of them. Not saying some didn't get sold, but there was not alot of demand.greybeard":3o9rm1b2 said:
Could have been two people bidding that didn't know the going price. I've seen it a time or two. Could have been somebody needed one to graft. I wouldn't give it for one, but I sold some weaned calves today for almost $1,000. It'd make more sense than selling a good cow because you didn't want to winter her for nothing.
cowboy43
Well-known member
I have noticed that the majority of baby calves and cheap low quality cattle are being bought by a Hispanic name, our County is being inundated with land being divided into 1 to 5 acre lots being bought by a majority of Hispanics. Cheap cattle that used to be bought cheap and taken care and kept for a while , could be turned for a profit, are now being bought above market price by Hispanics, good for seller, back for cattleman.
greybeard
Well-known member
I see lots of that around here too----El Rancho Grande!!cowboy43":3r3no7pq said:
I watched a Hispanic fella bid on several calves after buying a broke down old momma cow earlier, and I thought he was bidding too much too. (I never could tell who was bidding against him on the calves either) Auctioneer even stopped once and told him "You understand we're selling by the pound now don't you?" I bet he had sticker shock when he went to pay up. :lol2:
