Hold or Sell?

[mdt192]

Hello all, looking for some advice.

I've got a group of weaned calves that have had been vaccinated and are on feed for about 45 days.

They are receiving 4#/day/head of a 14% commodity blend and free choice first cutting grass hay. This is costing me around $1.10/day/head. Shortly, I'll begin skipping the commodity blend feed every 3rd day and put the calves on ryegrass pasture for a few hours.

The steers are around 575# and gaining 2.75#/day. Heifers are around 535# and gaining 2.30#/day.

When would be the optimal time to sell these calves? I am open and originally planned on holding these calves until the spring run. However, I am concerned that my local market has little demand for 750#-850# calves.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmVxiVvIjEY

Here is what Corbitt has to say.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Good job of calculating your cost of gain. Now need to look at your local markets - - calculating the value of gain between several weights for both steers and heifers.

Buyers usually have orders for 5 wts.. Often you can make more by selling 5 wts. and then buying back lighter calves, IF you know how to handle high risk calves.

 

[5S Cattle]

How many calves? You must have some really good hay

 

[Lucky]

Sounds to me like you are making an avg of $2.65 per head a day, at that margin I'd keep them as long as you can stand it. There's always somewhere to go with good calves at any weight. Have you looked at videoing them for Superior or one of the online auctions? 2.75# a day is exceptional gains on 4#'s and hay.

 

[mdt192]

Well, my numbers may be slightly inflated due to working and weighing the calves last thing during preg checking, so there might have been some stress induced shrinkage that I probably gained back quickly. They had been creep fed just enough to get them familiar with eating at a trough.

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't tested my hay yet, so I don't really know the quality. I would expect it to be good. They are also being held in a 5 acre pen of Bermuda grass that I didn't graze much at all this year.

There's only 25 of them, so definitely not worth Superior or anything like that.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Around here the heavier they are, the less they sell for per pound. It all evens out to about the same price/head whether they weigh 500#, 600# or 800#. If it was me, I'd can them now and save the money.

 

[Dave]

The market is trending up here. The heifers I paid $1.33 for 5 weeks ago would now be close to $1.50. I see that the report of Toppenish said feeders were up 8 cents last week. Heavier feeder cattle are selling real well here. Figure out a way to economically get them to somewhere with a better feeder market.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I'd keep'em till your rye grass ran out. Graze all day, with a couple pounds of corn per day, and a bale of hay to munch on, will make some pretty cheap gains.