How many calves to pay for a cow

[HDRider]

Is there some basic rule of thumb that says how many calves it should take to pay for a cow?

For example if I pay $1,000 for a cow how many calves from that cow should I have to sell to get my money back? Is it 2 or 3?

 

[talltimber]

It's been recommended to me to limit cow price to 3 calves and that's what I've been trying to do, max. I bought my heifers that way. I figured three $750 calves brings 2250. I cut that to 2200 and that's where I ended up basically. $2205/hd ave. Not sale barn bred heifers. The last group of six cows two years ago I beat that by a little. But, in the meantime getting the three calves you will have three years worth of maintenance as well, so you won't get those calves "free and clear" until like five or six years probably. Depending on your costs. Just putting that out there because I really didn't think that far in to it when I bought my first cows.

 

[HDRider]

Thanks Tall

 

[Tim/South]

Three calves is also the rule of thumb I have always been told. It is not uncommon to average 2.5 calves.

 

[ez14]

So my heifers cost me about $1000 each so hopefully you get that much for the first calves (depending on the current market) then the next calf hopefully pays for the cost of having her around till she has her calf and then you hopefully make a little on the 3rd calf

Thats how i figured it for mine we'll see if thats how it works out

 

[kenny thomas]

I will not pay over 2 calves. Even with young cows somewhere in her life there will be years that the cow will only break even.

 

[Cross-7]

I will not pay over 2 calves. Even with young cows somewhere in her life there will be years that the cow will onlhy break even.

X2
I started to say 2
I try to figure to break even if I sell the ( big calves) calves and cow

 

[farmerjan]

So my heifers cost me about $1000 each so hopefully you get that much for the first calves (depending on the current market) then the next calf hopefully pays for the cost of having her around till she has her calf and then you hopefully make a little on the 3rd calf

Thats how i figured it for mine we'll see if thats how it works out

Sadly, I don't see any possibility of 1000 for the first calf with the present market. We also figure 3 calves to break even on everything, then she starts to hopefully pay you back some profit. If the current situation keeps up, we will be lucky to break even on the next calf or 2. Steers here have dropped to an average of 1.10 lb. for good ones and down from there. Heifers in the .60 to .75 range last week, some a bit more but none over 1.00 anywhere. Sad....heavier ones were better than the lighter wts. :cry2: :cry2: :cry2:

 

[City Guy]

What about the cows who fail to conceive or lose their calves? Even if you get rid of them pronto there is still some expense to be spread to all the others.

 

[jltrent]

How many 90 cent calves will it take to pay for a $3000 cow. You better hope she has longevity in her genes.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Keeping a heifer - cow cost around a $1.00 a day. That needs to be added to the cost of the animal before you start the process of paying for her. If you buy the animal right you should get most if not all of your initial investment dollars back when you sell or cull. There's no reason to pay more than $1000. for a good heifer or cow in this market.
Folks this is what's called a buyers market. Get out and shop you might be surprised at what you find. Myself I'd pay someone like Denver Martin to buy me some pairs and cull as needed.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Or that Yosemite Sam looking guy up in Virginia, I hear he spends a lot of his time in the sale barns up that way.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Or that Yosemite Sam looking guy up in Virginia, I hear he spends a lot of his time in the sale barns up that way.

The problem with him TT is he doesn't get out much. Between cows, guns, and blondes he stays pretty busy.

 

[ez14]

So my heifers cost me about $1000 each so hopefully you get that much for the first calves (depending on the current market) then the next calf hopefully pays for the cost of having her around till she has her calf and then you hopefully make a little on the 3rd calf

Thats how i figured it for mine we'll see if thats how it works out

Sadly, I don't see any possibility of 1000 for the first calf with the present market. We also figure 3 calves to break even on everything, then she starts to hopefully pay you back some profit. If the current situation keeps up, we will be lucky to break even on the next calf or 2. Steers here have dropped to an average of 1.10 lb. for good ones and down from there. Heifers in the .60 to .75 range last week, some a bit more but none over 1.00 anywhere. Sad....heavier ones were better than the lighter wts. :cry2: :cry2: :cry2:

Right now i dont really see it happening either i dont know if prices will be any better next year but i think that gives me a good rule of thumb for most years (hopefully)

 

[Dave]

Right now I could buy a boat load of bred cows for one bid over kill price. So I wouldn't have to worry about how many calves it would take to pay her off. She will be pretty much worth what I paid for her when she leaves. The question is will the value of the calf cover the cost of feeding her every year?

 

[talltimber]

Keeping a heifer - cow cost around a $1.00 a day. That needs to be added to the cost of the animal before you start the process of paying for her. If you buy the animal right you should get most if not all of your initial investment dollars back when you sell or cull. There's no reason to pay more than $1000. for a good heifer or cow in this market.
Folks this is what's called a buyers market. Get out and shop you might be surprised at what you find. Myself I'd pay someone like Denver Martin to buy me some pairs and cull as needed.

I spend no time in barns to speak of so idk what's going on in them around here, as far as cow prices go. I keep reminding myself what I think it may have been you, TG, said once (if it wasn't you I apologize), something about there are many ways to make money in the cow business.

I am not geared toward trading around, so I don't look at things maybe the way others might. I buy cows to keep, not trade on. I don't want to buy someone else's junk, just to have to cull through dang near the whole herd trying to find some keepers, just to have to start over again when I've culled through those.

 

[farmerjan]

All according to what your kill price is there, they would be fairly cheap. Dropped to $.42 AVG. here this last week. That's pretty low and no signs of it getting better. Just sold 16 steers weighing 447 @ 1.25 privately, and he wants another 15 or 20 so we are going to gather up at several pastures and get them to him this weekend. They came out and looked at this group and my son took him to a couple of other places to see some of the other ones and we are going to take as many as we can at that price. Saves the commission, they are close so we are delivering them and it will at least keep us from giving them away. Still that's only about $550 each. Guess we will sit on the heifers for a bit since we will have a little time once we get the rest gone this weekend. Big difference from the $1200 ea we got just a couple of years ago.... :???: :???: :cry2: :cry2:

 

[farmerjan]

I agree that if you buy the cows right, and I'm not talking junk, you still should be able to get most of her cost back in cull price in a normal market. And that means being willing to cull when the price is high and keeping a few extra heifers instead. But I won't cull a cow just because the price is high, there has to be a reason that I am thinking about it, then if prices are high, don't second guess and sell her. Right now decent cows can be bought for $1000 and they will be keepers. In a couple of years as the whole cycle comes around, she will be worth near to that as a cull cow. Gotta stick out the cycles to even make it in this business, and gotta be willing to sell a few more when those prices are high to stick some back to buy a few more when the prices hit the bottom as they are doing now.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Right now I could buy a boat load of bred cows for one bid over kill price. So I wouldn't have to worry about how many calves it would take to pay her off. She will be pretty much worth what I paid for her when she leaves. The question is will the value of the calf cover the cost of feeding her every year?

Yes, yes it will.

 

[Cross-7]

I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but I look at cows as inventory.
I'm not so much concerned about her calves paying for the cow as I am her calves making a profit over inputs. Return on investment.

To me buying cows is like buying a bussines/factory
I won't get my money back till I sell the factory but as long as I have the factory producing I'm making a profit
There is maintenance and some parts wear out and get old and have to be replaced

Just hope at the end of the year there is a profit.