Important question....just getting into the cattle business-
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trappersteve
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As a beginner myself I think you just need to get a few nothing special cows to kinda get your feet wet and see where it goes I actually plan on raising registered stuff later on but til I know what im doing im not gonna get any high dollar stuff yet
I would recommend geting good quality commecial cows and forgetting about registered for a few years. Once your infrastructre is up to snuff and you are suwared away with record keeping, health program, the start attending a few registered sales to get a feel fo that end of the business. You can keep your commercial cows and gradually add registered as you go along.
Registered doesn't have to be high dollar cattle. I just bought registered heifers for $2k and that's what they're bringing at the sale barn. Commercial heifer pairs brought $2875 here a couple weeks ago. I think with the low cattle numbers today you should get the best start you can on whatever budget you can afford. Better cattle will make you more money than poor cattle by raising better quality calves that buyers are willing to pay top dollar for at sale time. I'm not in any way saying that registered means better than commercial, simply that junk cattle (registered or not) will not be worth having.trappersteve":2567e7np said:
This is the first cattle you will buy so why go buy whatever's cheapest at the time? I would buy young cows in good condition, registered or not, and start that way. Your the one that has to look at em every day. Welcome to the forum
cow pollinater
Well-known member
Start commercial. You can't possibly know what commercial cowmen want from a seedstock producer until you've been there yourself and if you don't know what commercial cowmen want then you're dead in the water before you ever get started.
I paid that stupid tax myself. I thought I needed registered cows and that's what I bought after growing up around cattle . Most of them are getting cross-bred on purpose and only a small handful get used as seed-stock and it's just barely enough for my own use.
I paid that stupid tax myself. I thought I needed registered cows and that's what I bought after growing up around cattle . Most of them are getting cross-bred on purpose and only a small handful get used as seed-stock and it's just barely enough for my own use.
Cussin' Gus
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You can't afford to buy junk. Anything someone is selling, there is a reason why, you might be able to find some registered cows that a breeder selling as bred cows or 3n1's for not much more than what a commercial cow is going for. Take them to your place and raise them as commercial and forget about all the registered stuff until way later if you want to mess with it at all. Alot of the repuatble breeders have commercial stock.
3 years ago I bought 18 registered angus 3n1's for 1600, they ranged in age from 9 to 3 yrs, sold the calves in the next fall, and they all calved the next spring, right now i have 15 of those 18, 2 bred back late and 1 broke her leg in a freak accident. And they are a lot easier to handle than my nutty eared cattle (any cow can be a nut)
I dont say alot on hear but ask questions there is alot of good people on hear. Goodluck :tiphat:
3 years ago I bought 18 registered angus 3n1's for 1600, they ranged in age from 9 to 3 yrs, sold the calves in the next fall, and they all calved the next spring, right now i have 15 of those 18, 2 bred back late and 1 broke her leg in a freak accident. And they are a lot easier to handle than my nutty eared cattle (any cow can be a nut)
I dont say alot on hear but ask questions there is alot of good people on hear. Goodluck :tiphat:
Tim/South
Well-known member
Just buy the best cows you can. There are not a lot of bargains out there right now. Be cautious and buy from someone reputable if you can.
There is a fairly steep learning curve when first getting into cattle. Once you get over the hump it is worth the work. Plus you can actually make a buck with the current prices.
There is a fairly steep learning curve when first getting into cattle. Once you get over the hump it is worth the work. Plus you can actually make a buck with the current prices.
cmf1
Well-known member
dun":29or9ptj said:
cow pollinater":29or9ptj said:
2nd. :welcome:
gonzo
Well-known member
Get used to raising cattle all the issues with some easy keepers, if there is such an animal :welcome:
bigbull338
Well-known member
in my breed of choice reg weaned heifer calves are bringing $1600hd or more depending on the breeder you buy from.since your starting out i suggest buying some bred comm cows or pairs.they would be cheaper to learn on an fine tune your operation.
Rahe Family Belties
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I think I would buy some purebred cows, maybe older cows. Always a strong market for good heifers out of these cows.
I think I'd stay away from clubby bred animals if you don't know how to pull calves and deal with genetic issues. The show world is a tough place to depend on making a buck.
A specialty breed for a niche market can generate good money on smaller numbers. Grass fed cattle are hot right now, especially if you live near a larger city.
Good luck!
I think I'd stay away from clubby bred animals if you don't know how to pull calves and deal with genetic issues. The show world is a tough place to depend on making a buck.
A specialty breed for a niche market can generate good money on smaller numbers. Grass fed cattle are hot right now, especially if you live near a larger city.
Good luck!
I'm looking to get back in the cattle business and I know I'm gonna start out with some bred cows. One thing I've been looking for also is herd dispersals (sp) breed sales. Sometimes you can get a good deal toward the end of the sale. My breed of choice( BRAHMANS) though is a bit expense for me so I'm having too look into breed #2(BEEFMASTERS).
I agree with all that's been said just on the fence as too which way I'm going to go. The deciding factor is cost per animal for me.
I agree with all that's been said just on the fence as too which way I'm going to go. The deciding factor is cost per animal for me.
bigbull338
Well-known member
ok here something for you to really think about considering reg cattle.i talked to a buddy of mine that will be at a breed assoc sale tomorrow that i was supposed to go to.but due to the wet icey mess we could be in im not going.an i needed to pick up 2 pairs or bred heifers.an we was talking price an he said the open an bred heifers should go for $3000 or more.an if he is right bred cows or pairs will be $2500 or more.an he said that we should be ready to give $3000 for the cattle we wanted.an tobe ready to get blown out at that price.
greybeard
Well-known member
bigbull338":6jlz09fw said:
A
Anonymous
Just getting in stick with quality commercial cows and out the best bull you can afford on them. Once you have a feel for things start to Ai your best commercial cows to good bulls. Then, once you got a handle on what works best for your area, find yourself a breed, and if registered is where you want to go, follow that. If you go registered you're gonna need a good marketing program and/or need to buil a good name for yourself along your way. Main thing is to stay flexible along your path
bird dog
Well-known member
Buy you a nice young registered bull of the breed that you think you might want. Put him on some open solid mouth crossbred cows (split pairs) that you can buy just over slaughter price. These old cows will show you how its done and give you some experience. As you cull these old girls and sell their calves, replace them with some of those registered animals to compliment your bulls qualities. Even if you don't go the registered route, you will be building a nice herd of like kind animals.
greybeard
Well-known member
Them old girls that still have life for a few calves left are getting pretty expensive too. Still probably a lot cheaper than buying weaned heifers and growing 'em tho.
cow pollinater
Well-known member
AND they're PROVEN. :nod:greybeard":wan771s5 said:
cow pollinater
Well-known member
Also, you can't beat native cattle no matter where you are in this great country. If you have the option, buy cows from someone local who operates similar to the way you want to. If you buy cows that aren't used to your environment/feed/weather/method of handling, you are going to have a lot of failure for the first two years until the cows get used to "home". It is so much easier just to buy stuff that already lives like that and just change the address.
