It is going to Happen

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

CB - you're sooo right - If you have livestock - you will have DEADstock.

 

[backhoeboogie]

YOu should always buy cattle that are raised as simular to the way you will raise them.

When you are sitting at the sale barn watching thousands come through, and you are looking for a select few heavy breds with potential, how in the heck are you supposed to determine where these gals have been? :shock: :lol: I'm just hoping to not accidently buy a problem. I've gotten lucky a few times and picked up bargains. No idea of their history or why they were culled. I can only postulate they are out of an estate and the kids moved off to the city.

 

[dyates]

YOu should always buy cattle that are raised as simular to the way you will raise them.

When you are sitting at the sale barn watching thousands come through, and you are looking for a select few heavy breds with potential, how in the heck are you supposed to determine where these gals have been? :shock: :lol: I'm just hoping to not accidently buy a problem. I've gotten lucky a few times and picked up bargains. No idea of their history or why they were culled. I can only postulate they are out of an estate and the kids moved off to the city.

If you buy a cow at the stockyards, you're asking for trouble. 99.44% are there for a reason.

 

[dun]

Have you guys never experienced or felt that home raised heifers do as well as purchased cows?

The biggest problems I have is changing pastures across the roadway. When the cows need to cross the county road, it is more comfortable when they do it in a hurry. Veteran cows know its good eating on the other side. Calves and new cows aren't in the routine. Once a heifer has been through it with the dam, she's right in there helping out the plan.

Some cows you buy have never been through the pasture change routines at all it seems. They just want to be left alone.

And there are alwasy a couple that just never seem to get the idea. We have 2 that are 5-6 years old, been being moved since they were yearlings, still dumb as a stump.

 

[Texas Gal]

You got that right... It is going to happen.
Funny thing about those momma cows... they seem protective of their little ones, but in a barn or shed, they will step on em, lay on em, or crush em and not even budge. It is why I dont feed inside my sheds when it is bad weather. When it comes to calves or feed... feed rules out for those hungry mommas, or bulls.

Actually, it was outside the barn. The cows can't get even get in the barn and we don't feed anywhere near the barn. It was just one of those stupid " $hit happens" things.

 

[backhoeboogie]

YOu should always buy cattle that are raised as simular to the way you will raise them.

When you are sitting at the sale barn watching thousands come through, and you are looking for a select few heavy breds with potential, how in the heck are you supposed to determine where these gals have been? :shock: :lol: I'm just hoping to not accidently buy a problem. I've gotten lucky a few times and picked up bargains. No idea of their history or why they were culled. I can only postulate they are out of an estate and the kids moved off to the city.

If you buy a cow at the stockyards, you're asking for trouble. 99.44% are there for a reason.

I figure 100% are there for a reason. Don't know that any of mine ever went unintentional.

 

[gerardplauche]

YOu should always buy cattle that are raised as simular to the way you will raise them.

When you are sitting at the sale barn watching thousands come through, and you are looking for a select few heavy breds with potential, how in the heck are you supposed to determine where these gals have been? :shock: :lol: I'm just hoping to not accidently buy a problem. I've gotten lucky a few times and picked up bargains. No idea of their history or why they were culled. I can only postulate they are out of an estate and the kids moved off to the city.

If you buy a cow at the stockyards, you're asking for trouble. 99.44% are there for a reason.

In the last 2 years, I bought 16 calves from the sale barn; 3 have died. That's almost 19%. I've learned that lesson the expensive way!!!!

 

[Cowdirt]

quote] If you buy a cow at the stockyards, you're asking for trouble. 99.44% are there for a reason.[/quote] I figure 100% are there for a reason. Don't know that any of mine ever went unintentional.[/quote]

They are there for a reason, that's for sure. The reason that brought them to the sale has not prevented me from buying a lot of good cows thru the barn. You need to look the cows over before the bidding starts. Look for the things that matter most to you. I can't believe what I sometimes hear on this board about sale barn cows. Just like most everything else in life; you need to know and quickly what you're looking for. That's my 2 cents worth!

 

[backhoeboogie]

They are there for a reason, that's for sure. The reason that brought them to the sale has not prevented me from buying a lot of good cows thru the barn. You need to look the cows over before the bidding starts. Look for the things that matter most to you. I can't believe what I sometimes hear on this board about sale barn cows. Just like most everything else in life; you need to know and quickly what you're looking for. That's my 2 cents worth!

There are things I can fix and there are things I cannot. There are times I just plain get lucky too. Rest assured I am looking hard. Sometimes I miss a good buy just because I am unsure, but that's just the way it goes.

You can encounter a lot of horse traders going private treaty. I know a few who have taken advantage of new folks getting into the hobby part of it. I am more leary of private treaty than I am the sale barn if I don't know who it is I am buying from.

 

[dun]

They are there for a reason, that's for sure. The reason that brought them to the sale has not prevented me from buying a lot of good cows thru the barn. You need to look the cows over before the bidding starts. Look for the things that matter most to you. I can't believe what I sometimes hear on this board about sale barn cows. Just like most everything else in life; you need to know and quickly what you're looking for. That's my 2 cents worth!

There are things I can fix and there are things I cannot. There are times I just plain get lucky too. Rest assured I am looking hard. Sometimes I miss a good buy just because I am unsure, but that's just the way it goes.

You can encounter a lot of horse traders going private treaty. I know a few who have taken advantage of new folks getting into the hobby part of it. I am more leary of private treaty than I am the sale barn if I don't know who it is I am buying from.

Over the years we've gotten some darn good cows from the salbarn, also some lemons. On the subject of private treaty, there are a number of jockeys around here that buy them at the salebarn, pull the back tag then sell them as home raised animals.

 

[Caustic Burno]

YOu should always buy cattle that are raised as simular to the way you will raise them.

When you are sitting at the sale barn watching thousands come through, and you are looking for a select few heavy breds with potential, how in the heck are you supposed to determine where these gals have been? :shock: :lol: I'm just hoping to not accidently buy a problem. I've gotten lucky a few times and picked up bargains. No idea of their history or why they were culled. I can only postulate they are out of an estate and the kids moved off to the city.

If you buy a cow at the stockyards, you're asking for trouble. 99.44% are there for a reason.

Not true most are there because some Cattleman needs a paycheck the salebarn is not evil.
The salebarn is the best friend we have as Cattlemen to liquidate cattle to cash on any day.
It is buyer beware, and you have to have an eye for cattle if you don't don't buy.
I have bought a many a good cow through the salebarn, have I ever been burned yep, have I ever been burned from a seedstock producer yep again, have I ever been burned on one I retained you bet.
There is an old gal in the pasture right now that was bought as SS for 360 buck's three years ago fixing to drop her third calf. Thats what you call a money maker.

 

[Dave]

Last fall I sold my heifers for more money than I have been paying for heavy bred cows now. They will have a calf to sell this fall, where the heifers it would be two years before I had anything to sell. Will all these cows work out for me. Oh, heck no. But at the price I pay for them at the sale barn I can take them back in the fall and still make some money. In fact I buy some older broken mouth cows with the intent of getting one calf out of them and turning them. When you buy bred cows for one bid over kill price it isn't hard to make money on her.
It isn't that difficult to spot the blind, crippled, or crazy cows. A person just needs to pay attention to the cows. There is a reason that they are there but those reasons aren't all bad ones.
Having said that I do raise a few heifers on occasions when I have a group of them out of the right cows. The ones I do raise are darn sure good cows. I just had a heifer calf yesterday. She is going to be a real cow. But I bought her grandmother for one bid over kill price. If I remember correctly I paid $28.25 cwt for that cow who weighed about 1,250 pounds back in 1997. She weaned 8 calves for me that all came off the cow at over 700 pounds. When I sold her a couple years ago she was getting down a little and only weighed 1,100 but I still got over $300 for her. I made money on that cow.
There is more than one way to make money on cattle.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Another note, worthy of mention is IF you're going to buy Cattle at the sale barn you will have losses, not MAY have losees. these losses will stem from shipping fever to ones that just lay down and die.This business is in no shape or form for novices.You'll learn right quick.

 

[hillrancher]

After reading the post about death rates and sale barn purchases. I do not feel like I am a complete idiot. I have bought and sold a few cattle from barns for 25 years never made big bucks or lost the back 40.
As for raising my own replacements have learned to get some size and maturity on the females before breading. Take just a little better care of them until they calve and you will not have many problems with them. If you let them run in the pasture get bread when ever problems you will have.
I agree buying by the lb is easier to make a buck with females, but it is no place for a beginner or myself sometimes. Yes, I get it lay ed on to me sometimes but I made the choice. I have a thing for holstein and limo X cows because everyone I have bought has turned out to make a few $. Bottom line experience pays and you will pay $ until you get experience buying at he sale ring.

 

[Beefy]

wow 10%? maybe i dont suck as bad as i thought.

 

[Jovid]

And it did today.....Had a calf born last Friday tattooed and tagged Saturday momma and baby doing just fine. Went out today no calf. Found it out in the pasture dead, Probably died last night or early this morning. No signs of scours just a healthy looking dead calf. Of course it was a heifer our of our best cow. Go figure. Also lost a bred cow a month ago.

So it can stop happening anytime

 

[hillsdown]

FYI for all of the heifer haters:

Heifers are your future herd and bull selection plays a very important factor........

 

[Cowdirt]

Not true most are there because some Cattleman needs a paycheck the salebarn is not evil. The salebarn is the best friend we have as Cattlemen to liquidate cattle to cash on any day. It is buyer beware, and you have to have an eye for cattle if you don't don't buy.
I have bought a many a good cow through the salebarn, have I ever been burned yep, have I ever been burned from a seedstock producer yep again, have I ever been burned on one I retained you bet.
There is an old gal in the pasture right now that was bought as SS for 360 buck's three years ago fixing to drop her third calf. Thats what you call a money maker.

Of all the things a person can do wrong in the cattle business, it seems sometimes on this board that buying cattle at the sale barn is the absolute worst. You can't go to the sale on a given day and say I'm going to buy some cows today. You may have to pull an empty trailer home several times. Eventually you can find some that fit your program if you're a commercial operator. Two weeks ago I took a mama cow to the sale that I bought in Mar. 1999. She was a full mouth at the time (meaning in our area probably over 5 yrs.) this means she had calved probably four times before I got her. I sold her eighth calf for me the same day. I paid $540 when I bought here and got $416 when she was sold. This is the exception but I've had far more good experiences than bad. FWIW

 

[backhoeboogie]

In the last 2 years, I bought 16 calves from the sale barn; 3 have died. That's almost 19%. I've learned that lesson the expensive way!!!!

That is not good odds. I am no where near 5%. I have loaded some back up and sold them at another auction with the previous tags still on them. I take a loss at times but they were bought at bargain prices originally anyway.

I am not gifted with the eye for cattle like some folks I have known (grandaddy had a heck of an eye). Reading stories like these makes me feel better about the eye I have. When you don't have the natural gift, you are cautious and self critical. For that reason you miss a few that you should have bought. You know your limitations and you don't get cocky or get caught up in the games. Sometimes you drag the trailer home empty. Sometimes you go with a crate to buy a couple of splits and go home and get the trailer.

Everything going through the sale barn is there for a reason 100% of the time. People are selling cows. There are a lot of hobby folk who don't know how to remedy simple things or don't even have working chutes to vaccinate. There are a lot of folks who pass on and the estate is sold off. There are people dumping problem cattle too. Some of those problems are easy to remedy. You just have to know what to look for.

There are going to be free martin heifers. Now someone is going to send me a pm asking me what a split is and someone else is going to ask me what a free martin is. No problem. Send the pm and I'll answer confidentially.

 

[Roadapple]

FYI for all of the heifer haters:

Heifers are your future herd and bull selection plays a very important factor........

Agree with ya, Hillsdown. If a person has that much problems with heifers, they just might be using the wrong bull. In 3 years since going to Braunvieh I've yet to even assist a heifer, or cow, while giving birth. Oh wait, I did have a cow that the calf was backwards, but I'm not exactly blaming the bull.