Muddy
Well-known member
Never seen a single Limousin x dairy calf at the sale barn...so much for being "popular" cross.frieghttrain":32nsclaf said:
Limi - Jersey cross heifers
- Thread starter morancher
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farmerjan
Well-known member
Son of Butch":ncx6yx9w said:
This is a decent cross if you are wanting to keep the heifers for possible replacements. In this area the popular crosses with the dairy farms is basically as SOB said... breed the top 1/3 of the herd to sexed dairy semen, then the rest to beef. It is getting more popular since the straight dairy heifers are worth very little now. However in this area they are using black... angus or black limi . The biggest problem is that the heifers will have udder and milking issues. They can often raise a 2nd calf due to higher milk production...or they can get mastitis from too much milk and the calf not using it all. The limi does tend to knock out some of the milkiness so that they do not get as much of the udder issues. The thing here, so many that buy these black calves do so to graft on a beef cow that has lost a calf, or want to raise a couple of black calves up to sell as feeders later on. The jersey cross makes some pretty good eating and will put on more meat than a straight jersey calf of course.
With replacement dairy heifers, springing, not worth 1,000 at this time, a supposed "surplus" of milk and milk prices at the lowest imaginable in the $14.50 to $16.00 per hundred wt., the dairy farmers are going out of business and those staying in are looking for any way they can to make the calves worth more. Holstein bull calves are bringing $10. to $50. and heifers are less. The black calves are in the $50 to $150 if someone needs one to go on a cow. This time of year there are fall calving beef herds so there is more of a possibility of needing a calf to graft on a cow.
Holstein feeder steers in the 4-600 wts are down, in the 40's and 50's again. That was where prices were 20 years ago... it is not a good situation right now.
Boot Jack Bulls
Well-known member
I still don't see the benefit of buying these cross heifers for a beef operation. I have no doubt Limi X Jersey calves make good terminal animals, Riverview has proven that on an enormous scale! My point it, when purchasing replacement females and wanting Limi influence, I personally would be more inclined to look at Lim-flex females. They are generally moderate in frame, growthy and bring together the best of both worlds. I would think the would be easier to procure as well...
Son of Butch
Well-known member
Last week I bought 425 lb hol steers for 60 cents lb... with horns, rough hair coat and needed to be worked and somefarmerjan":333vl2lb said:
900 lb holstein steers implanted and well started on feed for 67 cents.
I bid a group of top quality 425 lb holstein steers up to 95 cents and didn't get them.... they had all their work done.
cbcr
Well-known member
Boot Jack Bulls":1g50o90d said:
Dairy beef accounts for almost 23% of the beef produced in the US. Dairy beef also has a higher percentage of animals that yield a prime carcass (2 - 3 times the rate as beef breeds). It is estimated that 30 - 40% of prime beef is from dairy beef.
So with that in mind, a dairy x beef cross cow bred to a good beef bull should produce a better carcass!
frieghttrain
Well-known member
I'm sure you get to all the sale barns my bad :roll: Not to mention most bull calves are sold private treaty and raised till slaughter.Muddy":ud3rygnq said:
Muddy
Well-known member
Yeah right :roll:frieghttrain":b3bwuaka said:
farmerjan
Well-known member
@Muddy, you must just not be in an area where these dairy and dairy cross calves are in demand. Here there are many sold directly off the farm. A couple of farms do not ship calves to the markets, they are bought directly by certain buyers. The dairies will make sure the calves have had colostrum, and are doing good and usually are 2-4 days old before they leave the farm; some up to a week. You do not run the risk of the new calf being exposed to every germ and disease known to man like when they go through the sale barn. I only buy off the farm. Sometimes I buy 1-2 a week, sometimes only 1-2 a month. Have a couple of farms that I only buy from as I know those calves are going to live and thrive, because the farmer makes sure they get a good start. A farmer will take a little less than maybe the market is bringing at certain times of the year, knowing that the calf will be picked up within 24 hours of calling the calf buyer. Other times of the year they might be getting more than the calf will bring at the sale; like right now they are at near giveaway prices. The farmer figures that it averages out, the calves are picked up, they do not have to pay costs to haul them to the sale, or charges/commissions to be sold.
If the calf is a black limi x dairy, most people cannot distinguish the difference than if they are black angus x dairy. I have a couple and really could not see much difference in the 3 day olds. When they get a little more growth it usually shows more. I've gotten both and have no qualms about either. If crossed with a holstein, the angus x usually do not show much white, but the limi x seem to show some white on feet ot tail from the holstein. With a jer x that is not an issue.
@SOB; sat at the sale for about an hour today and watched a couple of brown swiss bull calves in the 250 range bring $.20 lb. YEP, giveaway prices. They might have had something else in them as they were much more lively than pure swiss usually are, maybe some limi as they had the distinctive face coloring .... saw 3 first calf heifers with 200 lb calves that brought right at $650 and $700 for one. They needed some feed, a bit on the thin side; and udders were small. But I think some feed would have really made a difference. Didn't have the trailer and it was raining and crappy out and didn't feel like messing with them. Got some bills to pay soon and probably won't be selling any more calves for a bit since prices are depressed. Couple of the buyers are saying one problem is no trucks available to haul them due to usual heavy fall selling. Plus it is late this year due to the wet conditions earlier. 1500 head today. What steers I watched were in the 1.25 to a few 1.50 and bulls 1.10 to 1.30 for some 375 to 450 wts. Not very good..... heifers were in the .80's last week I was told..... OUCH.
If the calf is a black limi x dairy, most people cannot distinguish the difference than if they are black angus x dairy. I have a couple and really could not see much difference in the 3 day olds. When they get a little more growth it usually shows more. I've gotten both and have no qualms about either. If crossed with a holstein, the angus x usually do not show much white, but the limi x seem to show some white on feet ot tail from the holstein. With a jer x that is not an issue.
@SOB; sat at the sale for about an hour today and watched a couple of brown swiss bull calves in the 250 range bring $.20 lb. YEP, giveaway prices. They might have had something else in them as they were much more lively than pure swiss usually are, maybe some limi as they had the distinctive face coloring .... saw 3 first calf heifers with 200 lb calves that brought right at $650 and $700 for one. They needed some feed, a bit on the thin side; and udders were small. But I think some feed would have really made a difference. Didn't have the trailer and it was raining and crappy out and didn't feel like messing with them. Got some bills to pay soon and probably won't be selling any more calves for a bit since prices are depressed. Couple of the buyers are saying one problem is no trucks available to haul them due to usual heavy fall selling. Plus it is late this year due to the wet conditions earlier. 1500 head today. What steers I watched were in the 1.25 to a few 1.50 and bulls 1.10 to 1.30 for some 375 to 450 wts. Not very good..... heifers were in the .80's last week I was told..... OUCH.
Muddy
Well-known member
Farmerjan, how do you know I wasn't in the area? Did you went to check on me where I lives?farmerjan":1sosgvxm said:
Most common dairy x beef calves I seen were usually Angus or Hereford crosses with few Sim mixed in. Lot of white faced calves coming off the local dairies.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Muddy, I must've misunderstood. Maybe you are being "sarcastic" when you made the comment "yeah right" to the post that freighttrain wrote. I have no idea where you are except a "cold place". Maybe you have dairies all around you. But I do know for a fact that there are several that are using angus, simmental and limi semen on their lower half of the dairy herd cows, and often a black calf can be any of those 3 crosses. And they are definitely in a greater demand than any straight bred holstein bull calves and jersey bull calves are giveaway prices. Have watched many go through the sale barn north of me where there are still alot of dairies. The ones that take calves there will get 2-4 times the money on a black calf...beef-dairy cross, than a straight dairy bull calf. And I know 4 buyers that buy directly off the farm, and that they take any, all calves the farmer wants to move, so they can keep the "contract". In this area there are next to no white faced dairy cross calves because anything hereford just does not bring any money here. And many still are of the mindset that hereford calves can have big blocky heads and shoulders, so they are not used as cleanup on dairy heifers. Mostly a cleanup bull like that is an angus or a black limi because they tend to slide right out easier. Limi's are often longer than wider so are not usually a problem being calved by a dairy heifer that is fed fairly well.
No, I didn't know if you were in the area and I did not check on you where ever you may live.
No, I didn't know if you were in the area and I did not check on you where ever you may live.
Till-Hill
Well-known member
what size and how many you looking for. I got friends in AI industry and another one buys calves off large dairies in N WImorancher":4aenfnen said:
