Making money feeding out calves

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BK9954

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Is it profitable to feed out 300 weight calves on $30 a bale haygrazer 5X4 12% protien or cotton seed mix $210 a ton 22% protien with feeders selling at $1.75. I would be buying and feeding out. Wanted to make some money while waiting on my cows to calve out later this year.
 
BK9954":3pm3dh2b said:
Is it profitable to feed out 300 weight calves on $30 a bale haygrazer 5X4 12% protien or cotton seed mix $210 a ton 22% protien with feeders selling at $1.75. I would be buying and feeding out. Wanted to make some money while waiting on my cows to calve out later this year.
I'm not seeing $1.75 feeder cattle in the near future personally. If you keep your cost of gain at or below 70¢ per lb you should be able to make of profit of $1 per day per head selling 7-8 wts in August. If you feed them less than 16% protein your throwing your money away :2cents:
 
3 wts 1.60 - 1.70 here ... so yea with trucking and 1 round of shots it'll cost you about 1.75 to put them on your farm
600# 1.35
750 - 800# 1.20
350 x 1.75 = $612
760 x 1.20 = $912
$300 margin to put 410 lbs on them... $300 div by 410 = 73 cents per lb break even (with no trucking or selling fees)

600 x 1.35 = 810 $198 margin on 250 lbs = 79 cents lb margin

So what are we talking.... 40 - $60 hd net profit?
 
Son of Butch":22anw3dc said:
3 wts 1.60 - 1.70 here ... so yea with trucking and 1 round of shots it'll cost you about 1.75 to put them on your farm
600# 1.35
750 - 800# 1.20
350 x 1.75 = $612
760 x 1.20 = $912
$300 margin to put 410 lbs on them... $300 div by 410 = 73 cents per lb break even (with no trucking or selling fees)

600 x 1.35 = 810 $198 margin on 250 lbs = 79 cents lb margin

So what are we talking.... 40 - $60 hd net profit?
With a 70¢ cost of gain the first equation should make $13 and the second equation should make $22. Working an extra hour of overtime in 6 months should make those margins lol
 
:2cents: Stockers are a high volume deal.
I would lean more towards buying old skinny cows feeding the good hay and cottonseed your weight and price per pound will increase.
Sell before July. :2cents:
 
Thats no good. Might be better to get 800# heifers, let my jersey heifer bull go to work, take them back and sell them as bred. Skinny cows only going for $.50 right now.
 
Keep looking for other choices. I bill my corn out at 142 a ton and I was paying 163/ton for ddg but have since started buying damaged ddg or gluten for anywhere from 104-140 ton.
When your feeding real good feed you don't have to have great hay. You just need hay.
You will need real good hay to start them on though.
 
BK9954":paj7x6xy said:
a ton of cotton seed mix 22% protien at $210 is $.11 a pound.
That's right on the money of my feed costs. Feeding 2% of their body weight, plus free choice hay and minerals, meds and labor adds up to 70¢ lb of gain. Heifers are a good buy. One of my favorites is a 500 bull calf at $1.20 per lb and selling in 6 months weighing 800 lbs @ $1.20. With 70¢ cog would make $150. That's the best return on investment I've came up with especially hedging them. I'd like to hear some better ideas too though :cowboy:
 
jedstivers":2iad7wk8 said:
Keep looking for other choices. I bill my corn out at 142 a ton and I was paying 163/ton for ddg but have since started buying damaged ddg or gluten for anywhere from 104-140 ton.
When your feeding real good feed you don't have to have great hay. You just need hay.
You will need real good hay to start them on though.
I better talk numbers with you soon Jed before I get in much deeper.
 
RanchMan90":2w5zxep4 said:
BK9954":2w5zxep4 said:
a ton of cotton seed mix 22% protien at $210 is $.11 a pound.
That's right on the money of my feed costs. Feeding 2% of their body weight, plus free choice hay and minerals, meds and labor adds up to 70¢ lb of gain. Heifers are a good buy. One of my favorites is a 500 bull calf at $1.20 per lb and selling in 6 months weighing 800 lbs @ $1.20. With 70¢ cog would make $150. That's the best return on investment I've came up with especially hedging them. I'd like to hear some better ideas too though :cowboy:

It's hard to find a 1.20 bull calf right now that's very good. I've seen several that were bringing just shy of 1.40 this last week.
 
RanchMan90":32m1doji said:
jedstivers":32m1doji said:
Keep looking for other choices. I bill my corn out at 142 a ton and I was paying 163/ton for ddg but have since started buying damaged ddg or gluten for anywhere from 104-140 ton.
When your feeding real good feed you don't have to have great hay. You just need hay.
You will need real good hay to start them on though.
I better talk numbers with you soon Jed before I get in much deeper.
Anytime.
I might be in a better area for feed than you though.
However my ddg/gluten comes from 250 miles away.
 
The main time I ever made money running small numbers of feeders is when you caught the market right and saw feeders go up while I had a group. Around here I wouldn't buy now, prices will be peaking over the next 6 weeks.
 
BK9954":1mxppx9x said:
Is it profitable to feed out 300 weight calves

I used to buy a lot of those.
Usually made very little limit feeding them in a MN winter.
Usually made good money once they hit grass.

It seems to me that there is more demand now for calves under 400# than there was a few years back. Do you see this?
 
Stocker Steve":sdmtuxg4 said:
RanchMan90":sdmtuxg4 said:
With a 70¢ cost of gain the first equation should make $13 and the second equation should make $22.

How much death loss and LRP is included?
I didn't. That would negate any profits on those little fellers :? Would have to turn them out on some unimproved grass lease for a chance of profit.
 
BK9954":3719t6z7 said:
Thats no good. Might be better to get 800# heifers, let my jersey heifer bull go to work, take them back and sell them as bred. Skinny cows only going for $.50 right now.

I wouldn't breed heifers to a Jersey if you are planning to sell them. Announce that they are bred that way and the price will drop considerably. Don't let it be known are bred to a Jersey and your reputation will be damaged. Do whatever you want on heifers you keep. But that won't work so well on ones you plan to sell.
 
Dave":2sujypdr said:
BK9954":2sujypdr said:
Thats no good. Might be better to get 800# heifers, let my jersey heifer bull go to work, take them back and sell them as bred. Skinny cows only going for $.50 right now.

I wouldn't breed heifers to a Jersey if you are planning to sell them. Announce that they are bred that way and the price will drop considerably. Don't let it be known are bred to a Jersey and your reputation will be damaged. Do whatever you want on heifers you keep. But that won't work so well on ones you plan to sell.
Not sure if the auction ask, but they never announce what bred cattle being sold are bred to. I have a black brangus bull but dont like running new cattle straight from anywhere with him. Never know if they are bring the gift that keeps on giving like trich. If my jersey got it I wouldnt be hurt. He goes to slaughter anyways. Heck you cant even tell the jersey crosses are hardly jersey. My angus jersey/brangus jersey calves just look like brangus or angus lacking a beefy butt. My little hereford jersey cross heifer looks more hereford then anything. Just super small when she was born.


 

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