Managing Shrink?

[Stocker Steve]

I have sold in several ways, and concluded that if I do not have a potbelly load, I can do as well by minimizing shrink and selling at a local barn. I like to get some hay into grass cattle and bring them in off pasture at 8 or 9 AM when the morning graze is over.

The local barn is always pushing me to bring them in the night before to put them in a pen with hay and water. They promise they will sell earlier in the day. I realize the selling price per pound could be a little more early in the sale.

I don't see a lot of eating or drinking going on in these sale barn pens. Any estimate on how much additional shrink there is with an overnight stand in a strange pen?

 

[Angus Cowman]

calves that have shrunk overnite are easy to tell when they come thru the ring and around here you will usually get a penny or more for them over calves that look like they have their bellies full

most order buyers will figure the shrink in to the price they pay and a good order buyer can usually guess within a few lbs what those full bellied calves will weigh when they shrink

 

[Stocker Steve]

calves that have shrunk overnite are easy to tell when they come thru the ring and around here you will usually get a penny or more for them over calves that look like they have their bellies full

Do you think they only shrink one or two percent more?

 

[Angus Cowman]

been told that anytime you load a calf on the truck you are shrinking 2-3% and if they stand over 2 hrs you can add another 1% an overnite stand they will usually lose no more than 5-6%
so I gues I am saying they won't lose more than an extra 1-2%

 

[Texas PaPaw]

My experience is they don't eat much in a strange place the first 24 hrs. It's my understanding cattle will shrink approx. 1% per hour. Have seen cattle shrink more than 10% overnight.

At my local barn, we can call the day before and they will pull the lowest number tags they have left and save them for you. Bring them in right before they are to sell those #'s and they won't stand around and shrink as much as they will overnight at the barn. You may wish to see if they will do this for you. If they don't want your cattle to go down the road to another barn, this should be a reasonable request.

When selling at a local barn, I put my calves on good hay, free choice 2-3 days before the sale to fill their system with the slow digesting hay. The hay seems to slow the rate of passage in their digestive system. About 1 hr before loadout on sale day, I feed them 1% of bw of a pelleted feed they are familiar with to get a few extra pounds without them looking too full. I have tried feeding more than 1% of bw and the buyers noticed. Of all the methods, this works best for me when selling locally, as none of the local area barns feed anything except hay. I do not withhold feed or water at any time. Just try to get them to retain all they can. BTW- still have a minimum 2-3% shrink using this method.

Most of my cattle are now sold at a large regional sale that feeds no hay just a pelleted "stockyard" ration. The pellets put the weight back without making them look too full. We ship them 2 days before the sale day and they get filled back up. I still weigh most of the loads when they leave my place and over 90% of the time my pay weight is greater than what they weighed on the truck scales 5 miles from my place. Compared to selling locally, I sell an average of 5% more pounds. This more than pays the haulers fee for a 250+ mile haul and I'm only shipping large gooseneck loads. Have learned that freight is cheaper than shrink. Potloads would be an even better deal.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[kenny thomas]

Weighed a couple of calves last Sunday afternoon at 6:30 on a bet. One lost 70lb and the other 55lb by sale time (2pm) on Monday. These were 9wts.
Several of the loads here going west are reaching 8-11% shrink in this heat. Some of the sellers are having to pay for anything over the 8%.
I will never deliver the day before. 1-2 cents overnight is not near enough to make up for the weight loss.
With cull cows and bulls I will call and see how late they will sell and deliver them just before time.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Thanks for the tips. Sounds like the the type of stockyard ration in a big factor. Stemmy grass hay is common here.

 

[Stocker Steve]

When selling at a local barn, I put my calves on good hay, free choice 2-3 days before the sale to fill their system with the slow digesting hay. The hay seems to slow the rate of passage in their digestive system.

Are these dry lot cattle, or are you feeding hay on pasture or are you pulling grass cattle into a lot for 2-3 days?

 

[Texas PaPaw]

When selling at a local barn, I put my calves on good hay, free choice 2-3 days before the sale to fill their system with the slow digesting hay. The hay seems to slow the rate of passage in their digestive system.

Are these dry lot cattle, or are you feeding hay on pasture or are you pulling grass cattle into a lot for 2-3 days?

These are primarily grass cattle. Being on green grass their digestive rate of passage is usually pretty high and it seems the hay slows it down. I think of the hay as a slow moving plug. There are times I feed high levels of corn gluten & soy hulls on short and/or dormant grass and their rate of passage is also high. I think this helps on any program that is using highly digestible feed/grass.