My first auction

[recurveman]

I'm looking to get a calve or two to put into the back acre. I've got a few questions and I'm hoping that someone can point me in the right direction.

What is the difference between a heifer and steer? I know one is/was a boy and the other is a girl but what kind of differences am I going to see at the table and how they gain weight?

What are the best types of calves to get? Angus, herferd, mix? How do you tell them apart at an auction?

What should I look for in a calve at an auction?

I'm thinking about getting two. I've got about 3/4 of an acre of pasture and I'm more than happy to get hay to feed them. There is plenty of cow hay in my part of the world.

Thanks for the help. If I'm missing something that is obvious for a first timer don't hesitate to give me some advice.

Chad

 

[rockridgecattle]

one was a boy...cheeky i know, couldn't resist... :lol:

 

[angie2]

A steer was born a bull. At some point in his young life, he was casterated and can no longer reproduce. A heifer is a girl. Most people raising for meat prefer to have steers to heifers.

Is it possible that you could buy directly from a farmer/rancher near you? This years calf crop is getting weaned. I can;t imagine someone would not be willing to sell you a couple. You will have better luck as far as their health, and you will also then have a resource near you if you have questions. Is a much better option than sale barn/auction.

Is important to remember that everybody thinks that what they raise is the best, look around.

You need a lot more information. Maybe others will jump in.

 

[Txwalt]

There is a search tab at the top of the screen. Lots of knowledge on the board if you are willing to sift through it. You can also google a lot of info. There are tons of posts for people just starting out if you try that tab. Grow grass first, fence, facilities, then cattle. Vacs & worming. Opinions on cattle breed/types will differ greatly. Good luck with your endevours.

Walt

 

[Ryder]

Chad,
Heifer or steer either one will work for you.
Angus, Hereford or many other breeds will work.

Don't go to auction to buy alone. You need to find someone to help you out the first time or two.

Probably best if you can find a local cattleman you feel you can trust and buy direct from them. You can get advice and potentially healthier animals at the same time.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Salebarns are evil corrupt places Just ask this board :lol: :lol:

You can get burned at a salebarn (and I have) but you can also do very well (done that too). You will indeed need to sit through many sales and have some experience with cattle (what you don't want and what you can easily fix) before you are proficient. And then, sometimes we just get lucky.

I've drug a trailer to the salebarn many times and then drug it home empty. Other times I go to the salebarn without a trailer and have to go home to get it afterwards.

There is less risk in taking a sure thing. If you know a good person in your proximity, with cattle, I'd start there just like the previous poster advised.

Whatever animal you decide on, decide what you intend to do with it, then make sure it is suitable for your environment, for that function. If you are just going to grow out a steer for freezer meat, any breed will work but some will have better steak than others.

 

[grannysoo]

Look around and fine someone with a herd of cows that you admire the looks of. Then.... meet the owner and buy your first cows from him/her.

The salebarn is a good thing. Especially when you're culling cows and have a newby buying them. (Buyer beware)

 

[cmjust0]

If you buy an animal at the salebarn, you're automatically giving more for it than anybody else was willing to pay.. Given that you're most likely going to be surrounded by people who know cattle pretty well, giving more than they'd give is a pretty dangerous thing for a newbie to do..

On the other hand, if you buy an animal at the salebarn, you're only giving a shave more for an animal than people who likely know cattle better than you.. Thinking about it that way, paying more to buy an animal that others seemed to want could be viewed as paying a bit of a premium to use other folks experience.. At least you know you're driving away with an animal for which other buyers would have paid good money, for whatever that's worth.

You be the judge.

All in all, I'd say that if you must buy an animal from the salebarn with no experience, the best you can probably do is to look for animals which generate fairly wide, sustained interest, then jump in late. You're certainly not going to get any bargains that way, but you're not bargain hunting -- you're looking for your best shot at a solid animal, and to minimize the potential downside of your investment. Oh, and if you so much as catch the slightest whiff of a bidding war brewing, jump out immediately.

Good luck.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

If you buy an animal at the salebarn, you're automatically giving more for it than anybody else was willing to pay.. Given that you're most likely going to be surrounded by people who know cattle pretty well, giving more than they'd give is a pretty dangerous thing for a newbie to do..

On the other hand, if you buy an animal at the salebarn, you're only giving a shave more for an animal than people who likely know cattle better than you.. Thinking about it that way, paying more to buy an animal that others seemed to want could be viewed as paying a bit of a premium to use other folks experience.. At least you know you're driving away with an animal for which other buyers would have paid good money, for whatever that's worth.

You be the judge.

All in all, I'd say that if you must buy an animal from the salebarn with no experience, the best you can probably do is to look for animals which generate fairly wide, sustained interest, then jump in late. You're certainly not going to get any bargains that way, but you're not bargain hunting -- you're looking for your best shot at a solid animal, and to minimize the potential downside of your investment.

• > Oh, and if you so much as catch the slightest whiff of a bidding war brewing, jump out immediately.<

Good luck.

thats a fact. they can spot a fish so dont be over zealous. act like you don't care if the sun shines. alot of times they back off ....then strike ;-)

 

[recurveman]

I went to the auction yesterday and just watched. Most of the critters I thought I would like to have in my pasture were going for around .80-1.05 per pound. I'm really not looking to save money. I really just want a good eater. Heck I would pay more if I knew it was a good one. I'm just trying to avoid a bad one.

I've got a buddy that has bought a few from this auction and has had good luck. His brother is in the cattle biz but just not in AZ.

I think I'll just buy one and and see what happens.

Thanks,

Chad

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I went to the auction yesterday and just watched. Most of the critters I thought I would like to have in my pasture were going for around .80-1.05 per pound. I'm really not looking to save money. I really just want a good eater. Heck I would pay more if I knew it was a good one. I'm just trying to avoid a bad one.

I've got a buddy that has bought a few from this auction and has had good luck. His brother is in the cattle biz but just not in AZ.

I think I'll just buy one and and see what happens.

Thanks,

Chad

the best advise i could give you is...whatever you buy send it to the vet pen and have the work's done before you turn it out. cause it could be a potentail nightmare

 

[JRM]

If you buy at a sale barn, watch how the bidding is going for a while. Then when you see something that you want have a price amount that you are willing to bid. Be agressive and do not hestiate to bid, and then when your price is over what you are willing to pay for it, shake your head no and then do not look at auctioner, till next animal is in ring.
One time I was at an farm auction and I was bidding for my brother in law who could not make it, he had told me how high to go, I was bidding like I would go to the moon with it, when he got to the limit, I shook my head no, turned around and walked away. They guy that was bidding against me was a freind of the auctioner and he said out loud, what the h*** am I am going to do with that. I, along with several people were laughing. Next time I bidded on something at the auction, hardly any one bidded against me and I got a good deal. If they have no idea where you will stop, then you will not get people bidding just to get price up.
I alike many here have said have had some good luck at auction barns and been burned a few times as well, but all in all I have come out ahead. I have actually made some money buying cattle one week, then re selling them at another auction barn a few weeks later, but timing and knowing what they will be giving at the other auction barn is the key to it.
Best of luck

 

[angie2]

If you go to auction ~ I always go early and look in the back to see what is going to be coming out. If I see something I like, I write down the tag number and watch for it to come through.

 

[Tod Dague]

I went to the auction yesterday and just watched. Most of the critters I thought I would like to have in my pasture were going for around .80-1.05 per pound. I'm really not looking to save money. I really just want a good eater. Heck I would pay more if I knew it was a good one. I'm just trying to avoid a bad one.

I've got a buddy that has bought a few from this auction and has had good luck. His brother is in the cattle biz but just not in AZ.

I think I'll just buy one and and see what happens.

Thanks,

Chad

You're doing good. When I first started out I went to the several sell barns for a while and just watched. When I got pretty good at figuring weights and what they would bring then I started biding. It toke me a while just to figure out what they were saying.

 

[recurveman]

I understand how hard it is to figure out what they are saying. It took me the better part of an hour to figure out how they were selling the calves and what they weighed. They actually had a scale as the calve left and that would tell you how much it weighed but it took me a bit of time to figure that out.

Me and my buddy are going to get to the sales barn about 3 hours early to do some looking around. He likes to look at everything ahead of time. It goes WAY to fast if you aren't prepared ahead of time.

Thanks,

Chad

 

[backhoeboogie]

They actually had a scale as the calve left and that would tell you how much it weighed but it took me a bit of time to figure that out.

Chad

Chad,

Everyone I have been to in the last 20 years or so had scales like that. Best to be able to guess weight beforehand.

When I bid, I stay with a spotter and not the auctioneer. Anytime someone ups my bid he points at me and I go it until it is beyond what I am willing to pay. If you don't know where you are at in price, just put your hands palms up and he will tell you. If you miss knowing if the calf is a heifer or bull, ask. Two fingers up split usually means "split tail" - a heifer. The auctioneer doesn't have the time for details. The spotter will take the time. Once you know all the signals, it is easier to understand.

It does indeed go fast but when the critters come through that you aren't interested in, you wish that it would go much faster.

There have been times the Dublin, TX salebarn went on for over 20 hours. Started at noon and ended the next a.m. They would run pens of cattle through and you could bid on the bunch. They'd split some out if you ask but you'd best buy the one that was split :lol: Normally it is only 8 to 10 hours. Watching a sale like that is good for a novice if you have the time.

 

[FarmGirl10]

If your at a salebarn that sells more than just cattle, watch as the animals come in, your best bet would be to buy stock from a person that only brings in one type of animal, unless they bring in meat goats and cattle (i've had luck with buying from someone that has this mix of species). I've noticed (in my area atleast) that the animals of someone that specializes in one type of animal are normally healthier.

 

[FarmGirl10]

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38923&sid=812766b751abcf7331f442440eac62d7
You might want to check this out.