I stopped by the cattle market today and hung around for awhile, when I usually go , I like to make a trip around back to where there loading up cattle and see what everyone bought. Why does it seem everybody buys calves? Not baby calves but weaned calves? Do they just grow them out then resale them or maybe replacements or what? Just curious. Ive seen some that will buy maybe one or two bred cows and a bunch of calves. Anyway Im justt curious on why everybody seems to buy calves. Thanks
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- Thread starter CopeMan
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A lot of those weaned calves will be going out to crop residue, i.e., wheat and corn.
I can't get over the price people are paying for them. We had a great looking cow that has dainty little calves that just don't grow even though she has lots of milk. We hauled her and her weaned calf to the sale this week. The calf is cat hammed and only went 320 lbs at 6 1/2 months, $165 cwt, couldn't believe it.
dun
I can't get over the price people are paying for them. We had a great looking cow that has dainty little calves that just don't grow even though she has lots of milk. We hauled her and her weaned calf to the sale this week. The calf is cat hammed and only went 320 lbs at 6 1/2 months, $165 cwt, couldn't believe it.
dun
CopeMan":1i25lbuu said:
We raise lots of winter wheat here in OK. The wheat farmers buy stocker calves and graze them on wheat all winter, then sell them in the spring in time for the wheat to make. Many of the small wheat farmers don't even have their wheat combined because it's only worth about what it costs to have it cut. So they make most of their money on the gain they can put on stocker calves. Some of them buy calves, some run other peoples calves on the gain.
I can definetly see how that works out in your area and in the midwest ,but the only thing about down here in the the south where I am is that is no wheat farmers. So that is pretty much out. What else do you think it could be? maybe there still going to winter them just not on wheat?
Cattle Rack Rancher
Well-known member
I would think that most of the people who are buying weaned calves would be feedlots who would be backgrounding them or finishing them for slaughter. As a person with a full time job, and cattle as a second income (well its supposed to be). I get the most bang for my buck doing straight cow-calf and selling my calves as weaned calves. Backgrounding calves would consume alot of my time and I would be doing most of my chores in the dark in the middle of winter for what i consider to be a minimal return. My brother farms only, no other job, for him any extra value he can add to his calves is worthwhile because he is at the farm anyway and is not doing anything else with his time. Just depends on your situation, and what you want to do.
Ann Bledsoe
Well-known member
CopeMan":200xis4s said:
The calves are run on fields where the crops have already been harvested. There is enough residue left after harvesting for the calves to feed on.
Around here (SE Nebraska) calves, as well as bred cows, are put out on harvested corn and soybean fields. They're also put out to graze winter wheat fields.
Ann B
TheBullLady
Well-known member
Here in central Texas the calves are going on winter pastures of wheat and oats for backgrounding. They'll be sold either on gain or outright at 800+ lbs to the feedlots
Ok dun.. what does "cat hammed" mean?
Ok dun.. what does "cat hammed" mean?
TheBullLady":1ausbv5r said:
Back before we started using the muscle classification of 1, 2, 3, we used th term cat hammed for those that had no muscling in the rear. If you look at a typical cat you'll notice the shape of the "ham" appears underdeveloped. So those calves that have very scrawny hindquarters we called cat hammed.
I refered to him that way and the vet about wet himslef laughing. Then we he really looked at the calf he saw exactly what I was talking about and had to agree that it did look like a cat.
If they were numbered it would be about a 5-6 even though the numering only goes to 3.
This cow is the one I had alluded to earlier. People take a look at her and just drool wanting her in their herd. She looks like a real powerhouse. We used three different bulls on her and every one of her calves was cat hammed. Her mother throughs great calves and so do her half sisters out of that old cow. She is/was just a real disappointment. But at $59 cwt I won't miss her.
dun
