Replacement heifers

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Central Fl Cracker

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What is the cost of keeping heifers for replacement compared to buying them? I know this is a broad question but I do know what my cost for a cow is per year.
 
Well, I figure it is probably cheaper to buy replacements if you figure in what you could have sold the heifer for and the time it takes to grow them properly until you get a weaning age calf but I keep them every year. I know their background and I know them. I figure a weaned calf is worth $600. I'm going to feed her for 7-8 months before she is turned out to the main herd. 1st week I feed a medicated feed at $6.00/bag per heifer. After that she is on a stocker grower ration at $5.00/bag per heifer per week. Shots and wormer is about $25.00 per heifer. During winter I figure 2 bales of hay per heifer at $50.00 per bale (3 bales for a grown bred or milking cow) So we're at $886.00 per heifer to get them to breeding age. I'm not figuring in time, labor, pasture and expenses to maintain pasture, any heath issues, ect.
 
Central Fl Cracker":147jeofo said:
What is the cost of keeping heifers for replacement compared to buying them? I know this is a broad question but I do know what my cost for a cow is per year.

Never have put the pencil to it. Intuitively, Short term, I think buying is cheaper but long term if you have animals that will help your program, retaining heifers is probably best. I have done it both ways. If you do buy, don't take luck-of-the- draw if you can help it.
 
For our commercial herd, we figured it out to be cheaper to buy replacement heifers than it is to keep them. That is until you look at the number of them retained in the herd long-term. When we have bought heifers on average half will be shipped out within 2 years. Bad temperament, not staying home, conformation, etc will send them on their way. When we keep them it averages over 95% that stay. We keep from cows we know so we know what they will turn out to be, they also learn the rules of our ranch from birth.
This is providing that what you have at home is just as good as what you could go out and buy. The point is to improve your herd.
 
I much rather save my own, nothing like your own home grown hiefers for easy keeping.
 
mnmtranching":3r43q3lt said:
I much rather save my own, nothing like your own home grown hiefers for easy keeping.
heres the easy way to figure out the costs of raising your heifers.you wean the calf .now lets say that calf is worth 650 at weaning.then you raise that heifer 20 months until she calves.thats 600 days an your upkeep on her is a $1 a day.then at caving you have $1250 a hd in her.wean her calf have another $250 in her.so her total is $1500.will take 3 calves to pay for her.so its cheaper to sale the calves an buy your replacements yearly.1200 for a bred heifer an she be paid for in 2yrs.an you wont have to wait 2yrs for her to calve.
 
bigbull338":2c4a666l said:
mnmtranching":2c4a666l said:
I much rather save my own, nothing like your own home grown hiefers for easy keeping.
heres the easy way to figure out the costs of raising your heifers.you wean the calf .now lets say that calf is worth 650 at weaning.then you raise that heifer 20 months until she calves.thats 600 days an your upkeep on her is a $1 a day.then at caving you have $1250 a hd in her.wean her calf have another $250 in her.so her total is $1500.will take 3 calves to pay for her.so its cheaper to sale the calves an buy your replacements yearly.1200 for a bred heifer an she be paid for in 2yrs.an you wont have to wait 2yrs for her to calve.

But, regardless of weather you buy or not, you are still going to have that $250 into herfrom calving until she weans that calf!!
 
randiliana":1o0bjnr4 said:
bigbull338":1o0bjnr4 said:
mnmtranching":1o0bjnr4 said:
I much rather save my own, nothing like your own home grown hiefers for easy keeping.
heres the easy way to figure out the costs of raising your heifers.you wean the calf .now lets say that calf is worth 650 at weaning.then you raise that heifer 20 months until she calves.thats 600 days an your upkeep on her is a $1 a day.then at caving you have $1250 a hd in her.wean her calf have another $250 in her.so her total is $1500.will take 3 calves to pay for her.so its cheaper to sale the calves an buy your replacements yearly.1200 for a bred heifer an she be paid for in 2yrs.an you wont have to wait 2yrs for her to calve.

But, regardless of weather you buy or not, you are still going to have that $250 into herfrom calving until she weans that calf!!
rigt so in my eyes its better to buy her ready to go.so at the end of weaning you got $400 to go on the cost of the cow.
 
Food for thought -- why factor in what the retained heifer would have been worth at weaning? why not consider only the money put into her?

If the average cow costs $350 a year in upkeep, then your heifer only costs you $350 at weaning. She may be worth $600 but she hasn't cost you that. If you use Sidney's numbers after that, then that's an additional $286 to breeding age, which is $636 for a bred heifer.
 
milkmaid":xqz8s2rv said:
Food for thought -- why factor in what the retained heifer would have been worth at weaning? why not consider only the money put into her?

If the average cow costs $350 a year in upkeep, then your heifer only costs you $350 at weaning. She may be worth $600 but she hasn't cost you that. If you use Sidney's numbers after that, then that's an additional $286 to breeding age, which is $636 for a bred heifer.
MM you have to figure all the costs.if you dont then you arnt getting a true picture of what a replacement heifer is costing you.would you sale saide heifer for $636 ready to calve.no you would not.if you did you be losing $650.
 
If it cost X dollars to raise a heifer, it should cost the person that you are planning to buy from the same amount of dollars for him to raise his.
 
bigbull338":3kf1j0ir said:
milkmaid":3kf1j0ir said:
Food for thought -- why factor in what the retained heifer would have been worth at weaning? why not consider only the money put into her?

If the average cow costs $350 a year in upkeep, then your heifer only costs you $350 at weaning. She may be worth $600 but she hasn't cost you that. If you use Sidney's numbers after that, then that's an additional $286 to breeding age, which is $636 for a bred heifer.
MM you have to figure all the costs.if you dont then you arnt getting a true picture of what a replacement heifer is costing you.would you sale saide heifer for $636 ready to calve.no you would not.if you did you be losing $650.

Right... but if she's being retained then what she's worth is irrelevant. All that matters is what she has cost you.
 
Interesting figures. The only heifers we have ever considered are bargain and $1000 as yearlings, substantailly more if they're close to calving.
If you buy bred heifers you don;t have any say in who or what she was bred to.
I've alwasy looked at it as a wash between retained heifers and bought heifers. The difference being I know what to expect from the retained ones and I have made the choice of who/what she's nred to.

dun
 
Nobody has mentioned that the best replacements are bred for maternal characteristics which means that their steer contemporaries are not topping out the market. That cost would need to be figured into a retained heifer.
 
dun":tpz3zq1y said:
Interesting figures. The only heifers we have ever considered are bargain and $1000 as yearlings, substantailly more if they're close to calving.
If you buy bred heifers you don;t have any say in who or what she was bred to.
I've alwasy looked at it as a wash between retained heifers and bought heifers. The difference being I know what to expect from the retained ones and I have made the choice of who/what she's nred to.

dun
dun thanks for jarring my memory.your right most breeders selling replacement heifers want $1000 tyo $1200 as open heifers.an $1600 to $2000 for bred heifers.i priced 7 reg beefmaster bred heifers.that are 4 to 6 months bred for $1600ea.id buy 5 of them at $1600 because 2 are wild.but he wants to sale all 7 for that an i said no.
 
Victoria":39r2t2v4 said:
For our commercial herd, we figured it out to be cheaper to buy replacement heifers than it is to keep them. That is until you look at the number of them retained in the herd long-term. When we have bought heifers on average half will be shipped out within 2 years. Bad temperament, not staying home, conformation, etc will send them on their way. When we keep them it averages over 95% that stay. We keep from cows we know so we know what they will turn out to be, they also learn the rules of our ranch from birth.
This is providing that what you have at home is just as good as what you could go out and buy. The point is to improve your herd.

Couldn't have said it any better.

cfpinz
 
BC":3kv27z4s said:
Nobody has mentioned that the best replacements are bred for maternal characteristics which means that their steer contemporaries are not topping out the market. That cost would need to be figured into a retained heifer.

You are right!

But..... that is only if producers are optimzing their calf crop buy useing terminal sires. I have found that a lot of the folks on this board are useing bulls that are more on the maternal side. ;-)
 
S.R.R.":3hv5qd3z said:
BC":3hv5qd3z said:
Nobody has mentioned that the best replacements are bred for maternal characteristics which means that their steer contemporaries are not topping out the market. That cost would need to be figured into a retained heifer.

You are right!

But..... that is only if producers are optimzing their calf crop buy useing terminal sires. I have found that a lot of the folks on this board are useing bulls that are more on the maternal side. ;-)
you figure a highlander to be a terminal sire do ye
 
ALACOWMAN":nkgtg742 said:
S.R.R.":nkgtg742 said:
BC":nkgtg742 said:
Nobody has mentioned that the best replacements are bred for maternal characteristics which means that their steer contemporaries are not topping out the market. That cost would need to be figured into a retained heifer.

You are right!

But..... that is only if producers are optimzing their calf crop buy useing terminal sires. I have found that a lot of the folks on this board are useing bulls that are more on the maternal side. ;-)
you figure a highlander to be a terminal sire do ye

I dont care what the answer is. That is funny :shock:
 
redfornow":1fckp8cu said:
ALACOWMAN":1fckp8cu said:
S.R.R.":1fckp8cu said:
BC":1fckp8cu said:
Nobody has mentioned that the best replacements are bred for maternal characteristics which means that their steer contemporaries are not topping out the market. That cost would need to be figured into a retained heifer.

You are right!

But..... that is only if producers are optimzing their calf crop buy useing terminal sires. I have found that a lot of the folks on this board are useing bulls that are more on the maternal side. ;-)
you figure a highlander to be a terminal sire do ye

I dont care what the answer is. That is funny :shock:

Don,t know were you came up with that but, yes that is funny! :lol: :lol:

As to the question there is a good chance it would cost you less in the short run to buy your replacements. I choice to raise mine because I know their back round and they cost me less in the long run with good health calmness easy keeping ect. I also breed for a particular cross that works well for my area weather ect. and type of pasture/ range.
 

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