Sale Barn Bottle Calf Prices

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farmerjan said:
Have fun.... just don't wave your hands at a fly or anything......you might get more than you bargained for....
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Oh, you can wave your hand. Just don't be looking at the auctioneer when you do it. In fact don't focus on the auctioneer at all unless you are wanting to bid.
 
I'd heard the part about sitting on your hands, if you're not bidding, but I didn't know to not look at the auctioneer. Thank you all for the advice.!
 
Hereford2 said:
I'd heard the part about sitting on your hands, if you're not bidding, but I didn't know to not look at the auctioneer. Thank you all for the advice.!
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Don't freak out about the auctioneer taking your bid. And even if he did you just say that you weren't bidding if he says you got it.
 
For a learning experience see if you can catch who is bidding. Traders do some odd things to hide their bid from you if it's their calf or if it's a calf they want.
 
kenny thomas said:
For a learning experience see if you can catch who is bidding. Traders do some odd things to hide their bid from you if it's their calf or if it's a calf they want.
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The ol ear tug in the off side.... lmao
Rub the nose..

I caught one guy pretty good one time. Boy we we bidding fast and furious. I knew he had been running em up. Everytime he'd bid I wouldnt let him get his hand back down b4 I bid. I made it clear I was bidding and I was going to buy them heifers!!!

Then I just stopped..
The look on his face when he bought his own heifers!
Priceless...

Just because it was the first time I was at that sale, doesnt mean it was my first sale. Lol
 
$800 for a bottle calf? Send a trailer I got a deal for you. Really can't believe anybody paying more than $150 for one. 4 wt. calves here are a push to bring $600 and bottle calves take a lot to get there.
 
SmokinM said:
$800 for a bottle calf? Send a trailer I got a deal for you. Really can't believe anybody paying more than $150 for one. 4 wt. calves here are a push to bring $600 and bottle calves take a lot to get there.
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300 is more than I really wanted to pay.
But when ya need one, ya need one...
Only way I see it penciling out, is if a cow will adopt it.
Get north of 300 and it's a no go for me. Definitely not on a bottle!!

But I guess if a body just wanted something cute n cuddly and had money to spend on a pet....
Folks spend more than that on their dogs.
 
MurraysMutts said:
I shouldn't spill the beans.
But the heifer I just bought cost me 300.
Now I couldnt make the sale, had a buyer get it for me.

Most I've seen worth bringing home are gonna be 200plus. Usually 300. Depends how many people are there that day looking for baby calves.

I've also seen folks get all worked up and seen em sell as high as 425 recently. Craziness!!

Idk wth a person does with a 425 dollar bottle calf....

Be hard to turn any kind of profit, especially considering milk replacer costs, unless it was going on a cow. And even then, its probly a loss.
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I got into a bidding war on one not because the calf was worth it but because the little 5'4 misses (ex wife now) beside me wanted the damn thing. Shoulda saved my money it ended up catching pneumonia while I was outta town And kicking the bucket
 
Haha that's hilarious, that he bought his own cows. It's pretty rotten that someone would bid on their own animal.
 
We have bid on our own if they drop the prices down below sensible. Have brought some home too and not regretted it. We also have had a buyer to bid on ours up to a fair price and then they can bring what they bring. It helps to know who and what.... and to know who buys what....It is a business, it's a trade, it's a very specialized art. There are those that will try to steal things, and I have seen 2 buyers go at it just because they don't like each other... but often because they want to finish up a load.
 
Well I didn't buy anything, the 2 bottle calves, went for $325 & $285. I could have gotten a nice looking beef calf $300 pounds for $175 it was end of the day and the order buyer's had there quotas filled. But the auctioneer talked so fast, it was sold before I started bidding lol. Near the end of the day they were begging people to buy the calves, because they had so many Feeder Calves brought in that day, and the order buyer's were on the phone trying to find more trucks to haul the calves, before they bought them. At the beginning of the day most calves in the 400 to 500 pound range were going for $750 a head, end of the day $1.00 a pound to $1.15.
 
Hereford2 said:
Well I didn't buy anything, the 2 bottle calves, went for $325 & $285. I could have gotten a nice looking beef calf $300 pounds for $175 it was end of the day and the order buyer's had there quotas filled. But the auctioneer talked so fast, it was sold before I started bidding lol. Near the end of the day they were begging people to buy the calves, because they had so many Feeder Calves brought in that day, and the order buyer's were on the phone trying to find more trucks to haul the calves, before they bought them. At the beginning of the day most calves in the 400 to 500 pound range were going for $750 a head, end of the day $1.00 a pound to $1.15.
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Often the end of the day when there are big runs is the time to buy. Singles and cut outs that just didn't match the bunch can be good calves bought cheap. It is also the time when sick or junk calves get sold so one needs to be paying close attention.
 

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