sale barn cows

[Nesikep]

I think something to look at in sale barns is the size of the lots, if you get a lot of 100 head coming through, that may have been a liquidation sale, and you pick and choose from those, you might come up with some really good animals, but buying from a lot of under 10 animals I'd say you have a pretty good chance of them being culls.

Weaned calves are another story, I've seen a lot of them go through which were gorgeous animals, and in all likelyhood with no problems

 

[texanstraders]

Glad to hear the calf is doing good.

I buy at a private treaty Cagwin run auction every year. We're small and trying to get a high quality small herd.

I try to sell anything we have private treaty as well. I have used Craigslist with moderate success. I just prefer people to see the quality of what we have to offer. They get a record of the vaccinations and papers if they desire. And there is a reduced stress in the sale. The animal doesn't have to go sit in the sale lot overnight getting exposed to who knows what. I took 2 strong bull calves to the sale barn a few weeks back and got hardly anything for them. They were 540 and 590 lb well built well cared for calves. Had all their shots and had been eating $10 a bag developer for weeks. Someone did well on their purchase and got quality genetics as well, but they will never know the background. Unfortunately, there's a bunch of not so nice stuff there as well.
Seems there's a market for a Craigslist type operation for cattle sales. Someone just has to start it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Call me an idiot then. My heifers go to the sale barn to preclude inbreeding, unless I change bulls. They are not junk and they are not problems. All have been innoculated and I have the records if anyone asks for them.

Sometimes I trade hay or other commodities for cattle to help folks out. Other than that, I pretty much buy at auction.

I do know a few horse traders out there that would love to sell cattle private treaty. Some of them advertise in the papers.

You can buy registered animals at the sale barn. Estates are liquidated there and you see nice animals come through at times.

You do see a lot of animals that are destined for slaughter. You should not buy those for commercial cattle.

Anyway, I know a lot of good folks who buy and sale at the local sale barns.

I also know some very good vets who work sale barns. Some of those folks are old school. If they give you their word, it is more valuable than a signed contract.

You can get bad animals from breedes who don't sale at the sale barn. The larger operations have their own private sales pretty regular. They are big enough to do that.

Good post it always amazes me at the people that cuss the evil sale barn that supports our business. Buying at the sale barn is not for rookies it takes a discerning eye to buy at the barn. People forget that the barn buys everything from cat food to rib eyes, this is a great system for disposing of culls to prime cattle.
There are good buys at the sale barn currently due to hay shortage in our area and low prices, a cattleman can make some froghides right now if he has extra hay and pasture to hold them till spring/summer.

 

[donnaIL]

I've bought cows,hefiers and feeders from the sale barn and never had a problem. I have seen some sickly older looking cows, they usually come out last and are always kill cows. I've also seen some folks buy those cows, because I don't think they know what is going on.

I guess we just have to remember that we don't know what those folk's plan is for any particular cow.

Your right, maybe they think the cow has one more calf in her and thats all they can afford...I will say I saw a buyer suprised when the auctioneer tell him he just bought him an "old cow". Our sale barn is small compared to the big barns you have in TX. They don't tell you anything about the cows, only very rarely do they announce "this one is for slaughter only". Ofcourse most (I'd guess 90% or more) of the animals sold there are bought by the meat buyers (there are 3-4 regulars), one also buys bred animals & pairs.

 

[JLHBP542]

I have purchased cattle here in Texas from a web site called Cattlerange.com. I have been very happy with the cattle I have purchased from there. I also take my hefer calves to the auction at about six months. Purchasers of these calves are getting quality cattle at the sale barn. I think you just have to know what your buying.

 

[cypressfarms]

Good post it always amazes me at the people that cuss the evil sale barn that supports our business. Buying at the sale barn is not for rookies it takes a discerning eye to buy at the barn. People forget that the barn buys everything from cat food to rib eyes, this is a great system for disposing of culls to prime cattle.
There are good buys at the sale barn currently due to hay shortage in our area and low prices, a cattleman can make some froghides right now if he has extra hay and pasture to hold them till spring/summer.

Put me in the crowd with Backhoe, Dun and Caustic. Sale barns are a very valuable part of the cattle business. Perhaps sale barns in other parts of the country are different, but I sell most of my calves every year in a sale barn. I also buy calves (depending on need) from sale barns as well. Always buyer beware, ofcourse, but to condemn sale barns is like shooting yourself in the foot. If you aren't good enough to buy cattle at the sale barn, have someone buy them for you. Anytime I'm buying, I always arrive very early, and write down the #'s of the one's I like. I will not bid on a calf that's not on my list, because that means that I haven't seen it. I will stand above the calves on the cat walk hours at a time to watch (calves especially) their behavior before the sale. You can pick up a lot by watching...

 

[cowsrus]

I don't know where we would be without these local sale barns. even if you don't buy from them, they are still where the bulk of cattle and calves are sold. Anytime you're livestock (or you) are ready to sell, there are buyers with cash money ready to buy at the current market price. Like i've heard before, if you want to know what something is worth, see what it brings at auction.
Just my 2 cents

 

[hopalong]

Once again it is the salebarns fault!

They didn't tell me anything about the cow.
They didn't provide me with a clean bill of health!
They didn't tell me who the original owner was!
They didn't tell me the age of the cow!
They provided me with a bid number!
They let me bid on that cow!
They didn't provide me with the knowledge to purchase the cow!

The list goes on and on,
Yes there are people who get burnt at the sale barn, those people are usually those without the skills to buy in a fast paced environment, these are also the very people who give the salebarn industry a bad name.
It is not always the SALEBARN that is at fault, instead the purchaser who is in over his/her head that cause the problem.
While I feel sorry for those who have had problems at the local barn, it still remains BUYER BEWARE!

 

[xbred]

our local sale barn owner will usually tell you where the cattle came from if you ask and usually when "farm fresh" cattle come through the ring they will get a brief description, ie. "bob jones' cattle two rounds of shots, been on feed two weeks"...like dun said, if it's kill cattle stay away...i have been burnt, but looking back it was my fault...my friend and vet will not buy anything that has even passed thru the barn...

 

[grannysoo]

Call me an idiot then. My heifers go to the sale barn to preclude inbreeding, unless I change bulls. They are not junk and they are not problems. All have been innoculated and I have the records if anyone asks for them.

You're definately not an idiot. If people would take care of their animals like you and I do, the sale barn could be an excellent place to buy.

The sale barn does have a purpose. It is a valuable part of our industry.

I have sold a few good cattle at the sale barn as have others.

I would be very careful however, about buying at the sale barn. Everyone does not take care of their cattle like you...

 

[daniel.carver]

Hi all, well I read alot on here, & just wanted you all to know that i'm still going to the sale barns. So far this spring has been pretty good, and prices are up. The calf is doing excellent, she's halter broke now and the big charlae adopted her. My work hours have changed, so I go up to Sarcoxi on monday nights to watch, and some times I see something that I can't live w/out. And still learning alot. This sale dose not have a catwalk, so I get in the pens. done ok so far. Hope everyone is doing ok. Thanks for all the advice. Dan

 

[CattleHand]

Hi all, well I read alot on here, & just wanted you all to know that i'm still going to the sale barns. So far this spring has been pretty good, and prices are up. The calf is doing excellent, she's halter broke now and the big charlae adopted her. My work hours have changed, so I go up to Sarcoxi on monday nights to watch, and some times I see something that I can't live w/out. And still learning alot. This sale dose not have a catwalk, so I get in the pens. done ok so far. Hope everyone is doing ok. Thanks for all the advice. Dan

I liked that you wrote this is a learning experience, its an unfortuante one but if you really learn from it you wont make it again and that can pay off. This may get lost in the sale barn/registered paper debate but I think its a good idea you keep going. Maybe that pair you got was cheaper than the rest and the other guys that go there a lot noticed it and didnt bid. All things to learn and watch out for. You got under 5 seconds to know if you want to buy the cow or not but once you get good at it I think you will be well off (or stand a better chance). Best of luck.

 

[rcstokes]

I haven't been at it very long, but I have bought pairs at the sale barn and off of individuals. As forum members on here know I have bought less than the best of pairs. I know that these boards have been by far the best place to go for knowledge. I sold my first set of calves last weekend and got 114.00 per for the steers. They were not junk. They stated at the sale barn where and who they came from with all shots up to date. Nice stock can be bought at sale barns. Like posters say it is up to us as buyers to have knowledge. When I buy I always just tell them to work them. To date it has not cost me more than $27 dollars to have them vet worked right there. That would be all shots and cast if need on bulls. I know who the vet is that does the work. It is our responsibility to take the initiative to become informed on issues that pertain to buying cattle at the sale barn. Most people sale at their local sale barns. Like others say, when you buy them you keep them in your corral for a week or so. Give them some extra grain and baby them for a while. They have just come out of a lot of stress. You can tell I'm a hobby farmer!! By the way I just brought home another one of those junk black baldy trader cow/calf pairs this last weekend and they are doing well. Cost me $24 dollars to get them worked. I'm just saying that nice cattle can come from a sale barn. It's up to us to make sure that's what we are buying. Odds are still better with cattle than lottery tickets. :banana:

 

[Alberta farmer]

Personally I would not buy cows from a sales barn unless I knew the owner and the cattle, real well. The old feed bucket can make a lot of dogs look pretty good?
What are you bringing into your herd? Trich? BVD? IBR?
Are you getting a fence crawler? A cow with poor genetics for udder, feet, disposition?
Might be better to take the time to raise your own replacements that you know?

 

[Bez+]

I will toss my hat in this ring with this post I just did on another thread:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=59728&p=692969#p692969

Cheers

Bez+

 

[Caustic Burno]

I will toss my hat in this ring with this post I just did on another thread:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=59728&p=692969#p692969

Cheers

Bez+

As always good solid advice.

Thanks Bez for keeping us safe and free.
You stay safe old friend.

 

[Brandonm22]

I have bought and sold stuff at the sale barns. The VAST majority of the stuff I ever sold went to the sale barns. That said...........with all the proliferation of new viruses, trich in the western states, BVDV/BRD, Johnes, etc and the questions about vaccine effectiveness if I already owned a good set of cows who were making me money I would be very reluctant to go to a barn and buy ANYTHING out of the pens today to bring back to the farms to mix with a healthy herd. IF you are buying 200 commercials females to start a herd from scratch with the economics almost necessitate that you take that risk (unless somebody gives you a real good private treaty deal).

 

[jerry27150]

did you call the sale barn. if they are reputable they should have told her condition & if they didn't they would take her back & make it right. i have had them ask me when mine come in the ring if they are 100%. i bought one once that looked fine but when i got her home the next day she could hardly get up. i called the sale barn & they took her back

 

[daniel.carver]

Jerry,
No I did not contact the sale barn, pretty much thought it was a buyer beware/as is thing. But Thanks for the advice. I dosen't hurt to ask. I've learned a lot from you all here on C.T. But still have a ways to go. I've always thought if you stop learning, your proabably dead. I'm trying to build a little herd, got a ways to go. Would like to have thirty. At the moment I'v got 4 cows and six heifers. I pay as I go. the reason for the heifers is their a little cheaper (not much) and I have found that I can take a nervous one and calm her down as she grows. yes I have ten pets, but I also have 4 eyes in the back of my head. HA,HA,HA. The last cow that I bought was a limo cross 1st stage. (I think they bred her at the sale barn) 9 month to the day that I bought her, she finally had the calf. She was skinny but teeth loked good, and I liked her structure. Now w/plenty of grass/grain/water, she's proabably the best one that i've got. But on the down side I cannot get her into the corral w/ the others. Very seldom will she enter, even w/ grain. My wife's farther raised limosuine's in the late 70's, and said that he had never seen the most fence jumpin cows ever. He said " they jump like 1000 lb deer". The cow that died, her calf would not suck a bottle, I tried & tried a day, then decided to take a bucke & bottle of milk, trying to get her to drink or suck. I had her in a small area and she was pacing fast & knocked the bottle out of my hands into the bucket which splashed up and on her. she immediately went to the bucket and started to drink, I slowly brought the bottle up and some how got it in her mouth. It was all down hill from there. She is proabably close to 500 lbs now. So I learned a trick purely by accident. Another thing is that when I finally saved the money up to buy the panels to make a corral, ( have a homade chute & w/a head gate) I could have bought 2 or 3 cows. But when you need it, you need it. Again thanks ALL, still learning & enjoying it. Dan :wave:

 

[djinwa]

Interesting that many think knowledge will allow you to spot problems.

Years ago I was asking a family friend with a feedlot why he was giving cortisone shots in the throat to some steers he'd been treating for pneumonia, becoming chronic (cortisone suppresses immunity). He finally admitted he was making them look better temporarily while he was taking them to the sale. This guy was my church leader as a youth.

I've read here of people who buy a "fence crawler" and swear they acted fine in the sale ring. Then it is recommended here to "ship her". To where? Wasn't recommended to mark as kill only. Guess if you can be fooled, you can fool the next guy.

The next time you are at the sale barn, see if there is a vet working the sale. Some of the sale barns will have vets to de-horn, innoculate etc. Ask the vet what it would cost to give your cows a shot of nuflour (hopefully 6 cc) and nasalgen. If it is reasonable, have it done immediately. Cheap insurance. Also ask him to sell you some nuflour.

If you can get a hold of some Nuflour yourself, run them through the head gate and give them a shot when you get them home.

A week or so after they have settled, eating well and all is fine, start them on their immunizations. Just make sure that the Nuflour etc has had time to clear their system before you give them immunizations. Give them their booster immunizations two weeks after that. Then they are safe to mix with the rest of the herd.

If they already have fever, Banamine knocks the fever really well.

I lost three head myself back in August. I was out of Nuflour. That won't happen again. Or else I won't buy any cows until I get my hands on some.

With this heavy use of antibiotics, I wonder how long they will work. Bacteria become resistant to them, as happened with penicillin, etc. I was talking to a young man yesterday who does cultures of infections in the hospital. I asked him which bug he finds most, and his answer was MRSA (methicillin resistant staph. aureus, methicillin is a type of penicillin). Nasty bug that now likes to kill people. Alot of bugs are shared twixt people and animals so animal antibiotic use can affect humans.

My thinking is if your practices make antibiotics routinely necessary, there is something wrong. Also gives PETA more ammo.