Sale Barn lesson learned

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cowmaker

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I have read posts on the forum before about getting docked at the sale barn for a skinny and/or long legged calf, but I had no idea it was going to be this bad!
Just last week I sold a single BWF 768# heifer for .78cents a pound $599.04 A week later my solid black skinny and tall legged 742# heifer sold for .23cents a pound $170.66
Next time, I'm going to be eating some burger...
 
well the truth is some1 just stole a heifer for nothing.if she wasnt real sick an near death there was no reason for her to bring .23 a lb.if i was you id be talking to the sale an findout why she sold that cheap.something just aint right.
 
bigbull338":3bpro2mk said:
well the truth is some1 just stole a heifer for nothing.if she wasnt real sick an near death there was no reason for her to bring .23 a lb.if i was you id be talking to the sale an findout why she sold that cheap.something just aint right.
thats a heck of alot of dock even with ear, something else had too be wrong
 
alacattleman":18qkl9g2 said:
thats a heck of alot of dock even with ear, something else had too be wrong

Where I am (Va.) eared cattle do not sell well at all. However, they do not sell that badly. I'm inclined to think as alacattleman, something else had to be going on.

Katherine
 
std dock in feeder calf sales here for brahman is around 10%.

it looks like somebody wrote it down wrong at the sale barn, or this heifer looked near death.

if she is expected to live 90 days, i would buy any heifer for that sight unseen. that's the price of 2 plain old goats...
 
I followed up with a call to the sale barn thinking it was a mistake, but they claim there was one heifer that sold for .23cents. She was healthy, someone just got a good deal and I was on the wrong end.
 
We had an experience like that once where we took a small group of similar calves and one sold way off from the rest (only 20 cent or so). We called the sale barn to ask why and they cut us a check to bring the price to the average of the other calves. We were concerned the calf got hurt after being dropped off and the sale barn said that's why you pay for insurance and made it right.
 
Good lession learned. I now it is not always possible but if you are going to spend several months raising a calf spend a few hours being there when it sells. Gives you the final say, which may be "no sale".
 
if no one bids they will drop till someone bids, that way they don't have to catch that calf. we bought a bottle calf for $20, 2 months ago because no one was there that wanted it. she was charX and very fresh she should have brought $150(her name is beef). most 20 cent cattle are pretty weak or hurt, even odd colored or dairy don't sell that low.
 
There are times you go to the sale barn with no intention of buying anything. Then you have to go back home and get the trailer. This sounds like one of those times.

Female cows with ear don't come that cheap in these parts - heifers or cows. To many folks are looking for ear for this climate.
 
cowmaker":3c8dvx1e said:
I followed up with a call to the sale barn thinking it was a mistake, but they claim there was one heifer that sold for .23cents. She was healthy, someone just got a good deal and I was on the wrong end.

Anyway you look at it somebody stole your calf....plain and simple. I've seen them limping so bad they could hardly walk and still bring more than that. Makes me wonder if she even went thru the ring. I'd follow up on the buyer and see what is going on.
 
This is the reason you watch your cattle sell. If nobody is bidding you can raise your hand and just take them home. The other thing is if it got crippled at the sale barn you can get their insurance to pay for it. One more thing is a mix up in the paper work. Your calf might have brought good money and somebody else got paid for it. They brought in a sick cripple and you got that check. If you are there you can clear up the mistake but if you wait for the check to come in the mail it is too late to prove anything.
 
Has anyone ever found that a particular individual is frequently shunned at any particular barns? I ask b/c my uncle runs a small herd, and about once maybe twice per year he runs his cows through. Granted they are all Charherfabrangus (at least thats what we call them) he consistently gets much much less than any other seller at the barn. I have not seen his cattle, but the auction report speaks volumes to me at least.

He sold 17 cattle 1 month ago with an average weight of 1140 lbs - all 4-7yr heifers. His average was only .39 or about $418 per head. Seems pretty low to me - considering the comments on all show medium to heavy under condition.

I asked him for the total results and he gave me a 5 page auction result, and the average sales for all other cattle at the auction that day was .61 and 1104 lbs. Average age was 5. Something seems a bit off - I dont know much bout it, but the only difference I see was the majority of the other cattle were black and his were listed as yellow.
 
marksmu":uhadblos said:
Has anyone ever found that a particular individual is frequently shunned at any particular barns? I ask b/c my uncle runs a small herd, and about once maybe twice per year he runs his cows through. Granted they are all Charherfabrangus (at least thats what we call them) he consistently gets much much less than any other seller at the barn. I have not seen his cattle, but the auction report speaks volumes to me at least.

He sold 17 cattle 1 month ago with an average weight of 1140 lbs - all 4-7yr heifers. His average was only .39 or about $418 per head. Seems pretty low to me - considering the comments on all show medium to heavy under condition.

I asked him for the total results and he gave me a 5 page auction result, and the average sales for all other cattle at the auction that day was .61 and 1104 lbs. Average age was 5. Something seems a bit off - I dont know much bout it, but the only difference I see was the majority of the other cattle were black and his were listed as yellow.
.the markets here are undoutbly trying too eraticate any brahamn influence they are listing brahamnX right beside the lowerpriced calves .
 
alacattleman":1qi0gccc said:
marksmu":1qi0gccc said:
Has anyone ever found that a particular individual is frequently shunned at any particular barns? I ask b/c my uncle runs a small herd, and about once maybe twice per year he runs his cows through. Granted they are all Charherfabrangus (at least thats what we call them) he consistently gets much much less than any other seller at the barn. I have not seen his cattle, but the auction report speaks volumes to me at least.

He sold 17 cattle 1 month ago with an average weight of 1140 lbs - all 4-7yr heifers. His average was only .39 or about $418 per head. Seems pretty low to me - considering the comments on all show medium to heavy under condition.

I asked him for the total results and he gave me a 5 page auction result, and the average sales for all other cattle at the auction that day was .61 and 1104 lbs. Average age was 5. Something seems a bit off - I dont know much bout it, but the only difference I see was the majority of the other cattle were black and his were listed as yellow.
.the markets here are undoutbly trying too eraticate any brahamn influence they are listing brahamnX right beside the lowerpriced calves .

That's wonderful news. Time to buy.

Marksmu if they were 4 to 7 year heifers, most folks would probably figure they are sterile.
 
backhoeboogie":13wfujv3 said:
alacattleman":13wfujv3 said:
marksmu":13wfujv3 said:
Has anyone ever found that a particular individual is frequently shunned at any particular barns? I ask b/c my uncle runs a small herd, and about once maybe twice per year he runs his cows through. Granted they are all Charherfabrangus (at least thats what we call them) he consistently gets much much less than any other seller at the barn. I have not seen his cattle, but the auction report speaks volumes to me at least.

He sold 17 cattle 1 month ago with an average weight of 1140 lbs - all 4-7yr heifers. His average was only .39 or about $418 per head. Seems pretty low to me - considering the comments on all show medium to heavy under condition.

I asked him for the total results and he gave me a 5 page auction result, and the average sales for all other cattle at the auction that day was .61 and 1104 lbs. Average age was 5. Something seems a bit off - I dont know much bout it, but the only difference I see was the majority of the other cattle were black and his were listed as yellow.
.the markets here are undoutbly trying too eraticate any brahamn influence they are listing brahamnX right beside the lowerpriced calves .

That's wonderful news. Time to buy.

Marksmu if they were 4 to 7 year heifers, most folks would probably figure they are sterile.
i wish,,, but i cater too a market outside the texas realm
 
Mistakes can be made. I bought 200-350lb bull calves this week and paid from .94 to 1.30. One calf I paid 1.21 and it was charged out at .21. Good thing the office caught it before I got the paperwork. The person selling was there and watched it sell so he would not have been happy.
 

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