Sale of pairs

[G. S. Chase]

When a typical buyer purchases a pair at an auction, does he assume that the cow is bred back?

 

[bigbull338]

only way you know is look on side like the age will be on the shoulder an how far bred below the hipp scott

 

[brokenmouth]

When a typical buyer purchases a pair at an auction, does he assume that the cow is bred back?

thats not a safe assumption if she is not marked as bred. the sale should mark her the number of months if she is. if she isnt they should mark her open. unless the seller didnt want to pay in which case the safe assumption would be open.

 

[Dave]

Don't assume anything positive at the auction. If she has been preg check they should say so. If they say nothing about being bred back you can assume that she isn't. Most pairs that are sold as pairs are with a relatively young calf. If the cow is bred back it might be too short of a time period to determine if she is bred.

Dave

 

[bigbull338]

right some are not palpated at some sale barns an i hate to say this i wouldnt trust the barn vets arm anyway scott

 

[Bama]

right some are not palpated at some sale barns an i hate to say this i wouldnt trust the barn vets arm anyway scott

I pretty much trust them at being bred or not if its 4 months or longer. The exact date is usually off, but this is not an exact science. I have had several that were short bred but they missed it. I can't blame them there, It was just to small to feel. Most of the time they do a good job.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

I have an acquaintance that claims he bought a cow at a weekday auction, marked 7 mo. pregnant, and that she had the calf in the trailer on the trip home while he was stopped at a cafe for supper.

 

[CopeMan]

I have an acquaintance that claims he bought a cow at a weekday auction, marked 7 mo. pregnant, and that she had the calf in the trailer on the trip home while he was stopped at a cafe for supper.

That must have surprised him

 

[bigbull338]

see after 6 months if your a good vet its hard to get it right on the money my vet told me he could get them to 6 months bred an not miss it but wouldnt gurentee 6 to 9 b/c of the size feet a calf has scott

 

[jerry27150]

no, do not assume this. one young vet at humeston iowa thinks he is good enough to put plus or minus on his 1st, 2nd & third period bred cows & he may be

 

[jgn]

When I go to our local sale barn all cows being sold will be preg checked and labeled within a couple of months. 3-5, 4-6, or 7-9. All open cows will be marked with a O. No markings for age. They sold some heifers for a guy a while back and the vet must have been really good cause some of these were marked 1 month. HA HA.

 

[msscamp]

I wouldn't. The local salebarn announces when the cows/heifers come into the ring whether they are guaranteed open or guaranteed bred. Other than that, it's a crap shot. I would assume open, and if she is bred it's a pleasant (hopefully) surprise.

 

[jerry27150]

if the guy bringing them in thought they were bred, he should have had them do a preg check. but some don't, so you can't be sure. my son just bought three like this, but he doesn't care if they were bred or not, cause if they aren't, they will get bred by one of his bulls & freshen in the spring

 

[stocky]

there are about 20 cattle auction barns within 100 mile radius of me. Almost all of them use one of 2 tagging methods. One method is to have a colored brucellosis free tag with the age of the cow glued on the side or hip. Green=6-9 months bred. Red=4-6 months Blue=1-3 months Yellow=open White=not checked. The other method is a white brucellosis free tag with the age written on it and the preg stage 1,2,3/ open written in paint stick on the hip. No paint, wasnt checked. Either way, you know whether or not the cow was checked and if checked the vet's guess at how long bred. They age the cows by running their hand across the teeth. If a cow was on good grass and smooth land she will age younger than she is. If a cow was on hilly, rocky, short grass, she will age older than she is. You have to use your own judgement on the age to go with what the vet says

 

[krusader]

Normaly at the auction I go too the cow in the pair is not palpated. A lot of times the calf they have with them is young so I just figure they ain't bred. If the calf is big I might think it is but it don't matter I got a Bull for the job at the house.

 

[bubchub]

Yeah the vets are usually a little off but one time i bought a Longhorn marked 6 month and she had a calf the next month.

 

[G. S. Chase]

Thanks for your help! This was a great way to get input.