Sell or hold?

[Ky hills]

I am definitely not in possession of a crystal ball and usually I end up being wrong a lot more than right. We have some steers and a few heifers mostly black that should go around 550-650. They have been wean well over a month and have had two rounds of vaccinations, with the last being Bovi Shield Gold. We typically sell in CPH 45 sales but those are 4 months out and would have to be worked again for those sales. I am thinking about going in and selling them in a couple weeks as I don't know whether the market will come down this fall and erase the benefit of more weight?

 

[callmefence]

:2cents: Nobody has a crystal ball. That's why I believe in selling them when they're ready.
Unless you've got a surplus of grass that can't be hayed yours sound ready...

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I am definitely not in possession of a crystal ball and usually I end up being wrong a lot more than right. We have some steers and a few heifers mostly black that should go around 550-650. They have been wean well over a month and have had two rounds of vaccinations, with the last being Bovi Shield Gold. We typically sell in CPH 45 sales but those are 4 months out and would have to be worked again for those sales. I am thinking about going in and selling them in a couple weeks as I don't know whether the market will come down this fall and erase the benefit of more weight?

We're sending a group of steers next week and a group of heifers a week or so later.

Just feels like the right time. They are all long time weaned.

 

[A.J.]

I agree with the others. I would go ahead and sell them. The risk would outweigh the potential benefit for me. It's usually best to do the opposite of what I would do though.

 

[bird dog]

Well you are at the sweet spot (30 days weaned) on preconditioning where your animals really start packing on the weight. You have them straightened out as the industry likes to call it. Don't quit on them now. It all depends on your market but to me you need to at least give them a few more weeks to take advantage of all the work you have done. If your grass is decent they will make you $2 per head per day without any creep just letting them graze.

Thats one of my pet peeves on special 45 day wean sales. You have to do it on their timeline with their conditions. Well my animals are ready on my timeline and the timeline that fits my farm. As a result I have to find somewhere to sell where they announce my program and pay for it. Its not that difficult if you will explain it to the sale barn owner what you have or in my case, I take them on a five hour drive where they sell good long weaned calves every week and will announce your program for better or worse.

 

[Douglas]

Selling mine today. For me too many risks out there to wait and the prices are as good as they have been this summer. Going to the beach tomorrow for the first time this year. Here prices generally start down after labor day anyway.

 

[Rafter S]

I don't know how the auctions work in your area, but if you're going to run them across the scales I'd suggest letting the folks at the auction know about the vaccinations and weaning, and ask for that information to be passed along to the buyers. they may sell them as a lot instead of singles that way, or at least sell the heifers as one lot and the steers as another one.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Selling mine today. For me too many risks out there to wait and the prices are as good as they have been this summer. Going to the beach tomorrow for the first time this year. Here prices generally start down after labor day anyway.

What are you buying back?

 

[sstterry]

I don't know how the auctions work in your area, but if you're going to run them across the scales I'd suggest letting the folks at the auction know about the vaccinations and weaning, and ask for that information to be passed along to the buyers. they may sell them as a lot instead of singles that way, or at least sell the heifers as one lot and the steers as another one.

It makes a big difference here, if they are weaned, castrated (healed), and vacinated they are sold as "value added".

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I don't know how the auctions work in your area, but if you're going to run them across the scales I'd suggest letting the folks at the auction know about the vaccinations and weaning, and ask for that information to be passed along to the buyers. they may sell them as a lot instead of singles that way, or at least sell the heifers as one lot and the steers as another one.

It makes a big difference here, if they are weaned, castrated (healed), and vacinated they are sold as "value added".

Two rounds of shots helps too.

 

[sstterry]

I don't know how the auctions work in your area, but if you're going to run them across the scales I'd suggest letting the folks at the auction know about the vaccinations and weaning, and ask for that information to be passed along to the buyers. they may sell them as a lot instead of singles that way, or at least sell the heifers as one lot and the steers as another one.

It makes a big difference here, if they are weaned, castrated (healed), and vacinated they are sold as "value added".

Two rounds of shots helps too.

I agree with that totally, I don't consider them properly vaccinated unless it is two rounds (unless it is bovi-shield one-shot)

 

[kenny thomas]

Sell cull cows and bulls this week and let the calves grow till 45 days at least. Crabgrass in your area will add lots of cheap gain

 

[Dave]

Cows went to the kill plant yesterday. The calves are little light. So a couple days in the corral to get the bawl out of them. Then out of the irrigated meadow. Not certain what we will do with them. Might hold over for next years yearling deal, might sell in September. I know that there is one leppy that is going to someone else. It is barely bigger than my border collie. Hopefully someone needs a roping calf.

 

[Brute 23]

I'm bullish about where things are going. We saw some jumps in the stock market, kids are going back to school, more studies are coming out that people are recovering... I just think this thing is about to turn. The tone is changing. When the kids go to school and there is not a jump in cases this deal is going to wrap up. Not sure how long cattle prices will trail is the tough part.

I'm a bird in the hand kind of guy and prices took a little jump this past week so I would bail them. If I was a person who liked to hold and squeeze and few more nickels out I would do it. I think it would be a good call.

 

[Logan52]

Weaned and castrated I know, but, what exactly is two rounds of shots?
Here at our yards, they call out long time weaned and two rounds of shots in order to get that value added bonus.
I have never known exactly what two rounds of shots entails.
Could two blackleg shots count?

 

[A.J.]

Weaned and castrated I know, but, what exactly is two rounds of shots?
Here at our yards, they call out long time weaned and two rounds of shots in order to get that value added bonus.
I have never known exactly what two rounds of shots entails.
Could two blackleg shots count?

It might vary by location, but here's an example of the health form for our local pre-conditioned sale.

https://a9c71bdf-2e1c-420a-80d4-c0fbdf1808b0.filesusr.com/ugd/f0b6ad_88f0b49c2caa47b08198e5ff456fefe4.pdf

 

[bird dog]

At least two rounds each of a blackleg shot and a respiratory shot would be the minimum.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I always thought of blackleg as a pasture disease. How does it effect feedlots?

 

[bird dog]

Well thats a name used around here. Its usually a 7 way or 8 way.
The label reads
7-way blackleg plus red water protection for cattle and sheep. For prevention of Clostridium chauvoei, septicum, novyi, sordellii, perfringens Types C & D, plus haemolyticum (bacillary hemoglobinuria/red water). Give cattle 5 ml SQ; give sheep 2.5 ml SQ. Repeat in 4-6 weeks and once annually.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Cattle get red water in the feedlot?