Selling calves

[colleen]

We have a few calves we are selling. Coming to our house to pick them up this weekend. Do you wean yours first or do you just let them haul them off. They go through the stress of weaning here but it will be fence weaning which is not so bad but then on Sunday they will be loaded up and brought to a strange pasture with no familiarities and there is All that stress all over again. Or should you just skip the weaning and let them go through it all at once?? tonight we put them in a 1 1/2 acre pasture where they can fence wean, but they are bellowing and running along the fence. Just seems like we are going to be putting them through it twice.

When you haul calves to the sale barn, do you wean them all first?

These calves have always been on pasture, mom and eat feed also. Putting them on pasture as soon as they reach their destination will not be a problem.

 

[stocky]

I take them straight off the cow to the sales barn. I get prices just as good as the weaned calves, but without the the labor, the extra feed cost, medicine cost, death loss, etc. There may be other areas of the country where weaning pays, but not here. You do not say how you are selling your calves. If they are going to be sold by the pound and weaned tonight and not weighed until this weekend, they will lose alot of weight. When you wean, calves lose weight for awhile, then gain slowly, then start gaining faster. So, if you wean, they need a few weeks to get back where you started from. It can be less time when the calves are not getting much milk or more time when they are getting alot of milk. Fenceline weaning is less stressful, but they still lose weight, temporarily. Normally, buyers want calves to be weaned at least 60 days and have two rounds of shots to consider them as premium weaned calves. When there is a surplus of calves, weaning has a better chance of paying off. When the supply is tight, the demand causes the unweaned to bring as much as the weaned

 

[colleen]

We are not taking them to a sale barn. A guy came and looked at them Monday and is coming back Saturday to pick up 2. I advertised on this local livestock site. Another guy saw the pictures of a couple of our other heifers I posted for sale and he wants them sight unseen and will be here Saturday also. The calves are fat and healthy but come Saturday after all the crying and pacing they will be a few pounds lighter for sure!! I think it's harder on me than them!! We only get 10 calves a year. More of a tax/hobby thing. A lot go to 4H kids to show and I try to avoid the sale barn. If I can I find someone else to buy the rest. My husband prefers the sale barn. Much simpler. We sale the calves and that is what we use to pay for our hay. That's about it. I was just wondering if it was necessary to wean if they are riding from one house to another (30 miles). Trying to save myself some stress but I also want what's best for the animals.

 

[fitz]

If I were selling steers and the buyer agreed, I'd just send them off the cow. When I sell heifers private treaty they are 5/6 months weaned.

fitz

 

[Roadapple]

Shouda used nose flaps and saved stress on you and calves. Calves stay with mothers and everything goes on as normal except they can't suck. After 4-5 days separate, neither are stressed.

 

[1982vett]

We have a few calves we are selling. Coming to our house to pick them up this weekend. Do you wean yours first or do you just let them haul them off. They go through the stress of weaning here but it will be fence weaning which is not so bad but then on Sunday they will be loaded up and brought to a strange pasture with no familiarities and there is All that stress all over again. Or should you just skip the weaning and let them go through it all at once?? tonight we put them in a 1 1/2 acre pasture where they can fence wean, but they are bellowing and running along the fence. Just seems like we are going to be putting them through it twice.

When you haul calves to the sale barn, do you wean them all first?

These calves have always been on pasture, mom and eat feed also. Putting them on pasture as soon as they reach their destination will not be a problem.

What is the buyer expecting.....If they aren't expecting weaned calves I'd have the cow penned with the calf when they come to pick it up. I'f your selling by the head it doesn't make any difference. If your selling by the pound, how did you arrive at a price? Did you adjust your price a little higher knowing your calves will be drawn if you are in the weaning process a few days before your buyer picks them up?

The deal is to be fair to both yourself and the buyer.

We are not taking them to a sale barn. A guy came and looked at them Monday and is coming back Saturday to pick up 2. I advertised on this local livestock site. Another guy saw the pictures of a couple of our other heifers I posted for sale and he wants them sight unseen and will be here Saturday also. The calves are fat and healthy but come Saturday after all the crying and pacing they will be a few pounds lighter for sure!! I think it's harder on me than them!! We only get 10 calves a year. More of a tax/hobby thing. A lot go to 4H kids to show and I try to avoid the sale barn. If I can I find someone else to buy the rest. My husband prefers the sale barn. Much simpler. We sale the calves and that is what we use to pay for our hay. That's about it. I was just wondering if it was necessary to wean if they are riding from one house to another (30 miles). Trying to save myself some stress but I also want what's best for the animals.

 

[colleen]

Yes, we tried those nose flaps once. Didn't care for them but they may be worth trying again. When we bring to the sale barn, my husband just loads them up and goes too. And we just gave them a price. Not by the pound. And we told them we would wean them. They are separated as of yesterday. He's coming Saturday. Thanks for the good advice. Just needed a little reassurance.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

If you told him you would wean them then that's what you do. I wean all my calves at 6 to 7 months, but I feed all mine out for another 5 months. If you sell at the Salebarn and your not going to keep them for any time after weaning I would not wean.

 

[fitz]

If you told the buyer you would wean them with putting them up on Wed. and he coming Sat. they will probably still be pitching a fit. At least he'll know what to expect when he gets them home.


fitz

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

For me, if their healthy, well started and ready to wean (old enough) I'd let the buyer deal with the hollering. Only stress them out once. :2cents:

 

[cross_7]

My opinion is the guys that wean them in the trailer on the way to the sale barn is a problem for the whole cattle industry
People won't buy or discount calves due to health problems and weight loss on unweaned calves, but when I go to the sale barn I buy the calves that are drawn and stressed that the others pass on at a discount.
Most times in 2 weeks they are lined out and I have made the money the sellers left on the table

If people would or could wean, vaccinate and sell them in the special calf sales it would most times be worth the added trouble
But lots of folks don't and it hasn't killed anyone yet

 

[1982vett]

My opinion is the guys that wean them in the trailer on the way to the sale barn is a problem for the whole cattle industry
People won't buy or discount calves due to health problems and weight loss on unweaned calves, but when I go to the sale barn I buy the calves that are drawn and stressed that the others pass on at a discount.
Most times in 2 weeks they are lined out and I have made the money the sellers left on the table

If people would or could wean, vaccinate and sell them in the special calf sales it would most times be worth the added trouble
But lots of folks don't and it hasn't killed anyone yet

To bad you feel that way.....but what you consider a premium to us little folk isn't worth the trouble....I'm delivering a product to you that is economical to >>ME<<....It's a "size of scale" problem and the gap is probably not ever going to get any better. If I were to go to the expense and labor to raise "the product" you want I'd not need you as a customer....I'd hold on and grab the big $$ you are making..... ;-)

And I must be doing something right....I've sold more than one that has topped the market in it's weight class (500-550) the past year.

 

[Caustic Burno]

My opinion is the guys that wean them in the trailer on the way to the sale barn is a problem for the whole cattle industry
People won't buy or discount calves due to health problems and weight loss on unweaned calves, but when I go to the sale barn I buy the calves that are drawn and stressed that the others pass on at a discount.
Most times in 2 weeks they are lined out and I have made the money the sellers left on the table

If people would or could wean, vaccinate and sell them in the special calf sales it would most times be worth the added trouble
But lots of folks don't and it hasn't killed anyone yet

To bad you feel that way.....but what you consider a premium to us little folk isn't worth the trouble....I'm delivering a product to you that is economical to >>ME<<....It's a "size of scale" problem and the gap is probably not ever going to get any better.

And I must be doing something right....I've sold more than one that has topped the market in it's weight class (500-550) the past year.

Me and you both brother my calves routinely bring at the top price for the day at the barn.
What most don't get it doesn't matter if it is a calf or a SS cow going through the barn, they are in for a few day's of drama and trauma.

 

[cross_7]

My opinion is the guys that wean them in the trailer on the way to the sale barn is a problem for the whole cattle industry
People won't buy or discount calves due to health problems and weight loss on unweaned calves, but when I go to the sale barn I buy the calves that are drawn and stressed that the others pass on at a discount.
Most times in 2 weeks they are lined out and I have made the money the sellers left on the table

If people would or could wean, vaccinate and sell them in the special calf sales it would most times be worth the added trouble
But lots of folks don't and it hasn't killed anyone yet

To bad you feel that way.....but what you consider a premium to us little folk isn't worth the trouble....I'm delivering a product to you that is economical to >>ME<<....It's a "size of scale" problem and the gap is probably not ever going to get any better. If I were to go to the expense and labor to raise "the product" you want I'd not need you as a customer....I'd hold on and grab the big $$ you are making..... ;-)

And I must be doing something right....I've sold more than one that has topped the market in it's weight class (500-550) the past year.

I'm not going to try and go into the losses generated by not weaning or getting a calf ready for the world before selling, but there is a reason there are so many BRD antibiotics being sold.
I never meant it to sound like I'm some big shot and you were broke because you didn't wean your calves.
IMO the premium brought at the special calf sales is worth the trouble and the stocker guy, and the feedyard guy all benefit, which helps the beef industry

But If you're happy then I'm happy for you.

 

[mwj]

If the profit was there in those special calf sales there would be a lot more of them. Most times there a crap shoot at the best. The only one that consistently makes money is the people putting on the sale. If you could put together pot loads of uniform UNWEANED calves you would make more money with less expense. A lot of feeders vaccinate and treat every head coming in the same way. They don't have to sort out those 40 head of unbranded black steers that all had there shots and the feed truck will only carry one receiving ration for the pens.

 

[cross_7]

If the profit was there in those special calf sales there would be a lot more of them. Most times there a crap shoot at the best. The only one that consistently makes money is the people putting on the sale. If you could put together pot loads of uniform UNWEANED calves you would make more money with less expense. A lot of feeders vaccinate and treat every head coming in the same way. They don't have to sort out those 40 head of unbranded black steers that all had there shots and the feed truck will only carry one receiving ration for the pens.

:bang:
If that's how you think it works then it wouldn't be worth my time to try and explain it to :tiphat:

 

[colleen]

Well the guy just picked them up. He had a ponytail down to his behind and a lot of tattoos. One earing. interesting tho, he is the guy that floated from Crystal Beach across land and the bay on part of a beach house deck during hurricane Ike. Heard about him in the papers and news. all night long riding waves in the dark with debris hitting him etc. He said he said The Lords Prayer many times!
The calves are worn out and had lost a few lbs. they were still yelling for mom a little still. Very stressed out in the trailer before leaving for the 2 hour ride. We will wean the next 2 that are going. I don't think we asked enough for them. Need to figure That out. I'm not cut out for this business. I worry about where they are going. If they are going to get mineral, do they have enough grass.

 

[chippie]

Well the guy just picked them up. He had a ponytail down to his behind and a lot of tattoos. One earing. interesting tho, he is the guy that floated from Crystal Beach across land and the bay on part of a beach house deck during hurricane Ike. Heard about him in the papers and news. all night long riding waves in the dark with debris hitting him etc. He said he said The Lords Prayer many times!
The calves are worn out and had lost a few lbs. they were still yelling for mom a little still. Very stressed out in the trailer before leaving for the 2 hour ride. We will wean the next 2 that are going. I don't think we asked enough for them. Need to figure That out. I'm not cut out for this business. I worry about where they are going. If they are going to get mineral, do they have enough grass.

You have a kind heart to worry about them. Over the years I've learned that it is best not to think about. Once they leave your hands you have no control over their future. If you think about it too much, you only make yourself miserable. It's part of the game and one reason I do not like to sell horses that I care about. People say one thing and do another

 

[cow pollinater]

I'm nothing special but anything that has my brand on it will be weaned and vaccinated when it's sold. Condition wise you lose some but the shrink is not anywhere near as bad when they do sell and if you do it consistently then there is a premium as the buyer notices that calves with YOUR brand are ready to GO.
Here the auctioneer will announce time weaned and vaccination protocol but even if they don't they buyer is still paying attention. Most calves go into a bulk program of some sort and I can promise you that the guy buying the calves cares about the health of the calves he's buying as his job depends on it.
I'm kind of like cross7 in thinking that it hurts us all to wean at the salesyard.

 

[machslammer]

Do any of you guys that full creep feed calves and sell as unweaned. Tell the barn that they have been creep fed, so that the buyers know that they have been introduced to feed?