Selling the calves today

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Lammie

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Well we were up at crack o dawn loading calves for the sale barn. This will be the first group of my bottle babies that I am taking. Have sold cattle there before, but never the ones I raised myself. Three steers, a nice little black heifer, and one free martin. I may go at noon and watch them sell. My husband was going to help a friend of his load two trailers full to take himself so I didn't go see them unload. July is standing out in the pasture with the donks having a fit cause he's alone. He's going in the freezer. I don't have the pasture to support all of them any longer with this drought and I don't want to put any more money into feeding them. I bought them to sell anyway.

I wanted to let everyone know how much I have learned here and how much I appreciate all the helpful advice. I'm sure that I will start over in the fall with a new batch. Hopefully I will have a better knowledge of what I'm doing. This was basically beginner's luck. I know about 100% more than I did when I started and I learned it all here.

I'll let you know what I got for them, unless it is just too embarrassing. Figured I would sell now before everyone got to culling to heavy. I probably should have sold a couple of weeks ago but my husband had to work two weekends in a row and I don't like to pull the trailer.

Thanks everyone!
 
Lammie,

Hope your calves bring well, but don't be too concerned if they don't. Everyone has to start at some point, and many people's "firsts" cost them money.
 
Good luck Lammie. Hopefully there will be buyers looking for just those. Prices have been holding but we still didn't get rain.
 
Well, I did get them all slicked off nice and believe it or not, they don't have the pot belly. The two steers are a little bony, owing to the fact that they are a dairy steer and a dairy cross, but I got them on the cheap. We'll see. Like I said, this is beginner's luck. I have seen some strange looking animals get good prices and some I thought were decent get not so good prices. Who knows?

I may not get to watch them sell. The guy my husband is helping load hadn't even cut the ones he's taking, so that may take a while. Sale starts at noon! Mine are there already.
 
Lammie,

I've sold some calves that I couldn't believe the price they brought...and I've sold some that really honked me off, they didn't bring near what I thought they would.

If your husband isn't back in time for the sale to start, hop in the car and run watch it. I mean, somebody's gotta be there to pick up the check.

Good luck, darlin',

Alice
 
Lammie, Yah, go watch them sell thats a fun part, see how they sell compared to others. I've learned a lot at the salebarn.

And for sure picking up that check is important to. :) :cboy:

mnmt
 
Well, I figured on average what I spent on feed and supplies, and what we spent on average for each calf so we'll see. I have a figure we need to make to break even and it is low enough that we might actually make some profit. Not anything big, but like I said, beginner's luck. Makes me really respect everyone out there who does this for a living! Plus I can do better next time with everything I've learned.
 
Lammie, are you selling Brutus today? (or maybe Alice owns him, I can't remember)

Anyway, on small loads of easily distinguishable calves like you have I think it would be of some interest to you to know exactly what each calf weighed and how much it brought per pound. If you don't already do so, next time you take calves to the sale barn you might consider having your tablet ready, with a brief written description of each calf (assuming they are not ear tagged or number branded already) -- then record the number of the yellow tag the barn employees slap on them. Your pay sheet can then be used to get weight and price per pound info for each specific calf. It's a good way to find out individual calf weights if you don't have on-site scales and also a good way to determine if buyers see things in your calves that you don't see -- useful info IMHO..
 
It's July, and no, he's still home getting fat for the freezer. I'll know mine, believe me! Steve says trailers are backed up to the viaduct with cattle waiting to unload. There's gonna be a full sale today.
 
Arnold Ziffle":1ujmp52r said:
Lammie, are you selling Brutus today? (or maybe Alice owns him, I can't remember)

Yeah, I'm the one that owns Brutus...(I'm almost afraid to admit to it after the drumming he took on this board). But, that's ok...everyone from here that's looked at him in the flesh thinks he's just fine. Keeps me from getting entirely depressed.

Alice
 
Good Luck Lammie!

Go to the sale if you can. If the learning is important to you the sale may cap it off. Go see what your cattle are up against, how strong the bidding is, how they do in the pen.

It may be one of the highlights of your experience with the cattle so far, and even if they go lower than you want, keep in mind the special circumstances.

Do you have a bid in price or are you just gonna cross your fingers and take what you get?

Once again, good luck!
 
Sale barns are FULL of surprises. Believe me, Ive had my share and I still scratch my head. Praise the Lord, we watched a heifer of ours sell in the spring that amazed me. They started her high and bid and bid. WOW! I dont see alot of consistancy to it, but one of those every once in a while sure helps. Hope you do well!

Go to church on Sunday!
G&L
 
Well, it didn't go well. For anyone, I'm afraid. Drought has finally made the prices take a nose dive. Prices were nothing like they were a month ago. I almost broke even, but not quite. I can account for several factors. I had to feed more then I would have due to the drought. I bought two of them for more than I should have. Lots of animals. I dont' know how many.

Oh well. Like I said, beginner's luck. :roll: ;-)
 
If it would have rained this week, things would have been different.

It is likely to get far worse than that.

I am very sorry that happened.
 
Well, things are getting tough for a lot of us, it's a buyers market right now. If you got the feed, or money to buy it there's money to be made. Hang in there.

mnmt
 
Well, if you almost broke even at the worst of times, then think about how well you are gonna do when things get back to normal!

Thanks for letting us know Lammie.
 
I no-sale'd two holstein steer calves last week, Lammie. I ran some 7wts through and was getting .84/lb, then they put two 350lb steer calves through (and they weren't that bad looking, really!), and they only brought .81/lb. I just decided that was ridiculous -- took 'em back home.

Sorry yours didn't sell as well as you would have liked. I think the buyers just want a certain weight, and if they're too light they don't want a thing to do with them. OK. :?
 
Lammie: I just now read this thread and I sure was rootin' for ya. Sorry it didn't go as well as you would have liked. Hang in there!
 
milkmaid":3lyos0iz said:
I no-sale'd two holstein steer calves last week, Lammie. I ran some 7wts through and was getting .84/lb, then they put two 350lb steer calves through (and they weren't that bad looking, really!), and they only brought .81/lb. I just decided that was ridiculous -- took 'em back home.

Sorry yours didn't sell as well as you would have liked. I think the buyers just want a certain weight, and if they're too light they don't want a thing to do with them. OK. :?

You can maybe buy a workable put on the 7 weights no such luck on the 350#. I would have to see the 7 weights with my own eyes to know for sure but that would be my guess.
 
Lots of cattle on the market in North Texas. Pastures are brown, water is getting critical. On-feed report came out Friday afternoon a week ago and calf prices dropped $6-$8 per cwt. the next day.
 

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