Silent Sale Barn

[Farminlund]

I recently participated in a special feeder calf sale that was actually a tele-auction early in the week with cattle delivery later that same week. The quantity of calves was nearly 1500 head & they ranged in size from 5 weights to some 9 weights, all delelivered, sorted, & penned in ~4 hrs. I go to this sale barn frequently (sales each Monday where they move ~1500 head of calves, cows, & bulls); so my Fri visit should have been no different - right?

I took me like 10 mins when it hit me - the only noise was that of the scale operator calling out the pens the calves were headed to! There was total silence in a sale barn with nearly 1500 calves with the exception of some people talking & the afore mentioned loud speaker. Was almost eerie!

Just thought I'd share - I assume this must have happened to many out there, but was my first encounter. Normally you can hear the place over 1/2 mile down the road!

 

[cfpinz]

That wouldn't have been the Buckingham Cattlemen's Association sale would it? I was down in Buckingham/Appomattox week before last and a couple folks were talking about the sale coming up.

cfpinz

 

[ALACOWMAN]

they were most likely all preconditioned for a sale like that.not pulled right off moma and thrown in a pen

 

[Farminlund]

That wouldn't have been the Buckingham Cattlemen's Association sale would it? I was down in Buckingham/Appomattox week before last and a couple folks were talking about the sale coming up.

cfpinz

Sure was. A most amazing happening. 1500 head all with EID tags, & barely a moo for like 3 hours as they were all unloaded & processed. When we were hauling down 460 out of Appomattox, there were 2 trailers directly in front of us & 2 trailers behind - a cattle trailer caravan! I've never seen so many potbellies in one place as I did in the Lyn Livestock Mtk parking lot - like 10 or so & there were a few unloading as well.

The other thing that was interesting is that many many of the animals were very high strung. My 2 groups (high 5's & 7's) each got encroached by other cattle as the gates opened due to all the movement (slow to sort them back out). The head of the operation said that since EID reading was going poorly & everything had fallen behind schedule; that there was a tension & hurry-up feeling down on the floor & that the cattle were picking up on it & reacting to accordingly. I didn't disagree, but I can say that mine were the same mild mannered bunch they always have been.

 

[Farminlund]

they were most likely all preconditioned for a sale like that.not pulled right off moma and thrown in a pen

Yes all had to have been weaned prior to the sale by 45 days, if memory serves me correctly.