Sold my first one

[boondocks]

Sold my first cow today at the sale barn. She was pushing 1600# and went for $1.14. I was hoping she was 1700# at a buck twenty. Nice four year old healthy registered Angus. Hated to see her go, but (per my earlier thread) she slipped her second calf in three years.

The sale wasn't billed as, but ended up being, mostly dairy culls. Many were really broken down pitiful things. Some were lame in the leg, blown-out udders dragging on the ground. No meat on them. Some had Johnes.

I was surprised there wasn't a bigger spread between the decent (no visible major issue) thin dairy culls and my, well, beefier, cow...Ours was the only true "beefer" I saw go through, other than a couple of old Hereford bulls being sent off to their harem in the sky. They brought a decent price too.

Think I did ok, not great. What do you think?
One or two big buyers had filled their orders and left by the time she was led out.
Thoughts? This is a whole new learning curve!

 

[Nesikep]

Timing does have a lot to do with the price you get at the sale barns. Over the years I've gotten to know the management at our local barn pretty good, and they'll make sure my calves go through at the best possible time.

Look at it this way, you got about as much for your cull cow as we paid for the best bull we've had yet when we bought him 6 years ago. I think you did get a fair shake on her.

I've seen those dairy culls at our barn too, such sorry looking animals.. I sure pity them.. My cows don't know how good they have it!

 

[boondocks]

Timing does have a lot to do with the price you get at the sale barns. Over the years I've gotten to know the management at our local barn pretty good, and they'll make sure my calves go through at the best possible time.

Look at it this way, you got about as much for your cull cow as we paid for the best bull we've had yet when we bought him 6 years ago. I think you did get a fair shake on her.

I've seen those dairy culls at our barn too, such sorry looking animals.. I sure pity them.. My cows don't know how good they have it!

I thought the same thing! I was feeling just a teensy bit bad about shipping her, but then I saw those pathetic dairy things and thought: she hasn't had it so bad. Lived 4 1/2 yrs. Always the first one to the hay, water, etc. Only gave me one calf, and that was a friggin half-Holstein when she snuck out and got knocked up by the neighbor's bull calf!

I know I may take some heat from some folks for this, but honestly, I would not want a burger that came out of many of those dairy cows I saw. And I think many people would feel the same. My understanding is that so long as they can still stand (and there were a few that went down during bidding but were prodded back up at least for the 2 seconds it took to sell them), they go to people food. True in Canada as well?