starting to buy cattle

[pits4life]

I have a gentleman picking my calves out that is real familar with the local sell barns and trust his judgement but when the calves are brought to me should i worm them first ? Also i would appreciate any other advice and tips to better this venture I am new to owning cattle but i have helped with feeding them along time for other people for what that is worth....

 

[Cowboy15]

Welcome to the board!
I would highly recommend worming, a dose of bovi shield gold 5, and a dose of blackleg Electroid 7 and since they are coming from a sale barn i would give them antibiotics (micotil, Neflour, or draxxin) which ever one i really like draxxin we will run alot of steer and everyone of them will get a antibiotic and i use draxxin it is a little bit expensive but it is worth it! We give them the antibiotics the day they come in and then two days later we worm them and vaccinate them using bovi shield and blackleg.
This is what we do other people use different drugs which is fine i am just giving my two cents in what works for use. Hope this helps and good luck.
Sam

 

[pits4life]

Thanks Cowboy15 for the reply was very helpful and also any suggestions on how to vaccinate without a chute,i am just starting out only have a barn and a little pasture,i thought i could try to do while in the trailer or even get it in the barn and use a wood panel as a squeez and the barn wall i am really open for suggestion that might not stress the calves as much, like i said before i am starting and dont have alot to work with but i am very open minded and very crafty but would love the advice from anyone and possibly that have been in the same scnerio....

 

[kenny thomas]

Is it possible to work them at the stockyard before you bring them home?

 

[Cowboy15]

Pits4life,
How big are these calves going to be? and how many?

 

[SRBeef]

There are some things you need to do before the cattle arrive. Obviously fences and water.

I would strongly suggest that you take advantage of the fact they will be delivered from a trailer and first thing make some sort of pen to hold them for a short time. Maybe use cattle panels, an existing pen or something. Then have a way to let them exit the pen single file.

Ask around and find a good large animal vet in your area that folks recommend. It is important to establish a relationship asap with a good vet.

Then let HIM come with his chute (almost all vets have a squeeze chute on a trailer they can bring with them. Mine charges $25 to bring his own chute - a good investment.

Then let HIM do what he thinks is best in your area. He will most likely worm them but also give immunizations for whatever is most important in your area.

Secondly, let the vet look them over one by one as they come through the chute and see if he sees any other problems (such as pinkeye, etc) that needs to be dealt with.

As useful as this forum is, I think there is general agreement that we should not play internet veterinarians.

I am an advocate of preventive medicine and have my vet come by twice a year. My total cost per head per year for 2 visits incl preg check and all supplies and trip charges etc is about $26./head. Which seems to me to be an investment with a good return on that investment. But it is hard to prove the return on NOT losing a calf or not having sick animals spread disease around your herd causing lack of gain or worse.... jmho.

Best of luck with your cattle from a fellow newcomer to cattle. It would be helpful to add at least a general location to your posts. Welcome. Jim

 

[Caustic Burno]

My question and I might have missed the reason, why are you starting with calves? Raising calves and them being foundation cows for your herd is a crap shoot. I would suggest you start with heavies or 3 n 1's proven cows that know how to work.

 

[pits4life]

well bruno i have thought your way but cash is one reason and i understand it can be a gamble but i have to start somewhere i am sure i will need more luck than experience in the beginning and everyone needs good luck but however i enjoy fooling with them

 

[alftn]

Hey pits were are you at? I will be glad to help...Used the barn at Lexington, murry city , trenton and hunington...PM me

 

[novatech]

well bruno i have thought your way but cash is one reason and i understand it can be a gamble but i have to start somewhere i am sure i will need more luck than experience in the beginning and everyone needs good luck but however i enjoy fooling with them

Doing what Caustic takes out some of the luck factor. Just don,t buy as many.
I really think you need to back up a bit. You don't have the facilities to handle cattle of any kind. What I think you need to do is back up and get organized.
1 Good fences
2 Get your grass in order.
3 Build facilities
4 Buy cattle that qualify for foundation stock
As you do the above keep learning.

 

[Roan]

What kind is your friend going to buy? Dairy steers, beef steers, heifers? Breed?

 

[dun]

For foot wetting, as long as the calves are weaned, eating good and are healthy your idea isn;t a bad one. Start small with small aniamls and gradually as you get experience and confidence you can increase in size and number.

 

[BILL CLAYLAND]

Pitts,
I understand you wanting a heard.
Ive been am my place in MD for 8 years, I have egg layers and goats and 3 head cattle.Never got my act together on the goats,just dont plan on eating any.lol today were taking 1 goat outta here to the sale barn in Westminster MD and gonna let ole willy live his life out here at the farm.
There used to be a dozen beef cattle on this property about 8-9 years ago.
We have a small paddock fence, (wood) behind a 3 stall bank barn and a large pen that has wood post and wire cattle fence (woven stuff) Below. It was a big rush for us to make sure it was secure when i brought a 510 lb Baldie bull home,, trips to the sawmill and Tsc. We have a good water source and 2 Cisterns in the bottom field.
When i was looking to buy from some local producers they would ask me,, what do you plan to do?
It was a great question. I had already bought this beef bull with intention of slaughter when he got big for our own use and i have a small market to sell sides. So the answer to the question was i want to sell natural beef. So i went and bought from a local producer a 4 year old hereford cow and bull calf combo. with the promise of a bull for 3 months free,, the guy i got the pair from is also bringing hay for the bull.

So I have a Steer now (Black Baldie) 12 months. A hereford bull calf 5 months and a pregnant Hereford cow. this took 5 months and about 1600 bucks.

My next purchase?? a good Hereford cow with calf .less than 5 years old.
We want the calves to come from our mamas.

PS, I have a good friend with a nice headgate, fence set up that is mobile.
Hopefully find a good friend.

Good luck, Bill and ask the question.

 

[hillbillycwo]

Pitts,
I am a new guy too. We have used a gate in the past as a squeeze chutte but with calves around 500#. Head the calf towards the hanging post of the gate and then push the gate over. Have the shots or whatever ready, give them and then let the calf go. One of us will get behind the calf and hold up on his tail. That helps to hold him as he wants to go forward. A tall gate is a must and I would NOT try this with an animal much bigger as the gate will probably suffer terribly. I stand two rungs up on the gate when I am behind so I don't get kicked. Good luck and the idea mentioned earlier of having the vet bring his chutte out is a great one at least until you get yours built. We don't use a squeeze chutte just a head catch chutte. It is mounted at the end of a 3 foot wide alley way, we run the cows through and cathc them do what we gotta do and move on to the next. Our chutte holds ten cows and we can catch one and worm and vaccinate all ten. Works great and really quick with little stress. Just gotta watch the babies. We cull them out and reunite them with mamma after we work them all.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Why don't you folks just rig a medina gate?

Go watch a rodeo and watch the bull criders crawl onto the back of a bull behind such a gate.

 

[Chuckie]

If I were just starting out with cattle on my own, I had much rather start small and grow with the calves. Can't make a killing on a cow and a calf. Get your feet wet on the little ones, and not have as much invested. They are easier to handle, and if you have someone that is picking cattle for some of the other cattlemen, he will be able to pick two nice calves.
I think you are headed the right direction. Then if you don't enjoy messing with them, you have two small calves that have gained weight, and you can turn a profit on the weight gain.

I think you are going to find out that you will enjoy the cattle. That is the first thing (in my criteria) that you need to start out with. If you have any children, then everyone will enjoy the adventure.

My avitar is bad with a beetle on cow doo-doo; but pits4life doesn't fit your enthusiasum!!!!!

Let us know what is happening!! Sounds like you are getting a lot of really good advice.
Chuckie

 

[Chuckie]

I meant to add to my post above, that if you do have children, that the little calves will not be as intimidating as a mama cow with a calf. Two little heifers will more their size.
Chuckie

 

[djinwa]

I'm still not seeing how old your calves are, or what type. Pretty hard to give advice without information.

I think if you have to routinely give antibiotics to purchased animals, something is wrong. The industry is fighting the image of overuse of antibiotics, and overuse creates resistance making antibiotics less effective.

I would focus on keeping their immune system working, with proper feeding and watering, and reducing stress.

Stress suppresses immunity. Fear of a new place, new people, adjusting to new feed and watering systems, new herdmates, etc. More stress if recently weaned.

I would give them several days to adjust to their surroundings without you messing with them. Try to keep their feed similar to what they had, if you can know that.

 

[pits4life]

sorry for the missing info new to this but any way as you requested i am buying beef cattle which preferably is angus or angus cross . i understand about letting them settle in but they are coming from a sell barn and yes we assume they are healthy or we wouldnt buy them but in the same aspect they are sell barn cattle and it is much easier to unload them in pin/barn and work them from the get go but all info would be appreciated and i almost forgot approx weight is 250# and would guess 4 months but like i said in the beginning i am have some one more experienced than myself pick them out for the money i have ,this is just a starting point .some are more fortunate than others to purchase proven cattle but in that aspect im not one with the intial investment or the given to.....

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I understand your $$ restraint - we all have that. But, keep in mind, you get what you pay for. If you start out with 250#, 4 month old calves, they probably won't amount to much. I'm not familiar with seeing calves of that age/weight. Others may have more of an opionion.
But, I do recommend buying the best QUALITY calf for what you can spend. You are better off buying 2 better calves, than to get 3 of lesser quality.