Z&J Cattle":ehzxsqwq said:
I would like to expand on this question. I am going to start feeding my calves out to 550-600 lbs. or so instead of just pulling them straight off the cow at 400 or 450 and shipping them. I just can't see selling a calf for $500 when I can keep him a few more months and get $650 or so. My question is this, Bez, you say that all the calves need is hay, grass, water, and mineral. Would they not gain noticeably quicker with grain supplement? Most around here use grain for backgrounding calves and try to shoot for 2-3 lbs. gain per day. What kind of gains might one expect during the winter on fescue and hay? Bez, I am not questioning your method, just trying to learn something. Thanks,
Zach
Zach
It all depends on what you want to do with them.
If you have the grass and the time, you can simply put them on grass / hay if required and leave them. The growth is slower, but the costs are minimal. A calf will still put on some weight - when they hit pasture they will really put on the weight. Then move them.
Prices - while not always true - generally increase when there are folks looking for animals to put on grass in the spring. Hold them over on a maintenance feed and sell in the spring or raise for your own use - the method is still the same.
If you are detemined to put the pounds on within a designated time frame, you can provide grain / feed of whatever type you chose.
Typically folks on this board will ask opinions of those who may live thousands of miles away - "What do you think of this feed?" - when they should be having their forage tested - usually for a very nominal fee - to see if there is indeed any requirement for this grain and the various additives. A custom designed feed will do the job far better in my opinion and usually cheaper than something bought at the store after searching for others opinions.
When grains and feed additives are used, you may end up spending far more money than is often required. It often ends up being **ssed out on the ground because the animal cannot utilize it efficiently.
I would venture a guess to say that more than 95% of cattle operators on this board have not got a clue what the true feed value of their forages are. Feed companies love folks like this - they are prepared to spend without knowing why they spend.
Money for supplements, money for grain additives and money for whatever - all in the search for gains. Pounds gained divided by money spend equals profit. Most will spend lots of money to get an additional gain - but in the end will make no more money than someone who does nothing more than follow the method we use. Genetics is far more important in my opinion.
Let me point a finger - and in order to not **ss anyone off I will point it at myself.
For years we bought high powered feed and used all of the supposedly best supplements and so on. It was expensive, but we did it. We made some money but never made the big dollars. We never tested our feed - just bought lots of grain additives. Cows grew well though and folks loved them.
When BSE hit us we nearly lost the farm.
We have maintained only a few head of cattle now - I think we have about 40 or so head left on the place. The numbers of course change on a fairly regular basis.
We have cut our expenses to the absolute minimum. Feed is now a substance used to "maintain" the animal in the winter until we can put it on grass. These animal will do well on grass - that is what they were designed to do.
I know what our forage provides to the animal and I know what I have to provide in additional - and in fact with our hay this year we are providing nothing but a little custom mineral mix and salt. Cheap and in the end far more effective than what we used to do.
Our profits - if you can call them that - while minimal compared to yours - are now ours.
As a side note - our calves will often gain in the 2 pounds per day region using our method through the winter - on grass in the spring they often go to 3 or better.
Save your coins - absolutely know and understand what your feed requirements are - then feed accordingly.
You may notice that on another feed thread I was treated sarcastically for this attitude - I chose to not reply - but you must remember - your prices are good now and will probably remain that way for some time to come. Unfortunately they will not stay there forever - this business is cyclic - you are at a high and we are at a low.
If I knew then what I know now - my profits would have been astronomical and I would not have been in the position I am in now. When times are good no one looks deeply into the profit versus cost - they happily spend - and often with no true knowledge on why they are spending - it just seems like the right thing to do. When times turn tough those same people are very often at a loss as to how to keep the home place. That is what happened to us.
Profit, profit, profit - return on investment. Small operator or big operator - it is all the same.
So to quote a portion of the sarcasm from the other thread - Cow Treats -
Anything worth doing is worth doing right.
Do a little research and then make your decisions on where to spend your money - I am off to go to my day job later today because we did not do this - so the advice may not be the best, but it is from someone who has been there - you can take it for whatever you might it is worth. :lol:
Best regards
Bez'
