Weaned calves

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Dave

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Baker County, Oregon
I noticed that calves which sold today on Superior same weight, basically the same breeding, delivery, and from the same area, The weaned calves were about 50 cents higher. Probably need to check more but that was some of what I saw.
 
I went back and looked. Just check calves sold on Wednesday or Thursday and northwest calves. About 30 to 50 cents cheaper on the unweaned calves. 50 cents on a 500 lb steer is $250. I can sure wean a calf for that kind of money.
 
We didn't wean the last batch of calves either... the price spread here was less than $.20 overall back in June and even the last ones we sent 3 weeks ago...Prices were down a bit in July, but with the drought conditions here, weaning and back grounding was not an option....
Everything we had to sell, is gone but 2 cull cows... just haven't taken the time to take them to town .... they didn't fit on the trailer when we sent the 29 calves a few weeks ago... getting calves gone was the priority.
 
Brute 23 said:
No way Im weaning a calf for $250 in a volatile market like right now.
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Realize these are calves sold on the video for October, November, and even December delivery. They are semi load lots. It is not like a person hauling a trailer load to the local sale yard and taking what they will give you. And $250 on 100 steers which weigh 500 in a semi is $25,000. Seller dictates delivery date, base weight, weighing location, shrink, and states genetics, vaccination, and weaning information.
 
Dave said:
Realize these are calves sold on the video for October, November, and even December delivery. They are semi load lots. It is not like a person hauling a trailer load to the local sale yard and taking what they will give you. And $250 on 100 steers which weigh 500 in a semi is $25,000. Seller dictates delivery date, base weight, weighing location, shrink, and states genetics, vaccination, and weaning information.
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25k sounds good if ya already own em. I know there are folks that buy small groups and put together loads to sell like that. Your pencil is much sharper than mine, Dave. I've thought a couple times of doing this on a smaller scale. Buying a few here n there to build a half load or something like that. Holding them 60 days or so. I know there will interest, vax, bands, tags, feed, fuel etc. It won't make me 25k. What are yalls thoughts? Even if a guy could make 10k for 60 days work that ain't bad....

I'm thinking taking 4wts to 5wts
 
The vast majority of the calves I was talking about selling on Superior are home raised and it states that. I don't know how well put together calves will on Superior. I often see that done with yearlings. In fact I have a friend who does that. I was sitting by him at the sale on Thursday. He likes to buy 600 lb bulls. Sells them as 800 lb steers. I don't know anyone turning light calves that fast. It would largely depend on your markets. Both for buying and selling. I have bought a few to finish off a load of home raised calves.
 
Dave said:
Realize these are calves sold on the video for October, November, and even December delivery. They are semi load lots. It is not like a person hauling a trailer load to the local sale yard and taking what they will give you. And $250 on 100 steers which weigh 500 in a semi is $25,000. Seller dictates delivery date, base weight, weighing location, shrink, and states genetics, vaccination, and weaning information.
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Thats gross correct? You can get 100 steers on a truck 3-4 months from now?
 
Brute 23 said:
I dont doubt that. I question the way it was presented by you at making $25k per load.

What do you think a person who reads this would net off that same group?
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Well what I read in the sale results and this is not exact numbers but in general. 500 pound unweaned calves sold for $4.60. Calves the same size which were weaned sold for $5.10. That is 50 cents a pound more. That is $250 more per calf. Which is $25,000 more on the load of calves. I know some people on here talk about the trouble, expense, and death loss weaning calves. I personally have never experienced those issues. And in talking to my neighbors they feel the sane way. That must be true about the larger area because if you look at the calves offered for sale on this auction the weaned calves far out number those straight off the cows. Why is this? I am not sure. There could be many factors involved. Vaccination programs? Genetics? Hard calves off the range as opposed to pudgy milk fat calves? The list could go on. I know my calves will come off dry range. Spend a night in the corral. Te next day the cows get loaded on the truck and the calves go down the chute fpr another round of shots. About 5 days in the corral with plenty of water troughs and grass hay to get the bawl out of them. Then the gate gets opened and they go out on green regrowth in the hay fields. 45 or 60, or 75 days later the hay field grass is gone and so are they. They have visually gained weight. I say that because they aren't weighed at weaning but the sure weigh up good at the sale. Not much cost you could charge against them. A round of shots, a couple big bales of grass hay, and the grazing in the hay fields. And at $5+ per lb it doesn't take muchgain to cover those expenses.
 
I figured my cost at weaning. A round of shots $10. Hay at $140 a ton $2.10 per calf. The grazing at $0.75 a day for 45 days is $33.75. Total $45.85. At $5 a lb it takes a gain of 9.17 pounds to cover the cash expenses. That means they need to gain 0.2 lb a day to cover the costs. I am certain the do way better than that.
 
Dave said:
I figured my cost at weaning. A round of shots $10. Hay at $140 a ton $2.10 per calf. The grazing at $0.75 a day for 45 days is $33.75. Total $45.85. At $5 a lb it takes a gain of 9.17 pounds to cover the cash expenses. That means they need to gain 0.2 lb a day to cover the costs. I am certain the do way better than that.
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Trucking, loss, labor, overhead, insurance, cost of loan, doctoring the sick ones, etc?

I thought you had to wean 60 days plus for the example and to actually start putting pounds on?

You can take an unweaned calf and put it on grass hay with no supplements, salt, mineral, etc?
 
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My original post was on calves sold on the video. Buyers trucks in that case. No trucking cost. Loss? I have never a calf while weaning. Labor? WE have been over this before. You charge for your tim for everything.. I don't. My time is paid for by the profit. What insurance? My homeowner's policy? In my case any loan was paid for by the cows who left on day one. Doctoring? I dart 2 or 3 pinkeye cases a year. They count 45 days as in Vac45 the required. I find calves gaining weight well the 45 days. They only get the grass hay for the first 5 days to keep something in their belly. After that it is green grass pasture which they readily eat. I didn't put in salt and mineral because that is pretty nickle and dime. 80 calves here wont lick an entire block of salt in 45 days Maybe 2 bags of minerals. So maybe one dollar per calf.
Again pudgy milk fat calves, genetic, climate condition, the pasture the calves came off, and vaccination program may give you different results. Virtually everyone in this area does this. They are successful progressive cattlemen. If they weren't they would have been out of business years ago. 20 - 30 years ago nobody weaned their calves. They wouldn't have changed if it didn't pay them to do it.
 
Dave said:
Well what I read in the sale results and this is not exact numbers but in general. 500 pound unweaned calves sold for $4.60. Calves the same size which were weaned sold for $5.10. That is 50 cents a pound more. That is $250 more per calf. Which is $25,000 more on the load of calves. I know some people on here talk about the trouble, expense, and death loss weaning calves. I personally have never experienced those issues. And in talking to my neighbors they feel the sane way. That must be true about the larger area because if you look at the calves offered for sale on this auction the weaned calves far out number those straight off the cows. Why is this? I am not sure. There could be many factors involved. Vaccination programs? Genetics? Hard calves off the range as opposed to pudgy milk fat calves? The list could go on. I know my calves will come off dry range. Spend a night in the corral. Te next day the cows get loaded on the truck and the calves go down the chute fpr another round of shots. About 5 days in the corral with plenty of water troughs and grass hay to get the bawl out of them. Then the gate gets opened and they go out on green regrowth in the hay fields. 45 or 60, or 75 days later the hay field grass is gone and so are they. They have visually gained weight. I say that because they aren't weighed at weaning but the sure weigh up good at the sale. Not much cost you could charge against them. A round of shots, a couple big bales of grass hay, and the grazing in the hay fields. And at $5+ per lb it doesn't take muchgain to cover those expenses.
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I've wondered if the people having death losses on weaned calves might be weaning them early...
 
We have been weaning for several years. Had few if any that ever get sick... they seem to just get with the program... but they had learned from their momma's that when we call, there is something for them...and they are "older enough" that they do not go backwards or off feed...

That said, with the terrible drought conditions here, and the tightness of hay/feed... the last ones went, not weaned... the difference was less than $.20 /lb that day... and ours sold at the high end of their weight range... I have no complaints or 2nd thoughts for doing that this time around...
However, we do not sell a trailer load like Dave or some others that sell in large lots like that. We usually find that they do a little better, bring a little more, when weaned and like to sell them like that... but circumstances are such that selling right off the cow was the best route this time... They were eating and used to coming for a little feed... so hope they did good down the road.
 

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