Went for a tour.

[gcreekrch]

Went for a tour last week. Picked out and bought 3 bulls from a breeder at Armstrong BC. Stopped in Kamloops for an appointment with the Doc that is going to replace a hip for me. Stayed the first night with an old cattle buyer friend and his wife, the second night with my sister in law. Stopped and looked at the calves we put in the feedlot on my way home.
They are doing well.

Will add some photos later.

 

[gcreekrch]

Hereford steer pen weighed 489 going in on Oct 10.




Two pens of bought heifers








And a pen of our own heifer calves. The heifers averaged 417 lbs going in.


Still have a dozen pairs out and several bulls missing. Gathering the 70 pairs we bought from a recent widow now. Hoping to have most captured by Thursday when a vet is here for second preg test.

 

[gcreekrch]

Test weight taken on steer pen yesterday. They averaged 637 after a 4% shrink taken.

 

[HDRider]

What was you adg?

And cost per day?

 

[gcreekrch]

What was you adg?

And cost per day?

ADG is 3.2 lbs.

Costing $2.10 per day now including yardage.

 

[HDRider]

What was you adg?

And cost per day?

ADG is 3.2 lbs.

Costing $2.10 per day now including yardage.

Thanks.

 

[gcreekrch]

Sold the Hereford steers for delivery on January 22. Base weight of 800 lbs at $1.90, weighed with empty bunk and 4% shrink. They weighed 748 shrunk weight this past Monday. There will be two tridem loads and a few cutbacks.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Harlan's latest column said back grounding is currently a losing proposition, but he was using corn at a retail price.

Can you feed calves at your cow herd' location and show a profit?

 

[gcreekrch]

Harlan's latest column said back grounding is currently a losing proposition, but he was using corn at a retail price.

Can you feed calves at your cow herd' location and show a profit?

A couple of years we have done just that but as our feed doesn’t produce gains over 1 1/2 lb per day, we need a rising market to profit at home. These steers were costing not much more than our replacement heifers at home and got double the gain. They are going to show about a dollar a day profit. Buying them right was the first part of the equation.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Most enterprises look good in rising markets... So you are developing heifers on forage, but don't have enough energy in at home rations to push steers?

 

[gcreekrch]

Most enterprises look good in rising markets... So you are developing heifers on forage, but don't have enough energy in at home rations to push steers?

No, these are in a custom lot. We prefer not to get our replacements as fleshy as they get in a lot. They will be in the neighborhood of 900 to 1000 lbs at calving and that is plenty big enough for us.

A little difficult to grow corn for silage at 4000 + ft. elevation.

 

[5S Cattle]

Why 4% shrink?

 

[jltrent]

Sounds like you made the most of your tour...hope the hip thing comes out well and you are jumping rail fences again.

 

[gcreekrch]

Why 4% shrink?

Accepted shrink out of a pen with empty bunk in AM. They will walk 1/2 mile from pen to scale. I wouldn’t want to buy $60 worth of fill that will be shoveled out of the trailer and I don’t expect someone buying from me to either.

 

[5S Cattle]

Why 4% shrink?

Accepted shrink out of a pen with empty bunk in AM. They will walk 1/2 mile from pen to scale. I wouldn’t want to buy $60 worth of fill that will be shoveled out of the trailer and I don’t expect someone buying from me to either.

10-4. I started preconditioning calves and I’m only getting hit w 2% here. Just curious.

 

[gcreekrch]

Why 4% shrink?

Accepted shrink out of a pen with empty bunk in AM. They will walk 1/2 mile from pen to scale. I wouldn’t want to buy $60 worth of fill that will be shoveled out of the trailer and I don’t expect someone buying from me to either.

10-4. I started preconditioning calves and I’m only getting hit w 2% here. Just curious.

No hauling to scale? 2% would be after a 50 mile or closer haul here. No shrink after 150 miles.

 

[5S Cattle]

Accepted shrink out of a pen with empty bunk in AM. They will walk 1/2 mile from pen to scale. I wouldn’t want to buy $60 worth of fill that will be shoveled out of the trailer and I don’t expect someone buying from me to either.

10-4. I started preconditioning calves and I’m only getting hit w 2% here. Just curious.

No hauling to scale? 2% would be after a 50 mile or closer haul here. No shrink after 150 miles.

I have a set of scales at a gravel pit that’s 5 miles from me. They let the trucks weigh there. I’d throw up if they hit me with a 4% haha