What do they weigh? (Pics!)

[wobbie1775]

These calves are all 4-5 months old. The 3 tiger stripes are beefmaster on corriente, the red calf is out of a long horn cow and the black is a thick boy out of a "lineback" polled cow who looks more like a 7/8 angus with 1/8 chrome producing longhorn or something. So, 5 calves...seeking your thoughts on weights. I am trying to take them to the Ozarks Regional sale next Tuesday. Thanks in advance for your blistering honesty!!

 

[bird dog]

They're colorful. ;) Do you not own a bander?

 

[EasTex]

375-425

 

[wobbie1775]

Their colorful. ;) Do you not own a bander?

Well... I don't have much in the form of working facilities....so with no tetanus shots (or shots of any type...) I didn't want to band them when they were field-catchable size. So hopefully the nuts have allowed a couple ounces more of gain. Effort Vs. Reward I suppose.

 

[farmerjan]

If you catch at day old or 2, and band, no shots needed. We never do tetanus or anything when catching and banding at day/2 day old... some do... we don't... We wait and do blackleg at 6-10 weeks usually, and band any we miss, ear tag and whatever... but if possible he will band when they are new....
Calves are in nice condition..... BUT..... not critical... but they will be "bawlers" = not weaned and that will hurt them a little, price wise.
Been there, done that... didn't used to have a place to wean so I fully get that.

Why sell now? Just wondering... maybe the markets there are good, for here, it is a little early for the "fall" sales of early spring born calves... usually mid Sept they start to get crazy busy. This year we are dealing with early/mid summer severe drought... it has rained some in the last 3 weeks or so, but hay is short and pastures are trying to come back some, so there are some shipping now.
And maybe it is a good time to ship before too many come on the market, and prices are still pretty good. They will take a little beating , being bulls... don't know how the "colors" will do in your area... it would hurt them here but then the buyers here do NOT want anything that isn't black or BWF, or anything that has any ear....
I think they are nice calves... and since you are starting out, I think that they will do okay considering everything.
I'd say same on weight... 4 wts... 450 maybe....

 

[kenny thomas]

Several here say leave them bulls but the first thing farmerjan does is castrate them to make money. Do it yourself as soon as they are born.

 

[Travlr]

Well... I don't have much in the form of working facilities....so with no tetanus shots (or shots of any type...) I didn't want to band them when they were field-catchable size. So hopefully the nuts have allowed a couple ounces more of gain. Effort Vs. Reward I suppose.

I've never given shots for banding... but then I band as soon as possible and never more than a couple of days old. Considering the difference in return at the point of sale it's Effort Vs. Reward.

Hard to tell on weights without a frame of reference, like them standing against a known height fence. The brindle calf could be under or over 4, but I'd guess 420.

 

[kenny thomas]

May i ask why you are selling them so young?

 

[wobbie1775]

If you catch at day old or 2, and band, no shots needed. We never do tetanus or anything when catching and banding at day/2 day old... some do... we don't... We wait and do blackleg at 6-10 weeks usually, and band any we miss, ear tag and whatever... but if possible he will band when they are new....
Calves are in nice condition..... BUT..... not critical... but they will be "bawlers" = not weaned and that will hurt them a little, price wise.
Been there, done that... didn't used to have a place to wean so I fully get that.

Why sell now? Just wondering... maybe the markets there are good, for here, it is a little early for the "fall" sales of early spring born calves... usually mid Sept they start to get crazy busy. This year we are dealing with early/mid summer severe drought... it has rained some in the last 3 weeks or so, but hay is short and pastures are trying to come back some, so there are some shipping now.
And maybe it is a good time to ship before too many come on the market, and prices are still pretty good. They will take a little beating , being bulls... don't know how the "colors" will do in your area... it would hurt them here but then the buyers here do NOT want anything that isn't black or BWF, or anything that has any ear....
I think they are nice calves... and since you are starting out, I think that they will do okay considering everything.
I'd say same on weight... 4 wts... 450 maybe....

Selling now mostly to reduce the demand on my grass. I am overstocked which was working when we had stockpile from previous year of non-grazing AND good rain. We have been dry for a few weeks now so my grass is looking...sad. So I figure if I can get high 3 figures (or low 4 figures ) for each of the 4 of them, that will feel good and I'll be destocking a bit too. I am probably going to sell the dam of the smallest one (she is just a tad too flighty for my liking). So that would be about 2.5 animal units of reduction (1600 lbs of calf and 700 lbs of cow). Which would be about a 10% reduction (by weight) for my herd.

I know I will be taking a beating on many fronts with this first year of calf sales. Bulls, horns, and colors oh my! But its all just part of my mostly-self-education plan.

 

[wobbie1775]

May i ask why you are selling them so young?

I think I answer this in reply to farmerjan. Hopefully it answers the mail for you.

 

[kenny thomas]

I think I answer this in reply to farmerjan. Hopefully it answers the mail for you.

Yes straight answer.

 

[gcreekrch]

Jan gave you great advice I will add mine. Band at a day or two old and vaccinate! Rewards will be seen.

 

[BC]

Well... I don't have much in the form of working facilities....so with no tetanus shots (or shots of any type...) I didn't want to band them when they were field-catchable size. So hopefully the nuts have allowed a couple ounces more of gain. Effort Vs. Reward I suppose.

1) Can you pen and ort of the calves? 2) Do you have a trailer with a partition gate? I have cut many calves in a trailer behind the partition gate with a rope behind the calf.

 

[wobbie1775]

1) Can you pen and ort of the calves? 2) Do you have a trailer with a partition gate? I have cut many calves in a trailer behind the partition gate with a rope behind the calf.

I have a trailer with a cut gate. And if I needed to... I could do what you are suggesting. I just don't "need" to steer them. They will be sold as bull calves. No work for me and no stress on the calves. Sounds like a win win for where my operation is currently at.

 

[ClinchValley86]

That brown/red "camouflage" ppattern on the one is super cool.

 

[BFE]

I've never given shots for banding... but then I band as soon as possible and never more than a couple of days old. Considering the difference in return at the point of sale it's Effort Vs. Reward.

Hard to tell on weights without a frame of reference, like them standing against a known height fence. The brindle calf could be under or over 4, but I'd guess 420.

There's a cattle panel behind the water tank for reference, they're usually 50".

Brindle is 275-300, skunk tail is 50 pounds heavier.

 

[Hpacres440p]

I have a trailer with a cut gate. And if I needed to... I could do what you are suggesting. I just don't "need" to steer them. They will be sold as bull calves. No work for me and no stress on the calves. Sounds like a win win for where my operation is currently at.

The stress will be worse for the calves once sold. They’re going to be steered if they go to a feeder. Now they’ll be older and trailer weaned, much harder on them. Less stress for you to leave them as bulls, overall worse for the calf’s health not to do it early (thus the typicalily lower prices for bulls). At a seminar I recently went to, a speaker pointed out that in East Texas (for example) bulls and steers bring the same price. The reason is that there aren’t enough steers to make a load to pay a premium, because the common practice is to trailer wean untouched calves. We should all do better and create lower stress levels.

 

[Mrcopier]

It’s really hard to tell on their weights. I’m shootin at 325-375

 

[Travlr]

There's a cattle panel behind the water tank for reference, they're usually 50".

Brindle is 275-300, skunk tail is 50 pounds heavier.

Yeah, I was trying to be generous.

 

[wobbie1775]

That brown/red "camouflage" ppattern on the one is super cool.

You a buyer?! I'll deliver lol