Maybe you can triple your money.farmerjan":1zcv361g said:We are buying some bred cows for $7-800 . Most are fall calvers. Also bought 3 cow calf pairs at a sale. Avged $800. The cows at this sale had a big group from a farm that had been sold. They obviously didn't have much grass, and must have run out of hay in March because I haven't seen cows that poor and thin in awhile. One char. cow we got, with a pretty decent heifer calf about 200 lbs, weighed 1150 and she needed 300 lbs to cover her ribs. NO JOKE. Paid right at $850 for her. There were cows there that were so thin, and their calves were so under nourished, that they had the scruffy hair coats. So many of them will never grow right because they have been starved/stunted.
The 3 we got are mature cows, we haven't mouthed them yet, but would say in the 8-10 yr old range. Their calves looked pretty decent, so you know everything the cow was eating was going to milk for the calf. It was sad to see these cows so underfed. This is a monthly sale, so there are also trader cows there; but they announced the ones that came from the farm that was sold out, and there were a group from another farm that were so fat they had rolls of fat on their butts. Only about 20 of them, but I wouldn't touch them. Too much money and potential for too many problems.
One of the bred cows is probably pretty old, but she was in decent flesh and only cost $465. If she is short mouthed or no teeth, if she raises her calf she will make a little. We have plenty of grass so figured that we could get a group and turn them out on pasture until Sept or so and then move them closer to calve them. Since we sold 8 cull cows, open, old whatever; we figured we did okay on these. Didn't spend 2500 more and got 3 cows w/calves and 7 confirmed preg. And a coupld will gain 2-300 lbs so will do okay when the time comes to sell as culls if they don't measure up.
Sure Hope Everybody Reads That Last Comment.Jeanne - Simme Valley":1qp3vmoz said:Feedlot any day in my book. Feedlot, you determine price (or negotiate price). Sale barn, buyers choice.
I base my sale price on the highest price the group of buyers is willing to pay. But, I have a long standing reputation, they buy "sight unseen".
People think they can get into the cattle business and make a killing - or make top dollar. That is usually EARNED - through reputation and "hard-knocks".
farmerjan":6cutt4n1 said:We are buying some bred cows for $7-800 . Most are fall calvers. Also bought 3 cow calf pairs at a sale. Avged $800. The cows at this sale had a big group from a farm that had been sold. They obviously didn't have much grass, and must have run out of hay in March because I haven't seen cows that poor and thin in awhile. One char. cow we got, with a pretty decent heifer calf about 200 lbs, weighed 1150 and she needed 300 lbs to cover her ribs. NO JOKE. Paid right at $850 for her. There were cows there that were so thin, and their calves were so under nourished, that they had the scruffy hair coats. So many of them will never grow right because they have been starved/stunted.
The 3 we got are mature cows, we haven't mouthed them yet, but would say in the 8-10 yr old range. Their calves looked pretty decent, so you know everything the cow was eating was going to milk for the calf. It was sad to see these cows so underfed. This is a monthly sale, so there are also trader cows there; but they announced the ones that came from the farm that was sold out, and there were a group from another farm that were so fat they had rolls of fat on their butts. Only about 20 of them, but I wouldn't touch them. Too much money and potential for too many problems.
One of the bred cows is probably pretty old, but she was in decent flesh and only cost $465. If she is short mouthed or no teeth, if she raises her calf she will make a little. We have plenty of grass so figured that we could get a group and turn them out on pasture until Sept or so and then move them closer to calve them. Since we sold 8 cull cows, open, old whatever; we figured we did okay on these. Didn't spend 2500 more and got 3 cows w/calves and 7 confirmed preg. And a coupld will gain 2-300 lbs so will do okay when the time comes to sell as culls if they don't measure up.