Whats more economical???

[Dixieangus]

Ok im looking to get one or two bottle calves and here is my problem..... Obviously i would want to go beef calves because they bring more when sold but when i think about it why are those beef calves there, mom died= no colostrum or mom wont take them= no colostrum and more than likely they are already too old for commercial colostrum to do them any good.... so i dont know if it wouldnt be better just to get a holestein heifer or two......Which would be better and what are some of yals experience with beef bottle babies... BTW how much does say a 350 holestein heifer bring at around spring time.... Thanks

 

[Mat Man]

It will be very hard to find a Holstein heafer without paying top dollar.
Wacth out for freemartians.

 

[jtbakv]

I have done the bottle thing a few times and the price I have paid for baby calves and the money you get out of them I'm not sure its worth the effort plus it seems about 30% of them die anyway. they are so easy to get sick + you dont know if they have had the colostrum or not unless you buy from someone you know personally.
The prices in my area are about 1.08lb for steers and heifers are about 10-20 cents cheaper that would be for around 350-500lb calf so your looking to sale for about $400 can be more if you sale heavier weights. if you buy a calf for $50 and then add cost of milk replacer and feed the cost adds up quickly this is unless you can get a cow to feed 3-4 calves. JMO

 

[jtbakv]

The prices I mentioned above would be for a good beef calf. Holstiens are much less probably .60-.70 cent a lb.

 

[kenny thomas]

If I have an extra calf and do not have a nurse cow or one to adopt it to I give them a new home. I hate bottle feeding.
I sure would like to buy 350-500lb calves for 1.08 and the heifers .20 back. Where are you located?

 

[jtbakv]

that would be south east tennessee the prices are about that most heifers dont ever get to $1 and steers some are $1.15 and up but $1.08 just an app. number

 

[kenny thomas]

I get some calves from Kingsport, Tazewell, and Knoxville, TN but nothing south of there. Maybe I need to expand further south. The 350 steers here this week cost 1.40-1.45 and the heifers 1.10 to 1,20.

 

[jtbakv]

Athens stockyard this weeks sale steers was average of $1.15 up to about 700lb and heifers around $1 sweetwater may be a little cheaper. Athens is about 50 miles south of Knoxville on I-75 athensstockyard.com

 

[SirLoin]

I do very well buying weaned steers 275 lbs -400 lbs and keeping them until slaughter. I just bought some nice black angus from 275 -330 lbs for a dollar a pound. I have small pastures, but I buy cheap first cutting hay in large round bales and supplement it from day 1 with some protein fortified grain. I throw the grain on them heavy for the last 3 months. I double my money in a little less than a year.

 

[TexasBred]

I do very well buying weaned steers 275 lbs -400 lbs and keeping them until slaughter. I just bought some nice black angus from 275 -330 lbs for a dollar a pound. I have small pastures, but I buy cheap first cutting hay in large round bales and supplement it from day 1 with some protein fortified grain. I throw the grain on them heavy for the last 3 months. I double my money in a little less than a year.

Looks like you have a buyers market up that way. Same calves here sold for $1.60 last week.

 

[3waycross]

I do very well buying weaned steers 275 lbs -400 lbs and keeping them until slaughter. I just bought some nice black angus from 275 -330 lbs for a dollar a pound. I have small pastures, but I buy cheap first cutting hay in large round bales and supplement it from day 1 with some protein fortified grain. I throw the grain on them heavy for the last 3 months. I double my money in a little less than a year.

Looks like you have a buyers market up that way. Same calves here sold for $1.60 last week.

Same here Angus X 300 pound steers were going for $1.59 on tuesday at La Junta Colorado.

600lb steers were 1.20 to 1.24

 

[pdfangus]

I think I would buy a nurse cow before I would raise bottle babies again.

Last time I bought milk replacer it apparently had a high percentage gold in it they way they valued it.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think I would buy a nurse cow before I would raise bottle babies again.

Last time I bought milk replacer it apparently had a high percentage gold in it they way they valued it.

Isn't that the truth. I can get bull calves free and it doesn't pencil out at the cost of the milk.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I do very well buying weaned steers 275 lbs -400 lbs and keeping them until slaughter. I just bought some nice black angus from 275 -330 lbs for a dollar a pound. I have small pastures, but I buy cheap first cutting hay in large round bales and supplement it from day 1 with some protein fortified grain. I throw the grain on them heavy for the last 3 months. I double my money in a little less than a year.

4 weights are running $134 to $150 here, but 3 weights are $124 to $138. I prefer to buy the 3 wts... ;-)

I am not sure how folks pencil out a profit with the highest priced calves. Must have free yardage.

 

[Jogeephus]

With bottle calves I think some people use them just the same as a piggy bank. Used to you could make pretty decent money with the bull calves cause you didn't have much in them.

 

[novatech]

With bottle calves I think some people use them just the same as a piggy bank. Used to you could make pretty decent money with the bull calves cause you didn't have much in them.

I am totally with you on this. At the price of milk re placer there is nothing profitable about raising a bottle baby. However if you had a nurse cow you may be able to come out on top.

 

[TexasBred]

With bottle calves I think some people use them just the same as a piggy bank. Used to you could make pretty decent money with the bull calves cause you didn't have much in them.

I am totally with you on this. At the price of milk re placer there is nothing profitable about raising a bottle baby. However if you had a nurse cow you may be able to come out on top.

I don't know...you still have to put a thousand dollars into the nurse cow and keep her calving to keep her milking as well. I bought a bag of milk replacer a couple months ago and it was only about $65.00...one bag per calf is all it takes. It was not an All Milk milk replacer and contained a little soy protein but was medicated with Bovatec and the calf did great on it. Best I remember it was a 22%/20% mix.

 

[SirLoin]

I picked up four more steers yesterday, all at a buck a pound. Three nice black angus, from taller, larger stock than I've been raising, and one Angus/Charolais X.

Two of the calves were twins that were not born until early July. They weighed 196 and 198 lbs. The other two both went 230 and 238 lbs. All were weaned and eating grain. I only was going to buy two, but I couldn't help myself at that price. I wormed them and turned them out in my small pasture that is still green and tall. They are eating like champs.

For the life of me, I can't understand why some folks don't creep feed their calves that they are planning to sell. I'm thankful for them though :clap: I got four nice steers right off of the farm for $860 :nod:

 

[chippie]

I picked up four more steers yesterday, all at a buck a pound. Three nice black angus, from taller, larger stock than I've been raising, and one Angus/Charolais X.

Two of the calves were twins that were not born until early July. They weighed 196 and 198 lbs. The other two both went 230 and 238 lbs. All were weaned and eating grain. I only was going to buy two, but I couldn't help myself at that price. I wormed them and turned them out in my small pasture that is still green and tall. They are eating like champs.

For the life of me, I can't understand why some folks don't creep feed their calves that they are planning to sell. I'm thankful for them though :clap: I got four nice steers right off of the farm for $860 :nod:

What type of grass do you have that survives freezing weather? I looked at the temps for Delaware and wunderground.com says that you are in the 20's.

 

[SirLoin]

I'm not sure. I did not say that it was still actively growing, but it is still tall(ER) than my other pasture, and it is still green. It's right next to my lawn, and downslope. I know there was some bluegrass and some fescue in my lawn grass mix. Even my main pasture is still mostly green......well once the frost melts off of it :mrgreen: