A single dose of killed vaccine is enough to give you a booster effect on the IBR and BRSV if the calves had intranasal vaccine earlier in life. While I'm sure buyers would prefer more coverage, you're mitigating enough risk to make them worth buying.
Jeanne I will continue to follow the advice of my vets and try to provide what my buyers desire. All our replacements and anything retained longer than 30 days will get a second round of shots. This fall those that will be marketed 2-4 weeks after weaning will not.
Probably 700 to 720 if weighed right off the cow. Maybe more if you have to haul them a long distance.
I think $1 COG is pretty attainable for average Joe if they are in a farming area. If they're buying 50 lb bags and liquid feed, then that will hardly ever pay.
I don't have to ask him I can calculate it. If you look back at my previous posts, I said what mine weighed and what I got then a week later a friend with similar cattle who calves a month earlier sold 90+ day weaned, vaccinated calves that weighed 10lbs less (more than that according to you - his shrunk so much less) and we got the same $/h within $10. The "premium" is more than NEGATIVE $200.
Drought, cow stress from being old or young, some people when they go to catch calves at certain times. They take every thing over #400. They will be back next year to do it again.
I guess you'd have to define "a lot of good", but even $.2 back at 460lbs you're up $28 a head. Wean a calf at 550 lbs, sell for $1.7 and you are up $135.
Fence line weaning is lower stress and lower cost than any other method I know of I'll give it that.
Interested in your methods. How should they be prepared to minimize shrink prior to shipment pre-weaned?
Calves can learn to eat dry hay and drink from water troughs while still on their mothers. Calves that are well on to these two things tend to bawl less and eat more. Dry hay "hardens" them. When we pull our calves off we do it quickly and quietly and they go straight to eating and drinking. It has been our experience that the difference in shrink doing these simple things compared to straight off grass and milk only is quite significant.
Simple math eh?
Night before shipping catch at least 6 pairs. Sort anything else out. Water trough and good grass hay in the pen. Leave the truck and trailer backed to the chute. Next am head over at a little after 6am. Mart starts accepting calves at 7am and sale order determined by arrival of first load. Pairs laying around in the pen. Let anyone who wants to finish drinking water or milk do their thing. Quietly sort 6 cows away from calves and load them. Make the 3 mile journey. Usually get there 2nd. Go home, have breakfast and get organized. About 10 or 11 go back and catch everyone. Sort cows out (2 people) and take what's going. Last load to Mart about 4 pm. Calves sell by 10am the next morning.
Your gross is up $28... you are not up $28.
If I end up with a dink, it's weaned with the others - and mama takes a ride on the trailer.
THIS is what I'm currently working towards.
The above explains some of that for my situation.
