Post by simplynaturalfarm on Jun 5, 2011 15:21:37 GMT -5
The mastitis would be an issue for me - I would want to have it cultured and be sure it is not something I don't want to deal with (staph aureus). Also have her preg checked so I would know if I'm putting out $1400 for an open cow who does not have a history of many calves.
Around here you can't find Guernseys for any price. That would make her worth more - not that she's "worth" more, just that her rarity makes her have a higher dollar.
I have paid $1500 for open 3 day fresh cow who was hardy on pasture. She was 6 years old. I would not consider $1400 for a cow her age, but at least the lady is honest about the mastitis issue.
For $1000 I would consider her if she was very sweet cow. But you are talking to a lady who spent $900 on a dud cow, $1200 to fix the transmission when the truck died hauling too heavy of a trailer, $600 in gas because we picked her up the weekend she was TB tested in the herd and another cow came up positive so we had to drive ALL the way back home and come back 2 weeks later after the state did a whole herd test, another $400 in hay to feed her. $175 in expensive semen when she never got bred, $100 per month in supplements the last two months before butchering because she kept getting thinner and thinner (not a hardy cow and she was beef!), and then the cost to butcher her was an extra $400. All this so I could have her pretty calf who the owner did not want to sell without the cow. And now that cow's calf is turning out to be a huge dud and I have 2 winters of feed into her and she will be butchered this fall - thank God I did not have a heifer out of her this year! I call it my really really expensive lesson in how not to purchase a pretty cow (because of it, we had no vehicle all winter long as we had used all of our savings on the mistakes)
Heather
Around here you can't find Guernseys for any price. That would make her worth more - not that she's "worth" more, just that her rarity makes her have a higher dollar.
I have paid $1500 for open 3 day fresh cow who was hardy on pasture. She was 6 years old. I would not consider $1400 for a cow her age, but at least the lady is honest about the mastitis issue.
For $1000 I would consider her if she was very sweet cow. But you are talking to a lady who spent $900 on a dud cow, $1200 to fix the transmission when the truck died hauling too heavy of a trailer, $600 in gas because we picked her up the weekend she was TB tested in the herd and another cow came up positive so we had to drive ALL the way back home and come back 2 weeks later after the state did a whole herd test, another $400 in hay to feed her. $175 in expensive semen when she never got bred, $100 per month in supplements the last two months before butchering because she kept getting thinner and thinner (not a hardy cow and she was beef!), and then the cost to butcher her was an extra $400. All this so I could have her pretty calf who the owner did not want to sell without the cow. And now that cow's calf is turning out to be a huge dud and I have 2 winters of feed into her and she will be butchered this fall - thank God I did not have a heifer out of her this year! I call it my really really expensive lesson in how not to purchase a pretty cow (because of it, we had no vehicle all winter long as we had used all of our savings on the mistakes)
Heather