Post by Shawn on Feb 19, 2010 12:38:22 GMT -5
Normally, I go to the dairy and spend about $100 (I know) getting a bull calf. I pay this much because the calves are healthy, well started on colostrum and on real milk. I really have never had a problem with any one of his calves, save pinkeye one time before I discovered kelp.
So, the other idea I had was to buy a beef calf this time, keep it on the cow for 6-9 mos. depending and then sell it at the sale in spring of '11. I was hopeful it might make enough to pay for itself, its feed and maybe a little more hay for the following winter.
My salebarn guy called me with 2 calves. One a 10 day old Black Angus heifer, or a 4 day old Red angus heifer. Both calves would be 2 more days old by the time I picked them up on Sat. I considered which would resell for more (black) and which my cow might take better (red). Then he told me the price $300. He said they sold a 50lb. calf at the sale Monday brought $300!
My other (hay) guy told me that calf next spring would probably bring 550 to 600 at today's prices. So I don't consider that real doable.
Option 3 would be to wait and see if something comes through the sale barn at a more reasonable price and take the chance on not as healthy of a calf. (I should say the option 2 calves were sale barn cows, a guy bought, housed them behind the sale barn, and as they're calving he's running them back through the sale. So they should be fairly well immunized against most stuff by now.)
Any other ideas or comments? I'm thinking I'm heading back to the dairy.
So, the other idea I had was to buy a beef calf this time, keep it on the cow for 6-9 mos. depending and then sell it at the sale in spring of '11. I was hopeful it might make enough to pay for itself, its feed and maybe a little more hay for the following winter.
My salebarn guy called me with 2 calves. One a 10 day old Black Angus heifer, or a 4 day old Red angus heifer. Both calves would be 2 more days old by the time I picked them up on Sat. I considered which would resell for more (black) and which my cow might take better (red). Then he told me the price $300. He said they sold a 50lb. calf at the sale Monday brought $300!
My other (hay) guy told me that calf next spring would probably bring 550 to 600 at today's prices. So I don't consider that real doable.
Option 3 would be to wait and see if something comes through the sale barn at a more reasonable price and take the chance on not as healthy of a calf. (I should say the option 2 calves were sale barn cows, a guy bought, housed them behind the sale barn, and as they're calving he's running them back through the sale. So they should be fairly well immunized against most stuff by now.)
Any other ideas or comments? I'm thinking I'm heading back to the dairy.