buy breds or keep replacements?

[okangusguy]

What do you guys think, should a guy be buying bred heifers or keeping his own replacements? 800lb heifers are bring around $900 and some good bred calving in Feb/March are bring $1250. Just looks to me like the breds may be the way to go. What are you guys doing? With the breds you can capitalize on the current market and if things hold up the market this fall as you wean also. Just my thoughts what are yours?

 

[RSL]

If you can keep and breed a heifer for less than $350 for a year, and want to take the risk on opens and calving problems buying heifers for $900 is OK. If you keep your own, and your costs are a lot less or the genetics are better, then that is OK too.
Buying bred heifers or young cows will speed up cash flow and should produce through the peak of the price cycle. A good group of 3 or 4 year old cows might be an even better bet. Less calving problems, bigger calves, still young, and over the hurdle of first calf/rebreed.

 

[nortexsook]

everything is sky high. I'd rather be a seller than a buyer. In your case, I agree with the other poster, 4-5 year old heavy bred cows may be worth the money paid for them because they carry a valuable coupon, have cleared al the "hurdles" and should have a decent residual value over the next few years.

 

[cure]

One other thing to look at is how your range is. The away I run my cows I can't afford to buy cows or heifers because I turn my cow out on desert country in the winter and they have to work for the feed. We bought some cows a few years back and have had to wet nurse them the whole time. We have found that if we keep our replacements they have been taught by their mother to travel and work for feed. After reading the article about graze training and the example that H used about his neighbor I would look very closly at your own operation before I went out and bought. Might cost you more in the long run.

 

[George]

If the quality on the breds is good it is a no brainer to sell yours and buy something that will produce in a few months instead of waiting another year - - - but I seem to always keep one or two that strike my fancy!

What is your motive - - - profit or hobby? If you have something that is better than what you can buy you might be wise to keep yours but in my case while I have good cattle they are working girls and when I can sell weaned 600# hiefers for $1.00 # and but 4 to 6 year olds due in the spring for $1,000.00 most of my calves left ( I kept one this year out of one of my favorite cows )

Next year the profit might be different and I will re evaluate again.

 

[3words]

If you got quality cattle,and not a bunch of stockyard specials.I have found out you can never buy bred heifers,as good as the ones you can raise yourself.

 

[jodywy]

watched a sale tuesday hiefers $1200- $1350
then 3 to 5 year old breed cows .... $1500

 

[sic 'em reds]

I am not sure what it costs the rest of you to raise heifers, but those heifers selling for $1,200 would be close to what it costs me to raise them considering every cost I can think of. So at today's prices, it's a real wash to me.

We bought some bred heifers last year for $900 each and they all calved late, but none were open. One is a raging you know what that handles at about 100 yards, but other than that, they have worked out fine, would I do it again? Not sure, it would depend on what they were and how much they cost.

I needed to buy some cows to fill some pasture I get starting this spring, so I bought cows this fall through the ring and kind of hit a lull in the market in early November. I bought several head of 3 to 5 year old black/bwf cows for $850. I am glad I bought then because the last sale in December, those same type of cows were bringing $1100 to $1200.

 

[Northern Rancher]

The outfit I buy breeding heifers from runs them a bit tougher than I do-we own some bulls together so they aren't home grown but are pretty darn close. I have never bought cattle that I wasn't pretty darn confident of the source. Over the years A'I'ing some of the worst experiences that I have encountered are overdone 'reputation' cattle-the troubles just begin at breed up and kind of go from there. Hard to explain to a guy why his emotion/commotion heifers aren't cycling. A rule of thumb is if the cattle are moving to the same or a bit better management you'll be fine-if they are taking a bit of a step back probably not as well. Everybody has their idea of proper management just source cattle that are run the way you do at home.