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custom calving cows

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peacecountry

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has anybody had the pleasure of custom calving.thinking of trieing it to generate a little cash flow .my cows will start soon . and o ya they are auction mart specials. are they more trouble than they are worth. aprecate the feed back .
 
Sounds simple- let the cows do all the work- count the calves- and the cash....
 
What would be the going rate for custom calving? Shares I suppose, is that what you folks did?
 
Don't even consider it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b

]If you were friends before,,,,,, you won't be after.

Especially with auction mart. cows.... the problems can be numerous.

Heifers need much extra TLC. as do prolapses and C-sections, bad udders and mean temperments.

Where would you calve them out? You don't want to mix them with your own herd. Disease, wild temperment, etc. If you put them out on grass, you'll end up using feed that would do your own cows better.

Who pays for feed, medicine, trucking, salt & mineral, vet fees, wrecked fences, lost sleep, and then the fact that you're too tired to do your own calving properly and will probably lose more of your own.

Been there, done that. NEVER AGAIN.
 
well were not having as bad of luck as balerman , were calving some heifers for a fella , he's paying by the day for the cows to be fed an so much a live calf , and yes I have had one c section and one prolapse . but I must say as far as temperament they haven't been much trouble . I've tied down a few in the pasture to pull a calf and brought a couple in on foot , but I really don't care for the bulls he used , but I 'd think cows shouldn't be all that bad , they should kinda already have an idea what there doing
 
A neighbor does some of this. I am not sure the exact $ amount he gets, but it is so much a day for feed/yardage, so much to calve the cow out, and a bonus for every live calve delivered. It can be a good idea, if you know some info about the cows and what they were bred to.
 
I also have a neighbor that custom calved for some cow traders for years. He had is own 200 cows and would custom calve up to 1000 others. It has allowed him to expand his ranch and not need to do that anymore. It sure has made him an expert on diagnosing calving problems.
 
i will have to pay for all expences . there wont be any c sections because they are worth more than the cows. if i can keep the death loss down i can make money if over 1o persent i lose.
 
It should be possible to keep death loss under 10% if...
the cows are healthy and in good condition
no cow killer bulls were used
the cows have had a scours vaccination and/or the corrals or calving ground is relatively clean and dry.

FWIW - I think I would negotiate at least a split on unusual costs such as C sections/prolapses/etc.
 
We calved out 250 heifers for an absentee owner three years ago.
We got $2.50 per day feed/yardage. $40 bounty on every live calf. Mileage was charged to and from vet. Owner paid vet expenses. Heifers had been in a feed lot, fattening up for slaughter when the owner decided there was more money to be made breeding them. These girls were maine/angus cross and weighed in at 1200lbs. They had an attitude from hell. If they didn't kill you, their newborn calf was next in line. We had the room and pens to do it. Would do it again if the opportunity presented itself. It paid a lot of bills. If you decide to do this, make darn sure all money owed to you is paid in full before you let the cows leave. Once they are gone, your chance for payment
is gone with them unless you "really" know and trust the people you're dealing with.
 
sounds kinda risky, but most of us are in the cattle business....so thats nothing new. if you try it, then you'll know.

good luck
 

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