Fever

[katrina]

As you guys know.... Every year I get the feeder calf fever... How would one go about buying calves from the farm or ranch?? What about shrink? And we would want to buy them all not sort a certain weight... Am I making a mountain outta mole hill??... Questions/answers/tomatoes to be thrown??

 

[BRG]

If you are going to buy them off the farm, then you first need to find a ranch you are comfortable dealing with, so you can make a long term relationship. You want to find an outfit who uses good doing genetics as feed it way expensive and you want them to be able to put the weight on as cheap as you can. HArd doing cattle eat and eat and don't grow.

Shrink can be a little tricky, some actually make the owner keep them off feed overnight, some way them off the truck and use that weight, and some use a certain % shrink from the original weight.

If it was me, I would want a sort, as when you put them in a pen, the different size cattle require different nutrients. Then when you go and sell them, hopefully they will be a little more even as well.

 

[Nicky]

I know a ranch in Oregon that has a load of heifers..... :wink:

 

[High Plains]

I think you're going to want to take a sort, just like BRG says. Every calf crop has some individuals that don't fit the group. Could be one or two really late calves, could be a really bad pinkeye that is causing lost vision, could be one that was stepped on at calving and never has been quite right since. There are always some that just need sorted off and that just devalue the whole group.

On the shrink, it depends a lot on the weighing conditions but you might consider a 2% as a pretty standard ballpark number.

Don't be afraid of buying them directly off the ranch. If you know the genetics and/or the "kind" that the cattle are there is no reason that you can't go forward with confidence. Just don't settle for cattle that aren't up to your standards. Buy the good ones!

 

[4Diamond]

I bought some calves from a local barn yesterday. Heifers averaged 467# and cost $118.25 bulls averaged 442# and cost $121

 

[VB RANCH]

buy um with a break weight , as 600 lbs at 1.50 with 5 cents back, this would mean a 650 lb steer would be 1.47 50. i think. its real hard to get a guy to take a shrink on bawling calves, easier on weaned, in this country any way

 

[littlejoe]

I generally sell 'in the country'.

I precondition 30-45 days ahead of time---usually a 3 shot plus ivomectrin program. $4-$5 a head. And well worth it.

Cattle are priced according to sex and weight.

Deal is made based on an agreed upon weight.

Usually about a 6 cent per hundred slide if they go over that.

I don't offer obvious sick or outlier cattle---if i did, the buyer would cut them off anyhow. Should I have a few giants or peewees, the guy i deal with usually offers to take them anyhow, at a different price.

Almost everybody wants a pencil shrink or overnite stand. 2% on a 1.40 calf is almost $.03----or about 20 bucks on a 7 weight. I generally don't give shrink---I trail cattle about a mile, sort calves off and sex them, they go across the scale and are weighed 'straight'---then we can talk about cutting anything additional off and they are weighed back.

Heifer mates in this country, some have been outselling steers this yr---@ about 40# back on the weight.

My buyer writes me a check on his local acct. If out of state guy who gets the cattle writes a check that bounces---it ain't my problem. Montana has a place to check 'conditional bill of sale'---I generally check that anyhow.

With superior live, you write your own contract---you can put in any or no shrink, any or no slide, delivery time and place----any terms that turn you on---and buyers can bid accordingly. You might watch some sales on net or look at a catalogue and get some idears...