Selling good cows that are calving in the spring

[alabama]

I have several cows that have become spring calvers. Calving in March and April is just too late for me. I want to calve in October through December. They are nice Angus cows that have, and still raise some nice seed stock calves. The young ones can be sold through Angus association sales but the older ones I just don’t know what to do with them. I can take the 7 to 11 year olds to the stockyard but I would most likely not get their value. Perhaps it may be best to sell them after weaning the calf and selling them as 4 month bred cows. However that will put them being sold at the end of summer when prices are normally down in the southeast.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I sure hate to hold them over 6 months to bred them back around Thanksgiving. I was hoping to the late calvers and buy early fall calvers

 

[3words]

You could sell them as pairs,at a cow sale?I would imagine pairs down there,must be bringing a pretty good dollar?

 

[alabama]

Good thought 3 words. I am thinking I can sell the calves as yearlings in an Angus sale and get as much for them as I can the pair in the commercial cow sale.

 

[rancher]

Kind of down in real Jake's area I heard young pairs brought $1600-$1700 a pair, and broken mouth pairs brought $1200-$1300. I would sell them as pairs.

 

[katrina]

Smooth mouth may calvers sold at Valentine for $1225. Black baldies.

 

[Northern Rancher]

Time to cash in kids!!!!!

 

[alabama]

Thanks Y'all: What should the age of the calf be? I am thinking 2 to 3 months. And say thay have been running with a black bull.

 

[Faster horses]

After going to an animal ID meeting tonight, my husband is going to sell ALL our cows. Doesn't want to have to ID every calf. He says if he was a young man, he would be more interested. As it is, he is just tired.

So, we've got a terrific set of black cows with straight black angus calves at side. 86% calved in first cycle. No sickness and on a good nutrition and vaccination program.

Do I hear any bids?

Oh, by the way, we have 6 virgin Angus Bulls to sell along with them. Since we didn't plan for this dispersion, we bought 6 new bulls. Now that is planning, don'cha think?

I think it is called flying by the seat of your pants. LOL!!!

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

FH I wish you guys could use a program like we are on up here. You buy your tags and they are registered to you by the retailer. You install them when you want before the cattle leave you place.If that's all you want to do thats it. You now can register the RFID tags as to birth date but we just registered all the tags to the first calf born as that is the oldest. We don't tag calves at birth heck we didn't even tag my yearlings until we sold them last week.

 

[Anonymous]

Big Muddy- I thought that fancy Canadian system tagged them at time of conception :lol:

FH- I don't think its going to be that complicated- everyone I've talked to said that as long as you have good records, the tagging could happen anytime- branding, preconditioning, or shipping...Just keep as good of records as possible on pasture movements, bull turnout and gather, calving start and end...Unless they are thinking up more rules I haven't heard of.....

If it gets more complicated than that, then I see many of these guys that calve in 10,000- 20,000 acre pastures that won't be meeting specs....Lot of calves don't see a human until branding time....

Your Hubby just needs to see this deluge of rain thats coming, belly high grass it'll bring, and sleep on it for a night or two and he'll change his mind...

 

[Faster horses]

Thanks, OT. Sometimes I just think we are pretty spoiled.

We are getting some rain, but a lot more wind. I came home from the horse sale in Baker at about 2:30 and we only had about two-tenths of an inch. It has rained since then and our rain gauge is kinda tipsy, so there could be more than what is measured. I haven't checked it since 2:30. It is muddy though it was raining harder in town than it was here at the ranch. The satalite shows it coming our way from Hysham and the forecast calls for 2 inches of snow to accumulate. We are about done calving but had to bring a calf in that was cold. Cow had him right out in the open. She was in a good place but left. As a lady told me once, "Sometimes cows don't have as much sense as chickens when it comes to taking care of their young!"

You know, we feed in the morning and we get most of our calves during the day. We get very few calves at night. Yet other people get a lot of calves at night when they feed as we do. Isn't that interesting? (Well, maybe not, but I think it is interesting. Wonder what makes the diff?)

By the way, the contractor we got to finish the basement job, got a big hole torn in the basement wall and didn't put up any plastic, tarp or anything when he left Friday. With the wind we've got, it is pretty interesting. Boy, I know how to pick 'em, don't I? I can't figure out why he didn't take care of that before he left.

 

[alabama]

O no FH. Not another contractor? Did you pay him before he left?