# Is this a good price?



## scrambledmess (Apr 29, 2010)

I saw an ad on craigslist for jerseyxholstein heifers newly weaned and on dry feed/hay.  They were asking $250 for them.   We are thinking of getting a milker.  But it would be almost 2 years, right, before any milk?  Would it be worth it at this price?


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## jhm47 (Apr 29, 2010)

That's a very good price for decent heifers.  Yes, it will be nearly 2 years before you get any milk from them.  Be sure that they are dehorned.


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## PattySh (Apr 29, 2010)

I bought a 5 week old  Jersey/Holstein from an organic farm for $150 christmastime. Put another bag of milk replacer in her so weaned she would have been about $250. I dehorned her. She is a doll, very gentle because we have worked with her so young. She leads easily etc. I did not want to start out with an older cow and get one I couldn't handle. I am happy to wait to breed her at 15 mos (more or less) and wait for milking. Meanwhile I have the goats to milk. I have read good things about the Jersey/HolsteinXs, great milk for drinking raw and lots of it, not as thick as pure Jersey but with enough cream to make good cheese, butter etc.


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## farmgirljen (Apr 30, 2010)

How do you know these heifers were not freemartins? I can see th organic farm being honest,etc.. but buying one from an individual, auction,or ??  I was always taught hat any dairy heifers were kept on, and brought up to be replacement heifers(and around here that is true) so any dairy heifer calves for sale were most likely freemartins...


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## Imissmygirls (Apr 30, 2010)

In this area, even a crossbred heifer is bringing $$. Dairy farmers who would not have been caught dead with a crossbred before, have a few now for various reasons.
I could see a farmer breeding small  first calf heifers to jersey and then not want to keep the calves. You never know.
However, i would try to breed that jersey cross closer to 12 months than 15. Jerseys should be bred sooner rather than later.


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## PattySh (Apr 30, 2010)

I haven't had her checked yet she's 5 months old. She better not be as I specifically asked if she was either a twin or checked and found to be freemartin.  This guy advertised a couple of baby heifers as freemartin and not able to be bred so I tend to believe she's fine. He was scaling back and also had milking cows available as well as young calves and heifers.


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## PattySh (Apr 30, 2010)

I've be told to breed this gal at 13-15 mos? Is 15 mos too late? This is our first cow and I have to figure out yet how to get her bred, either artifically or a local bull.


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## jhm47 (May 1, 2010)

13 months, 15 months, the most important thing is to be sure that the heifer is at least 65 - 70% of her mature weight (bigger is better), cycling regularly, and is healthy otherwise.  You would be wise to get the opinion of someone who has a lot of experience before breeding her.  AI is definitely the way to go.  You can choose bulls that are proven calving ease.  An unproven bull can sire extremely large calves that require a lot of assistance during delivery.  Vets routinely charge $300.00 + to do a caesarian, and you still often lose the calf, and often the cow.


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## Imissmygirls (May 2, 2010)

Jhm, If she were Holstein or other breed, I'd totally agree. In my experience raising jersey heifers, if they aren't bred BEFORE 15 months you have one heck of a time getting them to settle. I would chart cycles starting from the first heat and breed at 12 months to a jersey bull. 
If the heifer is hand raised and tame you can just tie her with a halter to something solid and call the AI technician, no other confinement needed.
Hopefully you will have a small technician, because a big man will have one heck of a time  AI breeding a Jersey.  They are just physically small when at  breeding age.
We actually had a 9 month old Jersey heifer jump the fence with a Holstein bull. We thought C-section for sure.  Had a perfectly *small* Jersey/Holstein baby with no problem.  Mama went to a family farm because she was just too small to produce profitably in a commercial herd.
Having said that, there are commercial Jerseys who start their first lactations at 18 months, according to their official DHIA records. 20 months is more common.


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## jhm47 (May 2, 2010)

I will take your word for it.  Most of my expertise is in beef cattle, and I readily admit that I have absolutely no experience with Jerseys.  Funny thing---In all the thousands of heifers I've bred over the years, I've never bred a Jerssy.  

I will say that the 13 - 15 month thing is pretty much standard for beef and Holstein heifers.


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## PattySh (May 2, 2010)

What age to heifers generally have their first heat? Will her heat cycles be more obvious because she  is with 2 steer calves?


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## Imissmygirls (May 3, 2010)

Well, if we had one breed at 9 months... there's your answer!
I'd start serious observations at 9 months or so and hope to get a cycle of 18-21 days so you can be sure of observations to breed *at standing heat *at 12 months.  If you miss at 12 months, you still have plenty of time to catch her the next few heats.
Thank heavens you have other stock, because it is very hard to detect heat in a lone cow-- unless you luck out and get a bawler or an overly affectionate gal.
Watch for the bleedoff at the END of a heat period. 

Check into AI prior to when you need it, too. Get the call-in number and the hours he/she is available. Find out what semen the tech normally carries with him and can he find your place!


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## PattySh (May 3, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice! New to this cow breeding...my other animals the sire is always on premises. I have to call the closest local farmers to see who their AI tech is. What is an average cost for such a service?


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## Imissmygirls (May 4, 2010)

Last time I heard it ranged from $8 to $100+ depending upon the sire used.


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## jhm47 (May 4, 2010)

Good dairy semen usually costs in the $25 - $50 range.  A good proven bull is usually at the higher end of that range.  Your technician will generally charge $10 - $30, depending on how far he has to drive.  All in all, that's a great bargain, compared to using an unproven bull that might sire large calves that require assistance from a vet.  These proven bulls also will produce heifers that produce many more $ than an unproven bull.


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## Imissmygirls (May 6, 2010)

I would suggest allowing the technician to choose the semen within a given price range. S/He can evaluate your heifer's poor points and match them with a bull's strong points.  There is an art and a science to that and most good technicians are good at it. They see a lot of cows and a lot of bull's offspring.


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## COUNTRYMAN (May 30, 2010)

speaking as a tech, check with your local farms, you more then likely will be able to find some one local to you that will come over and take care of this for you. I charge 15.00 for local but have driven many miles to breed 100 or more animals at a time for 10.00 per head (thats just cost of breeding, not the semen)

If you were my neihbor i would charge you nothing for the service other than the cost of the semen, but thats just me


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