Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[RR Homestead]

Wow. Prices are pretty good there still. They were down a bit here today and supply is way down. There was a fair bit today from a couple ranches going out of business. Was very sad to see. One pen of 5 black bred heifer shocked me a bit. They were 800 pounds a piece and 8 months bred. Heifers were definitely on the lean side. Mostly belly and bone. They still brought $1,700 a piece. I couldn't believe it. I was tempted to try and calve them out and flip them if the price was right since I'd be here anyways for a bit longer and we have the feed but at $1,700 per head I couldn't pull that trigger. Just one heifer loss at calving would take any profit out of the bunch in the time frame we're looking at at that price. I sure was tempted though.

 

[fuzzi]

Home from the sale... it was very good...

Got the clothes in and they were pretty much dry... put the flannel lined jeans over the shower curtain to dry a little, but the rest were good...

Got to the barn, DS sent a text and asked if I could carry water to 2 of the bought bull/steer calves as they obviously were not weaned when he bought them and they are pretty high headed....he would be back by 2.... they're looking for a way out/looking for momma.... something... So they are in the small pen in the barn at the back of the chute for a couple days right now... also fed them a couple sections of hay... The water spicket is in the barn so not a big deal... Had a clean 2 gal bucket there so carried 2 of them and it filled the partial bucket they had... The one is the one we had to catch yesterday morning... the other is just real real Flighty acting... hoping this will help to calm them down a bit to be contained and dependent for feed and water...

So, I went in the barn lot... DS had fed silage in there... and the cows/calves were eating... mostly lounging as he had fed it a couple hours earlier. Some of the cows were in the barn.... and some calves. I walked the rest of them back into the barn.... and then as a few cows were wanting to come out to the water trough, I would open the gate partway and let them walk past... got most all the calves on one side of the barn so I could more easily just quietly walk the cows out... and next thing, I had all 9 out of the barn... so I put the calves all over on one side, closed the dividing gate, and opened the barn again for the cows if they wanted more to eat... These cows are very calm and most were pretty old... so not like they were going to get bent out of shape... The one open young cow and her calf stayed over with the calves... so that was fine...
He had been in the dump truck, dumped a load of stuff so it did not freeze in the upcoming COLD snap..... then was working on the lights on the one truck... figured to get it done while it was still "decent out" temperature wise as it is supposed to drop like a rock.... so when he got done, he said I guess we should go... so he got them up the loading alleyway... shut the gate, got the calves all moved over to where they had all been together... and opened the other side of the barn to the ones they brought home yesterday so they could all come in and eat silage... This helps cut down on the hay, and gets the calves accustomed to trying whatever mom is eating in the bunk... find out it's pretty good stuff... and in a week/10 days or whatever... when we move the cows out that are bred.... the calves already know what the silage is and the transition is better....easier...smoother......They don't lose as much weight from the "separation anxiety" because they will eat instead of bawling and walking the fence as much....
Hey, doesn't everyone read about eating as a way to deal with things... "comfort eating" that sort of thing? Well, the calves will substitute eating to an extent if they already know what it is..... so it is a "replacement" for momma..... and everyone else is eating..... so I should eat too???? Monkey, see, "monkey do mentality".

Anyway, there will be some hollering tomorrow... it is normal, but they will get on with life...

So we loaded them up, and left...got up there, unloaded and I noted each one that went on the scale to keep track... The smallest was 895 lbs... the biggest was the fat first calf heifer that did not breed back.. after 2 tries. 1230 lbs... My cow weighed 940 and the others weighed 970; 1000, 1020, 1155, 1165, 1210... For the most part our mature cows average in the 1050-1200 range...
The worst we got was $115.00, the best was my cow $177.50.... Very very well pleased with the results.... that was $1150 to $1795 ... for cows that were not bred and most were old cows... except the fat first calf heifer... she brought the 1795.....
Used to be if you got $300-500 that was decent.... Times sure have changed... They averaged about $1430 a head....
BUT, the averages are the same... used to be it took 2-3 cows to buy a replacement... now it still takes 2 -3 cows to buy a replacement...just the numbers are A WHOLE LOT BIGGER......

They also sell baby calves... holsteins brought $10.50 / lb for 104 lbs avg...... thats over $1,050 EACH... some that weighed 89 lbs avg... brought 12.00 /lb... some smaller singles brought in the $400-700 by the head... a couple of jersey/ang crosses brought over $250... they were little and fine boned...

There were ALOT of people that showed up for the bred cow sale... couple had calves on the ground... mostly breds... and not alot of them.... like maybe 100 total...
One had the 500 lb calf by her side... they sold her and then sold the calf off her by the pound... got him for a decent price... there weren't the "calf buyers there".... so one odd calf would be more in people's way than not... the people hurt themselves to split him off but I understand taking her in on this sale day.... so DS got him for about $500 LESS than he paid for the ones that are similar, this past monday...
CALF is tea totally P!SSED OFF , being separated from momma... so will go in the pen with the other 2 for a few days.... NOT chasing him all over the neighborhood....he will slide right in with other ones we have and match well... We did not buy any cows... 4 that we liked, were friendly in the pen, hol/ang crosses , brought over 3700 each....

So we came home and DS was going to put him in the barn pen and I came home... I am feeling this continuing "bug"...

I'm going to try to get some sleep... in the chair.... too much congestion... I think I have bronchial pneumonia... have a dr appt for Tuesday morning.... It's fairly loose and I cough alot , but it is rough to breathe if I do much of anything..
500 cow herd to test tomorrow....

Going to get the jersey cow and the new calf on Sat since we have the vet check on Friday and I think I will be too wiped out... plus we will might move some cows around after the preg check, once we know the status....Hope there are not too many opens in this group. Or wait for Sunday to move them...

This way he can bring them to snyder's and drop them off in the barn lot... and I have to catch the bigger white spkld steer that is going for butcher... and he will stay in the trailer ...because he will push his way out of ANYTHING.... he will come in but will not stay in anywhere... DS can deliver him on Sunday to the butcher and they have small very stout pens with a roof so he can't jump out either... so drop the cow/calf... I will get him in and DS can load him and that will be it...

Guy is supposed to come get the angus bull that we have for sale on Friday also....
I am not going to test the farm I cancelled last Sat... too much to do with the jersey cow/calf... plus too worn out feeling... maybe get him in the 24th.... got a full week scheduled 19th-23....

First thing... some rest tonight I hope...

Please get more rest. If you have bronchitis or pneumonia you will have to rest. I've had both, hate that weak knees exhausted feeling.

 

[murphysranch]

Is that like the old walking pneunomia?