redtailgal
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The problem from buying from sale barns, even good ones, is that vast assortment of germs and parasites that these critters have been exposed too.
Every farm, yard, house, etc has a different micro-habitat scenerios. On my farm, we have to watch for round worms in the cattle and they are ivermec resistant. The enighbors farm may have cydectin resistant worms. If I buy cattle from him, and put them in my herd, then I will have cydectin and ivermec resistant worms, and I would be in a terrible fix.
Its the same way with your basic germs, as well.
Those animals at the sale come from alot of different farms, each with their own micro habitat......each one that I bring in from their brings their own cooties as well as the cooties from all the other critters that came from other farms, thus changing my own cootie habitat, leaving me to guess which one it is.
The other problem I have with buying breeding stock from the sale, is that you are buying a cull. Perhaps she came from a line of females that will not breed, or produce milk. Perhaps she came from a line that has aggression problems.
Or perhaps that healthy looking animal is being culled after intensive work to get her at a decent weight, after decided to cull her for being a hard keeper or being a worm magnet.
Another thing I have seen, first hand, is healthy looking animals brought purchase and brought home, only to find that they were standing because they had been given painkilling meds.
Can you buy a healthy animal at the auction? Sure, but its hard. You must know what you are looking for and you must know what you are looking at. You must be tough enough to not go for the sympathy purchase or the cheapest one. You must make sure that your sale barn is reputable, and then proceed with caution.
And you must must must be prepared to quarantine that animal for a minimum of 30 days........off farm if possible, if not, then not in a pasture that your other animals will have access to in the near future.
WOuld I buy from a sale barn? Not likely.
I wouldn't even consider a breeding animal from sale barn, I would have to be desparate to buy meat from them. I *may* consider a pet from a sale barn. maybe.
My buddy with the calves......He bought 16 calves from the sale barn, wethers to raise out for slaughter. He's been in cows for a loooonnng time. He choose what appeared to be healthy calves, from a reputable sale barn. Those calves started dropping dead the next day. Within three weeks, they ALL died, after a bloody fortune in vet bills.
Yep, it's possible to get a good healthy animal from the sale barn. It's also possible to win a million bucks at the lottery, lol.
Every farm, yard, house, etc has a different micro-habitat scenerios. On my farm, we have to watch for round worms in the cattle and they are ivermec resistant. The enighbors farm may have cydectin resistant worms. If I buy cattle from him, and put them in my herd, then I will have cydectin and ivermec resistant worms, and I would be in a terrible fix.
Its the same way with your basic germs, as well.
Those animals at the sale come from alot of different farms, each with their own micro habitat......each one that I bring in from their brings their own cooties as well as the cooties from all the other critters that came from other farms, thus changing my own cootie habitat, leaving me to guess which one it is.
The other problem I have with buying breeding stock from the sale, is that you are buying a cull. Perhaps she came from a line of females that will not breed, or produce milk. Perhaps she came from a line that has aggression problems.
Or perhaps that healthy looking animal is being culled after intensive work to get her at a decent weight, after decided to cull her for being a hard keeper or being a worm magnet.
Another thing I have seen, first hand, is healthy looking animals brought purchase and brought home, only to find that they were standing because they had been given painkilling meds.
Can you buy a healthy animal at the auction? Sure, but its hard. You must know what you are looking for and you must know what you are looking at. You must be tough enough to not go for the sympathy purchase or the cheapest one. You must make sure that your sale barn is reputable, and then proceed with caution.
And you must must must be prepared to quarantine that animal for a minimum of 30 days........off farm if possible, if not, then not in a pasture that your other animals will have access to in the near future.
WOuld I buy from a sale barn? Not likely.
I wouldn't even consider a breeding animal from sale barn, I would have to be desparate to buy meat from them. I *may* consider a pet from a sale barn. maybe.
My buddy with the calves......He bought 16 calves from the sale barn, wethers to raise out for slaughter. He's been in cows for a loooonnng time. He choose what appeared to be healthy calves, from a reputable sale barn. Those calves started dropping dead the next day. Within three weeks, they ALL died, after a bloody fortune in vet bills.
Yep, it's possible to get a good healthy animal from the sale barn. It's also possible to win a million bucks at the lottery, lol.
