Weight and price of different cattle

[COWGUY1123]

I was going to buy another angus bull if I sell the onehave already got. As for the 2 holsteinbull as they are going to be sold later as bulls ( maybe steers). Im goimg to go take some pics right now and then post em when I get back

 

[COWGUY1123]

This is the new bull Calf

Here are more pics of the ba bull.

 

[SheepGirl]

He lacks muscle; especially for a beef animal you want muscle as that is what you eat. Cull him, don't breed him. He won't make meaty babies at all, even if he is an Angus. His genetics don't have typical Angus muscling.

 

[BrownSheep]

Your new baby is pretty darn cute.

I would have to side with the others about his confirmation...I may have missed it but have you wormed recently?

 

[WildRoseBeef]

CowGuy, no one is insulting your cattle, not even Bossroo. On here we typically--most always--tell it like it is because, as was said, we care about how well you would and should do with cattle and so that you can actually get something from them and reduce your costs, and those costs don't just mean feed bills, either. Good cattle with good temperament, conformation and feed efficiency are less likely to run you into problems than bad cattle or someone else's culls.

Having a look at that bull I can tell you, as a past backgrounder and a (hopefully, lol) future cow-calf producer, that he definitely needs the knife or band ASAP. The lack of muscle on is rump is evident as SheepGirl said, and I do not like the structure of his feet or legs. He lacks nuts, has a funnel butt (same concept as hatchet butt), but has some gut (not a whole lot), and it's plain to see his shallow heart-girth. At 8 months I expect a lot more muscle and weight on him, but he isn't anywhere near what I could consider a good bull that I would use if I had cows. Even with excess feed, an extra layer of fat isn't going to hide those structural weaknesses.

Please cut him and all your other bulls and I would also highly recommend that you don't consider keeping any future stock from your heifer or your cow as bulls. Besides, a bull for only two cows isn't the best idea. One bull can cover at least 10 to 30 cows or more in a breeding season, and when he gets all testosterone-hyped, he'll be trying to get through the fence more than once to service some other neighbouring cows in heat. I've heard that Angus are notorious for breaking out of their enclosures. They can be just as bad when trying to handle them.

To get a good bull, you need to have some really good cows, and these don't stand up to par except as stock you can sell steers and excess heifers from. It's actually a lot harder to get good breeding stock than it seems, and you really have to have your eyes open to any weaknesses any of your animals have, as well as the criticisms from others.

The best thing to do for those two girls you have is to breed them via AI to a good, easy-calving Angus bull to get some worthwhile, meaty, dairy-cross calves to raise and sell at weaning. Or, find a neighbour that has a great Angus bull to breed them to and rent him out for a few months to get them bred.

But PLEASE get all those bulls castrated ASAP. You won't regret it in the future. Even the cute calf, he's a looker and I like his colouration, but I don't see him as a future bull prospect. Keep him as a steer for as long as you want to.

 

[Latestarter]

CowGuy... just my 2 cents... you seem to be doing the "oh yeah? well I'll show YOU!" thing here. Nobody is trying to insult you, and you shouldn't take the criticism personally. These folks have YEARS of experience and knowledge that they are willingly GIVING to you... as in FREE!! They're trying to HELP you! Instead of trying to "fight back" and "rationalize" your situation/position, step back and HONESTLY hear what these folks are trying to explain to you, and then look again at your situation with OPEN EYES and an OPEN MIND.

Try to remember... it's no skin off their backs, and no $$ out of their wallets no matter what choices/decisions you make. Of course your neighbors and the folks who sold those animals to you are going to say they look great. The neighbors would be afraid to say anything other than that for fear of insulting you (or your cattle). They have to live with/near you. These folks here have no axe to grind either way. They can be honest and straightforward and there's no reason for them not to be.

 

[greybeard]

Let's start over........
(preface--I haven't said much about the dairy animals-I'd be talking "out of school--I am not a dairy guy)
Cowguy, what are your goals for this herd?

If it's just to buy and sell, as the market drops and rises, then you you have about an even chance of making a few $$ assuming you buy the drops and sell on a good day. "even" because ya never know what the market in any given area will be at any given salebarn on a week to week basis--much less a year or 6 months down the road. I've seen cattle sell at a premium locally one week, and the next week, with the same buyers present and a comparable bunch of animals everything but the best running thru the ring got discounted.

This is a form of backgrounding, tho backgrounding usually means you buy calves, raise them for a period of time, and sell at market weight to go to feedlot.

But, if you are wanting to start a cow calf project as room and budget allows and sell the weaned calves, you are top weighted with bulls compared to females. This isn't 2013-2014 when there was a strong rising market for anything that could walk thru a sale ring. I do expect, the market will stay strong thru spring and fall of this year, as more heifers are being retained by producers to increase the national cow herd size. Heifers the last few years (2012 thru fall 2014) have made up about 1/3 of the market share as everyone took advantage of high prices--but the current and ongoing heifer retention (keeping them on farm and ranch for breeding) is going to put "some" upward price pressure on the market for the next year--year and 1/2--IF, demand stays strong in the consumer end of things. IMO anyway.
With the herd individuals you have, I would try to target a sale period to coincide with summer--maybe late spring. Demand for beef increases at that time as bbq season starts off and America loves it's grilled burgers--it tapers off after Labor Day.
Most recent market reports for Ga:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/tv_ls145.txt
Tenn:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ra_ls755.txt
NC sale barns: (pick one close to you and click to see the market report)
http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/mktnews/cattle.htm







If you are just looking down the road as an investment--a payday--Just remember, th longer you keep one (or a bunch) the more $$ you have tied up in them, and the less profit you really get.
With your over populated bull herd, it won't be long, before you are going to see some fights break out, and they'll tear down 1/4 mile of fence to get at each other. btdt. A knife will cure almost all that. Get them dehorned too!!

If you want one for your own freezer:
There's absolutely nothing wrong with intact bull beef on a plate--IF it's a young bull. Personal preference, but I actually prefer it.

And, there's an intangible that lots of us are exposed to and can't shake no matter how little financial sense it makes-we just like to keep some cows around.

(If you can't see/hear the video, here's what it says:
(property of Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans)
Well everything is better with some cows around
Livin in town sometimes brings me down
Let me bestow this western blessing share what I have found
May you always have cows around
What else you gonna spend that extra money on
What else is gonna get you up hours before dawn
What else is gonna keep toiling on and on and on
May you always have cows around
Cmon you know that you got too much time on your hands
Not merely enough complication in your plans
You need to invite all the frustration that you can
May you always have cows around
Everything is better with some cows around
Livin in town sometimes brings me down
Let me bestow this western blessing leave you saddle bound
May you always have cow around
What else can make the bishop swear like a sailor might?
What else can cause such tension between a man and his wife?
What else could ever bring all these enhancements to your life?
May you always have cows around
What else is gonna get out when ya dont close the gate
What elsell make ya prematurely show your age?
What elsell take a run at you in a fit of bovine rage?
May you always have cows around
Well everything is better with some cows around
Livin in town sometimes brings me down
And although this western blessing leaves you cattle bound
May you always have cows around



What kinda cows Corb?
Well theres Hereford, Highland, Simmental, Welsh Black and Maine-Anjou, Chianina, Limousine, Shorthorn, Charolais, Watusi too, Texas Long Horn, Coriente, Ankole, Galloway, Red Angus, Brahma, Brangus, Jersey, Guernsey, Holstein, Hey!
Well ya mighta had to let em dig for oil and gas
Ya mighta had to turn the place to an exotic game ranch
Ya mighta had to do all things to raise the cash
So youd always have cows around
How else ya gonna lose it all like daddy did
What else will make sure you leave nothing for your kids?
Its too late now you know it is you might as well admit
That you're a barely floatin, sentimental, masochisticness
And that despite all the statistic and the advice that you get
You will always have cows around
Ya everything is better with some cows around
Livin in t own sometimes brings me down
Well you wont know what youre missing till ya hear that sound
May you always have cows around
May you always have cows around
Mooo moo

Tomorrow morning, I am again going to help my neighbor load a Jersey bull that hit him in the chest a few weeks ago, flipped him in the air and tried to push him thru the Earth. Only thing that save him was the bull was tied and finally pushed my friend out beyond his reach of the rope length. We're both in our 60s and he doesn't have a loading chute, so it's gonna be back the trailer up to a tree the bull is tied to--a rodeo with ropes and dogs and cussin and jumpin. I'm just glad that bull is dehorned.

 

[Sweetened]

I am new to cattle, but will share with you a quick story about bulls.

A friend of mine has been a cattlewoman sincr she was born onto a large cattle ranch. She got out of beef and into dairy when she went on her own and had been in the buz 12 years when she bought herself a jersey bull calf. She raised him as a bottle baby hoping to sequester that bad side they are notorious for. He had a routine, brushed daily, hand fed, walked, used as a working ox once weekly. She took him to shows and walked him via a collar, not his nose ring and so on. She would have put a screaming newborn child at his feet and trusted him.

About a decade later, she was feeding him i the roubd pen, brushing and shaving him in prep for a show. She turned around to walk out and he did all he could in the world to kill her. Her husband heard her screams and used a high powered cattle rod to get him off her. He instabtly snapped out of his rage and was like the baby they knew, but there had been no provocation. She is very lucky to be alive. He broke her hips and pelvis, shattered her rib cage, broke her tibia, dislocated a shoulder and screwed a knee.

Because he was so valuable and produced such high quality offspring, he was used to breed again that year and sent for slaughter.

Most people even with bottle bulls, dont make it that long before being attacked or injured or killed, but it just shows how volatile they can be.

 

[COWGUY1123]

WRB do you have a certain sire that you reccomend for me to buy his sperm to insemenate by girls with? Also some guy from the department of agriculture is coming out tomorrow to dehorn my cattle and maybe casterate. Sorry bossroo that I thought you were insulting my cattle. I plan to keep the males till next summer seeing as how I have the room and what do you guys think of me buying 3-4 more pure black angus heifers to breed? To break even I need to sell the entire herd I have right now for 3650. Do you guys think that I could sell my whole herd for more than that? Also I don't think that any little ol bull is about to knock down my heavy duty wooden board fence (maybe my other one). You know maybe it is just some of the cattle down in my neck of the woods that aren't very good but the one guy that said I should keep the ba bull he gives everything to me straight. Said that he was short but would ultimately be a good bull. He also said that the jersey steer looks like it only weighs 300#. But maybe he just might be wrong IDK??? Thanks for all of the replys

 

[Sweetened]

I have heard of bls going through and trashing metal cattle fencing with relative ease to get at another bull or in with the girls. A fence, next to a solid steel panel fence, is really a suggestion for any animal bigger than a goat (and even then!!)