Buying dairy heifer calves

[Swaley]

Hello all,
I am wanting to know what average price do dairy heifer calves sell for, at about 3 to 4 month old. E.g. Jersey heifers, ayshire heifers or british friesian heifers.

Many thanks all.

 

[Spudley]

I sold a 4 month old calf in the mart a few weeks ago for £350. Last year I sold 2 of similar age for £150 each. Its a funny age and difficult to say because they always seem good value unless they are old enough to be in calf.

 

[Swaley]

I sold a 4 month old calf in the mart a few weeks ago for £350. Last year I sold 2 of similar age for £150 each. Its a funny age and difficult to say because they always seem good value unless they are old enough to be in calf.

May I ask what breed.
Thanks.

 

[nivilla1982]

£200 for Jersey/Friesian cross. 3 Weeks

 

[Llmmm]

The big fear when buying heifer calves is why are they being sold.Some make very poor money

 

[Donkey5]

Be wary of freemartins

 

[Rossymons]

If it's a whole herd going up for sale I would say fill your boots!

If it was a collective I would urge caution.

 

[pappuller]

If it's a whole herd going up for sale I would say fill your boots!

If it was a collective I would urge caution.

Plenty of heifer calves sold from flying herds as they just don't rear

 

[Spudley]

The calf I sold this year was a British freisian, the ones last year were Jersey crosses to be fair.
They were genuine, just born at the wrong time of year.

 

[upnortheast]

Beware Freemartin / out of Johnes / BVD etc

 

[farmer JD]

I sold 9 today averaging £165 for week ,ten day old calves

 

[dairyrow]

Be careful a guy on our discussion group bought calves. Started weighing and found they had BVD. He sold them on again.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

You could do a lot worse than buy in calf L3 or L4 animals from block calving herds that have moved to calve outside the window but it depends what you are trying to do. They would be good value as anything above cull value is a bonus. They could be poorer fertility FOR THAT PARTICULAR HERD but still be better fertility than many average herds. If you want to calve AYR - fill yer boots

 

[Sandpit Farm]

Other option is you get AYR herds using genomics on Holsteins and using 100% sexed semen and then using Fleck/Mont bulls on the remainder. They will generate good crossbred heifer calves that they would sell. I know one such herd in the Midlands if you needed details. I'd imagine they'd be good money as they are effectively beef calves.

 

[jimmer]

Dairy heifer calves for sale at 3-4 months old are more likely to be very recently clear tb test herds, bad doers or health issues like dam + for johnes, bvd etc
TB aside most genuine dairy heifer calves sold are done so at 2 to 3 weeks old
I sold two hfx 3 weeks old for 160 each last week

 

[Princess Pooper]

Watching with interest.

We are likely to have too many heifer calves next year. Cows are holding well to sexed semen and Prince Pooper cocked up his beef semen order, not due until 23rd December.

Plenty of cows coming bulling for first service so he has kept on with sexed, we should have changed about a week ago (bull has gone in the heifers so at least they are sorted) He only has a few beef straws in the tank for repeats/first serves on cows. We won't have the space to rear them all if we get anything like a decent conception rate.

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

Keep us update @Princess Pooper as you start to PD them. July and firsts week of August born heifers would be of interest to us. Where are you based?

 

[pappuller]

We will have 8/10 b&w heifer calves due between feb and may sired by fynn i think, the ic heifers are all from one farm av 12k litres

 

[Princess Pooper]

Keep us update @Princess Pooper as you start to PD them. July and firsts week of August born heifers would be of interest to us. Where are you based?

near Melton Mowbray, but sadly the ones we would want to sell (if it comes to that) would probably be the Sept ones ie the ones we have served after we normally swap to beef. We start about 8th Aug.