Calf buying

[Toms820]

So this time last year I bought my first calf month old limi x reared on milk and then thrown out field with the father in-laws and fed corn. now it’s Coming up to selling and was going to buy 4-5 but was wonder what people’s thoughts where on buying calf on milk or buying something older and missing out on feeding milk?

 

[Old Spot]

As you increase numbers the threat of disease rises.
get them together and from the same farm
calves used to cheaper this time of the year, the colostrum is allegedly poorer
the economies of scale with the price of milk powder can be a major factor

 

[Toms820]

Ok Thankyou for that. I was planning on going to market and buying them in one lot as you say to reduce disease.

How much do you recon milk powder should they take to rear to weaning?
A couple people I know recon 1 bag per calf should see them right so for 5 calf’s id be spending £200 ish on milk?

 

[Werzle]

Broad as long really, weanlings can be bought at about what it will cost you to buy and rear a calf including time. Job to rear a calf on one bag of milk imo unless its 4weeks old plus when you get it, bag and a half i reckon.

 

[som farmer]

we start calving 10/14 days, fr bull calves, then AA or BB, cows all injected rota corona vac (not the flu), any one interested straight off farm ? south somerset.

 

[bean]

we start calving 10/14 days, fr bull calves, then AA or BB, cows all injected rota corona vac (not the flu), any one interested straight off farm ? south somerset.

How many blues would you have? Out of what sort of cows

 

[HarryB97]

You will save a lot of money rearing them from calves on milk unless you are buying pure fresian/holstein steers. We started buying in weaned calves but very quickly began rearing our own. Currently we rear around 160 per year and depending on the calf price are saving 20-35k a year plus reduced stress and they receive more vaccinations etc. We work on a bag and a quarter per calf, don't skimp on the quantity or quality. We do buy in some weaned calves still as long as they are very well priced, normally this is when people go tb clear and need to get rid of some.

 

[AndrewM]

how much work do you want? i often see weaned calves 12+ in the market going for less than 4 week old calves, they come from people who have gone tb clear and have a clear out. there isnt much demand for them as the supply is not as consistent as month old calves, but if you went every week for a month, you could pick up a bargain.
as others have said, if your buying a group you are likely to get some disease, mainly pneumonia in 4+week plus calves. make sure you know the symptoms.
Calves seem expensive at the moment if you want quality. only the all year round calvers, you want to wait till the glut of calf's from the spring calvers comes through in a few weeks time.

 

[som farmer]

120 next 5weeks, 60/40 Friesian jersey x's, 45 fr/h 45 AA/BB (used a straw of each) and 15 hfrds at end, plus some you wouldn't want ! Some are dutch hol, but strong wide chested, low stature.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

We rear dairy bull calves from 3 supply farms, all arrive between 4 and 5 weeks. Couple of years ago 2 of the 3 were on TB shutdown. Calves in market were too dear for me so I bought 2 lots of 20 weaned calves 2 weeks apart from a professional calf rearer. I went and viewed the unit and picked my cattle so it wasn't as if it's a really dirty scruffy outfit.
Was a total disaster, they seemed to go down with everything under the sun, lost 5 out of the 40. Supposedly all vaccinated (my arse), I like everything finished and gone at 280-310kg DW by 14 months at the latest. These were here until 16 months and ranged from 250kg too 300kg. I learnt my lesson, they cost me a fortune all their lives.
Buy them young and rear them yourself, make a proper job of them and they repay you over and over. Buying from a rearer just introduces every calf disease known too man onto your unit.

 

[Hampton]

As you increase numbers the threat of disease rises.
get them together and from the same farm
calves used to cheaper this time of the year, the colostrum is allegedly poorer
the economies of scale with the price of milk powder can be a major factor

That can be counterproductive if the farm you only buy from turns out to have terrible pneumonia problems!

 

[Werzle]

Theres problems to be had rearing or buying weanlings, swings and roundabouts.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Buy them in the summer so that by the winter they have a bit of age on their side . As stated in sucker cow thread we have done both . Not much in it baby or reared . We used to buy 30/40 and rear on a milkwave system in May or June but for the last 2 yrs have bought them in Aug/Sept at around 4 Mths old . I don't think we will go back to baby calves.
Just our way of doing it as the OH and myself are getting slightly older ! ....wiser...I'm not so sure !!

 

[som farmer]

That can be counterproductive if the farm you only buy from turns out to have terrible pneumonia problems!

you choose your farm, plenty of us do not have problems, and would take 'extra' precautions, if asked, we, for example, vaccinate against rota corona,

 

[Toms820]

Buy them in the summer so that by the winter they have a bit of age on their side . As stated in sucker cow thread we have done both . Not much in it baby or reared . We used to buy 30/40 and rear on a milkwave system in May or June but for the last 2 yrs have bought them in Aug/Sept at around 4 Mths old . I don't think we will go back to baby calves.
Just our way of doing it as the OH and myself are getting slightly older ! ....wiser...I'm not so sure !!

That’s what I liked doing last year. I bought him March time kept him in with the others for 4 weeks while on twice a Day milk then put them out a field close to home and weaned the group off like that. Spent the whole summer out and now seeing the results I think it’s payed off now. Handy in the mornings before work I would wonder up with a bag of corn and the dog and feed and check them.

 

[Toms820]

Buy them in the summer so that by the winter they have a bit of age on their side . As stated in sucker cow thread we have done both . Not much in it baby or reared . We used to buy 30/40 and rear on a milkwave system in May or June but for the last 2 yrs have bought them in Aug/Sept at around 4 Mths old . I don't think we will go back to baby calves.
Just our way of doing it as the OH and myself are getting slightly older ! ....wiser...I'm not so sure !!

That’s what I liked doing last year. I bought him March time kept him in with the others for 4 weeks while on twice a Day milk then put them out a field close to home and weaned the group off like that. Spent the whole summer out and now seeing the results I think it’s payed off now. Handy in the mornings before work I would wonder up with a bag of corn and the dog and feed and check them.

 

[Obi Wan]

I worked it out last year, it all depends how you cost your time really. Bought in weanlings last year, straight onto calf rearer nuts and straw until weather was fit to turn out, kept on nuts until youngest was 7 months. This year I’m looking for 10 - 15 BF / beef heifers weaned in Scotland ???? Too much variation and defo H or NZ mixed into the bunch we got from the dealer last year, the couple that are more traditional British Fresian look the business compared to the mongrels. Any leads would be ?

 

[pellow]

My father went to Sedgemoor last Sat and he said reared calves made the same money as babies

 

[Zippy768]

But are the numbers available from market for weaned/reared calves?

 

[som farmer]

35 yrs ago, cousin used to sell the calves, at a large mkt, used to be 6/700 a week, always told us NEVER buy 'cheap' calves from the stirks, must have changed by now, but have always erred on the side of caution. The whole calf trade is a mass of contradictions, eg, bb bull calf, £300, at 2/3 weeks, by the time someone has reared it, stood any losses, either finished it, or sold as a store, that £300, is greater than the final profit, 2 yrs down the line. Same calf, sold as weaned, £550, 4/5 months, I can't see the figures adding up, same animal, 2 yr old, through the stores, £1100, there is not that many fat over £1100 in our local markets reports. That's not to say, there's no profit, but you would have to be very efficient. A good Friesian calf, £65, 2 weeks, might make £200, if lucky as a stirk, £700 as a strong store, £950 fat ? and yet farmers buy holstiens, at £30/40, as long as they don't sell them, in between, probably best profit ?
What will happen when all the extra shite calves/stirks hit the mkt, haven't got a clue, and any honest semen rep, will admit, sexed semen is not the answer.