Guernsey bull calves

[Sir loin]

My 14 year old son has been offered Guernsey bull calves free of charge from a local dairy farmer is there any way you can make money out of them? Does anyone on here rear them to sale weight if so what system do you use?

 

[pine_guy]

I think it will be easier setting light to £20 notes.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

My 14 year old son has been offered Guernsey bull calves free of charge from a local dairy farmer is there any way you can make money out of them?

Sell them back on?

 

[Nick Adams]

We used to milk Jerseys and separated some milk and sold the cream leaving us with skim milk. This was fed to pigs and used to rear calves all the calves after getting them going on colostrum and whole milk. The intensively fed bulls were a profitable enterprise with the only real cash costs the concentrates fed.

 

[Guiggs]

If they are free and are healthy and had their colostrum and are reared sensibly he can't fail to make something surely?
Not everything has to be huge and top the market in order to make money. A profit is a profit and if it helps him learn about the job as well it's got to be good!
If he doesn't want them and you'll deliver them then I'll take them.

 

[jendan]

My 14 year old son has been offered Guernsey bull calves free of charge from a local dairy farmer is there any way you can make money out of them? Does anyone on here rear them to sale weight if so what system do you use?

Their mothers milk goes to make a certain ice cream?

 

[pine_guy]

If they are free and are healthy and had their colostrum and are reared sensibly he can't fail to make something surely?
Not everything has to be huge and top the market in order to make money. A profit is a profit and if it helps him learn about the job as well it's got to be good!
If he doesn't want them and you'll deliver them then I'll take them.

With no direct experience of guernseys, I may be wrong to compare to jerseys. But sadly, even if a jersey bull calf was free, I think it would die in debt. There will be no change out of £1/day for milk alone, to rear to weaning. So if you get them at 5 days old that is £60 as a weaned calf.

 

[jendan]

With no direct experience of guernseys, I may be wrong to compare to jerseys. But sadly, even if a jersey bull calf was free, I think it would die in debt. There will be no change out of £1/day for milk alone, to rear to weaning. So if you get them at 5 days old that is £60 as a weaned calf.

I dont think you have seen many Guernseys.They are not really comparable to Jerseys,unlike the fact they are the two Channel Island breeds.Guernseys are more like red/red and white old fashioned British Friesians.They have usually got abit of substance to them,and are much better than Ayrshires and Jerseys for beef/rearing.

 

[pine_guy]

I dont think you have seen many Guernseys.They are not really comparable to Jerseys,unlike the fact they are the two Channel Island breeds.Guernseys are more like red/red and white old fashioned British Friesians.They have usually got abit of substance to them,and are much better than Ayrshires and Jerseys for beef/rearing.

Well in that case, I'll stand by my comment that he wants nothing to do with them, but I'll give him £5/head for every healthy one he delivers hear

 

[Guiggs]

Well in that case, I'll stand by my comment that he wants nothing to do with them, but I'll give him £5/head for every healthy one he delivers hear

Whoo there....
I was there first but if that's how you wanna play it I'll bid £5.50 A head delivered!

 

[hendrebc]

You dont know how they will turn out unil you try

 

[pine_guy]

Whoo there....
I was there first but if that's how you wanna play it I'll bid £5.50 A head delivered!

Haulage will kill it for you

 

[llamedos]

Rose veal?

 

[jendan]

Whoo there....
I was there first but if that's how you wanna play it I'll bid £5.50 A head delivered!

I think you are both way out on this.The calves will be worth proper money,and will well be worth rearing up!

 

[Rossymons]

A couple aint gonna hurt especially as they're free. Try it.

 

[Guiggs]

I think you are both way out on this.The calves will be worth proper money,and will well be worth rearing up!

I'm only messing, as I said in my first post, I see no reason why their shouldn't be a bit of profit in them if done sensibly!

 

[jendan]

I'm only messing, as I said in my first post, I see no reason why their shouldn't be a bit of profit in them if done sensibly!

Having done a bit of "research" on this forums Dairy section,I fear you may be correct,and the bull calves may not be worth much after all. The breed seems to have changed out of all recognition to the ones i saw 20 years ago in the 90s.