They go to feedlots here. Send them to auction, they get sorted, bought, shipped to a feedlot and in with hundreds of other bawling babies. Run through, processed, vaccinated, put on feed. All the stressers at once pretty much.Iearn something new everyday. Send them straight to auction and let someone else share the noise is best option i reckon,lol. I do think they bawl less if they cant hear there mothers and vice-versa .
If you take them home then you've got to have double the corral space to hold the houdini buggers (if you bring the cows home the same time) and need to put up extra forage to feed them. Since we don't get 3-5 cuts of grass silage here farmers tend to be more stingy with what gets to eat their winter supplies