From the bit of experience we have of trying to buy from farms i would say not but then again all comes down to how good the farm is and suppose you maybe able to do a deal for them to do some of your vacinations and such earlier , so your calves would be covered sooner. The only way is to try and a buy a batch direct off a farn and see how they compare to your orginal system.
Sourcing Calves
- Thread starter Zippy768
- Start date
I'd say you would end up with MORE bottom enders buying all from one farm than from market. At least at market your buyer is actively NOT looking at those calves. You buy on the farm, you buy the lot and once the farmer knows you're taking them all they'll stop pushing them...is my experience.
- Location
- somerset
trust.
but disease problems should be less
shite calves are shite, wherever they come from, for buying off farm, use them to lower av cost, but get rid, asap.
it amuses me to be told, often on here, that those cheap crap calves, will become very profitable, but no-one will tell me how to achieve it, basically, some might, most won't.
the exception might just be friesian bull calves, if you are prepared to run them on, for 2 yrs +, cheaply, then they are big animals, and size counts.
We rear 400 market bought and collection centre calve a year. Calves from 50 different farms in a shed means massive disease pressure.. we find nutrition to be the most important factor good quality skim powder reduced the number of calves that just stood still for the first 2 weeks , cleaning sheds and feeder’s very important the ability to spot problems early vital. Treatment rates will be high we use 1 1/2 bottles of draxxin plus metacam per shed of 60 calves up to weaning at 5 to6 weeks from entry when they will be eating a minimum of 2 kg of starter ration. My advice would be stick with it and try and identify the problem with the unsatisfactory calves.
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
We have selected the most suitable (cost vs quality) powder available to us.
All sheds are empty, cleaned, pressure hosed, disinfected before arrivals.
Try to fill now within 3 weeks.
And I spot problems early. Tbh Dad worked on the idea that if a calf drinks, it's healthy and that certainly aint the case- i try to avoid him feeding calves very often nowadays.
Weaning is undertaken when they are eating 2kgs.
Rear 3 to a pen.
Do u always use Draxxin straight away.
We start with Norfenical before turning to draxxin
We have stuck with it along time.
It's these poorer ones. They hold up the whole system.
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
Would you say you are having the higher end quality calves, and paying for them?
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
Tbh there is such a large number of different farms in the barn, only if I happened to of had a number from a single farm would it become obvious.
It has happened a couple of times, once set a batch back to the farm from which they came
- Location
- somerset
learn by experience, the hard way, you soon learn herd numbers !
ringi
Member
I expect avoiding two sets of transport, and having the calves in the same building as other random calves will help.
Do livestock link collect data from you on how well the calves do, so they can use it when deciding on the farms to source from?
I never by the best and am not fussy on breed or sex, except for blue steers which I try and avoid as they are over priced. We rear 60 at a time and have a mix of Angus, herefords, blues & Fresians. Price is more important to me than breed. I think we get a better service as we are not fussy which makes the suppliers life easier as well!