What to do with spare heifers?

[nonemouse]

Have a few spare bulling heifers, can’t decide wether to sell now or serve and either sell in calf or fresh calved. Could do without the work, but not sure if you get their value back selling at this age,

 

[LTH]

If you’ve got the room sell them new calved cow prices been good for a while now

 

[chaffcutter]

Nice bunch, get them served and warranted in calf to sell at six or seven months if you don’t want to calve them and sell them fresh.
Used to love having heifers to sell when we were milking (long time ago now...)

 

[dairydurham]

Have a few spare bulling heifers, can’t decide wether to sell now or serve and either sell in calf or fresh calved. Could do without the work, but not sure if you get their value back selling at this age,

What are the sires& herd av ?

 

[nonemouse]

What are the sires& herd av ?

Think that pen is 4 Jingle 1 Topsy and 2 Trigger, herd av 9500+ 4.3bf (robot milking but grazing)

 

[Scholsey]

Sold 14 the other day £1000 for a 12 month old animal +/- £3/day over/under 365 days. Couple had been served but not PD’d. They were organic to another organic herd.

 

[bobk]

As @chaffcutter says , bull them and sell a month before calving , make a lot more than a grand

 

[TheRanger]

Sell them as bullers if you’ve not got time for them, money in the bank and concentrate on what is making you money. If marketed properly you’ll get plenty for them. Trade is bonkers for all ages right now.

 

[jerseycowsman]

Have a few spare bulling heifers, can’t decide wether to sell now or serve and either sell in calf or fresh calved. Could do without the work, but not sure if you get their value back selling at this age,

Get them in calf, bulling heifers never seem yo fetch their true worth

 

[betweenthelines]

Get them in calf, bulling heifers never seem yo fetch their true worth

Because it's a long journey from bulling to in milk!
Some might not breed, some might have calving problems.
Buy 100 "bullers" you never end up with 100 milkers.

 

[Farmer Keith]

Why don’t you just bull them all and sell the worst 7 post calving? Your best heifer might be in that batch...

 

[yin ewe]

Because it's a long journey from bulling to in milk!
Some might not breed, some might have calving problems.
Buy 100 "bullers" you never end up with 100 milkers.

Probably a good reason to sell them as bullers, let someone else have the hassle.

 

[jerseycowsman]

Why don’t you just bull them all and sell the worst 7 post calving? Your best heifer might be in that batch...

That’s the stage we want to get to, although I’m not sure about selling the worst ones, don’t want to get yerself a bad name

 

[Farmer Keith]

That’s the stage we want to get to, although I’m not sure about selling the worst ones, don’t want to get yerself a bad name

I used to be a flying herd and I’m sure everyone else sold their worst ones but I see your point, if you keep selling the worst over time your herd would improve vastly though. Never had enough heifers to put this into practise here!

 

[Princess Pooper]

I used to be a flying herd and I’m sure everyone else sold their worst ones but I see your point, if you keep selling the worst over time your herd would improve vastly though. Never had enough heifers to put this into practise here!

But someone's worst heifers may be far better than someone else's entire herd.

 

[puppet]

That’s the stage we want to get to, although I’m not sure about selling the worst ones, don’t want to get yerself a bad name

Takes very little time to stick them out to grass with a bull. Just serve the best ones, keep some as replacements and sell the rest. That way you get a good name.

 

[Whitepeak]

Dairy I milk at are selling 20 heifers in Leek on Tuesday. Pedigree holsteins born between Aug 20 and Feb 21, unselected group. So that should give an idea of value.
He sold another unselected batch of about 50 heifers last autumn-In-calf heifers reached £2040, Bullers to £1000 and yearlings to £930.

 

[Farmer Keith]

Dairy I milk at are selling 20 heifers in Leek on Tuesday. Pedigree holsteins born between Aug 20 and Feb 21, unselected group. So that should give an idea of value.
He sold another unselected batch of about 50 heifers last autumn-In-calf heifers reached £2040, Bullers to £1000 and yearlings to £930.

I’d take a grand to run them with a bull and keep them for 9 months, highly unlikely to loose one, biggest risk would be one turning out to be a non breeder I suppose.

 

[dairydurham]

I’d take a grand to run them with a bull and keep them for 9 months, highly unlikely to loose one, biggest risk would be one turning out to be a non breeder I suppose.

What about 3/4, slow to milk , bad calving etc?. Keeping & selling calved hefs is not as straight forward as selling bullers

 

[Farmer Keith]

What about 3/4, slow to milk , bad calving etc?. Keeping & selling calved hefs is not as straight forward as selling bullers

the above post says sold in calf @2040 not fresh calved.