Worthless calves.

[scatterbrainedlass]

Why don't you take them to a little older before selling. Can put plenty of weight on for far cheaper than milk powder

Space! Come spring we can turn them out, but so can everyone else. We're also not set up for handling larger cows.

 

[Stinker]

I can't be done cheaper than 15 pounds a week in my opinion. Some people on here are feeding 1kg of powder a calf a day. That's close to £2 a day never mind straw, labour and building costs. Even a teat is a couple of quid. If you're using Rotovac, halocur and baycox you need to add another £20-30.
Cleaning pens etc all take time. Anyone rearing calves is mental. I only do it because I have to to get them sold.

 

[hendrebc]

I'd happily pay the £60 that was mentioned by someone (if forgot the name sorry) and probably a bit more but at £100 you'd be getting near beef calves value...
I've reared odd calves that have been on old crappy cows that should have been culled for a few weeks and they never do well because they haven't had a good start even if I have given them colostrum from a tube at an hour old. So I understand that the first few weeks make a massive difference to the calf. It's just finding the right calves at the right money. My cousin is a dairy farmer and they have a herd of British Friesian cows most put to sexed semen or blue straws so they have very few "worthless" calves. They do their calves very well and have a very good reputation for their calves so they sell very well. He has had nearly £500 for 2 week old blue bull calves and over £400 for heifer calves so I decided I'm not going to bother at those prices not sure what he is getting for them now though but they won't be the cheap calves id be after.
A dairy farm near me was selling all his black and white bull calves to someone for £35 each but they had to take all of them at that price. They have built a new shed for bull beef so no chance of any from there any more either £35 was probably too cheap to be fair I don't blame them. I'll find something from somewhere eventually.

 

[Beef farmer]

I can't be done cheaper than 15 pounds a week in my opinion. Some people on here are feeding 1kg of powder a calf a day. That's close to £2 a day never mind straw, labour and building costs. Even a teat is a couple of quid. If you're using Rotovac, halocur and baycox you need to add another £20-30.
Cleaning pens etc all take time. Anyone rearing calves is mental. I only do it because I have to to get them sold.

Powder 2k ton? Jeeez

 

[Grassman247]

our calves get this treatment
cows are vaccinated for rota virus £7.50
all calves have colostrum at birth
we block calve, so have plenty of milk to feed to the calves
we treat our calve milk with formic acid, this helps them to process it in the gut, and increases intakes
all in individual pens ( don't tell tescoes) with clean water and conc
used to reckon on a bag of powder per calf
200kg conc to 3 months
400 kg to6 months
then out to grass
year 1 silage straw etc
wormers
roughly works out at £900 a calve.
rule of thumb, cheaper the calf less of the above.
but if you can find a source of calves that come from a farm that does the above or similar, there is good money to be made.
calves through market, have contact with every disease going
not so good calves = higher vet and med
reduced growth rates
higher mortality.
the most important time in a calves life is the first 10 weeks, you will never be able to match feed to growth ratio again.
so I repeat, the way the calf is treated from birth to 10 weeks, probably dictates the amount of profit.
we have reared 120 calves this autumn, fr bulls given away, beefs waiting collection.
other than 1 calf dead in first 24 hours, 1 shot as its head was a very funny shape (stood on ?) we have lost 2 calves, both one of a twin. (excluding those born dead )
as I said earlier, the chap that bought are fr bulls as pleased as punch with them, the beefs are going to a repeat customer as well

Your completely spot on here. All my bull calves go to market at 2-3 weeks, Friesian cross things and they average £65. Pretty reasonable I thought. Auctioneer always rings to ask how many calves there will be as he has buyers who want our calves. If your calves do well for others then they will always sell well.

 

[pappuller]

I can't be done cheaper than 15 pounds a week in my opinion. Some people on here are feeding 1kg of powder a calf a day. That's close to £2 a day never mind straw, labour and building costs. Even a teat is a couple of quid. If you're using Rotovac, halocur and baycox you need to add another £20-30.
Cleaning pens etc all take time. Anyone rearing calves is mental. I only do it because I have to to get them sold.

2 blue bulls going to meadow quality tomorrow, white calf 20days £300, darker calf 14days £290. We work on £25/calf/week all in. so top side £60 on average to get each calf to sale. Prices for bulls approx £40/50 back from peak and blue heifers back anywhere from £50 to £80 from peak.

 

[I thats it]

2 blue bulls going to meadow quality tomorrow, white calf 20days £300, darker calf 14days £290. We work on £25/calf/week all in. so top side £60 on average to get each calf to sale. Prices for bulls approx £40/50 back from peak and blue heifers back anywhere from £50 to £80 from peak.View attachment 741030

Dark calf is a fair calf. Does meadow pay on weight?

 

[pappuller]

Dark calf is a fair calf. Does meadow pay on weight?

Dark calf is a better maker but the light calf has more frame, yes meadow pay on weight min 50kg ideally 60kg+ used both both buitelaar and meadow. Meadow paying better at the moment

 

[William Mellor]

Im glad someone else has brought up the subject of calf prices! I sold 3 Friesian bull calves in the local market yesterday got £64 for all 3 which was very disappointing for 3 6 week old calves. They’ve cost me the rotavirus vaccine which is without looking around £9-10 per calf, then they’ve had nearly a bag of milk powder each which is £36 a bag, so before I’ve added the cost of bedding, concentrates and other feeds ontop they’ve cost me money. I’ve been selling all my bull+beef calves private for some time to either a calf rearer or calf dealer, neither are intrested atm and was very disappointed selling them in the market, saw a 5 month old bull calf sell for not much more than £100 and was shocked.

 

[happycows]

What do you suppose the milk buyers want us to do??
We need too be seen too do the right thing but how much are we meant too lose on these calves in these strange times??
Arla had a Sainsbury’s scheme once. Any other buyers stepping up with a worthwhile solution?

 

[had e nuff]

Dairy x beef stores have taken a big hit in the last few months. Margins on these were already small. I'm going to hold on to mine longer so don't need to buy as many in. Hopefully things will improve the closer we get to spring. Blue heifer calves still making £250/300 up here so too expensive.

 

[William Mellor]

What do you suppose the milk buyers want us to do??
We need too be seen too do the right thing but how much are we meant too lose on these calves in these strange times??
Arla had a Sainsbury’s scheme once. Any other buyers stepping up with a worthwhile solution?

After April next year I “shouldn’t” intentionally get a Friesian bull calf born as everything is now served to sexed Friesian or beef but will bound to still get the odd bull calf (just had 2 sexed bull calves born in the 2 weeks). I think some figures need to be done and be presented to milk buyers on how bull calves are costing money to get going and sold on.
Dairy x beef calves aren’t doing great atm saw some Angus heifer calves sold yesterday about 4 weeks old £50 each even saw a few blues for less than £100

 

[Friesianfan]

After April next year I “shouldn’t” intentionally get a Friesian bull calf born as everything is now served to sexed Friesian or beef but will bound to still get the odd bull calf (just had 2 sexed bull calves born in the 2 weeks). I think some figures need to be done and be presented to milk buyers on how bull calves are costing money to get going and sold on.
Dairy x beef calves aren’t doing great atm saw some Angus heifer calves sold yesterday about 4 weeks old £50 each even saw a few blues for less than £100

Which bullsare you using.

 

[Stinker]

Powder 2k ton? Jeeez

I can get crap for £1600 but the best stuff would be 1800 plus. My point is the guys who buy the calves aren't interested in what it costs to rear them. It's a mugs game. . Everyone wants you to spend £150 on them to get them to 10 weeks and then buy them for £60.

 

[William Mellor]

Which bullsare you using.

Calves born atm by Kirkby Malvern, rearsby black jewel

 

[som farmer]

I can get crap for £1600 but the best stuff would be 1800 plus. My point is the guys who buy the calves aren't interested in what it costs to rear them. It's a mugs game. . Everyone wants you to spend £150 on them to get them to 10 weeks and then buy them for £60.

as I said earlier in thread, we use formic acid treated milk/colostrum, the calves do really well on it, acid mean't to kill most nasties. and it certainly is a lot cheaper than powder at £1800 tonne
anybody interested talk to your vets, you can get really good intakes, currently fresh calves are taking 6 litres, as there is a high amount of colostrum in that, we can get them up to 8 or bit older up to 10litres day

 

[pappuller]

as I said earlier in thread, we use formic acid treated milk/colostrum, the calves do really well on it, acid mean't to kill most nasties. and it certainly is a lot cheaper than powder at £1800 tonne
anybody interested talk to your vets, you can get really good intakes, currently fresh calves are taking 6 litres, as there is a high amount of colostrum in that, we can get them up to 8 or bit older up to 10litres day

We work on a max of 15% of body weight so a calf at 60kg will 2 X 4.5l feeds

 

[I thats it]

as I said earlier in thread, we use formic acid treated milk/colostrum, the calves do really well on it, acid mean't to kill most nasties. and it certainly is a lot cheaper than powder at £1800 tonne
anybody interested talk to your vets, you can get really good intakes, currently fresh calves are taking 6 litres, as there is a high amount of colostrum in that, we can get them up to 8 or bit older up to 10litres day

never heard of formic acid treated milk. What do you do just pour it in? what quantity?

 

[buffalo_soldier]

B/w calves averaged in the £60's this year.
Blue hfrs £180-£220
Bulls £220-£280.
Average age: 21ish days.

I've looked at keeping them longer and don't see it as a goer.

Using all sexed b/w this year, so probably helping that trade a bit while spoiling my blue price at the same time

 

[kp_n_plghng]

as I said earlier in thread, we use formic acid treated milk/colostrum, the calves do really well on it, acid mean't to kill most nasties. and it certainly is a lot cheaper than powder at £1800 tonne

£1,800/tonne ==> 18-23 ppl depending on mixing rates?
Cheaper than current milk prices?