Very odd craigslist ad, cows

[tinknal]

This ad is in the local craigslist. looks like these cows are starving to me. Who keeps beef cows in stanchions? They also have an ad for a calf that looks more like a goat. I don't have the money to buy them, but if I had them I'd have the money to feed them. Opinions?

http://stcloud.craigslist.org/grd/2089928830.html

http://stcloud.craigslist.org/grd/2089952568.html

[tinknal]

There are several ads from the same poster. 7 head total. All half starved and all overpriced. I don't have 2 nickles to rub together but I know I could buy these critters and afford to feed them, if I could just come up with thew purchase price. I'm trying to think of barter items.

[springvalley]

We had an old boy up our way that milked cows for years, then he got rid of the dairy cows and bought beef cows. He had nothing else to do with his time during the winter months, so he started putting his beef cows in the barn to feed them, just like he had done with his dairy cows. He would let them eat and he would curry them and mess with them. Wasn`t long he had himself a whole herd of very nice, tame, very gentle, beef cows. Just goes to show you if you have more time on your hands and don`t know what to do with it. > Thanks Marc

[gone-a-milkin]

Longhorn cross cattle? No thanks. Charolais x Longhorn? Whatever. LOL.

I had a neighbor who retired from teaching and took up ranching.
He liked to run his cattle up the loading ramp and into his expensive stock trailer.
He would take them for joy rides around the neighborhood. He said they liked the scenery.
Gotta stay busy somehow.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by springvalley

We had an old boy up our way that milked cows for years, then he got rid of the dairy cows and bought beef cows. He had nothing else to do with his time during the winter months, so he started putting his beef cows in the barn to feed them, just like he had done with his dairy cows. He would let them eat and he would curry them and mess with them. Wasn`t long he had himself a whole herd of very nice, tame, very gentle, beef cows. Just goes to show you if you have more time on your hands and don`t know what to do with it. > Thanks Marc

Marc, you gotta look at the pics. These cows are NOT being cared for. They are not beyond redemption, but they are about 2 weeks away from being confiscated. The ads just scream to me that these folks are broke and desperate. I would love to get ahold of them for the right price, but the right price is far below what they are asking.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

Longhorn cross cattle? No thanks. Charolais x Longhorn? Whatever. LOL.
.

I don't care about the breeding if the price is right. I can put some feed in their bellies and breed the ugly and stupid out of them if the price is right. Nothing a good angus bull and a couple of years can't fix.

[gone-a-milkin]

As long as you can get them for a SONG and not more.
Why spend the time and resources to breed the ugly and stupid out of them when you could get less ugly and stupid ones easier and quicker?

Do the math.
Just saying.

[springvalley]

They can`t be to stupid if they put them in the stancion barn, I did look at the pics, the calf does look small, the cow pics arin`t good, looks like they were hunched up peeing. If they have longhorn blood in them that is why they look thin. > Marc

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

As long as you can get them for a SONG and not more.
Why spend the time and resources to breed the ugly and stupid out of them when you could get less ugly and stupid ones easier and quicker?

Do the math.
Just saying.

Oh don't worry, I don't think I would pay more than $1000 for the seven of them. About $3000 less than they are asking, but from the pictures I'm guessing that they don't have the $10. a day for hay that they need to feed them.

[ladycat]

Originally Posted by springvalley

We had an old boy up our way that milked cows for years, then he got rid of the dairy cows and bought beef cows. He had nothing else to do with his time during the winter months, so he started putting his beef cows in the barn to feed them, just like he had done with his dairy cows. He would let them eat and he would curry them and mess with them. Wasn`t long he had himself a whole herd of very nice, tame, very gentle, beef cows. Just goes to show you if you have more time on your hands and don`t know what to do with it. > Thanks Marc

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

I had a neighbor who retired from teaching and took up ranching.
He liked to run his cattle up the loading ramp and into his expensive stock trailer.
He would take them for joy rides around the neighborhood. He said they liked the scenery.

Both of these posts made me laugh, especially the second one. Joy rides????

[gone-a-milkin]

Did you call them yet?

[fishhead]

Maybe you can trade some hay for some of them.

[MO_cows]

Those 2 links you posted, the cattle don't look starved to me. The Longhorn influence is going to keep them from getting the fleshy look you must be used to.

[farmergirl]

The calf does look small, especially for a Charolais cross, but the red cow doesn't look bad to me if she's half longhorn.

Sounds to me like you're talking yourself in to bringing 'em home

If you think the folks are so broke they can't feed the cattle properly, offer them what you think the cattle are worth and take it from there. No harm in starting low.

[PhilJohnson]

I don't know they don't look too badly underfed. Looks more like a dairy cow build to me. I think the prices should be closer to 600 bucks a cow. The calf seems to be over priced by about 100 bucks. I've seen folks giving away bull calves (steer might be worth a little more).

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by PhilJohnson

I don't know they don't look too badly underfed. Looks more like a dairy cow build to me. I think the prices should be closer to 600 bucks a cow. The calf seems to be over priced by about 100 bucks. I've seen folks giving away bull calves (steer might be worth a little more).

Dairy cow build on a beef cow is a bad thing. That critter in the stanchion was represented as a beef cow. At no time in her life should a beef cow ever look like that. I know that dairy cattle, having a different purpose, sometimes look like this but never should a beef cow ever look like that.

[PhilJohnson]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Dairy cow build on a beef cow is a bad thing. That critter in the stanchion was represented as a beef cow. At no time in her life should a beef cow ever look like that. I know that dairy cattle, having a different purpose, sometimes look like this but never should a beef cow ever look like that.

Well I don't think the cow is starving. You're right about beef cattle not having a dairy cow build but that is mainly for more money. As a beef cow those critters aren't worth much, not enough weight. I think last I heard beef cattle was going for 90-100 bucks CWT for live weight.

I did know a guy that used to milk beefers. Somehow he had it figured where the milk paid for the grain or something like that He kept the weight on them somehow but I would think it would take a lot of feed to keep weight on a beef cow and milk it too.

[wy_white_wolf]

My guess would be some of the pictures are NOT current. The bull calf picture looks like when it was about a month old. Keeping cows inside during/right after calving is not uncommon is cold areas.

The cows could also have lots of area in the corral to roam and feeding in the stalls is just easier than hauling it out. Making due with what you have. My grandparents had a few beef cattle. They also had an old dairy barn. Guess where we feed the cattle through the winter?

It would have also been the easiest place to get pictures of all of them.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by PhilJohnson

Well I don't think the cow is starving. You're right about beef cattle not having a dairy cow build but that is mainly for more money. As a beef cow those critters aren't worth much, not enough weight. I think last I heard beef cattle was going for 90-100 bucks CWT for live weight.

I did know a guy that used to milk beefers. Somehow he had it figured where the milk paid for the grain or something like that He kept the weight on them somehow but I would think it would take a lot of feed to keep weight on a beef cow and milk it too.

Well, Phil, a beef cow just isn't going to give the amount of milk that would allow her to lose that much condition (given that she is fed properly). She is bred to take care of both this years calf and next years calf.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by wy_white_wolf

My guess would be some of the pictures are NOT current. The bull calf picture looks like when it was about a month old. Keeping cows inside during/right after calving is not uncommon is cold areas.

The cows could also have lots of area in the corral to roam and feeding in the stalls is just easier than hauling it out. Making due with what you have. My grandparents had a few beef cattle. They also had an old dairy barn. Guess where we feed the cattle through the winter?

It would have also been the easiest place to get pictures of all of them.

I have been around beef cattle in northern climates my whole life and I have never seen any of the things that you claim occur. I'm thinking that the stanchions are a combination of having no pasture space, and insuring that each cow gets at least a little feed. No beef cow should be in this poor condition.