Selling livestock

TRAILRIDER · #1 03/11/14, 10:45 AM

Yippie! I have set a date to sell my 8 month old calf (first one ever) and two 4 month old pigs (first pigs ever too) at the stockyards. I'm kind of excited. I do have to take a day off from work to go. Calves, even dairy breed (which he is) are bringing good money now. Pigs not so much. But they are all very nice, well fed, good looking animals. Wish me luck!

TRAILRIDER · #2 03/11/14, 10:53 AM

My feed bill will be a little lighter, my wallet a little fatter and I will have a bit more time to take care of the baby goats being born this week and baby chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl that are on there way! I LOVE spring!

Maura · #3 03/11/14, 02:10 PM

This seems to be working well for you! You might want to consider setting up a buyer for your next calf ahead of time. You won't have to haul him or share a commission. The buyer won't have to worry about the calf picking up a sickness at the auction barn.

TRAILRIDER · #4 03/11/14, 04:26 PM

I actually really like selling at auction. Last year my baby goats brought from 1.00 to 3.00 a pound live weight. And an adult buck brought 180.00 at 1 1/2 year old. Better money than I could get locally. Best part is I don't have to deal with the public. Of course the down side is....you never know if you will meet a bad sale when prices are way down.

Wanda · #5 03/11/14, 05:45 PM

You always get market price for that day! The sale-barns in this country sell tens of thousands of head every week,so they are doing something to please people. There are always buyers there when you need to sell and they write you a check with no hassle. If you buy a poor animal it does not make it any better if you buy from an individual.

Cornhusker · #6 03/11/14, 06:02 PM

I always enjoyed going to the sale barn
I used to haul 30-40 feeder pigs a month to the sale barn, then when the bottom fell out of feeder pigs, I sold fats
It was always a good time, a social gathering, and of course payday

7thswan · #7 03/11/14, 06:16 PM

Wow, it sounds like some will do good at the auction! Here, it depends on which one you take them to. Huge difference. I can buy goats around 20$. I do not pay much attention to the price on cattle at the auction I go to because we will not sell there.Every animal that goes thru auction , I consider many factors If I intend to buy. Best to go watch, ask questions of oldtimers, consider it an education.

Awnry Abe · #8 03/11/14, 08:54 PM

Congrats. Don't forget that your chore load will be lighter. And the mental energy of caring for them will be lighter. It's all good!

haypoint · #9 03/12/14, 12:10 PM

Holstein Steers 200-400 lbs 125.00 to 130.00
Beef steers was $ 10 higher.

http://www.napoleontack.com/marketrpt.htm

Be careful with your pigs. Some Auctions require that all pigs sold go directly to slaughter. I think it is a disease thing. You don't want to market yours as finished hogs.
With that in mind, scrub your boots, wash your coat, take a shower when you get back from the sale. Read the thread about PEDv, if you have pigs at home.

The local Auction place you are going to may have a web site with prices for your area.

Wanda · #10 03/12/14, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haypoint

Holstein Steers 200-400 lbs 125.00 to 130.00
Beef steers was $ 10 higher.

http://www.napoleontack.com/marketrpt.htm

Be careful with your pigs. Some Auctions require that all pigs sold go directly to slaughter. I think it is a disease thing. You don't want to market yours as finished hogs.
With that in mind, scrub your boots, wash your coat, take a shower when you get back from the sale. Read the thread about PEDv, if you have pigs at home.

The local Auction place you are going to may have a web site with prices for your area.

In Ill. the pigs can go thru the sale and back to the farm 1 time. They ear tag at the sale and if they come back with tags they go to slaughter no matter what the size. As far as bio security we should all do this ANY TIME we are around livestock other than our own. You can bring something unwanted from your friends and neighbors just the same as the sale barn!

TRAILRIDER · #11 03/12/14, 12:32 PM

7thswan, last year in August a little buckling I sold at less than 3 months old, he was the only one not castrated in the bunch. All white. He brought 100.00 and weighed in at about 30 pounds. Then and there I decided to stop stressing out my baby goats by disbudding them and castrating them, just sell them at 3 months of age. Course I may have met a good sale. I try to sell baby goats around a week before the ethnic holidays. (A lot of the ethnic crowd will only buy goats that are not "altered" in any way.) I can't handle any more goats of my own so everything born this year will go.