Calf prices.

[james dilley]

I was at the flea market this A M and was looking at A few calves that Hugo had for sale. And the prices were from $290.00 to $325.00 each we are talking 400 pound heifers here and there were 3 Brahmas in the lot too at that price. The herefords were A bit larger though. I Am thinking that when things get strait in Dec. about buying A few heifers as well as sheep and goats . I thought the prices were in line for the breeds There were NO dairy stock there today. So would you think the prices were decent?? The calves were all in good flesh too.

[Ken Scharabok]

At the present time locally nice calves ready to be weaned go for from $80 to $125 lb, with perhaps $1 lb being an average. Thus, prices sound very nice. I like Herefords. Good momma cows usually, but susceptible to cancer eye and too large of tits as they age. An Angus on Hereford cross is known locally as a black baldie or white faced. Usually black with a white face. IMHO about the ideal cross for beef. Buy a truckload and bring them to West-central, TN.

Avoid the Brahmans. In my limited experience purebreds have an extremely calm disposition but don't have a reputation for dressing out well or have tender meat pretty well regardless of how they are finished. My experience has been if you cross a Brahman with another breed the result is likely to be a spooky. You see few cows coming through the ring today with heavy Brahman influence (locally called ear).

[unioncreek]

They would be a deal in our area, you could turn around and sell them at the stock yards and make about a $100. Baby calves usually go for $175 - $250 during the spring. There are a few going through now but not enough to establish a market. The local university is selling day old calves out of their dairy for $100.

Bobg

[arabian knight]

That is why I buy Dairy Calves and I STICK with Jersey's at that. I have been getting nice bull calves at about 5 days old for 35 Bucks now that they have gone up some. Had been paying around 20 to 25 dollars for them in years past.

[uncle Will in In.]

Auction barns here sell everything by weight.
Some times they sell springing cows by the head, but if the buyers aren't bidding enough, they switch back over to the price per pound, and usualy get more because the slaughter buyers will bid her up to butcher price. You'd find it hard to get 400 lb beef calves here for less that $1,20 a pound. Calves with "ear" don't sell well at all.
Jersey newborn bull calves go very cheap also.

[Oxankle]

Depends on where you are.

Around here baby calf prices are insane, up to $275 for a two or three week old beef calf, well over a hundred for any kind of dairy calf that looks healthy.

Calves up around 250 pounds to 300 bring well over $1 per pound--I have seen $1.45 for some a couple months back.

As for the ear on brahma crosses, the farther south you get the more ear you see. I raise angus but my brother in Houston raises brangus--angus do not fare well there. All the cattle men who talk to me want about an eighth brahman in their mother cows. The more ear the more dock, yet even here in Ok some cattlemen will put a brahma bull in their rotation.

[jerzeygurl]

as a kid dad had a brangus, you could pet and sit little ones on him, fine looking feller he was too

[Heavenlyrose594]

Hello all. What does "ear" mean? is my first question, but I have many more if any one has any advice or wisdom they wouldn't mind bestowing on me. Such as, how old would a good milk cow need to be to provide for a family of six to ten; How much, on average would such a cow cost? Thankx for the advice. Hope someone might be able to help. God Bless ya'll.

[georgiarebel]

Here calves over 500lbs are selling for around $1.70 lb. Under 500 heard they're not doing so well.

[Ken Scharabok]

Ear means noticeable Brahman influence.

Suggest you start a new thread on your milk cow questions.