Sale Barn...

Slev · #1 12/06/06, 08:56 PM

wow, I went to the sale barn today and almost came home with what looked like a little dark brown jersey, (maybe a cross) female calf. She went cheap and now that I'm thinking it over should have bid on her, she went for $120, she really had that petite looking face of a jersey, ...what else could she have been? ps. she was a very healthy one to boot! (kicking myself)

Jennifer L. · #2 12/07/06, 08:05 AM

She could have been a free martin. It's not the best practice to buy heifer calves at the sale barn if they are small calves, because they could very well be half of a set of twins with a bull as a co-twin. These heifers most of the time never breed because the bull in embryo is secreting male hormones that affect her developing reproductive tract.

So you did REAL GOOD in not buying her.

Jennifer

stanb999 · #3 12/07/06, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennifer L.

She could have been a free martin. It's not the best practice to buy heifer calves at the sale barn if they are small calves, because they could very well be half of a set of twins with a bull as a co-twin. These heifers most of the time never breed because the bull in embryo is secreting male hormones that affect her developing reproductive tract.

So you did REAL GOOD in not buying her.

Jennifer

This could surely be the case. But most likely it was cheap due to the season and the expense of feed this year. At the sale barn by me you can pick up calves for a song this time of year >70 cents a hundred thats 56$ for a 80 pounder. Come spring the same size calf will be 3.00 to 4.00 dollars a hundred for a heifer.

Slev · #4 12/08/06, 09:41 AM

I started posting this last night, but my generator ran out of gas at about 10:00 pm so I just said to heck with it and went to bed! (we still are without power from the ice storm that hit the St. Louis/Midwest area over a week ago)

I think you are both right! as I recall, there was another male calf that had about the same coloring as her, so I bet she was. I'll need to remember that the next time I go.

And, yes the prices are very much cheaper at this time of year. Nothing wrong with buying a calf now to feed out and eat down the road. I may go next week.

Thanks for your thoughts