I always have a hard time with this because my calves are not livestock.
However, I need the money instead of the feedbill (between jobs) so the little steer calf was chosen to go.
He would do anything for me for bread, so it was an easy load up, even without chutes or anything. And he fit into the horse trailer, which the cow won't.
When we got there I had a very good feeling because we really saw very few calves there, and lots of people. Of course when the sale started they had calves for what seemed like forever, brought in the night before, and must have been in a pen Way out back, so mine was one of the last calves sold. Black. 400 lbs, I got 1.11. I am happy with that, prices were all over from 88 to 128. Wished he would have weighed more, but it is what it is. He was a pricey to me bottle calf, and if you don't keep and eat those they are not the best investment.
People that talk about bottle calves for $1.00 to $25.00......
Never around here. They had 5 Holstein babies, got $125 each, which is cheap for this sale.
When my calf came in, the poor auction helpers had been kicked and abused by calves for quite a while, so I offered a hamburger bun to Rowdy. The guy said He eats bread out of your hand?
I said yeah, all my critters do.
He was spooked, but did take the bread. I think that jumped my bid 2 cents or so....
And a guy behind me asked if I would raise a few of his. Dang, I blew a chance to sell him a cow that eats out of my hand!
I just wanted poor little Rowdy to have a treat, be has never been treated like livestock before, wishing him the best.
This is always as hard for me as taking one to the locker.
Anyway, now I have settled on $950 for the cow, and $400 for the heifer calf. I think today's sale would back me up, but I do not want to run them through a sale barn, and don't have a trailer that will haul my girl. Should have gotten that guy's phone #.
