Deal for Highland Cattle?

[mommahen2four]

I just came across these, and being fairly unfamiliar with values of cattle, I'm wondering what you all thought on this price? And, what do I need to know to make sure they are good cattle? Thanks!!


$600/ for each of the 4 mature animals and
$250 for the 2 heifer calves. If you should want to
take them all, I would give a package price of $2500.

The cattle that I will be selling are not registered,
but are from registered stock. This would be a goodstarter herd Notably:

1. 2 yr old red bull- his sire was silver and he has
frosted highlights
2. 3 yr old Black 2nd calf cow, she is an extremely
nicely composed cow
3. 3 yr old blond 2nd calf cow, another well built cow
4. 2 yr old red cow she was bred fairly young and
has had a calf, we gave it away to a local 4h member
as a project calf
5. 1 yr old dun heifer, calf from cow #2 above,
6. 4 month old red heifer calf of number 3 above.

[darbyfamily]

depending on the health of the herd, that sounds like an awesome price to me! If they were closer to me I'd probably even consider it!

[GANGGREEN]

I agree, that's an awesome price assuming that there's nothing wrong with them. I'm no expert but the first thing I'd ask is why they're getting rid of the animals. Then I'd take a look at their operation, if things seem clean and all their animals are healthy looking, I'd have to seriously consider the deal.

They claim that they're from registered stock, I'd ask about the registered stock that they came from and how far back the pedigree the registered stock was. Let's face it, nearly all Highland cows come from registered stock somewhere but it may have been many generations back.

I'd find whether the bull was related to the cows and heifers. If it's a close relation and you have the same level of experience that I have (not much), I'd probably butcher him and buy a new bull or think about AI if you have working chutes and the animals can be handled.

As to what to look for, I honestly don't know other than to say that unless you blind yourself with desire to purchase this herd, you'll know it when you see it. The animals should have clear eyes and appear to be reasonably docile. They shouldn't appear thin or stressed at all (summertime Highlands could have thin coats but should still look solid). Look carefully at their legs and feet, no "scissor feet" and no knock knees or hobble legged look. Their backs should be straight and they should appear "thick".

At that point, you simply have to decide what you want the animals for. If you're wanting to breed the animals and sell stock, you probably won't make any money selling non-registered animals. If you simply want a small fold for your enjoyment, for personal beef or to occasionally sell a side of beef, you might be really happy with them.

Good luck.

[sycamore]

Check to see how the mom cows calved. Any issues you need to know about, they don't have many problems usually. Steer clear of any that have large calves.
Is the breeding bull related to the cows? If so how? Some breed son's to mom's. Not always good thing.
Check mom's udders. Are teats uniform, pointing down, any with lost quarters?
These aren't sale killers just some things to look for so you can be prepared. Bred at 1 and calved by 2 is awfully young for some highland girls. We've seen it happen and they end up being stunted in their growth. Latest ones we saw were 3 girls with short legs. BUT they did calve well, just quite short.
Also, if any have bad feet, skip them unless you can handle it. We skipped on a beautiful one that absolutley horrid hooves, she was walking on her heels. Someone else bought her and did get them trimmed, she is great now. We weren't prepared for all that work, and it took almost a year of working them to get them to recover. Too much concrete did that to her.

If you like the look and attitude of them, it sounds like a great price.
If there are any issues, just weight the options, can you handle it?

[mommahen2four]

Excellent advice! Thanks! And, Sycamore, no, I can't handle it, that's why I need to know what to look for ;0) Thanks again!

[Middle River]

Where did you find these ? If you pass on them or only get a few let me know, i may be able to swing one of the calves if they are good ones.

[mommahen2four]

We're still deciding Middle River. I'm waiting on photos, and if they look good we'll probably be doing a road trip to meet them. I'll keep you posted and if we decide to get them, we can chat on a heifer, or if we can't get them all, I'll let you talk more with him before we buy so he can deliver them all at once to save on delivery fees.

[Middle River]

Thanks mommahen2four - that would be awsome if you could keep me updated on it - i'd so love to have a young highland heifer, and at that price i may be able to make it work :+)