Interest in 2 week Jersey bulls,NE Ohio,need opinion

ufo_chris · #1 04/15/12, 11:49 AM

I know a Jersey Dairy Farmer that used to hit Bull calves over the head and throw them out back to the coyotes!
He asked me the other day if I wanted one but I'm too busy right now.
(He did find someone to take him)
I did have a little talk with him and told him, you know if you treat them like your heifer calves for a week you could probably sell them for $100. He perked up and said ,heck, I'd feed them for up to 2 weeks for that.
So they will have good colostrum and all the bugs worked out.
He uses sexed semen so only gets maybe 3 a month, but I'm thinking if someone wanted more than one maybe he would have one at 3 weeks and one at 1 week that could go at the same time.
I just wanted to get some opinions on this and maybe see if there is any interest. Or is $100 too cheap?
BTW, he's an older guy,farmer all his life, son farms with him, and I know they have regular vet herd heath checks.
Thanks, Chris

Callieslamb · #2 04/15/12, 01:08 PM

I wouldn't buy one at that age for $100. Maybe $50. I can buy them at 3 days for $10 at different times during the year. Price is determined by the demand in your area. We bottle them for 2-3 months and sell for around $200.

springvalley · #3 04/15/12, 07:37 PM

Yes a hundred dollars for two weeks is kinda high, but cattle have gone up a bunch this last year. Ten dollars a head, I would buy a truck load. I also would never, NEVER kill a calf, goes against everything my Father ever instilled in me, I was taught save them all. > Thanks Marc

kycrawler · #4 04/15/12, 08:51 PM

i have about 50 on milk right now most have been bought at the topeka auction for $5 to $35 per head holstiens are bringing $150 and up He may sell a few at 100 a head but 30-50 is more likely

ufo_chris · #5 04/15/12, 11:40 PM

Hmmm, I thought I read on this site where people couldn't find bottle calves for under like $125, so I figure at 2 weeks, the risks of loosing one are a lot lower, especially for someone with not so much experience.
And People would know they are off the farm ,not auction 'junk'.

myersfarm · #6 04/15/12, 11:48 PM

ufo not sure of what post your talking about......but I THINK those were holstiens not Jerseys...also the cattle market has gone a little bit in the last month

Callieslamb · #7 04/16/12, 06:25 AM

That's why it depends on the demand in your own area. I don't think there's that much difference in week old calf and a 3-day calf as far as being past the danger point. Since I can buy a baby at 3 days for $10.....the $100 for a few more days doesn't make sense. If you can only get the 3-day olds for $125 then it makes more sense to buy at a week for $100.

Cheryl aka JM · #8 04/16/12, 10:26 AM

I'm one who said I pay $125 for calves. I usually get holstiens and I have to drive a couple hours or more to get them even at that price. I'd pay the $100 each for 2 week old jersey bulls....but only if they were within an hour of me drive distance and I would need a couple of them at a time. The higher gas gets the more a long distance calf costs me.

ufo_chris · #9 04/17/12, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myersfarm

ufo not sure of what post your talking about......but I THINK those were holstiens not Jerseys...also the cattle market has gone a little bit in the last month

I thought Jerseys were supposed to taste better than Holsteins?
Are Holsteins more cause they get bigger?

ufo_chris · #10 04/17/12, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

I'm one who said I pay $125 for calves. I usually get holstiens and I have to drive a couple hours or more to get them even at that price. I'd pay the $100 each for 2 week old jersey bulls....but only if they were within an hour of me drive distance and I would need a couple of them at a time. The higher gas gets the more a long distance calf costs me.

Thanks Cheryl. Too bad you're so far away.

And to the other answers, I guess my thinking is,YES a 3 day old IF you know it had colostrum and been fed right for the 3 days, but how many have that good of a source?

So I should tell him just feed them for 3 days and lower the price .
Personally I think I'd still want it a bit older and pay a bit more, just to make sure.
Thanks for all your guys answers.

myersfarm · #11 04/17/12, 12:45 AM

Jerseys do taste great to me as does Angus never had a holstien before

but jersey's have YELLOW LOOKING FAT..not what every consumer is looking for under the Plastic at the Grocery store.....

...jersey's also grow slower than a holstien so it cost more to feed them as they grow

yes they get bigger and have the white fat

you can also see big feed lots with nothing but Holstiens in them so the feed lot knows what it takes to feed , treat , and care for a holstien....as the feed lots want all cattle in the same pen to be the same size and go to slaughter at the same time.. that way they do not have to co-mingle the smaller ones with the new ones coming into the feed lot exposing them to different farm problems

myersfarm · #12 04/17/12, 12:49 AM

a calf that DID NOT get colostrum might not show up in just 3 days....I now thats a fact....but when they go to your farm exposed to different things thats when the with out colostrum will show up.....I have problems with my salebarn calfs at 3 days thats because of the 7 hour trip I expose them to and 10 days because they are exposed to stuff in my farm

myersfarm · #13 04/17/12, 12:51 AM

This is not how old the calfs are it is how long they have been at my farm

Cindy in KY · #14 04/17/12, 07:24 AM

I still think even $100 is way, way too high. Maybe 2 for $100 if they don't go through the sale barn.

Even if you raise them up to weaning, 12-14 weeks here, you are only going to get $200 or so for Jersey bull calves. (plus they are drinking up all your milk) Now raising them up for your own meat would be worth it, but I don't think it's worth it to try to sell them. Maybe in other parts of the country, but not here, not Jerseys.

ozark_jewels · #15 04/17/12, 01:41 PM

Depending on your location, $100 isn't WAY high. I don't price mine that high simply because I had been on the buying end for years and got tired of paying $100 per bull calf no matter what size bull calf it was. So now I price my bull calves by size. I sell my Jersey bull calves at 3 days to a week old, for $65-$85 depending on size. And I have a LOT of calls on them. So $100 isn't that much more. But we are dairy country here.........does make a difference. Selling healthy calves off the farm, you can get a better price most of the time.

Creamers · #16 04/17/12, 06:09 PM

$100 around here is NOT way high if they are off the farm - never been through a sale barn. . .that SHOULD be Worth much, much more and by 3 weeks, there is a lower risk. . .you know they have had, basically, enough colostrum.

Quote:

I also would never, NEVER kill a calf, goes against everything my Father ever instilled in me, I was taught save them all.

Exactly.

Creamers · #17 04/18/12, 11:14 PM

http://huntington.craigslist.org/grd/2965970313.html- this person is in Ohio - I've bought rabbit supplies from them a few times, and they are always selling bottle calves for this price -