New to cattle~Is it what I am looking for?

ThePigeonKid · #1 08/20/12, 12:10 PM

I have a chance to get a Jersey Bull Calf, 2 weeks old, had scour guard, still on bottle but eating grain and hay for $75. I heard that they are good to raise for meat. Is it worth it, how long will it take to reach butchering size (what size would that be)? I was thinking about asking if they will take $50 if this is what I am wanting. What types of risks are there in buying one this young? I have electric fence and thought since it holds in goats it would work for cattle. Am I correct? Thanks for any and all input!

suzyhomemaker09 · #2 08/20/12, 02:58 PM

I've done this...bought dairy calves at that age..not as i recall a pure jersey but cattle still mystify me a bit even though I am milking my 1st cow.
I have paid in the past around $60 for a bull calf...banded it to make into a steer...fed little more than grass in my pasture and ended up with fantastic beef for my freezer after 18 months.
Perhaps you could go shorter on finish time if you fed rations...but I feel that a grass fed beef is the way to go.

ThePigeonKid · #3 08/20/12, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzyhomemaker09

I've done this...bought dairy calves at that age..not as i recall a pure jersey but cattle still mystify me a bit even though I am milking my 1st cow.
I have paid in the past around $60 for a bull calf...banded it to make into a steer...fed little more than grass in my pasture and ended up with fantastic beef for my freezer after 18 months.
Perhaps you could go shorter on finish time if you fed rations...but I feel that a grass fed beef is the way to go.

Thanks!

BlackWillowFarm · #4 08/20/12, 05:06 PM

We only grow Jerseys for beef since we have a couple Jersey dairy cows we keep for the milk. The youngest we've butchered was 14 months and got close to 400lbs hanging weight off that one. Not a lot of meat but it was delicious. Some of the best beef you'll eat. We only grass feed with a little grain to keep them friendly. We don't finish them with grain. You can figure about a 60/40 ratio. That is 60% will be the hanging weight and 40% will be discarded.

If you can pick up the calf when it's three weeks old you'll be past the crucial period and have a better chance of survival. I think it would be worth paying full price if they'll hang onto it for another week. You'll have to train the calf to the fence unless it's already trained where it's at now. You'll also need some kind of shelter for it at night to keep it from getting too cold.

topside1 · #5 08/20/12, 05:12 PM

75 dollars is a very fair price for that age calf, asking less may not get you the calf. Electric fence is fine, meat is great...Topside

ThePigeonKid · #6 08/20/12, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzyhomemaker09

I've done this...bought dairy calves at that age..not as i recall a pure jersey but cattle still mystify me a bit even though I am milking my 1st cow.
I have paid in the past around $60 for a bull calf...banded it to make into a steer...fed little more than grass in my pasture and ended up with fantastic beef for my freezer after 18 months.
Perhaps you could go shorter on finish time if you fed rations...but I feel that a grass fed beef is the way to go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by topside1

75 dollars is a very fair price for that age calf, asking less may not get you the calf. Electric fence is fine, meat is great...Topside

Thanks!

DaleK · #7 08/20/12, 05:32 PM

You'd have to check your local market and then decide how much it's worth to you. The market has gotten really bad in the last month around here. I saw two Jerseys that age sell last week here, the first one some smart alec threw out a 25 cent bid then reneged on it when the auctioneer couldn't get 30, second one never got a bid. Both nice and healthy-looking. The sellers got their calves back along with paying trucking both ways and a bill for the $10 minimum commission.
$75 would get you a very nice Holstein or off-breed beef calf here at the moment.

farmerstac · #8 08/20/12, 06:13 PM

Bottles calves are $100 for day old dairy calves.

Copperhead · #9 08/21/12, 02:28 PM

Ask the farmer to band the calf when you pick it up. He'll have the equipment, but it won't nearly as much trouble for him as it would be for you! He may even be willing to give the calf its first CD&T (blackleg, tetanus) shot, but you'll probably get to give the 2nd in 3 weeks. At least he can show you how!

ThePigeonKid · #10 08/21/12, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copperhead

Ask the farmer to band the calf when you pick it up. He'll have the equipment, but it won't nearly as much trouble for him as it would be for you! He may even be willing to give the calf its first CD&T (blackleg, tetanus) shot, but you'll probably get to give the 2nd in 3 weeks. At least he can show you how!

I asked and he said that he would band. Thanks for the suggestion! Scheduled to pick up Thursday.

ThePigeonKid · #11 08/21/12, 06:27 PM

One more question...is there anything I should give it for the stress of moving? Thanks!

topside1 · #12 08/21/12, 07:24 PM

Stress is not an issue providing you make the calf as comfortable as possible...I usually bring home week old calves in the back seat of my truck, Jersey calves can be that small. Mainly have it a place to lay down and remain out of the wind. How will it be transported? How long is the ride? Listen to what the seller tells you and don't vary from their advice....Keep in touch....Topside

topside1 · #13 08/21/12, 07:25 PM

Also bring a dog type collar just in case you need to hold or tie the animal....

topside1 · #14 08/21/12, 07:27 PM

In a perfect world the calf is transported in the back of a mini van with someone baby sitting.....Soft music and AC are optional.

ThePigeonKid · #15 08/21/12, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topside1

Stress is not an issue providing you make the calf as comfortable as possible...I usually bring home week old calves in the back seat of my truck, Jersey calves can be that small. Mainly have it a place to lay down and remain out of the wind. How will it be transported? How long is the ride? Listen to what the seller tells you and don't vary from their advice....Keep in touch....Topside

Back of a tracker (with me) and it will be 1 1/2 hour ride. How much does a Jersey calf usually weigh at 3 weeks? Thanks for all of your help. TPK

topside1 · #16 08/22/12, 07:31 AM

50-80 pounds...good idea using the tracker. Topside

BlackWillowFarm · #17 08/22/12, 08:08 AM

I carried a 10 day old Jersey heifer in an extra large dog crate in the back of my pick-up. Not sure she would have fit when she was three weeks old, but the crates are designed to hold a 100lb + dog. She rode fine and was never stressed about it.

Good advice about the collar or use a halter in case you need to grab him quickly. Even a lead rope attached might be helpful if he gets away before you can grab the collar when you're unloading him.

arnie · #18 08/22/12, 10:18 PM

Your jersy steer will make preety good beef of corse it will never make prime beef like a angus or herford and there will not be as much of it as jerseys just do,nt get that big. At butchering time you will get low fat meat .

myersfarm · #19 08/23/12, 12:47 AM

since you have decide this will not matter ....but unless something is new that I do not know about...there is no shot for.... had scour guard....there is a shot you give the cow....most dairies do not give that shot

PaulNKS · #20 08/23/12, 11:52 AM

ANY change with a calf is going to cause stress no matter what you do. The two major stress causes are weaning and relocation. ANY stress to a calf will cause their immune system to suffer. When that happens they are at risk for coccidiosis. Watch him closely for the first couple weeks. If you see any signs at all, start immediate treatment or you will lose the calf very quickly.