Pondering selling a cow/calf pair...

Jackie · #1 08/22/12, 12:33 AM

I am considering selling a cow/calf pair. I just had a cow have a bull calf yesterday. I hate to say it, but i dont like her. She is high headed, wild and I would never be able to handle her on my own if something went wrong. She is 1/4 angus 3/4 dexter but she is BIG. She is 4 years old. She doesnt look dexter at all. I am thinking she seriously has to be half angus. When I bought her and we went to load her she went crazy and busted down the panels and jumped out of the chute....twice. Breeder told me I would be best to butcher her. :S She is a perfectly fine cow if someone has proper facilities to handle cattle..I dont. My other 3 cows are tame and 2 of them I can pet. Thats what i like. I have had her for 3 years and I have never had a problem with her, but i have never asked her to do anything besides walk around and eat grass. This year is her first calf with me due to lack of bull...dont ask! lol.

I think she would be easier to sell with a calf at side and soon to be bred back...but when I have such a small herd does it make sense to be selling off a breeder? I would like to sell her and buy a full dexter bred heifer..or maybe an older full dexter cow calf pair...I just kinda want to trade her for something better. BUT the calf is awful young considering the snow will be here in 8 weeks. I doubt anyone will want to feed a calf over the winter besides me.

oh ya, and I do have the sense to wait a few weeks before I sold her. I wouldnt try to move a brand new calf..and they need time to get to know each other.

arnie · #2 08/22/12, 10:04 PM

I hate a crazy cow, around here the price pf cows is still good but it is lowerthan a month ago the word is if you can keep a cow over the winter the price you get will be very good next spring

haypoint · #3 08/22/12, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arnie

I hate a crazy cow, around here the price pf cows is still good but it is lowerthan a month ago the word is if you can keep a cow over the winter the price you get will be very good next spring

....if you have access to cheap feed.
IMHO, I'd take a big loss on a wild cow, just to have her gone.

Tana Mc · #4 08/23/12, 05:07 AM

Life is too short! If you have had her this long and still don't like her, send her to town.
I have one old crazy range cow in my herd that I have tolerated longer than I normally would. She does an excellent job raising her calf and protecting every calf in the pasture from dogs and coyotes. After two years, she has finally settled down to the point that she is blending in with the rest of my "farmer cows" and allows me to check cows on foot with out freaking out.
I was more patient with her because she is about 10 yo and spent most of her life on huge range land pastures and only saw humans once or twice a year.... and that was not a good thing! Now, I am considering culling her more for her age and not her temperament. She is carrying her third calf for me and we will see how she does before deciding.

PaulNKS · #5 08/23/12, 11:48 AM

Just keep in mind that cows are not pets. Tame cows are often MUCH MORE dangerous than a wild cow. Anyone thinking otherwise, doesn't know cattle as well as he/she thinks. The one exception is maybe the dairy cow.

Gregg Alexander · #6 08/23/12, 11:55 AM

My advice is send her to town with the young calf. Get her gone as soon as possible for your safety

oregon woodsmok · #7 08/23/12, 02:36 PM

[[[[....... I doubt anyone will want to feed a calf over the winter besides me. .....]]]]

I like raising calves over the winter and I am not the only one. The calf will be drinking milk all winter and be ready to get full use of that spring grass when it comes up.

PaulNKS · #8 08/23/12, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregon woodsmok

[[[[....... I doubt anyone will want to feed a calf over the winter besides me. .....]]]]

I like raising calves over the winter and I am not the only one. The calf will be drinking milk all winter and be ready to get full use of that spring grass when it comes up.

I agree... why else would the majority of stockmen use winter for their calving? One of the best times for the cattle market is early spring when everyone is buying calves to put on the new greening pastures.

Soupmaker · #9 08/23/12, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulNKS

I agree... why else would the majority of stockmen use winter for their calving? One of the best times for the cattle market is early spring when everyone is buying calves to put on the new greening pastures.

the majority of stockmen use winter for their calving? Hmmmm.

Jackie · #10 08/24/12, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soupmaker

the majority of stockmen use winter for their calving? Hmmmm.

Everyone where I live calves in Feb or March...which is most certainly winter for us. I think its ridiculous but they want them big in the fall so they can sell them off before winter. I kinda get that...but still..the loses seem so great. Cattle ranchers all take a month off work to babysit their cattle so they can run out and drag every newborn into the barn to be dried off. A cow having a calf when its -40 seems normal. I am not interested in that at all and I plan to have calves in late fall, early summer. Calving in May would be perfect for me...they would be born in good weather and weaned in october.

Jackie · #11 08/24/12, 12:30 AM

Thanks everyone. We discussed it and decided to keep her for now. We dont live where the cows are and the coyotes are bad. We figure it might be to a calves benefit at this time to have a slightly insane mother. She wont hurt me..I know you can never ever trust a cow, but unless I am trying to lock her up to doctor her, I am not afraid of her. She is scared of me enough she stays away from me. I will just use common sense and get help if she needs any attention.

Soupmaker · #12 08/24/12, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackie

Thanks everyone. We discussed it and decided to keep her for now. We dont live where the cows are and the coyotes are bad. We figure it might be to a calves benefit at this time to have a slightly insane mother. She wont hurt me..I know you can never ever trust a cow, but unless I am trying to lock her up to doctor her, I am not afraid of her. She is scared of me enough she stays away from me. I will just use common sense and get help if she needs any attention.

Many here calve in March. But I consider that spring. I'm pretty sure PNKS wasn't considering March calving in his comments since he was talking about selling spring calves.