Calf prices

[mamahen]

So I found someone willing to sell a beef calf, Simmintal cross, at 1-2 weeks old. Last year she rejected her calf and they said they would sell it to me this year if I wanted to buy it.

They are asking $200-250.

This is the same price we paid for our beef heifer about 7 years ago. Hubby refuses to pay this much, since we can get Holstein bull calves for $20 (as many as we want).

I'm tired of holsteins that don't beef up, and the last 3 we butchered had no fat - zero. Granted we only fed 16% ration to them for 2-3 months (3-5 lbs a piece) - but they still did not put any fat on.

I really want a little beef heifer ( I loved our first girl), or steer.

Is $200 outrageous? I would ask him to deliver & include this in the price, don't know if he would. They're approx. 1.5 hours away, 50-60 miles.

[goodhors]

Being able to find ANY kind of beef calf at that young age is hard. We hunted for a month before locating any to use in 4-H. Locally, no one sells young beef calves off the mother. Calves gain better, so are worth more, when they get weaned.

Ours was 2 months old at puchase, had lost the mother cow, so a bit undersized for the age. This was a while ago, and farmer gave us a "4-H Deal" at only $400. To anyone else she was $500, and so were the other orphan beef calves, all smaller than she was, everyone still on bottles. Very good stock, Herefords, no cheap cows in the bunch. We sold the heifer calf at Fair sale , got $800 for her there, at about 450 pounds. This was a couple years ago, so prices should be up a lot higher now with less cattle around.

So I think $200 for a beef calf, even small, is a pretty good price these days. You will put about $90 in milk replacer into it, 50 pound bag of the good medicated kind, before calf will start eating. I use the medicated because I figured small calves had enough stress already, any germs could easily finish them off. We did have people we knew who had the calves die for various reasons, and I said that WON'T happen to ours! The beef calves are designed better to gain on grazing, with less in height and frame than a dairy bred calf. May be market ready in a shorter time. Or if a heifer, she could produce calves for you.

I can see your husband's viewpoint though, with MUCH less money invested in the dairy calves, though it cost about the same for each in milk replacer. You could add grain to their diet, for more fat in the meat, before processing them. Should give them a better flavor when you eat them. Just that filling the dairy frame up is going to take longer, and more feed than the beef animal. As a note, the dairy calves we purchased were about $100, again a 4-H price. They were well started, perky and energetic to start with. The dairy only sold a few, if kids called and asked for calves. Otherwise they fed them out until they were eating solids, and raised them to sell at about 500 pounds. They regarded calves as a money crop, took EXCELLENT care not to lose any, and profited from the later sales as beef animals. Our calves were WELL built, nice tempered, easy to handle, and sold well at Fair. Really healthy for a good start in life. So much better in all ways, than the poor Auction babies of a day-old, selling in the ring.

[Allen W]

Bottle beef calves hare are brining 400 to 500 a head.

[Otter]

I don't know where you are, but here, that's really cheap. If a bottle beef heifer was advertised for that around here, people would be fighting for her. Last year I offered to trade a 250 lb ready to butcher pig (even offered to drop her at the processor) for a calf and got laughed at. They are cheaper this year, but 200 is still a deal.

[mamahen]

I really, really, really want this calf....even offered to take her as my birthday/christmas presant!! I don't know how to convince hubby!!

Just found out one just calved!! It's either Angus / Hereford or Simmental / Hereford. I'm pining for this little baby!!

We're the east coast...

how can I convince hubby!?!?

[topside1]

Explain to him there will never be a better chance...and yes that's the asking price in my area...Topside

[waterbuffy]

They are about $200 here. I just sold a 2 week old heifer for $200.

[glenn amolenaar]

Monday 3/11/13 I sold several beef calves average weight 449#s, $152.50 100#s or $1.52 a pound. Holsteins were cheaper .90 cents pound. Very few bottle calves and the few I saw were about $200.00 a head.
I hear about cheap dairy bottle calves most in this area from dairy start $125.00
I would buy $20.00 calves as long as they were breathing and standing up.

[opportunity]

Dairy bull calfs 4 days old are $120 and hard to come by. Beef calfs are $400-$550 and they are nearly impossible to find.

[hiddensprings]

I paid $160 for a week old Angus Hiefer calve 18 months ago. It was a neighbor farmer, the momma cow rejected the baby and the farmer didn't have the time or desire to bottle feed. He called me and I picked her up in the back of my Tahoe. I'd get a bunch if I could find them for $200-$250 now. Sure their work, but my little Hannah isn't so little anymore and running with the bull now. Tell hubby that a little Hiefer can give him a beef for years to come.

[haypoint]

Make it a test case. Get a Beef calf and a Holstein calf. See if there isn't $200 difference in 12 months.

[lakeportfarms]

What Haypoint said....How much does your hubby think that it takes to raise a beef cow for 12 months of feed, your time, and any other accessory things they'll need. THAT is your base cost for a newborn calf, unless the seller is in the business of giving away his money. Dairy calves are a byproduct of the farmers business, as the cow needs to be freshened in order to continue to produce milk.

Unless there is some tragedy, giving away a beef calf for that price is just that, giving it away.

[Madsaw]

Use the barter system. He let's you get the calf, he gets hot home cooked suppers. No calf, he's on his own.

[Yvonne's hubby]

You are being offered a great deal. Beef calves are worth well over 400. Dairy breeds can be found for next to nothing but require much more feed to get to slaughter weight, and even then will not put nearly as much meat in your freezer. Nobody that I know eats all them bones, it's the meat you want.

[mamahen]

woo hoo! He finally agreed!! It turned out to be a little bull (now steer) calf. We pick him up this weekend. I'm hoping to get a heifer, if they get one, too. We're still getting 2 dairy calves this summer, so he can see the frame size difference while they grow.

[bigmudder77]

Id love to find holstein bulls for $20 around here unless there sick and almost dead they dont go anywhere neer that price there around $130-240 a calf at auctions couple farmers sell them for $100-150

[Kumuainafarm]

Find a steak from an Angus and one from a Holstein, feed them to hubby. There really is no choice.

[goodhors]

I actually can't tell the difference in breed meats. We used to purchase Hereford beef from a man, which was very good meat. Tender, flavorful. Now we purchase from a man who raises Holsteins for beef, and they are equally tasty, flavorful.

I firmly believe that a cow gives good meat, on a diet that lets him put some fat on by using some grain in it, along with good hay or grazing. Even husband with the ability to tell which spices are in dishes, can't tell between Beef or Dairy meat, when it is cooked.

Fat in the meat is essential to making the meat flavorful and tender, with exercise to make it thin fat layers running thru that meat. Feedlot beef is way too fat, in layers on the meat, because cattle don't exercise much. Husband CAN tell store bought meat from our farmer purchase meat!

When we raised our own meat cattle, they always got fed a grain mix the last 6-8 weeks, and it did make them taste darn good, regardless of their breed. Since we are not breed prejudiced, we never noticed any flavor differences, just that they did taste good! I have not knowingly, ever eaten grass-only fed beef, so can't comment on what the lack of fat layering will do for the flavor and tenderness.

A question about your processor. How long do they let the beef hang before cutting it for wrapping? The longer it hangs, should allow the beef to get more tender. My mom always paid extra for letting her beef hang longer, so it was ALWAYS very tender. Most places hang beef the minimum time, which can result in tougher beef to eat. This happens even when the animal has a good fat layer on them, has been grain fed. So how your meat is processed, could be part of the reason it tastes "less good" than what you expect or eat at resturaunts. Hanging time, short or long, could be the big difference in being happy with the meat, instead of what breed the steer was.

[oregon woodsmok]

I think it is a good price, but if the mother rejects it and it doesn't get any colostrum, you will be lucky of you can get it to live.

Some dairies keep frozen colostrum, so I suggest that you hunt up a source of colostrum before you buy that calf.

[midkiffsjoy]

$20 for a holsten steer??? I paid $150. for mine from a dairy. I'm just in shock. O.O $250. is cheap for a jersey day old heifer here. If you've found a beef heifer for that, congrats. The only way to get one cheaper than that *maybe* is a sale barn.