Bull Holstein Calf Prices

[TSYORK]

My new neighbor is a young man who is getting married next month and he and his bride have bought the house next to me. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to you at length tonight. I was talking to him that I like to raise a couple of bull calves (steers) for meat every couple of years. He told me to let him know and he could probably get me a couple straight from the dairy, not a sale barn calf for probably 25.00 a piece.... I haven't bought any in a couple of years, so just looking for pricing info. This sounds like a steal to me. These folks are genuine, upstanding folks in our community; I do not worry one bit that he would try to hoodoo me. Plus, they're not coming from sale barn, and they would have had colostrum, etc.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[d'vash]

Not sure what the prices are in NC, but over here they can go anywhere from $0 to $300. It depends how old they are (few days, few weeks?) and how eager the sellers are wanting to sell.

[TSYORK]

These would be a few days old. I would have to bottle feed them for a couple of months.

[Allen W]

Read the other day only one packing house was buying Holsteins, if this becomes the norm Holstein calves will be cheap.

[bigmudder77]

Around here there $20-250 right now the auction price was 20-90 a head with 214 ran through Monday

spring they were $I00-280

[sammyd]

prices are down here, maybe up to 150. They had been going for 300 earlier in the year but demand fell off spring/early summer when the rain made replenishing feed stocks iffy and the prices haven't bounded back to those ridiculous levels.
I'd buy fresh from the farm steins for 25 all day long.
Haven't heard of any packing plant up here not doing the black and white ones, would probably put themselves out of business like that....

[nchobbyfarm]

They sold for $35 per head yesterday at Powell's livestock auction in Smithfield. That is a great price for non sale barn animals!

[nduetime]

$25.00 from a producing dairy is a great deal.
1. If they are selling milk the livestock should be healthy.
2. Getting colostrum right away is a must
3. If you are already certain they are upstanding folks they probably are and would not want to hurt their name.
4. You could actually visit and see the conditions that they are in and the get a good look at the health of the calves as well as other stock for yourself.

Sounds like a great deal to me. Lucky you! With what my 3 year old Jersey is now producing I would take a half dozen myself!