Cost of Dexter calves?

[Gabriel]

I know a guy with some Dexter calves; what should I expect to pay for them at 6 months of age? They were short weaned 30 days ago due to lack of forage for the cows, but they appear to be in great shape.

Heifers: ?

Bull calves: ?

Steer calves: ?

Any difference between short legged and long, price wise?

TIA

[G. Seddon]

I think this might depend on what you plan to do with them....beef, breeding, milk?

Another thing to consider: Are any registered? Any tested for PHA or chondro? I would guess that if the guy doesn't have enough forage, then he probably hasn't tested or vaccinated or dewormed.

Some people lean toward the short-legged and others toward long-legged. Some are very keen on the shorts now, but I think the $$$ will depend somewhat on their registration status.

Sorry to answer your questions with more questions....

[opportunity]

They are asking $550 for steers and heifers 7-9 months old around here not registered.

[Gabriel]

Yep, I understand about questions begetting questions...

Non registered, but able to be registered. He's been using them for custom slaughter beef, but has transitioned more to the full size cattle because the market has stayed high for so long. Not tested for PHA or chondro.

I'd be using them for beef now, possibly milk later. They're not halter broke, let alone tame enough to milk. Both calves and cows are available. Cows are registered.

[G. Seddon]

Okay, more questions...can the calves be identified, i.e., matched up to a particular cow? Did he have more than one bull running with them? Calves can't be registered unless the bull has been genotyped.

I think if all of the calves were going to be designated as beef animals, I'd make a very low offer.

If you are interested in the adults for breeding, you will need to test for chondro and pha just to know what you've got unless he has this paperwork.

You could offer one price for the entire group (how many adults, how many calves) and sort it out afterwards, but I think he should officially transfer anything that's registered to the buyer and provide any and all paperwork. Membership and registration with the ADCA has gone up over the last year. Testing through Legacy at UCD can be fairly reasonable and will parentage verify sire and dam of a calf. A lot will depend on what the seller has or has not done, and this can be a can of worms!

Gabriel, if you have specific questions or info, please feel free to PM me and I'll try to help you.

[dlskidmore]

If your local sale barn has a website posting recent sale prices, you can get a bottom end of what to offer. A rare breed, registerable, you can expect to go for more, but if this guy is running out of forage then he's not going to push the top end either.

[Gabriel]

Thanks everyone. He's a friend and I won't be attempting to low ball, just want to know what the market is so as to be fair to both of us.

[dlskidmore]

You might also check localharvest.org. If other beef operations are posting custom butchered beef prices, you'll want to offer more than than for a breeding animal. Note hanging weight is considerably less than on the hoof prices, so hanging price is higher than on the hoof per pound prices.

[JLMissouri]

TN seems to run about the same as Missouri for Dexter Prices. I bought my registered bull calf just outside of Nashville this year for $700, which was a good price for what he was. In my area registered Dexter heifers go for around $600-$700. The cheapest being about $500 and you can always spend as much as you want. In my area polled sell for more as well as dun or red ones. The cheapest ones are horned black Dexters. Dexter cows run around $800, and bulls vary widely. I don't buy steers so I don't know their value.

[MoVikingSheep]

Hi,

I live in SW MO on a small homestead with my husband. In the future I'd like to have a milk cow and have at least one steer for beef each year. How much milk does a Dexter produce? Are Dexter/Jersey crosses more productive and is the milk better quality?