Safe to buy feeders at auction?

Help Support CattleToday:

We have banded up in the 8 wt range with little or no effects. TETANUS is essential... and when using the callicrate... TIGHT is important. We find they will be up and eating like nothing happened in less than an hour... gotta cut off the circulation and the nerves for pain.... We normally give them 24 hours off the trailer to make sure they have all found the bunk and the water trough... But that also has to do with often bringing them home at night and having to go off to work the next day....
You make it work for your situation....
 
Thank you everyone for the tips and input. The only reason I was hesitant to buy from my neighbor with the bull calves, is that I have only ever banded my own calves at a day old. Didn't have to worry about tetanus and they are easy to catch. I do have a squeeze chute, but I would have to have a vet come out and do the casterating for me. My thought - go to the feeder sale, see what prices are like and see if I'm ok with those prices. If not, I can take some more time to consider buying from my neighbor. I used to work at our local feed store (for 9 years) and I told the girls that are there to ask the local ranchers that come in for me.
 
The last two years we bought feeders at the sale.We usually try to buy anywhere between 4 to 6 weight calves. The first year we ended up buying heifers due to both steers and intact bulls were selling really high, and last year we bought mostly intact bulls and a few steers. We cut the bulls and were fortunate to have no real issues. We also ran everything we bought through the chute, gave them wormer, and 2 rounds of live respiratory. We then came them separated from our weaned calfs for a few weeks before running everything together. In the last 2 years we've only had to give a couple shots of Draxxin to sick calves.

A lot of what we do works for us due to our setup and ability to keep them separated and watch them closely. I'd be really cautious if I had to immediately put them out with our homegrown weaned calves. Either way good luck!
 
Dave said:
I bought my first feeder calf at a sale in the spring of 1968. I was 17 years old. Sitting by myself at the auction. You have to start somewhere. Over the years I have had less problems with sale yard feeders than those bought in the country and country cattle will generally cost more.
Call the sale yard and ask to talk to the manager. What are their requirements if any for calves coming to their "special sale". What do they announce.
Go to the sale as often as possible before you plan to buy. Listen and watch.
If you are bidding and don't understand the auctioneer make him slow down. Cup your hand to your ear like you are having trouble hearing.
Watch to see who is buying calves like you want. Watch them. If possible sit beside them.
Look for droopy ears. Sunken eyes. Heavy breathing. How well do they move. Avoid those calves.
If a calf looks to be selling real cheap there is a reason. Why don't the big boys want it?
Buy weaned, double vaccinated calves and when you get them home vaccinate them again. Vaccine is a whole lot cheaper then one sick calf. Or as Gcreek says, vaccine is cheaper than whiskey.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much. I've been to the sale yard a few times but never bought. Thankfully I'm familiar with auctions, as I was raised going to equipment auctions. Would it be reasonable to ask the manager what ranches would be good to buy from, or what reputable ranches will have their feeders there? I will call and ask about the vaccination and weaning requirements of the sale too.
 
ksmit454 said:
Thank you very much. I've been to the sale yard a few times but never bought. Thankfully I'm familiar with auctions, as I was raised going to equipment auctions. Would it be reasonable to ask the manager what ranches would be good to buy from, or what reputable ranches will have their feeders there? I will call and ask about the vaccination and weaning requirements of the sale too.
Click to expand...
If you show up early enough, ask everyone. If you feel like you're being stonewalled by the folks running it, ask the sorters. Unless they plan to bid too, they'll be honest with you.

A lot of those sorters or the people who took in remote loads for the auction house can tell you exactly what to expect. This may be regional, though, and your mileage may vary.
 
Biggest problem you may find at a good feeder calf sale is the calves are graded and put into groups with every other calf the same size, color and grade. There might be 6 calves or a hundred. Usually larger numbers.
 
ksmit454 said:
Thank you very much. I've been to the sale yard a few times but never bought. Thankfully I'm familiar with auctions, as I was raised going to equipment auctions. Would it be reasonable to ask the manager what ranches would be good to buy from, or what reputable ranches will have their feeders there? I will call and ask about the vaccination and weaning requirements of the sale too.
Click to expand...
It is ALWAYS a good idea to cultivate a relationship with the auction staff/owner. It's in their best interests to listen to you if you have specific interests and to let you know when something is coming in that you might be interested in. I'm always surprised when people just see an auction as something to pass through without touching anything. Get your hands in it and cultivate relationships.
 
kenny thomas said:
Biggest problem you may find at a good feeder calf sale is the calves are graded and put into groups with every other calf the same size, color and grade. There might be 6 calves or a hundred. Usually larger numbers.
Click to expand...
Probably not an issue. I have been to nearly every sale in Washington and Oregon. California isn't that far away. That grading and sorting doesn't happen out here. Because the ranches are bigger they just sort a single owners calves and sell them as a group. Bring in a small bunch which doesn't sort up together they are just sold as singles. I have never seen then mingle multiple owners calves together. But they certainly sell large groups. When a ranch brings in 2, 3, 4 semi loads, you can bet there will be some large groups that sort out together.
 
@kenny thomas is right about things here. At the feeder calf sales, especially the ones that are graded sales, calves are comingled to make uniform lots of the same weight and grade. There are few farmers here with enough to make good sized lots of calves. If it is one of an associations' sale, they require some protocols.... all weaned at least 45 days, all vacc with the same vaccine, things like that. Then the calves are put together in groups. Some one with only 5 or 10 cows can have good ones but there might only be 3 @ 450 lbs, and 2 @ 500... etc... this helps the small guy get better prices by being able to sell in larger groups.
It does cause more possibility of some getting sick more easily..... where animals all from the same farm will be less likely to "trade germs" that can cause some problems.
 
Dave said:
Probably not an issue. I have been to nearly every sale in Washington and Oregon. California isn't that far away. That grading and sorting doesn't happen out here. Because the ranches are bigger they just sort a single owners calves and sell them as a group. Bring in a small bunch which doesn't sort up together they are just sold as singles. I have never seen then mingle multiple owners calves together. But they certainly sell large groups. When a ranch brings in 2, 3, 4 semi loads, you can bet there will be some large groups that sort out together.
Click to expand...
Good opportunity there also. In those bigger numbers there may be a few large calves that actually have outgrown the others but don't fit the group. Or even just a single. Or maybe an off color or bad eye. If your raising for beef those are fine too.
 
Here's my other thought - see if my neighbor has any heifers and finish out heifers. I have never processed heifers but from what I hear, they are just as good as steers but mature at a quicker rate, and hanging weight isn't as large as steers. Thoughts? My neighbor has them all running with the bull but I figure if they are just weaned calves, they are still young enough that they haven't been bred?
 
ksmit454 said:
Here's my other thought - see if my neighbor has any heifers and finish out heifers. I have never processed heifers but from what I hear, they are just as good as steers but mature at a quicker rate, and hanging weight isn't as large as steers. Thoughts? My neighbor has them all running with the bull but I figure if they are just weaned calves, they are still young enough that they haven't been bred?
Click to expand...
You could give them a shot of lutalyse just to be sure.
 
ksmit454 said:
Here's my other thought - see if my neighbor has any heifers and finish out heifers. I have never processed heifers but from what I hear, they are just as good as steers but mature at a quicker rate, and hanging weight isn't as large as steers. Thoughts? My neighbor has them all running with the bull but I figure if they are just weaned calves, they are still young enough that they haven't been bred?
Click to expand...
Depending on the breed and lineage, they can get bred well before they're weaned. I had one bred at 4 months - it was all bad. Precisely why I now pull the bulls a good 6 weeks prior to weaning and all heifers get a shot of Lutalyse. That said, one of my neighbors runs stockers and this is the first year in a long time he bought all heifers. But he also adds MGA to the feed, which suppresses estrus. Bulls can travel and they can jump fences.
 
TCRanch said:
Depending on the breed and lineage, they can get bred well before they're weaned. I had one bred at 4 months - it was all bad. Precisely why I now pull the bulls a good 6 weeks prior to weaning and all heifers get a shot of Lutalyse. That said, one of my neighbors runs stockers and this is the first year in a long time he bought all heifers. But he also adds MGA to the feed, which suppresses estrus. Bulls can travel and they can jump fences.
Click to expand...
Wow!! That is crazy, I did not know that they could get bred at 4 months old. If I go with heifers from my neighbor looks like they will all get a shot of Lutalyse. His cattle are shorthorn and angus crosses.
 
I have had them breed at 6 months... noticeable pregnancy at a year old and too late to abort... Had 4 jersey crosses 2 years ago that were preg and 1 aborted, 1 had a dead calf and 2 calved at just under 16 months. NOT GOOD. Now if the bull is still in there by the time they are 6 months, seldom ever happens now, they get lute if I am keeping them.
 
Another thing to consider... with all the cattle being sold in drought stricken areas, there will be a big reduction in available heifers for replacements and prices are going to climb. I see prices of heifers in the 1.70's on reports from stockyards on DV Auction... I don't see any benefit to feeding out heifers... Yes they will be a little smaller than steers but I do not find them to finish out any faster than steers and coming in heat is a pain... if you feed to suppress that then you are getting into artificial stuff that some people do not want.
 
farmerjan said:
Another thing to consider... with all the cattle being sold in drought stricken areas, there will be a big reduction in available heifers for replacements and prices are going to climb. I see prices of heifers in the 1.70's on reports from stockyards on DV Auction... I don't see any benefit to feeding out heifers... Yes they will be a little smaller than steers but I do not find them to finish out any faster than steers and coming in heat is a pain... if you feed to suppress that then you are getting into artificial stuff that some people do not want.
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly. Anything with a working reproductive system is going to get higher with so many animals going up the rails.
 
Thank you all for your inputs and thoughts! I am just unsure what to do. I am having a hard time finding steers for sale in my area so I might go to the feeder sale august 10th, and see if I can snag anything there.
 

Similar threads

D
Fun at brandings
Replies
1
Views
155
Dave
D
Silver
Feeding time at the zoo
Replies
8
Views
484
Silver
Silver
EasTex
Grow your own or buy?
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
Chuckie
Chuckie
Silver
Alfie at work
Replies
6
Views
594
wbvs58
wbvs58
D
Arriving at Summer camp
Replies
10
Views
621
Dave
D

Latest posts

Top