Any idea on prices of black heifer calves next March (Aberdeen Angus / Hereford)

mayowillie

Hi

I'm looking to buy 30 x 2-3 week old black heifer calves next March, either Aberdeen Angus or Herefords. Would anyone have any notion of what they might be going at then - have you seen any sold recently for example? I'm just trying to work out my finances for the year ahead, and any clues would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

blue5000

Hard to say, depends on quota, but a rough ballpark is 250e

Martin 83

The milk quota year ends on 31st march. I would expect calves to get very plentiful and a lot cheaper in the weeks after that. it might be worth waiting til then to buy.

mayowillie

Thanks lads. Last year I bought them around St. Pat's Day just to have an early calf but if anything I found they got dearer when the quota ended - but then farming and beef were just starting to go up at the time, whatever it's going to be like this year. Last year I was giving around €220- €280 at marts in the south for Herefords and Lmx heifers, 3 wks old.

charityboy

mayowillie wrote: »

Thanks lads. Last year I bought them around St. Pat's Day just to have an early calf but if anything I found they got dearer when the quota ended - but then farming and beef were just starting to go up at the time, whatever it's going to be like this year. Last year I was giving around €220- €280 at marts in the south for Herefords and Lmx heifers, 3 wks old.

standing you a few bob buy the time they hit grass

dealerman

well if your were paying that money last year id say 320 to 380 at least by late march cos ur were buying a goodish strong calf for that money last year

charityboy

320 - 380 for a heifer calf ,
milk replacer 1.5 bags 60
straw/hay 10
meal to grass 15
veterinary 5

total cost to grass without labour or fixed costs 410 =470 all of the above are rough estimate
oct sale 250 - 280 kg@ 2 euro = 500-560 and take away grass fixed costs and more meal + labour
not looking to good from where i am standing

bbam

We've been rearing bought in bucket fed calves for years and this year was the worst by far.. The system suits low suck calf prices..
We reared 30 this year, some have gone already at a small profit and I reckon all going well they'll all leave at least a small profit... Sometimes your lucky, I bought 4 strong HEX heifers last May, 3 months old still on milk €325 each, weaned them and turned them right out to grass and they did a bomb..

I saw many calves last spring/summer sold at around €500-€600, I don't like the numbers on those... you'd be better buying small weanlings at similar money. I feel this was driven on by over quota farmers feeding them the "free" milk they have...

Back to OP's questions... I doubt there will be calves at less than €320, maybe after the quota year but I wouldn't bet on it...
Also, we did a few trials and anything more than a bag of milk for a calf is wasted... by the time they are 6 months old you won't see the difference, getting them onto meal immediately is much more beneficial..

dealerman

an ad on donedeal you would be better of with a weanling but might not still be looking great with the price of those either


€250Meath Friesan Bull Calves For Sale Dairy Cattle
good healthy 3 week old friesan bull calves for sale

mayowillie

I remember buying ten of them for €1000 at Ennis mart 4 or 5 years ago, so I could afford to fire up the money for them because I'd made it in previous years gone by, going back 15 years. It's the dudes that got into farming last year and paid up the heavy money for them, they're going to find it hard this year to buy again because they still have last year's calves to sell and they won't get the big money for them this spring. They'll have to hold on to them until the back end of next year to get them into decent weights and money, and last year's calves cost enough as it is, not to mind going buying again now without anything to sell.

blue5000

slightly off topic:D

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/beefcattle/2843884

redzerologhlen

blue5000 wrote: »

slightly off topic:D

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/beefcattle/2843884

Oh mama...

Hes the bargin of 2011:D

dealerman

blue5000 wrote: »

slightly off topic:D

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/beefcattle/2843884

was it you blue who was looking to safe on tax bill:D:D:D

blue5000

dealerman wrote: »

was it you blue who was looking to safe on tax bill:D:D:D

Actually I was looking to meet up with some ppl who wanted to reduce their tax bill. Only a day left now:(

charityboy

the other funny thing about that add is the fact that she will sell and probably not a million miles from that price , crazy times

dealerman

blue5000 wrote: »

Actually I was looking to meet up with some ppl who wanted to reduce their tax bill. Only a day left now:(

there was cows on donedeal on kale there the other day they yours they seem a bargin if a heifer calf is worth 600 :D

bbam

redzerologhlen wrote: »

Oh mama...

Hes the bargin of 2011:D

"Cow got hurt in shed suitable for suckling"

I could be mean and say the shed doesn't look suitable for anything
But I'm not mean, so I'll just type it here in boards from behind the safety of my keyboard

redzerologhlen

bbam wrote: »

"Cow got hurt in shed suitable for suckling"

I could be mean and say the shed doesn't look suitable for anything
But I'm not mean, so I'll just type it here in boards from behind the safety of my keyboard

He says I, Just looked again now and realised it was a heifer:o Fine looking calf now in fairness but thats crazy money for a sucky!! And as another poster said she will probably make the most of it. Like I posted a few weeks ago I seen a black lim bull out of a friesan making 420 i think in ennis and he didnt look half the calf she did. Its crazy, if you had 650 you'd buy a handy weanling without too much hassle. As for the shed I didnt really take much notice tbh.

whelan1

its sold now!

mayowillie

That super calf is sold now - they just updated it on Donedeal. But you have to think if you had a real good cow and calf died, and in fairness that was a good stump of a calf, there's no point in feeding a cow for the last year to produce a dead calf. You're as well to bite the bullet and put a calf on the cow anyways. Cow could get mastitis, etc. But definitely at €600 he wasn't worth it. Ye're right about that. He'd be as well to get a black bull calf at half the price and take a chance, no guarantees that trying to put a calf sucking on a cow would work out either, cow might end up killing calf and yourself and that would quench that.

charityboy

those u grading calves dont last long on donedeal :D:D

blue5000

dealerman wrote: »

there was cows on donedeal on kale there the other day they yours they seem a bargin if a heifer calf is worth 600 :D

Guilty yer honoor, don't all be ringing me at 3 o'clock in the mornin, wait till 4, OH will be asleep then;)

Bodacious

redzerologhlen wrote: »

Oh mama...

Hes the bargin of 2011:D

Red, I dont get it .. nice calf but no price specified??!!

Bodacious

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/beefcattle/2840183

Cottage Amelie and calving end of Jan to Texan Gie... could have a full brother to Cottage Devon on board.


Would be a nice cow to start off a pedigree herd for someone, what kinda money would she make? 5k ?

charityboy

Bodacious wrote: »

Red, I dont get it .. nice calf but no price specified??!!

she was going for 600 euro the tags came free

whelan1

charityboy wrote: »

she was going for 600 euro the tags came free

do ye think it was a joke? seriously the ad was only up for a few hours? At only 3 euro to place an ad i have rang a few times about things and the person knew nothing about what was on donedeal:o