Buying cattle privately would you get them weighed?

sh1tstirrer

Most sellers over estimate the weight of their cattle or they have cattle of different weights.

Bizzum

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

Most sellers over estimate the weight of their cattle or they have cattle of different weights.

Probably fairest way to operate for buyer and seller.

bob charles

buy the animal and dont buy the weight. Buyers that buy by weight dont last in the game. its all about potential. Rarely if ever weigh animals if bought by hand and always at the request of the seller if weighed.

Dunedin

bob charles wrote: »

buy the animal and dont buy the weight. Buyers that buy by weight dont last in the game. its all about potential. Rarely if ever weigh animals if bought by hand and always at the request of the seller if weighed.

I do most of my buying at home and I have never weighed cattle. The most you woudl be out might be 20/30 kgs and potential will far outweigh that (no pun intended).

bbam

We sell from the farm a good bit.
Only once was asked to weigh cattle by a purchaser. I refused and told him to buy what he sees or leave them for the next fella. He bought.
Buy the animal is what my dad always said.

WellKiiid??

Bob, what if animals are being bought for the factory? How are they bought?

bob charles

WellKiiid?? wrote: »

Bob, what if animals are being bought for the factory? How are they bought?

how do you mean, been bought for direct slaughter or what?

severeoversteer

The factory doesnt just eyeball cattle, my father and his father weighed cattle

Tipp Man

severeoversteer wrote: »

The factory doesnt just eyeball cattle, my father and his father weighed cattle

Been selling cattle to the factory for 30 or 40 years, several different factories in fact, and i have never heard of them asking for cattle to be weighed live

They will take a look at them if they are looking for a specific type but usually its just a case of can't take them this week but can fit you in next week at 5 cent lower, you'd better take it we're filling fast

TUBBY

I take yer point about eyeballing but it gives a lot more confidence to know the weight. Are ye saying so that when weight is on the board in a mart you won't look at it. Of course you would. Knowing an exact weight gives buyer and seller a fair playing field. Take 10kg off to account for travelling to mart if ya can swing that and then multiply weight by the agreed cent per kilo. Job done and everyone happy. I buy off land this way and never had any issues with buyers.
Would also want to know the age and last test.

WellKiiid??

bob charles wrote: »

how do you mean, been bought for direct slaughter or what?

Sorry i shoulda been more clear!! Ehh yeah as in buying animals that are fit for the factory? Weight must come into the equation somewhere, no?

1chippy

if a lad cant come to an educated guess on weights, they shouldnt be buying direct off farms. I am often surprised by the number of lads too who would have no idea of what the current market value of an animal, obvious with a lot of the chancers on done deal.

severeoversteer

Tipp Man wrote: »

Been selling cattle to the factory for 30 or 40 years, several different factories in fact, and i have never heard of them asking for cattle to be weighed live

ahh yes but you can better estimate what an animal killed out at if you have a liveweight before slaughter. weighing may identify animals as they go off feed that need to go to factory or are still growthy to feed on as long as not getting fat of course.
all i know is i have a weighing scales and good facilities which means i can weigh 50 cattle comfortably in give or take an hour. its as easy to do it as not to do it and helps to make better decisions. if you are saying its hassle to weigh cattle you must have cattle handling difficulties !

sometimes a better price to be got for finished cattle in the mart

huey1975

severeoversteer wrote: »

sometimes a better price to be got for finished cattle in the mart

Do you have a new username bob?

sh1tstirrer

huey1975 wrote: »

Do you have a new username bob?

Where did irishhbob disappear to must be the crazy weather frightened him off

Tipp Man

severeoversteer wrote: »

ahh yes but you can better estimate what an animal killed out at if you have a liveweight before slaughter. weighing may identify animals as they go off feed that need to go to factory or are still growthy to feed on as long as not getting fat of course.
all i know is i have a weighing scales and good facilities which means i can weigh 50 cattle comfortably in give or take an hour. its as easy to do it as not to do it and helps to make better decisions. if you are saying its hassle to weigh cattle you must have cattle handling difficulties !

sometimes a better price to be got for finished cattle in the mart

Weighing an animal before you kill them won't change their kill out % or slaughter weight

We had a scales in the 80's and after a while we just stopped using it - after a while you're able to judge pretty good the weight of an animal and whether an animal is fit to kill or not

Anyway i never said anything about people weighing or not weighing their cattle - i simply responded to somebody who implied that factories would want cattle weighed before they bought them - which is unheard of as far as i am aware

Tipp Man

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

Where did irishhbob disappear to must be the crazy weather frightened him off

He got banned i think - but have no idea why - don't think it was the farming forum was the cause though

redzerologhlen

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

Where did irishhbob disappear to must be the crazy weather frightened him off

He got banned, I remember seeing his thread in the prison forum.

Tipp Man

redzerologhlen wrote: »

He got banned, I remember seeing his thread in the prison forum.

What did he say? What was it about?

Muckit

huey1975 wrote: »

Do you have a new username bob?

No it's silage harvester boy

severeoversteer

Tipp Man wrote: »

Weighing an animal before you kill them won't change their kill out % or slaughter weight

QUOTE = severeoversteer
ahh yes but you can better estimate what an animal killed out at if you have a liveweight before slaughter


i didnt say it would change their weight, it would just help you weigh up the price the animal is likely to make in the factory before you kill him. and it may make you change your mind and bring him to a mart or sell him by what he grades and not sell flat etc etc (i know weighing doesnt grade cattle before someone says it)

from weighing i have heaps of info on cattle performance on certain diet of this that and the other and am able to predict animal performance and value way down the line.

its paramount that i run cattle finishing setup as tight and as efficiently as possible because i dont get a shilling in grants or sfp and you make your own luck in life.

im not trying to tell anyone what to do but a certain degree of technical efficiency can be the differance in making a good or bad decision and making a profit or a loss.


i have bought cattle privately and never refused by anyone to bring the scales with me and agree a price beforehand.