Calf Prices 2014

Cavanjack

Bought a few bf bulls ex-farm for €60, better ones off a dealer for €100.

_Brian

whelan2 wrote: »

any one sell anything recently? what are good bf bulls making 2 weeks old

I'd say they're hard enough trade at this time of year.. They'll be off milk by the new year but standing round spending money on bedding/feed until they can go out doors in spring..
We've bought this time of year before and extra straw/feed probably adds €20-40 a head to rearing them.. €60-80 would be their value I'd imagine.

blackdog1

Got 120 for good strong holstein fr calves 2 weeks old. These are from very strong animals no extreme or narrow at all. Man was delighted with them. When he loaded them in his truck with the other animals I knew why. There's alot of really weak calves out there.

farmerjj

Sold fr males 6weeks old for €115 and AA males 5weeks old €250, nice calves were on hay and milk only.

galwayhillbilly

Is this what ye mean when ye say 'extreme holstein' ?
http://www.thejournal.ie/worlds-tallest-cow-1726744-Oct2014/

whelan2

doesnt seem like she ever had a calf. anyways calf man was saying yesterday hol/fr clves from 28 euro in mart the other day. I got 90 and 75 for mine at home-75 euro calf was a week old, rest where 2-3 weeks old

Reggie.

whelan2 wrote: »

doesnt seem like she ever had a calf. anyways calf man was saying yesterday hol/fr clves from 28 euro in mart the other day. I got 90 and 75 for mine at home-75 euro calf was a week old, rest where 2-3 weeks old

A herd of them animals would eat some grass

loveta

whelan2 wrote: »

doesnt seem like she ever had a calf. anyways calf man was saying yesterday hol/fr clves from 28 euro in mart the other day. I got 90 and 75 for mine at home-75 euro calf was a week old, rest where 2-3 weeks old

I would take every last word your calf dealer says with a large pinch of salt, there prob was one calf sold at 28 euro "most likely a very young or a runt" and they hone in on that price for a starting line for negotiations on all calves. Its a pain in the ar#e but ya really do need to pop into a couple of sales to have a idea what calves are making esp if you are selling numbers.

Greengrass1

loveta wrote: »

I would take every last word your calf dealer says with a large pinch of salt, there prob was one calf sold at 28 euro "most likely a very young or a runt" and they hone in on that price for a starting line for negotiations on all calves. Its a pain in the ar#e but ya really do need to pop into a couple of sales to have a idea what calves are making esp if you are selling numbers.

No ye dont talk to a few farmers im getting 80e for my fr and im happy out. No up and down pricing paid the same in spring. I haven't time to go to a mart

loveta

Greengrass1 wrote: »

No ye dont talk to a few farmers im getting 80e for my fr and im happy out. No up and down pricing paid the same in spring. I haven't time to go to a mart

Have often talked to guys "farmers" who were at a mart and they all seem to have different storys/opinions on the trade so i find its better to view it first hand instead of 2nd hand info, and unless you live a long journey from a mart i cant see how you could not spare 2 hours out of a week to go to one

Milked out

Would many of ye go to the mart with the calves? Local haulier here takes calves in on Mondays to bandon, or else I sell out of yard to a few lads that have bought off us before that come looking

Greengrass1

loveta wrote: »

Have often talked to guys "farmers" who were at a mart and they all seem to have different storys/opinions on the trade so i find its better to view it first hand instead of 2nd hand info, and unless you live a long journey from a mart i cant see how you could not spare 2 hours out of a week to go to one

I could count on one hand the amount if times we have sold in a mart or been to one.
I think im doing grand as I am sure I could get 120 today and 40 next month but there gone from my yard a 3wks and all I have to do is put them up on trailer job done

loveta

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I could count on one hand the amount if times we have sold in a mart or been to one.
I think im doing grand as I am sure I could get 120 today and 40 next month but there gone from my yard a 3wks and all I have to do is put them up on trailer job done

That may be your view or experiences but I could not agree. And esp if they were above average calves

Greengrass1

loveta wrote: »

That may be your view or experiences but I could not agree. And esp if they were above average calves

Hard to know but I was fed up with a heao of lads coming into the yard saying they would buy and none would come back and having timr to spend a morning in the mart isn't here

Timmaay

Got about 230 for strong enough AAx calves 2wks ago, most were about 4/5 weeks old. If I had to sell the calves they would be out the door to whatever dealer wanted them I'll admit, however my dad is happy enough to take them to the mart so I let him on with them.

limo_100

was in the calf ring forthe first time ina good while yesterday calfs are a dear trade. Belgium blue heifers 420 and 320 blue bulls 450 for very good blues. black bull 260, Charolais heifer 480

_Brian

limo_100 wrote: »

was in the calf ring forthe first time ina good while yesterday calfs are a dear trade. Belgium blue heifers 420 and 320 blue bulls 450 for very good blues. black bull 260, Charolais heifer 480

Oh my god that's dear. Were on earth is there a turn in them. You'd be better with Fr bulls at €100, only lads worry what the neighbours think.

Milked out

I'd say quota could put a base under calf prices in spring, gonna be a lot of milk knocking around with a potential levy on it. What are hol/fr bulls under 6 weeks making these days?

Muckit

Are you saying suck calves will dear or cheap next spring? How do you know ho from fr?

Feckthis

Muckit wrote: »

Are you saying suck calves will dear or cheap next spring? How do you know ho from fr?

Holstein are mostly white with black. Tall and skinny.

mf240

Muckit wrote: »

Are you saying suck calves will dear or cheap next spring? How do you know ho from fr?

Its very hard to tell. But stay away from really white ones and ones with massive ears.

Best way to buy if of a farmer and then you can see the kind of cows there out of.

Muckit

I think l might have a dabble next spring with 4 or 5. How long do they need to be on milk replacer? I've heard the rearing costs can be high. I could be mad chancing my luck, nothing ventured nothing gained.

Milked out

Muckit wrote: »

Are you saying suck calves will dear or cheap next spring? How do you know ho from fr?

I'd say they won't be very cheap anyway, lads could buy calves to drink over quota milk or hold on to calves until April. I'd say they are more or less the same these days. what I meant was what price are b &w calves currently.

Sam Kade

Muckit wrote: »

I think l might have a dabble next spring with 4 or 5. How long do they need to be on milk replacer? I've heard the rearing costs can be high. I could be mad chancing my luck, nothing ventured nothing gained.

If you are feeding milk replacer use a skim based powder. If you buy calves 2 weeks old the sooner you get them off milk and onto solid food the lower the rearing costs. Try and have them off milk by 6 weeks of age. The thing is that you might be better off buying fr weanlings at the end of the year less hassle and less costs.

_Brian

Muckit wrote: »

Are you saying suck calves will dear or cheap next spring? How do you know ho from fr?

BFr will mostly have white star on face and even white socks, found that closer to this the better , usually but not always.

Timmaay

Milked out wrote: »

I'd say they won't be very cheap anyway, lads could buy calves to drink over quota milk or hold on to calves until April. I'd say they are more or less the same these days. what I meant was what price are b &w calves currently.

Hmmm well I for one will be flogging on the spring fr bull calves asap the same as usual. What happens all these calves when the clocks strike midnight on April 1st? There will be a huge flood to the market, we'll all probably have nice big strong 2month old calves which we cant flog on for love nor money. Whereas hopefully I will get say 80quid for 10day old calves instead of the 20 this year! Actually out of interest where do the sums stack up? Assume the milk price is 29cent next spring, and you are over quota, so the milk is wasted otherwise, and free feed. How much will it cost to keep these calves for the 2months or so?

stanflt

3 week old strong hol bull calf 55

Didn't want a heifers bull calf

Bloody dealer

farmerjj

mf240 wrote: »

Its very hard to tell. But stay away from really white ones and ones with massive ears.

Best way to buy if of a farmer and then you can see the kind of cows there out of.[/Q

Think they could be donkeys looking your looking at:D

Base price

Timmaay wrote: »

Hmmm well I for one will be flogging on the spring fr bull calves asap the same as usual. What happens all these calves when the clocks strike midnight on April 1st? There will be a huge flood to the market, we'll all probably have nice big strong 2month old calves which we cant flog on for love nor money. Whereas hopefully I will get say 80quid for 10day old calves instead of the 20 this year! Actually out of interest where do the sums stack up? Assume the milk price is 29cent next spring, and you are over quota, so the milk is wasted otherwise, and free feed. How much will it cost to keep these calves for the 2months or so?

Just a point to note but I am sure you are already aware of it.
Calves for export need to be under 40 days of age. Best outlet in my opinion.

galwayhillbilly

limo_100 wrote: »

was in the calf ring forthe first time ina good while yesterday calfs are a dear trade. Belgium blue heifers 420 and 320 blue bulls 450 for very good blues. black bull 260, Charolais heifer 480

SFP advance burning a hole in people's pockets already?