Advice for Buying Calves

Sugarbowl

Thinking of buying a few calves... not too many. Any advice of what best to buy. what breed is best for this? What kind of price/head am I looking at? All thoughts welcome!

Base price

Irrespective of what breed or farming practice (calf to weanling/beef, dairying etc) buy ex farm if possible and choose the healthiest calves with no signs of illness - no snots in nose, no scour/wet tails/arse, no pull/heavy breathing, no large navels, healthy bright eyes and warm noses. Basically healthy alert calves.
Can I ask why you want to buy calves. Most people buying calves would know about the trials and tribulations of rearing them.

Sugarbowl

Thanks Baseprice for advice. Selling a few weanlings and there will be an empty house so a few more animals in it wouldn't go astray. Like I said, only a small few is the plan. Did it a few years ago and worked out well for me.
Any advice on the best potential breed for me? Wouldn't be interested in Fr bulls.

Base price

Sugarbowl wrote: »

Thanks Baseprice for advice. Selling a few weanlings and there will be an empty house so a few more animals in it wouldn't go astray. Like I said, only a small few is the plan. Did it a few years ago and worked out well for me.
Any advice on the best potential breed for me? Wouldn't be interested in Fr bulls.

Firstly clean out and thoroughly power hose (with disinfectant) the house before buying in calves.
I can not advise you on potential breeds as I prefer the black and whites bulls

Water John

indeed Base, I see a few lads near me who have stuck with the Fr over the years and seemed to do fine. They say better than the continental.

Why not HFD or AA, OP. If you are selling as strong stores there would be a demand from finishers supplying specific contracts, that have a premium.

Mooooo

Moved 20 heifer calves down to out farm and set up a pen outside their shed with woodchip underfoot. As to what to buy go with what's healthy first as Base said, I guess Hereford, AA and BB are what's coming from the dairy herd now so if you know any farmers local see what they have if both sides save the mart fees and the day wasted how bad. When selling I ring a few local hauliers I use and they let me know the gist of it and work from there

Base price

Water John wrote: »

indeed Base, I see a few lads near me who have stuck with the Fr over the years and seemed to do fine. They say better than the continental.

Why not HFD or AA, OP. If you are selling as strong stores there would be a demand from finishers supplying specific contracts, that have a premium.

Whilst I agree with you on HEx or AAx they are at a premium at the moment. As I understand Larry's agents are very active in the marts along with buying BBx and are driving up the price especially in the Southern counties where the numbers are out in the last 2 weeks.

orm0nd

agree with above advise,

plenty of hex & aax available now. depending on your location if you could source good shape aax at reasonable money, they possibly would leave better profit.

Base price

orm0nd wrote: »

agree with above advise,

plenty of hex & aax available now. depending on your location if you could source good shape aax at reasonable money, they possibly would leave better profit.

Unfortunately the caveat with AAx and HEx calves is that a huge number of them on the market are bred off cross bred cows - Jersey/Freisian - especially from the South.
You'd be better off throwing sugar at a donkey!

theaceofspies

stress is a big factor. Minimise the time the calf spends between the home it is coming from anf the home it is going to. However the single most important thing is hygiene. You can make mistakes elsewhere and it won't cost you but if hygiene isn't good you will know all about it via scours.

Water John

The jersey freisian cow is an abomination. If those dairy boys want to shoot bull calves, they can.
They can't expect a price for that animal, no matter what bull it is.

whelan2

Do jex hereford calves come brackedy?

Base price

Water John wrote: »

The jersey freisian cow is an abomination. If those dairy boys want to shoot bull calves, they can.
They can't a price for that animal, no matter what bull it is.

Ah for fecks sake.
When has a cross between two breeds (within the same species) ever been considered an abomination in breeding within dairy/beef/poultry/pork/horses/dogs even feckin cats.

charolais0153

Base price wrote: »

Ah for fecks sake.
When has a cross between two breeds (within the same species) ever been considered an abomination in breeding within dairy/beef/poultry/pork/horses/dogs even feckin cats.

Chihuahua and wolf hound maybe

yewtree

whelan2 wrote: »

Do jex hereford calves come brackedy?

We have Hereford from jex cows you wouldn't tell them apart from Hereford from fr cows. Most of our are black and white get the odd one red and white

Water John

The crossing of Jersey and Freisian might be a fair decision by an individual farmer. But has not been in the bests interests of Irish farming.

yewtree

Water John wrote: »

The crossing of Jersey and Freisian might be a fair decision by an individual farmer. But has not been in the bests interests of Irish farming.

Its a very small % of the national herd can't see how it is having that big effect.
Only 3-5% of dairy ai is jersey, xbred calves aren't that common

Base price

whelan2 wrote: »

Do jex hereford calves come brackedy?

Ex 75/25 - FR/JE dam the calves come black white head with a reasonable good frame - some may have a black muzzle.
Ex 60/40 -they come mostly black white head most showing a black muzzle & black splash on their heads and may show some white on their upper body. Body shape and confirmation is reasonable but lighter on the legs/bone and generally shorter due to more JE influence in the bloodlines. As more JE breeding is included then there is reduction in overall skeletal conformation but on the flip side there is a plus on proteins/bf.

patsy_mccabe

charolais0153 wrote: »

Chihuahua and wolf hound maybe

Bulldog and Sh1tzu. I'll get my coat. :cool: