Buying calves vs weanings

DJ98

Lads looking to get into cattle and am just wondering which of the above would be best to start with. What are the advantages or disadvantages of buying one over the other, time isn't an issue nor is space. Have experience of working with cattle.

DJ98

Also forgot to ask what the difference in cost would be?

J.O. Farmer

DJ98 wrote: »

Also forgot to ask what the difference in cost would be?

Probably less than the cost of rearing a calf to a weanling.

KatyMac

Go with the weanlings especially if you have no experience rearing sucks. They are hard work and come up with lots of different ways of dying on ya. As Crow says not many weanlings die a week after arriving home with them.

DJ98

KatyMac wrote: »

Go with the weanlings especially if you have no experience rearing sucks. They are hard work and come up with lots of different ways of dying on ya. As Crow says not many weanlings die a week after arriving home with them.

What would you pay for an average weanling and breed would be best?

charolais0153

DJ98 wrote: »

What would you pay for an average weanling and breed would be best?

Buy frx or hex weanlings. Kill them 26 months

squinn2912

charolais0153 wrote: »

DJ98 wrote: »

What would you pay for an average weanling and breed would be best?

Buy frx or hex weanlings. Kill them 26 months

Acharolais man advising buying fresians?! Are my eyes deceiving me?
I'd buy weanlings as well. Wouldn't worry so much about breeds you can get a variety. I wouldn't go for the flashy animals there is likely a better turn in the inbetween one

charolais0153

squinn2912 wrote: »

Acharolais man advising buying fresians?! Are my eyes deceiving me?
I'd buy weanlings as well. Wouldn't worry so much about breeds you can get a variety. I wouldn't go for the flashy animals there is likely a better turn in the inbetween one

A lot hamdier for a lad to start rearing weanlings than to calve charolais'!

squinn2912

Of course but you wouldn't advise to buy charolais weanlings?

memorystick

charolais0153 wrote: »

Buy frx or hex weanlings. Kill them 26 months

The HRx seems like the best value for money. € for € spent, will they give the best return?

charolais0153

memorystick wrote: »

The HRx seems like the best value for money. € for € spent, will they give the best return?

More than likely

CloughCasey1

memorystick wrote: »

The HRx seems like the best value for money. € for € spent, will they give the best return?

I try and buy hex/fr or suckler bred weanlings 200kg April/May calves this time of year. You would want to be picking them up for 450-550. Finish them at 26mts. You would be buying the same sucks for 350 in May, 100 to rear them and 100 to keep grass in front of them and they still arent as good as middle of the road suckler bred stock. You always have the option to bring the right coloured suckler bred bullock to the mart at 15-18 mts and do well. Waste of time bringing dairy bred stock to mart less than 600kg. Saying that i still have a gra for whitehead cattle. ☺

patsy_mccabe

I helped load some 18 month old herford x friesian bullocks rcently for neighbour. Now I've seen these as calves and they looked fairly miserable then. Couldnt believe the condition on them, all from grass. They made around €800 in the mart.

CloughCasey1

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I helped load some 18 month old herford x friesian bullocks rcently for neighbour. Now I've seen these as calves and they looked fairly miserable then. Couldnt believe the condition on them, all from grass. They made around €800 in the mart.

What weight they come into?

patsy_mccabe

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

What weight they come into?

I'm not great at guessing weight, but maybe between 430 and 470Kg,

Count Mondego

Every year we used buy 10 calves in Feb and rear them. They'd be a month old an a mix of LM, AA or HE off dairy cows. You'd have no change out of 350 - 400 for them, contrary to what you'd often read on here. By the time you'd get to October, you'd have a few hundred of foster milk and nuts put into them, not to mention a good few rounds of dosing and dealing with scour etc. Pain in the arse too, feeding them morning and evening and dealing with scour or Pneumonia.

Nowdays I just buy the 10 as weanlings which is a far better job. On average pay between 700 - 850 depending on the year. Main difference is that you're buying a very decent animal at that stage, all of those weanlings are good continental animals. You'd be lucky is have of the calves you bought would turn out well.

The difference in cost is probably only 1000 across the ten of them and they'll leave far more than the dairy calf when they're sold. You've no idea if a calf will turn out well, but you've a great chance to judge him at weanling stage.

kk.man

Count Mondego wrote: »

Every year we used buy 10 calves in Feb and rear them. They'd be a month old an a mix of LM, AA or HE off dairy cows. You'd have no change out of 350 - 400 for them, contrary to what you'd often read on here. By the time you'd get to October, you'd have a few hundred of foster milk and nuts put into them, not to mention a good few rounds of dosing and dealing with scour etc. Pain in the arse too, feeding them morning and evening and dealing with scour or Pneumonia.

Nowdays I just buy the 10 as weanlings which is a far better job. On average pay between 700 - 850 depending on the year. Main difference is that you're buying a very decent animal at that stage, all of those weanlings are good continental animals. You'd be lucky is have of the calves you bought would turn out well.

The difference in cost is probably only 1000 across the ten of them and they'll leave far more than the dairy calf when they're sold. You've no idea if a calf will turn out well, but you've a great chance to judge him at weanling stage.

Teagasc are pushing this dairy calf to beef systems so that the dairy guys gets something for their calf. All a load of hardship for little money if any.

charolais0153

kk.man wrote: »

Teagasc are pushing this dairy calf to beef systems so that the dairy guys gets something for their calf. All a load of hardship for little money if any.

Cant make silk purse out of sows ear either

CloughCasey1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Cant make silk purse out of sows ear either

Says the boyo that got two aaxfr to 640kg at 18 mts.☺

memorystick

If you could buy anything once they're off milk, then the hardship is pretty well over with. Just throw a bag of meal every evening after work if need be.

White Clover

memorystick wrote: »

If you could buy anything once they're off milk, then the hardship is pretty well over with. Just throw a bag of meal every evening after work if need be.

Trouble there is, A lot of them calves are badly reared. Weaned and off milk at 6 weeks and around 70 or 75 kg and barely eating a kilo/day ad lib. A stunted animal for ever more.
I'd prefer to buy at 6 weeks when still on milk and finish rearing them properly.

memorystick

Just buy them stronger then.