Calf price chitchat

patsy_mccabe · 07-03-2018 8:29pm

Saw calves selling in Ennis mart yesterday. Goodish HE x FR bull calves making circa €350. I kid you not.

jfh · 07-03-2018 8:59pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Saw calves selling in Ennis mart yesterday. Goodish HE x FR bull calves making circa €350. I kid you not.

Was there myself, never saw so many calves in ennis, did you see that black lim bull calf sell, he was making 550 when I had to walk out

patsy_mccabe · 07-03-2018 9:04pm

jfh wrote: »

Was there myself, never saw so many calves in ennis, did you see that black lim bull calf sell, he was making 550 when I had to walk out

Only popped in for a look. Didnt see that one selling.

patsy_mccabe · 09-03-2018 8:31pm

Fine looking Simmental x Fr heifer calves;

https://www.donedeal.ie/beefcattle-for-sale/simmental-heifer-calves/18212962

Henwin · 09-03-2018 9:21pm

Getting bout 120 for good 3week old Friesian bull calves, happy with that, not not happy with the jersey cross bull price , anything from 3 to 20 euro, and they r 4 weeks old, don't know what to do with them-
Give them away for free at a week old,
Sell them for 10-20 euro at a month old
Or rear them for 8/9 months and then sell them then

Buford T. Justice XIX · 09-03-2018 10:18pm

Henwin wrote: »

Getting bout 120 for good 3week old Friesian bull calves, happy with that, not not happy with the jersey cross bull price , anything from 3 to 20 euro, and they r 4 weeks old, don't know what to do with them-
Give them away for free at a week old,
Sell them for 10-20 euro at a month old
Or rear them for 8/9 months and then sell them then

I know a lad that keeps 2 every year to use as teasers. He sold a few more last spring for decent money in the yard as teasers too after vasectomising them and keeping the best for himself.

He reckons they come into good money at 18 months as well.

Might be an option?

Pidae.m · 09-03-2018 11:04pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Fine looking Simmental x Fr heifer calves;

https://www.donedeal.ie/beefcattle-for-sale/simmental-heifer-calves/18212962

3 smashing black lm heifers yesterday in Gortatlea sold for €250. They were the gear, thought they were good value.

darragh_haven · 09-03-2018 11:15pm

Fr bull calves, 10 to 20 days old making €50 to €75 in skibb mart today, i was told. The place was overflowing with calves as there was no mart last week due to the snow.

Bass Reeves · 10-03-2018 1:12am

Henwin wrote: »

Getting bout 120 for good 3week old Friesian bull calves, happy with that, not not happy with the jersey cross bull price , anything from 3 to 20 euro, and they r 4 weeks old, don't know what to do with them-
Give them away for free at a week old,
Sell them for 10-20 euro at a month old
Or rear them for 8/9 months and then sell them then

You should know the answer yourself. Either sell as early as possible or give to the slaughter crowd as early as possible. Finishing as bulls at sub 16 months they make about 900-950 euro. No margin for anybody. If you want to carry them to 8/9 months get them to 220-250 kgs I give 150-180 euro for them at that stage.

Never wrestle with pigs · 10-03-2018 1:37am

Henwin wrote: »

Give them away for free at a week old,
Sell them for 10-20 euro at a month old
Or rear them for 8/9 months and then sell them then

They are costing about €10/€12 a week to keep. Plus time and valuable space in calf sheds. You don't need the risk of viral infections or scours to your more valuable heifer calves. Your in the milk game not the calf game. The few euro you get could be eaten away very quick with a vet bill or two. They are loosing money anyway.

By getting rid early you have more time to spend on your important heifer calves. IMO any lad under pressure this time of year with cows would be mad to be wasting their time trying to put value on this type of stock. IMO give away asap and thank whoever takes them. Even better if they left the country.

Pidae.m · 10-03-2018 8:18am

darragh_haven wrote: »

Fr bull calves, 10 to 20 days old making €50 to €75 in skibb mart today, i was told. The place was overflowing with calves as there was no mart last week due to the snow.

Heard good value there but very young yard of calves. Anything with age was dear. Hex bull €385!

Brown Podzol · 10-03-2018 9:17am

Sent 14 friesian bull calves 4 weeks old to Fermoy Tuesday. Average €160. From €145 to €185.

Bass Reeves · 10-03-2018 10:04am

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

They are costing about €10/€12 a week to keep. Plus time and valuable space in calf sheds. You don't need the risk of viral infections or scours to your more valuable heifer calves. Your in the milk game not the calf game. The few euro you get could be eaten away very quick with a vet bill or two. They are loosing money anyway.

By getting rid early you have more time to spend on your important heifer calves. IMO any lad under pressure this time of year with cows would be mad to be wasting their time trying to put value on this type of stock. IMO give away asap and thank whoever takes them. Even better if they left the country.

IMO in 2-3 years dairy farmers will either have to get these calves slaughtered at birth as a few abbatoir are doing now or will have to pay farmers to take them. As bullocks they will kill sub 300kgs at 26-28 months. As bulls they will kill 250 at sub 16 months and 300kgs is max if carried further.

leg wax · 10-03-2018 10:18am

Bass Reeves wrote: »

IMO in 2-3 years dairy farmers will either have to get these calves slaughtered at birth as a few abbatoir are doing now or will have to pay farmers to take them. As bullocks they will kill sub 300kgs at 26-28 months. As bulls they will kill 250 at sub 16 months and 300kgs is max if carried further.

funny cause was called by the lad who bought my bullocks on 1st of april last year at 380kgs he killed them this week ,have i more of the same this year.

charolais0153 · 10-03-2018 10:21am

leg wax wrote: »

funny cause was called by the lad who bought my bullocks on 1st of april last year at 380kgs he killed them this week ,have i more of the same this year.

Jersey? What did u sell them for? Is he buying them as calves this year?

Bass Reeves · 10-03-2018 10:34am

leg wax wrote: »

funny cause was called by the lad who bought my bullocks on 1st of april last year at 380kgs he killed them this week ,have i more of the same this year.

What age were they 2 year old some lads buy them as they are small money. Heaviest I saw JEx 950% JE 50% Fr) at 12-15 months was 330kgs but he was a very well done bull. As bullocks well very done lads would be 300kgs. What did you get for them

Mooooo · 10-03-2018 10:55am

Number of Jersey straws used is still low, also extreme hol lads be on about. Biggest cows here are 100% hol. An they are big in every way not just tall

Bass Reeves · 10-03-2018 11:10am

Mooooo wrote: »

Number of Jersey straws used is still low, also extreme hol lads be on about. Biggest cows here are 100% hol. An they are big in every way not just tall

Even though No of straws are low as a percentage of total cows you have to remember that there are over 1.7 million dairy cows calving down I think. No JE cross calves are exported so all remain in Ireland and are in the system except those slaughtered as calves. Most are traded farm to farm nowadays as margins are so low in them and low demand.

I have had some great quality Ho bullocks over the years. Some are great to put on weight even if they will grade P+/O-. But while you have some P grade bullocks you will get some that will grade O= and weight verty well.

If lads had access to ICBF and look at the breeding virtually all FR are HO in Ireland at present but there is a huge variation in type from extreme animals grading P= to some taht grade O+ as bullocks and grade R as bulls

Never wrestle with pigs · 10-03-2018 12:18pm

leg wax wrote: »

funny cause was called by the lad who bought my bullocks on 1st of april last year at 380kgs he killed them this week ,have i more of the same this year.

Are they not out of bf cows though? Any 3/4 je is just costing to much to rare. Alright if you pick them up as runners for small money but raring them is %100 loss making.

patsy_mccabe · 10-03-2018 12:55pm

I don't think there is anything as British Friesan anymore. I was looking at the Dairy catalogue in Munster AI a while back. No 100% BF anymore. 50% BF the most I could see.
Someday, mayby someday the two industries, Dairy and Beef will work together. It would be a far better investment that the current Genomics scheme. Too many beef bulls on dairy herds picked solely for easy calving and gestation. Damn the beef attributes like confromation and growth.

charolais0153 · 10-03-2018 1:00pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I don't think there is anything as British Friesan anymore. I was looking at the Dairy catalogue in Munster AI a while back. No 100% BF anymore. 50% BF the most I could see.
Someday, mayby someday the two industries, Dairy and Beef will work together. It would be a far better investment that the current Genomics scheme. Too many beef bulls on dairy herds picked solely for easy calving and gestation. Damn the beef attributes like confromation and growth.

What difference does it make? Thereare good calves making 300 plus and bad ones making less than 50 euro.

alps · 10-03-2018 1:11pm

Have a bunch of nice strong Saler calves (4 weeks) out of mainly friesian cows, but have no idea on values.

Could anyone give a figure, and should we fare out ok by going to the mart with them...

Can get them taken to Kilmallock, Kanturk or Fermoy..

tanko · 10-03-2018 1:57pm

alps wrote: »

Have a bunch of nice strong Saler calves (4 weeks) out of mainly friesian cows, but have no idea on values.

Could anyone give a figure, and should we fare out ok by going to the mart with them...

Can get them taken to Kilmallock, Kanturk or Fermoy..

Are they bulls or heifers?
Any saler bullocks i sold as stores made the same as lims.
Saler heifers make good sucklers and any ive seen sold as bulling heifers make great money.
What bull are they off?

charolais0153 · 10-03-2018 2:20pm

alps wrote: »

Have a bunch of nice strong Saler calves (4 weeks) out of mainly friesian cows, but have no idea on values.

Could anyone give a figure, and should we fare out ok by going to the mart with them...

Can get them taken to Kilmallock, Kanturk or Fermoy..

In between what the equivalent limousin and angus calf makes?

Sheep breeder · 10-03-2018 10:01pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Even though No of straws are low as a percentage of total cows you have to remember that there are over 1.7 million dairy cows calving down I think. No JE cross calves are exported so all remain in Ireland and are in the system except those slaughtered as calves. Most are traded farm to farm nowadays as margins are so low in them and low demand.

I have had some great quality Ho bullocks over the years. Some are great to put on weight even if they will grade P+/O-. But while you have some P grade bullocks you will get some that will grade O= and weight verty well.

If lads had access to ICBF and look at the breeding virtually all FR are HO in Ireland at present but there is a huge variation in type from extreme animals grading P= to some taht grade O+ as bullocks and grade R as bulls

Agree a hol will have weight and a jersey has nothing to offer and has to fed as much as a fr. The other thing with the jersey is they are the nasty bulls to handle on farm and not good for the health and lads will convince themselves they are making money.

alps · 10-03-2018 11:03pm

tanko wrote: »

Are they bulls or heifers?
Any saler bullocks i sold as stores made the same as lims.
Saler heifers make good sucklers and any ive seen sold as bulling heifers make great money.
What bull are they off?

Bulls and heifers..off of PZB Bonaparte...

Was thinking of reading the heifers with our own replacement dairy heifers, and sell in calf, but a friend of mine who did so for a few years says they suck everything going and you'll have damaged tests on the dairy heifers..

Might try the heifers on DD, and put the lads in the mart..