Dairy Calves 2024

jfh

Roughly how much nuts should Feb born friesan bull calves be getting daily?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120725637#Comment_120725637

It will depend on the gras they are getting. February born calves wil be eating plenty of grass now if good and strong. I see two lad that rear calves well, both give them a fresh allowance every day which they do not expect them to graze to the butt ( one uses yearling to graze out the other tops.

If you had that set up, a kg would be plenty. You could be changing February born calves to a decent calf nut now as well. A lot of lads get hung up on protein, but if you were giving fresh grass every day ( and again February born calves could be started to move to 2-3 day allowance) a decent 14-15%nut ( I consider a finisher nut/ ration that is 14%+P even below that you could add a bit of soya) use a bit of molasses at the start of they are not cleaning the troughs. If they were giving a decent finisher nut you could start reducing ( strong calves) to 1/2 a of a kg from July to September if you can keep decent grass in front of them.

straight

I see finishers are losing 300 per head on spring stores, they should have bought calves instead of overpaying for stores imo.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120789996#Comment_120789996

I have not got much sympathy for lads that feed cattle ( as in indoor feeding) without a contract. They begger everybody else. Finishing cattle is very unforgiving of cost. Martin Coughlan wrote in last Tuesday Farmin Indo that he could not under stand how beef men would bargain hard with Vets, millers and agri merchants but that at present they were not out protesting like dairy farmers. The last time we had a protest it was the small man that carried the fight to the processors, the bigger finisher wanted to get in past the line. I amnot sure they will lead the protest now.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790019#Comment_120790019

Ya, me neither

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120789996#Comment_120789996

Decent bred dairy x beef calves outta FR dams were not given away this year. Quality skim based CMR (30%+) was €1000/ton more expensive than last year let alone the increased cost of meal, electricity, vaccines, Vet meds etc. We bought in and reared 287 bwh, angus and about 60 continental dairy cross bred calves.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790160#Comment_120790160

They were given away in cork/Limerick at peak

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790319#Comment_120790319

They were not. As I posted in another thread about a different situation and animals in the mart. They were presented in the mart. The lads that bought them were the highest bidders. There was nobody else to out bid them

There would be often a serious difference between calves where @Base price is buying ( up around Galway) and calves in Cork and Limerick. Mostly good square Friesian's and better tye HO.

Down in Cork and Limerick it can be very mixed. Lots of lads have small bred Friesian's and some extreme HO. A thing that needs to happen is that calves are weighted in all marts. Castleisland and Gortnalea do it. Its critical to the online buyers. He will drive the prices on the better type of calf a bit more of he has confidence that they are a good type if calf

Base price

Another example of the increased costs that we have in rearing suck calves. Up until two years ago we used to treat the reared calves with Levacide SC. A 500ml pack cost €15 - 1ml/10kg. For some unexplained reason it has been withdrawn from use.

Good loser

There's another - dearer - Levamisole drench.

Sheep breeder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790319#Comment_120790319

Calves this year made their market value at the time, a good well fed calf made a fair price and the light under fed calf made what it was worth as per the costs that it was going to incur as Base price clearly set out, as Bass said weighing of caves is the only way forward, dairy farmers have to move with the market demands.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794356#Comment_120794356

Big difference between a well fed and a well bred calf. Calf to beef folks desire both.

As I have said here numerous times, genetics of beef calves are vital. Half coming from the cow is the forgotten bit, Ebi has lead to a huge % drop in the beef value within this index over the past 10 years. Couple this with stock bulls with poor beef traits, especially carcass weight.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794356#Comment_120794356

I don't agree.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794356#Comment_120794356

👌👌bang on there weighing of calves at Marts should be standard now …..2 marts near me and the mart that weighs calves command better prices

K.G.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794356#Comment_120794356

I don't think calves made their value this year and almost every calf is now not covering their costs.a 70 kilo calf making 200e is leaving no profit.

J.O. Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795227#Comment_120795227

The market always decides value not production costs.

Another way to look at it though is did the calf contribute anything to cow profitability. The cow will keep lactating unless she's dried off but I'm sure yield and perhaps quality would go down. Therefore the profit of having the calf is more than sale price - rearing cost.

Sheep breeder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794526#Comment_120794526

The only solution that the dairy farmer keep all the calves and bring them to profit. Don’t worry about the extra labour, inputs, housing, feed and the big one nitrates and the environment.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120794526#Comment_120794526

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795227#Comment_120795227

Calves made there value. The cost they entail from birth to sale is immaterial. They are put up for sale the market determines there value.

This goes back to Teagasc assumption where they failed to put calf value or the effect of extra calves all coming into the market in a 90-100 day period and 75% of them probably in a 60day window.

All calves do not have a positive value when born. The calf rearer cannot be expected to carry the cost of these. Calf rearing expenses have risen. As there is now more dairy calves produced there is less competition between buyers for them, but they still made there value

whelan2

Going to the mart on Tuesday with 2 whitehead bulls both nearly 6 weeks. Have been on a lame cow. Haven't gone to mart in years. Will report back on Tuesday what price I get. Very happy with calf sales here this year.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796305#Comment_120796305

Would not like to be buying them. Calves reared on a cow can be a pain to get onto a teat feeder.

However they will probably make 400 euro each of they have decent frames which I suspect they have

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796312#Comment_120796312

Wont be my problem hopefully after Tuesday

mr.stonewall

The cost of resting a calf to sale, is the licence to milk. No calf, no milk cheque. With larger herd sizes, the focus has switched to very easy calving short gestation and get them of the farm as quick as legally possible. Some calves I saw this year in the mart were definitely pre registered before they dropped.

During the calf tsunami of late Feb to early April, the trade sets the floor on calf value. The floor is dropping year on year due to more calves, less buyers, weather issues for boats etc.

Long term calves are going to be cost to dairy farmers that they will have to absorb, unless they are willing to produce what farmers want to rear. Genotyping to register calves is going to a game changer with CBV. It will sort the wheat from the chaff, with crap bulls and cows with very poor beef traits

I envisage the a larger portion of the calf trade going towards reared calves at 10-12 weeks. Look at the way they moved the TB goalposts during COVID from 42days to 120 days.

K.G.

And e ery beef animal has made their value so ,on fact always have

older by the day

It's just a glut. Every spring. Down here good calves/bad calves are cheap in march and April. I sold grand quality fresian ai bred bull calves in march for 35euro. I sold 3wk old average quality fr bull calves in may for 100.

So would it pay to hold on to them for a few weeks. Or have cows calving later. No. Be glad to have buyers for them.

whelan2

I'm a liquid milk farmer calving interval was 370 days a year or 2 ago.. I am now going to let this slip and sell calves a bit later. Have plenty of repeat customers but no harm in letting cows milk on a bit. Hate that week or 2 in February when there's a glut of calves and weather is shite

straight

Plenty calves in cork, Kerry, Limerick were left in the marts this spring. Calves that would make 200 euro at least in the current market. Peak calving, boats stopped, market flooded. Angus and Hereford couldn't even find a home. Most of my calves were a month old this year when I sold them. Got 60 ish for fr bulls, then the whole thing collapsed and got 10 euro the next day out, most were getting a fiver or no bid. Angus heifers were making 20 euro. The poorer calves were getting less or no bid. They are the facts of the situation and people can talk all the BS that suits them but they just don't seem to know the reality. Half of the cows in the country are in cork and the market gets flooded so the buyers can have a field day.

I kept about 20 of mine this year and they are flying it. Gifted them to my wife and children. They will leave a nice few bob after them. Sold fr heifer calves for 500 euro so there is more of an uplift in prices in keeping the beef calves.

I overfed my youngest 5 calves with milk and got paid 350 for them in may. Never saw a nut or hay and subsequently had poorly developed rumens. My Feb/march calves were superior calves to my mind but sure what would I know.

They will make their value in Feb/march in the mart. Will cover the skiing holiday.

Sheep breeder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797138#Comment_120797138

Well then it’s keep the calves and drive on, no worries of the mart,or shipper’s, weather, etc no costs and lots of holidays fair play to you.

Good loser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120790160#Comment_120790160

I reared 56, bought over 8 days, and thought it a lot. 10 didn't need milk.

Did you buy in marts? Was the buying spread out much? Have you a sizable purpose built shed? Feeders?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796713#Comment_120796713

As I pointed out in another thread I am Alway the highest bidder on the cattle I buy. Young lad bought two suckler heifers( limo's)last week 340&350 kgs for 650&700 euro as well as a 370 kg FR rig for 550 euro.

Looking at calf prices who won or lostm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797071#Comment_120797071

You asked the question and gave your answer it's a business decision.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797138#Comment_120797138

Your first paragraph is describing a market. That market is what decides the value. Regulations decide how you supply that market. Market optimisation/ pessimism decides the price.

Maybe you should not get the cows Incalf if that is not a option you can keep all progeny until you slaughter them. That way nobody else has a farthing out of them.

Me I decide my costs and margin, I try not to buy cattle below this benchmark. If the market decides my benchmark is incorrect I cannot buy.

I have never had that issue. That is called market forces. I do not decide the market.

If you go to buy a few dairy cows or heifers, a mop up bull, machinery at auction.....if you buy at value do you add extra onto to your payment.

I will be honest I do not. However I bought yearlings of a lad ( private sale ) and he gave a tenner luck per head and I send the young lad in to give half of it back

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120797686#Comment_120797686

Good night out I'd say bass was it