Calf to beef thread

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123250203#Comment_123250203

I’d say they’re not far off actual cost. Where do you think reductions should be made?

Purchase price, milk replacer and straw are accurate for this year. Concentrate might be a bit high at 75kgs per calf up to weaning, vet and fixed costs maybe a little high too but overall if you could shave 8-10% off I’d say you’d be doing very well.

Obviously if you can buy the calf cheaper it will make a big difference but €300 is about the general run of half decent aax or hex calves this year.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123250487#Comment_123250487

I'd Buy calves cheaper down this way in the first place anyway. I'd use alot less milk replacer, weaning at 8 weeks. Alot less straw, alot less vaccinations, alot less of everything really.

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123250293#Comment_123250293

It's only when it's broken down the cost of raising a calf becomes apparent. I was a bit shocked tbh.

I used to buy yearlings off a dairy farmer who did an exceptionally job on them. The money id pay him he used to say I'd need every penny.

Anto_Meath

I would have always reckoned it cost me over €350 in addition to the calf price to bring a calf from purchase at 3 ish weeks end of March until the end of October. Which would be broadly in line with these costs. When I was able to buy 18 month old cattle at circa €800 I was on a winner as it was cheaper than rearing & you had a better idea of what you will have. If I ve to give €1,100 for these type of cattle in October 2025 I would still be better off than rearing a calf.

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251355#Comment_123251355

Similar here - €400 to get a calf to its first birthday not including the purchase cost.

€300 for just its first 12 weeks is way too much

Anto_Meath

The way I look at it, I wean my sucklers at the end of October so from then on both batches are costing me the same. But I have found when you take all into account and allow a bit for quality on the sucklers the bucket fed calved cost more to get to that point than the sucklers and would have taken slightly more work. But that would be nearly all planned work where as a good element of work with sucklers is reactionary work.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123250183#Comment_123250183

Paper never refuses ink. There seems to be a significant move to push costs to try and keep control of calves prices.

There was a farmers in the last discussion group that used to do U16 months Fr bull beef and now this was 3-4 years ago but his figures on rearing calves were as follows,

He fed a bag of milk replacer, he never vaccinated for anything, his mortality was 1.5%, I think straw was similar to figures given at 3/4 of a bale per calf. I very suspicious of lads doing figures and throwing around rounded figures

Hard to see a lad buying 100 AA and HE calves averaging 300/ head 320/330 seems the virtual top of them you will probably be picking some at 250 and below. An average of 270/280 may be more realistic. Similar with ration if you are buying in any sort of quantity even if in 25kg bags 500/ ton is probably 30-50 above the actual cost.. Also it's hard to see a calf getting 150kgs of ration from 3-12 weeks of age, that is 2.4kgs per day.

Finally we are back to fixed costs. The farmer had an answer to that as well. If they were bought and paid for, they were bought and paid for. 350/ head on fixed cost to carry an animal from 3 weeks to slaughter is significant. For the example for 100 calves its an average spend of 35k being spend on fixed costs every year. TBH that is not believable

At the end of it all this for his headline he has rounded up the costs from 580 to give a 600 euro headline on a hundred calves that is 2k. TBH I say you could shave a hundred euro off his figures.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123249817#Comment_123249817

mighty must check it out, thanks

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252473#Comment_123252473

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought there seemed to be an agenda. Adam woods is a great man for same.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123252840#Comment_123252840

Adam woods sees dairy x cross calves as vermin and is die hard suckler man,Its as obvious as daylight in any of his comments about beef from the dairy herd.

tractorporn

Looks like strong calves are holding the higher prices despite the glut having come. I was looking at Carnaross for a few minutes and nothing sold below the 200 mark. Be interesting to see if the ferry not running will drop prices in the next few weeks. The whole country must be going rearing 5/6 calves.

ginger22

The thing is if all these dairy/beef calves are staying in the country will the beef price hold in 2 years time.

cute geoge

Was it 2012 record calf prices and 2 years later bulls under 24 months could not be supplied to be killed to factories ,I would be a wary buyer

Anto_Meath

Exactly the more calved that are exported the better for overall beef prices.

kk.man

I see farmer Phil has asked my question about the costs of rearing calves on his latest u tube video.

I must look for commission! 🤣

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254059#Comment_123254059

bit like when Covid came and the whole country started sowing vegetable garden - remember how long that lasted.

straight

I see Louise crowley brought home a fine fr bull from the mart yesterday. He was only making a tenner. The buyers weren't too happy with her for taking him home. Still plenty bargains out there.

weatherbyfoxer

Having a hard time of it here with calves running temperatures Completely my own fault by mixing calves under the 1 roof from 3 different farms,..in hind sight they should have got 5ml of alamycin la on arrival and RSV nasal vaccine the next day.Bovipast is useless till 2 weeks after the booster shot so realistically you have no cover for 6 weeks from first jab.Lost my first calf of the year this morning too one of the biggest Hereford bulls in the shed too boot!

Other than him the rest of the shed all drank there full 3.5l this morning so fingers crossed the tide is turning

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263067#Comment_123263067

head up Foxer - always tough when things are going against you but it will turn in time.

Once it stays outside the door…….

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263067#Comment_123263067

Is it the shed that is wrong by any chance I wonder. I don't get pneumonia here but before I had calves in a leanto and they were coughing.

I think calves need plenty fresh air and a high roof.

visatorro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263067#Comment_123263067

Is the blanket treatment with alamycin a good idea?

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263787#Comment_123263787

Possibly needs some tweaks..did put Yorkshire boarding in one end before the calves arrived..when things settle ill do a smoke test and see

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263920#Comment_123263920

Yea,will buy a bit of time till the internasal vaccine kicks in

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123262017#Comment_123262017

Just saw that video, she's making some drama out of it. Calf was a snow white leggy Friesian bull he wasn't worth a whole pile more.

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263067#Comment_123263067

I had the same here last November it got real mild and I had everything in jackets and came home from work to them all coughing. It took Alamycin La, two shots of Nuflor and in about 8 it wasn't until they got a shot of Draxxin that they stopped coughing. Touch wood no issues yet with the spring calves but if temps stay up this weekend the jackets are coming off.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123264146#Comment_123264146

He was as good as any of the rest of them.

joe35

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123263937#Comment_123263937

Hi weatherbyfoxer, what do you use to carry out the smoke test.

Hope the calves go good for you 🤞

visatorro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123264146#Comment_123264146

Didn't like the comment about my calves aren't balling because there fed. I don't know anyone that would send calves to the mart and not feed them beforehand. Very holier than thou

tractorporn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123264426#Comment_123264426

Yeah she didn't say it but that was what she was getting at. That and she didn't want her calves going on the boat. Again a holier than thou attitude. I'm sure if a shipper gave her 200 for her calf she wouldn't have given a second thought to where it was ending up.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123264386#Comment_123264386

Just buy them in a plumbing supply shop..they are used for testing flues in chimneys

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123264426#Comment_123264426

Did she day that though? Calves on a feeder don't roar at you or try to eat you as much either.

I could understand her frustration as I've often given fine calves away for a fiver which is a fair sickener. I've 6 of them here now a year old and lads will be fighting over them when I take them to the mart. My only regret is that I didn't keep more of them.

I think calves might be better off exported and cared for by professionals when I hear some of the stories of domestic calf rearers. The minority I know.