Anyone sell calves yet?
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/calf-sale-on-fire-at-carnaross-mart/
Sold 20 Friesian calves, averaged out just over 70 euro, 155 best price, 20 was the worst for a freemartin heifer.
How would you be sure she was freemartin that young ?
Half twin, a chance she's not but I've plenty of heifers here anyway
Heard about doing a 'pencil test' on freemartin heifer calves. It's easy to tell if you know what to look for apparently.
They tend to make fine beef animals. Kept the few we've had over the years to calving age and they always sell well.
I was watching a few calf sales online over the past 2 weeks, in the south-east of the country.
Massive difference between top and bottom. I saw FR bulls, which looked OK online, not get a bid of €5 and go out of the ring again. At the other end, CH bulls are easily making €350-400 at 20+ days.
Not many AA, HE, or LM calves coming thru yet, which is what I'll be aiming for in March. I'd buy earlier but have a family wedding in Spain on 19th March so can't buy anything until we're back from that.
I see Bandon mart are now displaying the dams breed code on the mart board. I hope other marts follow soon. Buyers have the right to know since the information is on the blue card.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/in-pictures-traditional-beef-breeds-perform-well-in-bandon-677534
Calf buyer was up today for a chat, sold March 2020 fr bullocks, bought out of the yard here at 3 weeks old for 40 euro, he got 1300 euro as a joblot to feedlot buyer out of the yard, he had them in on ad-lib ration the past 60 days to be fair and they had around 750kgs a head eaten, but it was a nice touch all the same for them
They were supposed to start weighing them too but I couldn't see it on the board. Awful lot of trashy young calves there Mon. Made around 30 quid. The main exporter didn't start yet there.
Carnaross display the calves weights, they did last year anyhow and I presume they will do the same this year.
Yes Carnaross are still displaying the weights. If the can put up the Dam breed now it would help.
Dungarvan (Co. Waterford) also show the weights
Sale on Wednesday evening now as well as the monday in bandon, cahir have one fri evening
Just watching Carnaross calf ring and no dam breed showing nor days in herd for 2 owners. I see Kilmallock is showing the dam code.
No boat going until Saturday apparently. Will be some backlog of calves
Look it up for a better explaination. It's something I remember googling once when we had a few of them. It's more of a test if you aren't sure if the calf was a twin or not in the first place. If you know the twins are mixed, 100% the heifer is no good.
Not 100%, i have a cow here that was a twin to a bull that has had five calves so far. Its very unlikely but it does happen.
We’re you born on St Patrick’s day? You’re always very lucky!
Nice bit of luck there. It's why we give them a chance. Might as well as they're worth nothing as calves and like I said earlier they do alright in the mart at two years old.
Looked into Carnew mart on Saturday on LSL and seen jex bulls for a 5 euro each and then 7 Jex bulls for a fiver for the lot at 10 to 14 days old.
No shipper in Bandon today. Nice fr calves were around 130, 50 for 3 week old straight lads . There was a few farmers there for them.
Carnaross today there was 4 or 5 groups of 4 JEX calves about 2 weeks old, auctioneer couldn't even get them opened at a €5.
The Fr lads made €15 to around €80 euro.
AAx & HEx made anything for €100 - €350. It was mostly FR's in it, it would be another month before there will be a good run of coloured calves in it...
No, born in May. When was i lucky before, i can’t remember it😂.
In fairness the JEX is the absolute pits. They are worse than worthless as they come with the expense of feeding them with no returns. The price on them should be about -€110. I can see a day coming where the Dairymen will have to start paying lads to take the calves
Going by the forecast the boats could be hit and miss for the next week or 10 days
Eastern, I wouldn't disagree with you, it cost the same to feed any calf for the first 6 months and I do believe the the jex & frx cattle eat far more silage & grass than their beef bred comrades while putting on less weight so are a lot more expensive to beef than some people realized. They are a cheap way to accumulate stock numbers but I think leave a lot smaller return on overall capital invested.
The black jex of good holstein cows with a bit of size turn into great cattle to be fair, calf buyer has no issue buying them here albiet for 30-40 euro at 3 weeks old, the jex of your kiwi cross fr our a crossbreed cow are only fit for kebabs to be fair
There is a factory in West limerick somewhere that take calf free of charge he gets trailer loads from as far away as mayo get a lot of lads calves that are locked up with tb the calf exporters are not too happy with him apparently 🙄
Lads, what kinda prices are month old friesen bull calves making roughly?
Saw good square ones selling for €80 to €120 but they were nice clean well marked ones. I saw two 25do red MO bull calves selling in Carrigallen for €170 and €210.
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