We were getting 430 for frx and jex bull weanlings that time last year. Angus were making 575 average, and they were out of crossbred heifers so smallish cattle. You'll not buy much for 400.
Dairying
- Thread starter podge 23
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Offload before 6 weeks is all you can do with anything out of a frx/jex that isn’t a replacement heifer, no one wants them and the only way you’ll leave yourself some return is if you’ve a truck load of owned land and carry them all the way to killing.
Keep nearly all the calves here every year, the hex weanlings out of the stock bulls I sold this spring averaged 875. There is a margin in rearing those but you have to have the correct cow type, if there was nothing out of them they’d be the first thing I’d cut out here but it was a super boost this spring.
From what age are these figures based like is it a calf from 3 weeks of age at buying to rearing on until 12 months ?
jcb411abuser
Well-Known Member
do what the feeders do in my area, buy in to finish, 90-100 days, average 1.5kgs, 135-150kgs, 1 ton of meal.
the equation is
purchase price = Dead weight(beef price) - 1(price/ton of maize meal) - 50(euro)
you make 50/head and cycle that 3-4 times per year.
the beauty of it is that you only speculate for 13-15 weeks instead of 15 months.
At your 875 this spring, wasn't 575 last September a good price for my bits of angus so considering my cattle weren't as good more than likely and were certainly out of worse cows? You hardly had much change out of the 300 euro difference for carrying them the extra 7 months?
Ozzy Scott
Well-Known Member
If I could have internet costs, and pub yields, I would have a good shot of the parish bought by now
Closer to half of that they were out into November and sold early to mid March werent killed with feeding averaged around 290-300kgs
Even so, you'd have circa 100 quid for slurry, dosing, vaccines and your own time allowing 100 for meal and 100 for silage which is fairly conservative if anything. As I said above, the margins are small.
You’re using very round figures it would have been I’d say max 200, they’d have only eaten about €50 of meal in that period and if I was to estimate about €80 worth of silage, dectomax pre housing and tribex after housing would hardly cost a tenner. The other associated costs would be small also most of the ground calves would be grazing is cut for silage first time around and whatever slurry it gets after that would be costed into the cost to get them to September.
There’s a margin there alright I wouldn’t be doing it for nothing.
Green Grass
Well-Known Member
The 6 month winters are a killer for profit in beef ,like the cost of silage alone
50 euro of meal from September to mid March is
It's immaterial to me, as I don't have the sheds to carry them through that winter really, but I don't think I'd have much change out of 200 quid per head to winter them indoors from December 1st to st Patrick's day if I had a shed, based on what it was costing to winter the dairy replacement heifers. Maybe we spoil them though.
Would there be anything to be said for buying a few empty cows to milk in early February as the glut of bull calves begin to hit the ground, feed the calves off the milk then fatten the cows off grass as the calves are weaned off. Wouldnt cost a whole lot to get them to weaning.
DaDonegalLad
Well-Known Member
What's the formula for grass allowance for cows?
Would there be anything to be said for buying empty cows in September and milking them OAD until say March etc, dry them off and fatten them off grass and get them away before starting to buy more the following September? Sorts.the silage issue as they'll eat lots of it. Sorts the mob grazing issue as they can all graze together and can be housed together. Just my opinion. And I have torn into @podge 23 previously on this thread re wanting to go vack at them. But I think that's the only system I can think of that might suit being out of cows but kind of still in them if that makes sense.
1kg a day for the two months before housing and 1kg a day for 12 weeks when they’re housed. Replacement heifer calves on exact same for the winter too.
Personally I'd be more worried about TB and the associated restrictions
I did a bit of home work on calf -beef rough figures I could find
3 weeks of age to 3 months = €350
85c head day for summer
Months 180 days (6 months) X by 0.85c.= €153.
150 days winter (5 months) X 1.50 = €225
€728 total costs 85c per head day cost for summer I am putting down and 1.50 per head day to carry them for winter (contract rearing prices I am going by )
I don't have labour including in the first 3 months anyway as well as fixed costs but it looks like if I did I would hardly be break even this is buying a calf for €150 at 3 weeks and rearing to 3 months ?..
3 weeks of age to 3 months = €350
85c head day for summer
Months 180 days (6 months) X by 0.85c.= €153.
150 days winter (5 months) X 1.50 = €225
€728 total costs 85c per head day cost for summer I am putting down and 1.50 per head day to carry them for winter (contract rearing prices I am going by )
I don't have labour including in the first 3 months anyway as well as fixed costs but it looks like if I did I would hardly be break even this is buying a calf for €150 at 3 weeks and rearing to 3 months ?..
quick question, something I hadn't seen or come across in cattle before, had seen it when we had sheep aswell.
had a " water belly " calf yesterday morning , couldn't take the calf and had to get the vet , ended up a section job, massive belly of water in it and the bladder and part of the intestines were showing.
is it common enough as I hadn't heard or seen of it in cattle.
the job was quite entertaining, as our 5 and 6 yr old was watching the whole lot and asking the vet alot of questions about dynasaurs and hairy elephants and why the calf had a big belly etc, and was it a mammal,
🤣she explained the best she could in her northern accent
had a " water belly " calf yesterday morning , couldn't take the calf and had to get the vet , ended up a section job, massive belly of water in it and the bladder and part of the intestines were showing.
is it common enough as I hadn't heard or seen of it in cattle.
the job was quite entertaining, as our 5 and 6 yr old was watching the whole lot and asking the vet alot of questions about dynasaurs and hairy elephants and why the calf had a big belly etc, and was it a mammal,
🤣she explained the best she could in her northern accent
DaDonegalLad
Well-Known Member
Never heard of it before, everyday is a school day. Was the calfs intestines on the outside or how were they showing?
Had an inside out calf here about 6 years ago, not something I want to see again, poor thing had to come out via a section still living but could see it's insides even the heart beating, vet put it down then stitched up the cow.
had seen lambs with it when we used to have some, calf was fully swelled when we lifted it out but when we dropped on the floor the area around the navel busted open and probably a gallon of water or more gushed out, vet said the bladder itself was out on the ground and partial guts out,
seemingly that's the reason why the calf won't slide out through the pelvis,I don't think she knew what was up til she opened her.similar to yours,mine was alive before the vet came, she said it wouldn't live minutes even if delivered alive
Last nights fun, I could hear something from the calfshed before going to bed at 11.30ish, go for a look, and there is an 8wk old big lump of an AA (and yes fact that he's still here was a mistake lol) bloated up to the last and in serious discomfort. I tried stomach tube as far down his mouth, no joy to release any gas but wasn't wildly expecting it to be long enough, would a plastic pipe of worked? Risk there is you go down the windpipe. Anyways all I could do was grab the biggest needle I could find, inch and a half long and right in below last rib. It actually worked and I could hear the gas hissing out, took 5mins but definitely relieved him big time. Stomach tubed some olive oil then which was all I had in the house, this morning he was still alive at least, and hell of alot better. 1st ever time I've seen that in an animal that age and 1st time having to go in with a needle, at least it worked.
I think at the end of the day with a system like that best you can hope for is hold onto your sfp and other payments like acres or whatever, sell the likes of one crop of silage a yr while making sure you don't totally mine the ground of p&k, and after that whatever beef system you have you shouldn't expect more than afew grand at the very best in profits, so keep the beef end almost a hobby for yourself, rather than worrying about how big a profit you can make, instead aim for a system that works well for you, that you enjoy and minimises the workload while not making a loss. There is nothing worse than running around like a blue arsed fly and at the end of the year you only come out with say 5k extra profit for the whole yr.
Ozzy Scott
Well-Known Member
having one of the proper vents called a tracer on hand is handy for such a situation. https://www.amazon.com/JorVet-J0040F-Corkscrew-Trocar-Plastic/dp/B007OUJSU2. Just be careful and slowly release the gas.
the stomach tub usually doesn't work as the stomach is so bloated the pressure on the openings into the stomach ( LC biology teacher wouldn't be impressed with me forgetting the name) from the esophagus is too much to push open.
Ozzy Scott
Well-Known Member
Great to hear she knew all about dinosaurs
, to some people just comes naturally