Recip cows

[RyanChandler]

as usual xbar you seem to be the confused one as it seems that you don't know what is involved in setting up cows for successful ET, the costs and the number of times through the chute or the general terms of contract receipts - so don't do like Obama and infer that someone else is confused -  to be successful it is not simple or cheap  - the same goes for marketing feeder cattle or current pricing - don't expose your lack of knowledge as you normally do on most subjects which I generally ignore and rarely ever post anything - my last comments but I sure that you will want the last word, as usual -

The fact that Chambero said, "sometimes they try to make you share implanting costs" -here i'll use your word- INFERS there are no general terms of contract receipts. If 'sometimes' it's one way and 'sometimes' it's another, then obviously the terms are negotiable.  I did misread the OP where he said "the cow owner" would pay for all costs - I thought I read the "embryo owner" would pay for all costs.  I apologize that my comments were based off my misreading.  Surely you can understand that if the embryo owner was responsible for all costs, the costs involved in setting up cows for ET would be irrelevant to the cow owner. 

Don't talk to me about being cheap- or about my lack of cattle knowledge.  You or anyone else is welcome to come look at my cows any day of the week.  You'll walk away eating crow as even the most remedial of cattlemen will recognize one doesn't acquire the caliber of cattle I have by luck or chance. 

 

[chambero]

I honestly think the whole embryo deal is vastly overated in its ability to make money for anybody other than people with enough of a name to sell the things (assuming the prices you see for them are real).  Success rates for implanting aren't that high (lucky if you get 50%), if you are implanting enough eggs to amount to anything you've got very high labor/feed/drug costs, etc. Then factor in that the false assumption that the calves that are successfully born will all be good enought to warrant that expense.

Not to mention that probably about 10% of the cows that are actually flushed are truly worthy of that effort.

I think the only real chance for it to be worth the effort is if you are flushing your own cows and implanting them in your own herd, and then you better be both good and lucky to make it pay.

 

[RankeCattleCo]

Expanding off XBAR's previous comments about weaning-

Why wean an embryo calf at 4 or 5 months when you could wean a feeder calf at 8 or 9 months for a cheaper cost? It is much cheaper to feed a cow that then in turn feeds a calf than to feed a hot corn ration to a feeder steer. Just my opinion.

I don't understand why people don't use their own recip herds.. We are planning on doing ET in the future and we are beginning to buy either a bred cow in November or a cow with a heifer calf on it's side in June (Spring calvers).  It will pay for itself in a few years when compared to implanting elsewhere, even at just $1500.

 

[Bar QH]

Thanks for the opinions, just wanted to know thoughts and a general range. In the process of calving 90 heifers, so will have plenty of Recips next year just trying to find a way to get some embryo calves on the ground. At this point yes I would agree I should just buy cows, and do the work in house, we have limited pasture opportunities around here. The more I think about it the more of a mess it would or could be, unless its a close neighbor or friend.

 

[RyanChandler]

Expanding off XBAR's previous comments about weaning-

Why wean an embryo calf at 4 or 5 months when you could wean a feeder calf at 8 or 9 months for a cheaper cost? It is much cheaper to feed a cow that then in turn feeds a calf than to feed a hot corn ration to a feeder steer. Just my opinion.

I don't understand why people don't use their own recip herds.. We are planning on doing ET in the future and we are beginning to buy either a bred cow in November or a cow with a heifer calf on it's side in June (Spring calvers).  It will pay for itself in a few years when compared to implanting elsewhere, even at just $1500.

There is no way it cost more to feed a 4-5 month old calf 10 lbs of finisher than it does to pasture a 1300lb cow and her 700lb calf.  Not even close.  Dry lot that 3 in 1 for a month and see what it cost you.

 

[chambero]

Ryan:

Most cows in this country aren't run on $10,000 an acre land or whatever it's bringing in your area now.  Large scale commercial cattle operations do not creep feed calves for a reason.  You stock your pastures accordingly to have enough grass to feed that cow and big calf.  It absolutely is cheaper.

That's from a guy that uses creep feeders probably more than I should.

 

[RyanChandler]

Ryan:

Most cows in this country aren't run on $10,000 an acre land or whatever it's bringing in your area now.  Large scale commercial cattle operations do not creep feed calves for a reason.  You stock your pastures accordingly to have enough grass to feed that cow and big calf.  It absolutely is cheaper.

That's from a guy that uses creep feeders probably more than I should.

They don't creep because the additional gain doesn't offset the additional cost. But what does that have to do w/ anything we're talking about?  Creep feeding implies you are paying for feed AND pasture.  We were comparing one versus the other? The opportunity cost of cows grazing my pasture is baling the grass and selling it as hay.  That is a good way of quantifying what it cost you to feed a cow on pasture.  You tell me, if dry lotted, how much hay do you think a 1400lb cow and her 700lb calf would eat a month?

-another angle, there's absolutely people who subscribe to the idea that you can run more cows if you wean your calves earlier. 

 

[Pleasant Grove Farms]

ten years or more ago, we used to put in embryos for ppl......
we used good big simmi cows and they came and got them early so they could feed them hard.

it wasn't a great money making deal at all;
what bothered me the most is the receipts that got set back in their calving dates.
not only are there the cows that come into heat a cycle later that don't take with the embryo,
but there are those that slough the embryo after perhaps 60 days or so and those cows really do get
set way back pretty much out of our calving window.  I do believe that happens way more often with ET
than natural breeding.

we do put in embryos for ourselves now and that's the only way to go; I wouldn't want my embryos in some other
herd; and I don't think there is money to be made putting them in for someone else.