when looking to purchase next years calf? Questions!

[DB]

Good morning to all!  I read these post almost everyday to see what I can learn.  I want to say thank you to everyone that posts on here first of all.  I have learned quite a bit from this board and hope to continue learning.  Like I have said in earlier post we are what I consider still new to showing cattle only being in it for 3 years.

My questions that I have for this post is about purchasing calves for the upcoming year.

1) what is the first thing that everyone looks for in a calf?

2) How do you know what month of calf would work for your fair? Our fair is in Mid August?  What month of calf should we be looking for to make sure he will be finished?

3) when you go looking at calves, what are some characteristics that you look for that might give you an indicatiion that the calf will have hair at the end of project or will the calf be slick coated?


4)what else would be you look for in a calf before you purchase it?
Thanks again for all the help!

 

[CAB]

  # 1, first just a calf or calves that catch your eye or just have general eye appeal. After that start breaking the calves down starting from the bottom up, in other words starting with structure.
  # 2. I would be looking for an April or early May calf. Depending on your feeding skills that age of calf should easily be able to make it to an acceptable finished weight and be fresh appearing.
  # 3, if you are out looking for one now, if the calves have hair now, this time of the year, they will have hair next year this time of the year. It is a good time to look right now. If they look good after all this heat and humidity they will look better later. Look closely @ the calves ear hair. If they have hairy ears they will be hairier than if they don't have hairy ears.
  # 4, you may want to ask about past sibs and the genetics. JMO on all of the above.

 

[GoWyo]

Look in the Show Circuit magazine and find a calf that resembles the yearling bulls in there.  Watch out for any hint of unsoundness - cow hocked, bow legged, steep shoulders, bucked knees, overly large shoulders, short necks.  Make sure they set their hind foot in the same track as the front foot. Stay away from calves that are pinched in the heart girth or tight in the flank or have short necks.  Look for width over the top, depth of rib and muscling carrying down into the gaskins and a deep twist.  Anything that doesn't look right as a calf will be amplified as they put on weight and conditioning.  Go watch prospect shows and see what is winning the classes.

 

[redwingfarm]

I agree with above posts and will add a few things

Disposition!!!  does the calf come up to you and is calm and curious?  If the tail goes up and the calf runs away you should too

how does it walk?  do the back feet step in nearly the same spot that the front foot left?  a short choppy stride will only get worse

 

[OH Breeder]

Good morning to all!  I read these post almost everyday to see what I can learn.  I want to say thank you to everyone that posts on here first of all.  I have learned quite a bit from this board and hope to continue learning.  Like I have said in earlier post we are what I consider still new to showing cattle only being in it for 3 years.

My questions that I have for this post is about purchasing calves for the upcoming year.

1) what is the first thing that everyone looks for in a calf?

2) How do you know what month of calf would work for your fair? Our fair is in Mid August?  What month of calf should we be looking for to make sure he will be finished?

3) when you go looking at calves, what are some characteristics that you look for that might give you an indicatiion that the calf will have hair at the end of project or will the calf be slick coated?


4)what else would be you look for in a calf before you purchase it?
Thanks again for all the help!

1- when i was greener and looking at show calves I use to take a camera with me. If the owners allow it and take pictures.after I got done for the day I would review the pictures. Make notes on each calf so when i went back or started bidding I knew who I absolutely wanted and who i could live with.  I also never went alone. I would take someone else with me. Two ets of eyes are better than one. If you can find an experienced person to take with you it helps tremendously. I also feel there is a real difference between breed heifers and jackpot heifers. If you are looking for heifers decide what avenue you want to go. Do you want a cow or do you want a show prospect? They should look the same but I have heard more than one judge say she just isn't pretty enough but will make a whale of a cow. If you are looking for steers to me it is little more complex. Young steers can be complicated. Structure is vitally important as many flaws usually get more pronounced as the calf age and gain weight. THere was a great video on youtube by Dave Guyer on selecting a steer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljRVTTUBaM

2- In the midwest alot of the calves that show at August fairs and late July's are Feb and March calves. If you had a June or July fair I would say January February. The summers get really hot and some calves do not gain like they do in the cooler months. A Feb March calf should make finish.

3- what they said- hairy ears usually are good indication they will be hair as an adult.

4- Temperment is a big one for us. If we purchase a calf we usually try to purchase one that matches our show person's abilities. IF they appear to be more of a challenge then we save them for the older kids. IF they are quiet and gentle we try to save them for the younger one's. Just stand with the cattle and see who comes to you. Usually the curious one's that want to investigate and are not scared will come up to you after a while. If you ever watch Temple Gradin she has some great insight on cattle behavior. I also would look for the dam  or siblibings. not that will always tell you anthing but if I am purchasing a heifer I usually want to see dam.


I am not resource by any means. I don't want anyone to take the length of my post the wrong way. I still have a ton to learn too.

 

[GoWyo]

I really agree with Guyer's suggestion to wait until calves are 600 lbs. or so.  The September sales are fun, but I don't trust my eye on younger calves because some of them change a lot between September and the end of October.  I prefer looking seriously toward the end of October, but the breeders seem to like to get rid of them before the end of September to save on feed and management.

 

[Dusty]

Go look and make sure it is one you like.  Sounds simple enough, but if you settle on a cheaper one that you don't really like from the get go,  I can promise you by the end you'll wish you never would have bought him.  It costs just as much to feed a good one as it does a poor one.  On the flip side if you like a calf and he's not high priced, don't shy away because you think there must be something wrong with him.  Some of the best fat steers started their career as a leftover from someone's sale.

 

[common sense]

#1:  FIND SOMEONE YOU TRUST!!!
    If you are just getting started you should not set a goal to go out and win the big ones your first few years. Be realistic. Set a price range and stay within that range. There are a lot of good calves out there for less than $1500. But most importantly, take somebody that you respect and trust with you to calf shop. That is bar-none the best thing you can do for yourself otherwise you will get overwhelmed and probably make some bad decisions.