OT Cattle

The big thing is color I get 10 cents less for a red than a black bull the same age and same condition and weight.

Walt

PS don't even try to sell a white one BUMMER.

Its a buyers market right now won't get any better for you.

You can cut them, Ive cut bulls up to 1200 lbs, no problems. I use the Henderson Castrating Tool. But then if they are taken to the sale barn after being cut they may bring up to 10-15 cents less then regular steers as they have the "bull look" to them. Buyers here are picky about that.

If it was me in this situation, Here's the two options I would be thinking about. 1. Buy them, cut them, and then feed them out to about 1200 - 1400 lbs and keep/sell as freezer beef. 2. If I could get them cheap, buy them, cut them and then after they are healed take them to the sale barn.

No way I would buy them for breeding bulls without some paperwork or history. Plus if he cant keep them in with his fences they are most likley "fence rogues" and you wont be able to keep them in either. Unless they are in confinement.

As far as castrating them though, I've castrated 800 pound bulls no problem. Use a Newberry knife, real sharp. Slice and pull x2. Just cant see the economics of doing it right now.

Another option is to try to get them for slaughter price, say 500 dollars or so and then try to sell them as unpapered breeding bulls. Black hides with mostly Angus genetics should at least double your money without papers in a few months. I used to sell breeding bulls all the time, never did have one with papers unless I bought it that way. Fifteen years ago angus bulls without papers were worth 900-1500.

They do buy a lot of older bulls. While I dont know for fact, I am certain that that is their hamburger source. Cant see them processing 5-10 year olds for much else. When I take a bull they always ask me if they qualify (no antibiotics) and how long I have owned them. I think its 24 months. If you can certify age and treatment while you owned them then they typically buy them at a premium. I've always figured that there is too much risk for them buying cows since people trade them all the time. Bulls generally go to one home and stay there.

In Middle Tennessee, good yearling black Angus bulls that are going to be used for breeding generally bring around $600.00 to $700.00 each. Obviously, the problem with yearlings is that you don't know whether or not they are going to breed and what kind of calves they're going to produce. If you can see the cow and bull that they came out of, you can sort of guess what they'll produce, but short of that it's a crap-shoot.

600 to 700 pound bull calves bring about $.60 to $.70 cents per pound at the sale barn, so if they were to be sold at the barn, they'd bring about $400.

Tough decision. Good luck.

Tom in TN

Sure wouldn't go thru the barn with 'em. Like ya say, they wouldn't bring much that way.

Heck, if ya was close, I'd buy 'em. Hate the high prices of bulls and I'll bet those cows won't ask for papers. :>)

Allan

Allan