O.T. Cattle shrink?

Posted by Amo in Nebraska on January 21, 2007 at 12:45:17 from (65.123.190.40):

Sometimes Im not very smart...so thats why Im asking people that are older and wiser.

I sold my calves yesterday in the sale barn. I weaned em on Nov 10. Feed em ground hay and distellers and corn. I had feed hay and a grain mix before and wanted to see what my gain was. So after 2 weeks of weaning I took 10 in my trailer to get an average. I got 722#. The day before I hauled em to the sale I took the same bunch and reweighed em. Could only fit 9 on trailer, but still had the previous ave. The same exact indviduals except one and had 811#. Two days later the bigger end weighed 726#. Thats 11% shrink?

O.K. now the variables. The scale I weighed on hasnt been certified in 2 years...but people use it for selling corn locally and think its accruate enough to justify not driving 11 or 12 miles to use a certified scale. I brought the calves in from the pasture and weigh em, brought em back and put em in the corrall where I moved all of the calves. Had feed bunks in there and fed em the next morning @ 7:30. They ate about 1/2 there feed before we started sorting. Sorted at 10 am and truck was later than thought so had them loaded by 12:45. Unloaded and in the pens by 2 pm. They sold about 25 hours latter. They had hay (not super, but not junk either) and water. They could of had maybe more hay. I weighed 9 hd and they sold in a group of 35. I took an average of the bigger end not just the biggest of the big, and I think they were all in that sort when sold. Sale barn rep when he came out and looked he said it takes 2 big one to make up for 1 little one. I dont think that thats quite accurate is it? Talked to a couple of people at the sale and asked them. The one said 2% on the truck, 1% for evey hour on the truck, 1% proably sitting in corrall wating for truck, and 2% at the sale barn because it wasnt like at home. Also he didnt think that bringing em in the corrall the night before was good either even though they had feed and were fed before they left. I always thought that they recouped some of that when you haulded em down early and they were weaned almost 90 days. Clear back when my grand pa sold yearling in the 30s and 40s on the place...they figured 2% after 30 miles I think. So they always weighed the next town away.

So am I not putting on weight, 6.5# of distellers, 5.5# hay, and 3# corn...I cant see them not gaining...it was warm untill New Years. Do I have that much up and down in the weight of 35 calves...posably and proably most likely, scale in town not accurate defenatly, but people weigh a semi of corn on there. You can only put so much on a semi, you can tell by how hard it pull on the truck, and you kinda know from load being sold at an elevator vs. the one hauled to the neighbor using this scale. Can all of this add up to 11%? I dont think so, but I dont know what Im doing wrong other than hauling them down the day of the sale. Im always worried about flat tires or other stuff that delay you when time is very, very, important.

They say when corn is high your better off feeding them yourself. I thought about this, the drought in Neb made expenses so didnt do it. Id have to finish em in a feedlot. I feed on pastures in the winter and dont raise any corn. Theyd have a scale to weigh pot on the place to sell live, how long does it take to recoup shrink if I would of taken them to a feedlot yesterday instead of the sale barn. 11% on 70 head at a $1 a # is almost $6000. Thats a lot that might be recouped by retained ownership. I realize if I sold fresh off the cow Id still have shrink but I wouldnt have the feed expense, feed bunks, feed wagon, on and on and on.

Now that I have proably over explainded every angle and used up to much time and space, Ill shut up know and wait for words of wisdom.

Thanks for any help and info
Gary

Replies:

• Re: O.T. Cattle shrink? Amo in Nebraska 20:56:27 01/22/07 (0)
• Re: O.T. Cattle shrink? Clint Youse 15:01:36 01/21/07 (0)
• Re: O.T. Cattle shrink? Bill in Colo 14:18:08 01/21/07 (0)
• Re: O.T. Cattle shrink? jmixigo 13:30:41 01/21/07 (0)
• Re: O.T. Cattle shrink? RM in Va. 13:21:49 01/21/07 (1)
  • Re: O.T. Cattle shrink? steveormary 07:08:49 01/22/07 (0)

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