Raising livestock for the freezer

Dean Olson · Dec 1, 2014

How many calves would you have to raise/sell in order to get 1/mine free? Just weened calves are $5-600

Same question with hogs? 6 week old piglets are $75-100 each.

Prices are what folks are asking in our area.

I have the pasture,fencing,pens etc. in place so won't spend any money on infrastructure.

IaGary · Dec 2, 2014

Depends?

What is the slaughter price going to do in the next year? Cause a just weened calf will be around for another year.

Where are these weened calves for $600?

A weened calf (400 to 500 pounds) here in Iowa is bringing $1000 to $1250.

I might want to bring a pot belly load to Iowa to resale.

Gary

donjr · Dec 2, 2014

A lot depends on how much feed you have to buy. If you can grass feed them for a year, then pen them for a couple of months and grain finish them, it might break even with only two calves. But, if you're smart, get as many as you can, then finish them and sell the extras for a profit.Any way you do it, chances are on that you won't make much....

Ecnerwal · Dec 2, 2014

...not to mention vet bills and other potential misfortune. Then again, full-on grass-fed will get you a better price in some places, so that might lower the price if you've got the grass.

M Nut · Dec 2, 2014

My neighbor buys 6 yearlings from me each spring and runs them in his pasture until end of October. He says off those 6, one is his free and clear plus enough cash in his pocket to make it all worthwhile.

John A · Dec 3, 2014

Dean, Where are You are buying Steers at $600!
What I would like to know is where are you buying calves that Cheap.
Useing,
Winter-McKinley Livestock @Dodge City Ks
(AKA Winter Livestock)
Blk steer 401wt @ $3.75 = $1504 these are Mid America Ave #s off Nov.12,2014 sale!
These "wet behind the ears" Steers are going to need a lot of Care for about 8 months,Depending on what Groceries You have on Hand, Growing or will have to purchase You haven't given enough info.
IMO 3 Steers on the Bottom side ( you have all the Groceries, Home, Meds! the calves need up to as high.......
6 or so to sell so you can pay for the extra expensive s needed to get them to a sell-able butcher wt!

selling 900 wts @ 2.32 = $2088
A Representative Sale at the Same Sale listed above .....Winter-McKinley Livestock @ Dodge City, KS Nov,12 2014
Hope this helps,
Later,
John A.

JMS/.MN · Dec 3, 2014

Are these dairy calves, just weaned off of milk replacer at 6-8 weeks age?

notjustair · Dec 3, 2014

Too many variables to tell you (as a hog producer). Are you planning on using that bagged feed or do you have a grinder? Are you buying grain to put in a grinder or raising it? I raise hogs on dirt and butcher as many as I haul to the sale. I have repeat customers that are lined up each year. If I knew some more variables I could tell you a little better. Plan on 700 lbs or so of feed to get them to butcher weight. Sadly, I rarely butcher one for myself as wifey isn't a big pork fan. Funny, we're hog producers and I can't get any in the freezer.

Dean Olson · Dec 4, 2014

After some of your posts on how cheap calves are down here I looked a little harder and the 5-600 ones are dairy calves, not what I want. The beef calves are $1000+.

I have 2-4 acre pastures and can buy big round bales for $25-30 each unless we have a drought again. Right now the guys have over baled and it'll rot in the fence rows.

On the hogs I will buy feed from a local mill.19% protein for $480/ton and 14% for $390/ton. This will be supplemented by extra produce out of the garden, acorns and pecans that we have way too much of. They'll be on about 1/4 acre of dirt.

Dean Olson · Dec 4, 2014

Dairy calves still on the bottle are about 150 and by the time they're weened and have some weight on them the guys are asking 5-600

Dean Olson · Dec 4, 2014

These cows down here would never tolerate the cold. Pretty poor critters compared to what I see up north.

notjustair · Dec 5, 2014

I always run 16% or so start to finish. There's about $200 worth of mineral base in the 4000 pounds of feed and I end up with about 60 bushels of corn in there with it. At current prices (if I paid for my grain ingredients) two tons of feed costs about $410.

You are paying double that but I don't know if that's pretty standard from the coop or not. I've never purchased feed, only the concentrate 40 to go in it.

Put a careful pencil to your numbers if you sell to folks. You won't be able to go off of market value - you will loose your tail end pretty quick with your overhead. I assume you aren't farrowing (I can't recall). You got to cover the cost of the piglets in there, too. If you find the right tree hugger they will pay it to have dirt raised meat. Just run your numbers carefully.

LAA · Dec 6, 2014

I would be looking for another feed source, the prices you quoted for feed are roughly double the average price.

Texasmark1 · Dec 6, 2014

I gave up on that years ago including butchering myself or trying to find a butcher shop I could trust. Plus I didn't eat all the cuts available.

I just grew them off, sold them and went to the grocery store and bought my meat and did a whole lot better especially when you got the cuts you like on sale.

Good luck!

Mark

redforlife · Dec 7, 2014

you are thinking in all directions at one time. need to narrow it down a little to just exactly what you want to do. shouldn't really be thinking in terms of 1 in the deep freeze for free. just doesn't really work out quit like that. how much you really actually make has so much to do with your feed costs. if you are paying to much for feed, then raising on up to butcher size on more than just the one you will butcher yourself might mean you will be going in the hole. that is where the big guy has a huge advantage over the little guy is feed costs. they pay bulk prices for feed, and you will be paying higher prices for smaller quantities and in a nut shell that alone can be the difference between making or losing money.

Donald in MN · Dec 14, 2014

Have you inquried about the fee for butchering one for the freezer or are you going to do it yourself .dad has been rasing holstien steers for 50 years .he had about 30 from his dairy herd and bought 70 feeders every year . the last one he had butchered 25 years ago was $400.00 .you can by a lot of meat for that . remember nothing in life is free

RalphWD45 · Dec 15, 2014

I just got off of Craigslist in Seattle, I was looking under hay for sale, in the farm and garden section, and found 4 calves 5 mo. old, for $500.00. They were 3 jerseys, and one Holstien, banded, and some shots. Also saw one 3 Mo. jersey, started on feed, for $200. All others were sky high!

Raising livestock for the freezer

Dean Olson

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IaGary

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donjr

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Ecnerwal

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M Nut

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John A

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JMS/.MN

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notjustair

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Dean Olson

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Dean Olson

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Dean Olson

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notjustair

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LAA

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Texasmark1

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redforlife

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Donald in MN

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RalphWD45

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