Buying a cow... is this a good deal?

[AL]

http://pensacola.craigslist.org/grd/1857296748.html


I would like to buy a cow old enough to be bred, but not so old it won't be any good to me for long. Is this one about right? Is she priced pretty normally?

 

[freemotion]

Wow, she's huge! You might want to post this on BYH, too, as there are a number of cattle people over there right now.

 

[miss_thenorth]

wow, when I looked at her, I was expecting to see a dairy cow.--She is definitely NOt dairy.

 

[Wifezilla]

She looks delicious

 

[SKR8PN]

The last beef I bought was $1.20 per pound hanging weight plus the processing fee(155.00)


This is from "The Meatman" website.

With an average market (live or on hoof) weight of 1,150 lbs and the average yield of 62.2%, the typical steer will produce a 715 lb. (dressed weight) carcass.

The dressed beef (or carcass) will yield approximately 569 lbs. (further details below) of red meat and trim (take home meat - which includes the average weight of 27 lbs of variety meat: liver, heart, tongue, tripe, sweetbreads and brains) and 146 lbs of fat, bone and loss. This is roughly a yield of 80% from the dressed or hanging weight - this is for a VERY LEAN Beef. A High Quality, USDA Choice Beef will yield approximately 70% of the Hanging or Dressed Weight. The yield on the take home meat weight from the live weight of the (VERY LEAN) steer is approximately 50%.


This will give you some idea as to what kind of money you will have in in that steer, per pound, when it is in your freezer.

 

[justusnak]

I would ask them why they are selling her. They said...healthy and gentle" BUT, is she bad for breeding? Was there some sort of illness that will prevent her from breeding or even being eaten later? Nice looking cow. Seems lilke a good price..maybe I am just suspicous.

 

[mandieg4]

Is there a reason you are looking at buying a registered cow? If you are just wanting to have a cow to raise your own meat or start a small herd I would just get a commercial breed which would be quite a bit cheaper.

 

[Jaxom]

I'm glad someone asked about this. I've been curious, are those "mini moo's" worth investigating or is that all hype?

 

[justusnak]

As for the mini's...in my opinion...would be great for small acreage, and smaller families. My husband and I were looking into getting a few, since its just the 2 of us here now. Then we saw the price!!

 

[AL]

Thanks... no , I am not particularly interested in registered or otherwise... just a cow for an occasional calf to sell or butcher.
This guy always has angus cattle listed on CL... chickens, etc. I have never been in touch, but I am only just not to a point where I (and my pasture) am ready to start considering it seriously.

So, the first cow I buy would be for breeding - not freezing. Should I just be a little more patient and buy a younger heifer so I know more of her history, since I would be the one raising her?