# Raising bottle calves on contract



## Krooked_S (Nov 11, 2013)

I was wondering if any one had any experience and if so could give me some pointers. We have a small barn which can only hold up to 16 calves. I was thinking about setting a weaned price and getting half money up front and someone once told me to prorate them in case of a death. Thanks


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## kycrawler (Sep 18, 2011)

who is going to buy meds ? who covers death loss ? when do you get paid ?


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## Krooked_S (Nov 11, 2013)

I guess I would buy meds and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on who should cover the death and I was looking to get half the money up front. If you had any good ideas please let me know.


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## alecl (Aug 21, 2013)

I have heard of a few people doing here in Australia. I'm not really sure how they do it but I know they charge a price per calf.
We rear calves here by putting them onto ex milking fresian cows. It has worked really well so far, getting close to 100 calves reared with hardly any bottle feeding. We put 3 calves per cow. 
This is only good if you have the feed for the cows though. If you do it is much cheaper than bottle feeding.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

I think the chance of doing this successfully will depend a great deal on your prior experience in raising calves.


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## Krooked_S (Nov 11, 2013)

I have raised calves for the past couple of years and my wife has been in the veal industry years back with her grandparents where they have raised 2000 to 3000 a year


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## kycrawler (Sep 18, 2011)

I doubt you will get many takers to put up their money up front . I buy bucket calves and raise them on nurse cows and it is enough hassle dealing with people when you have weaned calves ready to go seems like most people want something for nothing . Batryil is about $100 a bottle draxxin is about $250 a bottle prevail is $30-40 a bottle a sick calf or 2 and a death loss or so and your profit goes right out the window if your only raising 50-60 head a year. If you have to buy auction calves and milk replacer you will have to keep a very sharp pencil to see anything on the bottom line when the calves are sold .


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## dbarjacres (Feb 2, 2004)

My parents custom raised Holstein heifers (and some steers for themselves when prices were good) for 20 years. They quit 2 yrs ago when they moved out of state.

Once you have calves coming and going thru a barn, even if only from 2-3 people, you start bringing in what one may have been exposed to on their farm and then even tho that calf may be "immune" to that, the other ones will not be and could drop dead faster than you know what's going on. Diarrhea issues are common in calves as are respiratory. Diarrhea drugs are relatively cheap, but as quoted above, other drugs are very costly. I don't know of any farmer that's going to pay you more because a calf got sick while in your care, nor any farm that's going to pay you in advance. 

What I've seen is the farmer will have you pick up the calf as soon as it's had it's colostrum. If in the agreement/contract you get that calf, don't exchange any money, keep it till said number of days at agreed upon per day price and they then pay you the price. My parents charged their customers monthly. The other way to do it is you buy the calf with the agreement that the farmer gets that calf back at an agreed upon price. 

Make sure you figure your calf starter grain price, quality hay to start them on price and any shots you may give them before they leave.


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