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

[Blackbird]

If breed isn't important (I know some people will only eat Angus )
I think you can definitely find a decent heifer for breeding at a cheaper price, especially if you don't mind one that is unregistered.

This one's age isn't too old, you could get quite a few more calves out of a 4-5 year old easily.

 

[AL]

I am going to embarass myself by exposing my cattle ignorance all over the internet but growing up we kept a couple of angus (mixed I think?) cows and bred them to my grandfather's bull... a big white curly faced mound of muscle. I remember that meat being just fine (at least as far as a kid eating "Bully burgers" was concerned)

 

[Jaxom]

I'm only inquiring about a mini moo's for milk and eventually meat. Figure if I raise chickens for eggs, can't make buiscuits without milk! LOL.

 

[AL]

Can anyone translate this for me?

http://www.rdalelivestock.com/marketreport/marketreport.pdf

 

[Blackbird]

Sex/type is pretty self explanatory.
Steer would be a castrated male.
HFR refers towards heifer (female bovine that hasn't given birth).
Cow HD I believe refers to Cow Head (per head)? Don't quote me on that one..
Cow PR refers towards Cow Pregnancy Rate.
Cow WT refers to Cow Weight, as Bull WT is Bull Weight.

Under weight, for example, they have steer, with weights in increments from 0 up to 1500. Low and High are the going rates. Under Low, they have the lower going prices for those specific weights, and under High they have the higher going prices.

Steer and heifers are most common in the meat market. Many of the cows and bulls going for meat are culls, often dairy breeds or injured animals that can no longer produce.

Also, if you see the term vealer, it refers to a calf that isn't weaned off milk yet.

Of course if you go to any random sale barn to purchase a cow the prices may very even more, and many are dairy breeds.

I guess if I wanted a cow for breeding to eat the offspring, I'd want to purchase from someone who will be honest about the animal, it's history, and all that. A sale barn purchase is kind of just pop and go. Never know what you might get. I'd suggest searching your local Craigslist a bit more.

Jaxom, I have no experience in miniature bovines, but I do in larger cattle and goats, and I'd say a person would be better off with a couple of goats. You could have a couple of goats that could produce as much as a mini cow in total, but still have a less expensive feed bill. Plus there's the fact the goats are smaller, easier to handle, and like to forage a bit.