| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 04:11:48 AM
honey hunk and i were talkin' about farm critters .. and we were absolutely stumped as to the price of a cow! milking cows? beef cattle? is there a 'range' that cows cost? hmmmmmmm .. guess my 'city sister' side is kickin' in! couldn't even begin to GUESS what they cost?
did i tell ya'll that when we were in AFRICA and met with the Masai Tribe .. we were told by them that they believe that EVERY COW in the WORLD belongs to them?
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| brightmeadow |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 8:22:57 PM
Fun topic! I was intrigued when I read the title. My sister's husband is from Guinea in Africa, and he symbolically wrote a check for $400 (made out to my sister) and handed it to my father when they got married. The price of a cow is the bride price.... I guess it is just a tradition and no money actually changes hands. Makes you stop and think, though, what it must have been like to be a woman in the old days there!
I think in Ireland there were some similar traditions around cows back in the early and middle ages. The various kingdoms started wars over cows being stolen. I only know this through the "Sister Fidelma" mystery series by Peter Tremayne,though, so perhaps it's not entirely accurate....
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
| EmmJay |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 07:11:17 AM
Oh Melanie,,,,,too funny.
I do the same, especially with FIL. He is 72 and has been on the farm all his life. Me, I have been here for 2 years, and still ask the questions.
I think he actually likes the idea of teaching someone. Not that many people are interested in farming anymore.
MJ
"Thank GOD I'm a country girl"
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o134/EmmJay07/ |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 06:55:28 AM
isn't it great, Judy...to be able to ask questions to gals that are understanding and not so quick to laugh like my husband oh well, he has a good heart LOL
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
| junkjunkie |
Posted - May 10 2007 : 07:52:40 AM
LOL! Thank you for your answers Michele and Melanie! Even though I don't farm, I'm always interested in farm life. Maybe, one day, I'll get a little farmette of my own. In the meantime, I'll just read your posts and ask questions and learn. Judy |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - May 10 2007 : 07:29:23 AM
Hey junkjunkie....no question is too silly. I grew up in downtown Toronto and now I am on a dairy farm. I have been here 4 years, but have a lot of questions still. My first question, that my husband still gets a kick out of.....We were in the barn and I was watching the cows get milked. I asked him, "How do you tell the difference between girl dairy cows and boy dairy cows?" He pointed to my chest and said boys don't give milk. Ooopps!! oh well, we all have to learn some time.
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
| windypines |
Posted - May 10 2007 : 04:31:49 AM
Fresened, means she just had a calf. She is a fresh cow, just starting to milk again. Michele |
| junkjunkie |
Posted - May 09 2007 : 12:42:11 PM
Ok, being I'm a farmgirl at "heart" and have no experience in farming....what does the term "freshened" mean? Or is this question too silly to answer.  |
| primjillie |
Posted - May 09 2007 : 07:58:47 AM
Thanks, Michelle! That makes perfect sense when you explain it. My mom also told me they used to use beer also to get the cow to burp up the gas. She said it looked so funny to see my grandpa pour a can of beer down a cow's throat. She hated farm life and I would love it ~ we should have traded places! |
| windypines |
Posted - May 09 2007 : 04:13:14 AM
Jill=a cull cow, is one that is going to the auction barn. Mostly likely to end up being butchered. She was being "culled" out of the herd, replaced by another cow. You know a cow has 4 teats, or you could say 4 quarters. She was only milking out of 3 of the teats, or quarters. (could just be the way we talk here) When she had her first calf her front "quarter" was dry, for what ever reason, she does not produce any milk in it. I hope any of this helps explain things. Your grandpa was relieving the cow from bloat, and yes they still do that. Mostly if the animal is bloated bad. You can use a product called rumen-eze, mostly a veg. oil that you pour down their throat, works well too. MIchele |
| primjillie |
Posted - May 08 2007 : 10:36:35 AM
Michelle ~ I hate to appear ignorant but you could explain the following to me? "We got her as a cull cow price. She only has 3 quarters. I guess she freshened that way as a first calf heifer. She was to be a cull cow, so now she lives a great life here with us. " I thought I knew a little bit about cows, but I don't understand any of this! :-) My mom was raised on a dairy farm and I love cows! She tells me the story about how her father used to relieve the gas in the cows if they ate something they weren't supposed to. He used to poke a knive in their sides to let out the gas and just let it heal up? Has anyone else heard of this, or were they just crazy Norwegians? |
| KellyA |
Posted - May 08 2007 : 08:08:59 AM
We just had an auction here at the local fairgrounds...the top heifer went for $77,000 !!!!!!! She comes from a line of top females...milking around 100 lbs...basically, she was bought for her eggs and the money those will bring from future buyers.
Kelly
When a cookbook is in hand, life is good! |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 10:50:11 PM
WELL .. hank thought he was talking about cows? but .. the dentist did have a drill and his hands in his mouth at the time ... and hank usually calls to make sure the GAS truck is parked outside when he has to go to the dentist! soooooo ... maybe he WAS talking about horses!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Horseyrider |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 3:16:41 PM
Why in the world would anyone pay a thousand dollars to inseminate a cow??? Geez, here you can get some of the nation's best bulls in frozen semen straws for ten dollars a straw, and the technician's time. That's crazy.
Are you sure he wasn't talking about horses? Horse semen doesn't freeze as well, so it's generally only offered chilled for AI, or live cover. And a thousand dollars for a stud fee from a horse would be pretty middle of the road, and five thousand for a horse is not very expensive. Horses can range wildly in value, where cattle aren't so crazy unless you're talking about show cattle. And even they aren't as bad as horses. |
| psouper |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 3:13:09 PM
I bought a bred jersey cow, 6 yrs old, from a dairy farm for $1200 -- that was 2 yrs ago.
Polly
www.favoriteapron.blogspot.com |
| windypines |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 12:14:50 PM
Frannie, We got our cow Summer last Nov. She was 525. She was 3 years old, and had just had her second calf. We got her as a cull cow price. She only has 3 quarters. I guess she freshened that way as a first calf heifer. She was to be a cull cow, so now she lives a great life here with us. Spoiled, just a little bit. I had her bred for 25 dollars. So much for semen, so much for the breeder to stop out. When my dad started farming in 72, it was 6 dollars to get a cow bred, and repeats were free. We talked to the family that owned her and told them our set up, and what we were looking for. We had to wait almost a year, but we finally got her. They had a few for sale, and I told them to pick one that would work for us. Cause they knew their cow much better then I would standing there looking at them. They called and said they had the perfect cow for us. I thought okay, but my standerds are going to be high for the "perfect" cow. Summer really has been a perfect girl. My only wish is that we would of finally done this a whole lot sooner. Good luck Michele |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 11:53:24 AM
That must be SOME lady cow the dentist has!! And one special bull who "donated" too!! It was way cheap to get Mona inseminated...of course a friend did it and I didn't care about a "show quality" daddy for the calf.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 11:37:09 AM
ha! hunky thought they were closer to FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS each .. i told him i thought that was a 'tad' high .. can tell we were 'borned and razed' in the city! he was telling me that our dentist was having his 'lady cow' inseminated and it was costing a thousand bucks .. got us to wonderin' how much cows cost .. oh winona .. we aren't lookin' to take cows on at this stage of our life .. we hit the roads waaay too much to handle more than those two dawgs of ours .. and .. from what ya'll are saying .. we coulda' bought a whole cow for what it cost us to 'board' them at the vet when we went to africa for a month!
then two weeks while hank was in poland .. now another week for our cruise. we sure do love them .. but honestly, i'm not so sure i would have gotten them if i'd known we would be travelling so much .. probably shoulda' waited a few years! but . they are here now ... and part of the family!
i'd love to have chickens .. but they'd have to eat each other when we're gone!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 09:26:51 AM
We paid $1,500 for Mona and were lucky to find her at any price here...Jersey heifers are almost always kept and not sold. I didn't find any cheaper milk cows of any breed cheaper. What the farmer who sold her to me (as a bred heifer of almost 2 years old) said, is that he has to get at least hamburger price. Oh. I guess that makes sense.
Since then I have checked around alot and it seems that Jersey bull calves go for $75 to $100 and Jersey heifer calves for $400. It makes you sure root for the girls (I would anyhow..heehee) Holsteins, which are much more common around here..go for more.
WOW!$400 for a freshened Jersey cow!! Melanie that is such a good price..well, not for the one selling it!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 08:10:59 AM
Ahhhh, how I wish we could get those prices up here in Canada. we have purebreed Holstein cows and purebred Jersey's We just sold a Holstein steer (2 weeks old) for $75.00. A Holstien Heifer is approx $500.00 A Jersey Heifer $300.00. Last year we sold a good Jersey cow that just claved (freshened) for $400.00.....sooooo........if any of you want to come to PEI I'd gladdly seel you a cow!!!
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
| goneriding |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 05:22:31 AM
Honey hunk, eh? Before we got married, I called my hubby the Stud Muffin or Chick Magnet. Leave him in front of a store with a puppy, while I'm inside shopping, upon coming out I found him totally surrounded with women. I'm sure it was the puppy or the moustache (he has a handlebar). He looks like an old-time lawman (he's a retired deputy) but not I just call him my hubs or hubby...yep, we're married now! hehehe...
As for cows, do you have a sale barn close somewhere by you? I've worked the cattle at them and you can get just about what you want for market price, but you have to have a set to do so cuz you're competing with the cattle buyers. But there are the little orphans usually at the front of the sale that you can pick up cheap. The trick is getting them to live but if you can, you may have a good deal. If you want an already milker, maybe a dairy would have something but don't know prices but the cows are expensive if Holstein (I think that's the black and white ones...).
Winona ;-)
Don't sweat the small stuff...
http://goneridingagain.bravehost.com |
| LadyCrystal |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 05:16:52 AM
We paid $400 for the heifer calves and $350 for the steer calves. We bought them when they were little, all under 6 months old.They aren't registered but they are black angus. I know you would pay a lot more for registered.
Alicia
http://fromcitytocountrygirl.blogspot.com/
follow your dreams |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - May 05 2007 : 04:58:13 AM
LOL! Yes, I remember studying Masai culture in college. What an interesting way of looking at the world!
Around here you can get a really nice dairy cow with good conformation and already milking for around $1000. If you don't care if she's pretty it's less; or if you want to show the calves you need something better, so it's more. Those who are top producers are priced accordingly, as are average and below average producers. But for a homestead situation, you don't need a top producer unless you have fifteen kids. We had two kids and we were drowning in milk from our 'average' cows. |
