It is definitely a good idea for phone in and plan ahead. For our show pen sales, we use a graduated shrink and cattle are weighed off truck, therefore it is to your advantage to have them weighed as soon as possible. Scheduled time slots for delivery helps to avoid long lineups of trucks waiting to be unloaded. The earlier your cattle can be at the yards the sooner they can be sorted. All show penned cattle must be delivered to the stockyards by 3:00 PM Tuesday to be show penned. We also take delivery of cattle on Mondays to avoid the Tuesday rush and provide our customers with an alternate day of delivery.
A. All cattle that are delivered are sold on auction day. Feeder cattle that come in after 3:00 PM, are sold immediately following the sorted show pens.
A. At Spiritwood Stockyards we generally have between 7-10 livestock buyers in our front row.
A. Yes, as soon as your calves are brand inspected, weighed and sorted they are then put on feed and water in bedded pens. This way the calves are comfortable and looking good for sale date and stay healthier upon arrival at their new home.
A. If cattle have frozen ears and tails there is a chance that the feet may have frost damage as well. Frozen feet damage may not show up until later in the winter which will definitely affect feedlot performance.
A. Bulls and stags sell at a price discount as compared to steers. The amount of the price difference is based on the age of the cattle, and the older they get the bigger the price difference. There is a cost and risk for the feedlots to castrate bulls and as the animal gets older the costs and risks increase. Stags also are discounted compared to steers due to the fact that the procedure to remove the remaining testicle(s) is more difficult and expensive to complete. It is important to cut your bull calves early to avoid them showing a masculine look and any confusion on weather they are still bulls or steers.
A. If you are planning to wean your calves before you sell make sure you plan to keep and feed them for a 6-8 week period. Following weaning, a calf’s health is susceptible to disease and sickness and they generally loose a bit of weight until they get eating a full feed ration and feeling good. Once they are eating well, feeling good and gaining weight they are once again ready for the market.
A. There are various thing that can be done to have your cattle looking good for sale. Transportation of cattle is key, ensuring that calves come to the market clean healthy from the trip. Ensuring trailers are clean and cattle are not overcrowded ensured the calves stay clean on the trip as well it keeps calves from getting injured as well. Low stress is also key. Getting the calves to the market as soon as possible once they have been removed from the cow allows us to sort and pen the calves quickly in feed and water pens reducing stress and keeping the calves healthy and looking good.
