Special sales of suckler-bred weanlings are under way and a significant number of autumn- and winter-born calves have already gone under the hammer.
Upcoming sales will see numbers ramping up as grazing comes to an end, bringing more spring-born calves on to the market.
Where farmers plan on selling calves through weanling sales this autumn, outlined are some tips to prepare animals for the weanling sales.
1. Have calves wormed in advance of sales
Calves that are free of internal parasites, such as lungworm, are better equipped to deal with the stress of moving through the live ring and on to new farms.
Keep in mind that calves will continue coughing after dosing as they expel dead worms from the lungs. Depending on the level of parasite burden, that may take one to two weeks.
Therefore, factor that timeframe into worm treatments ahead of weanling sales this autumn. Vaccinating against respiratory diseases can also attract greater buying interest.
Experienced buyers rarely get caught out when buying weanlings and sometimes they will only purchase calves from the same sellers every year.
Often, they will pay a premium for these calves, as they know animals have been well managed in the run-up to sales.
2. Tidy up stray horns
Tidy up any horns that were missed to improve the visual appearance of weanlings in the sale ring and attract greater buying interest.
3. Clip calves along the back
Clipping weanlings along the back can make animals appear wider and squarer.
Clipping will also help calves regulate body temperature, reducing the risk of pneumonia in animals moving from the mart to winter housing.
It is also another task that buyers will not have to carry out and can therefore attract greater buying interest.
Clipping 4in to 6in either side of the spinal column, down the hindquarter and the tail prior to sale is time well spent.
4. Social media
Most marts operate some form of social media to advertise stock ahead of sales. Therefore, liaise with marts before sales to get photos and short videos of weanlings posted ahead of weanling sales.
That can notify potential buyers of when you are selling animals, especially customers who have purchased your calves in previous years.
5. Know your market
Buying interests can change from mart to mart, so check to see what buyers are looking for in weanlings.
For example, some marts will see strong demand for bulls up to 500kg, whereas others see interest tailing off on bulls over 400kg. Other sales will see buyers wanting castrated males over bulls.
Equally, some marts operate weanling sales on a breed basis to attract customers. There is little merit taking weanlings to such sales if they don’t fit that specific breed, as it limits buying interest.