We are trying and have been for some time to get a market going for the yearlings. We are able to place a few loads to grass lots to finish out. People have been enjoying the use of the calves and now we need to help the calves to help our selves. So many sellers are not willing to do anything. Once you buy those calves your stuck with them. We tell people to feed the buffalo, (besides the obvious) they will do much better after you are done with them. We can get a decent price for healthy, heavy yearlings. Ones that are behind, there is little to no market for. Typically they should weigh anywhere from 750-900lbs when your done with them. If you are used to guessing cattle, figure a steer then minus 100lbs. So far most of the ones we have been getting back are great, very healthy, calm and gorgeous. Thank you for taking care of what is so precious to us.
Handling:
Buffalo are not cattle. They need to be handled with respect and distance.
If you are loading or unloading, give them time and space. The more you crowd them the more frantic and faster they become. Any wire gates should have something on them that the buffalo can see. Like plastic or wood. If they can't see it being solid they will try to go though it., there by injuring themselves.
At home in the new pen. let them set for a couple of days to get over the journey there and their new surroundings. Maybe leave the arena gate open for them to go in and out of on their own. If you are turning them out to pasture, make sure they understand where the feed (grain) & water is kept. (gathering pen) .If you have enough calves, you might want to only turn out half of them first. They will want to stay with the ones that are still penned.
Do Not Work them the first day you get them !!!! With all the articles, video
and advertising, believe it or not there are still people out there working them off the truck.
I cannot stress enough on how much damage you are doing to the calves and your own reputation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
My buffalo aren't looking right and one died.
Chances are this is the cause of worms. Buffalo should be wormed at least every other month. Guys have lost their whole working herd to worms.
Do buffalo carry brucellois (bangs) ?
Buffalo are not effected by brucellois any different than a cow. Because of staunch state regulations and stringent management techniques buffalo are cleaner and more disease free than cattle on a national average.
I heard the buffalo market is going like the ostrich & emu market ?
NO ! Only in that individual animal prices are down. There are many large scale groups continuing development on existing and vary solid demands on bison meat at home and abroad.
What kind of price can you give me for my calves?
What kind of price can you give me for the yearlings? Sustainable exchange has to be part of the future success of the marriage available between the equine and bison industries.
It cost "X" amount of dollars to keep a cow healthy packing the calf. We need to give the rancher enough for his calves to keep him breeding back.
"Buffalo as Training Aids" DVD is given to all who buy calves from us or you can order it by sending a check or money order to Tim Frasier PO Box 1231 Gainesville Texas 76241
It covers from start to finish on buying, training, caring and selling your animals. The video is out dated and we are in the process of updating it to fit today's needs. Please specify when ordering, which version you'd like.
Right now the first version is all that is available.
The DVD is 7.00 + 3.00 for S&H. If you are ordering from another country send $6.50 for S&H.
Now is the time to start ordering your calves for the new year.
Last year people waited and had to wait even longer to get quality calves,
due to first come first serve policy. If you are interested please let us know in advance.
If you are buying from another source please ask about their age, weight and health care.
You don't want to get someone else's mistakes from last year. There are people out there
buying a few head from sale barns and piecing together loads.
Be careful about what you are buying. Do the heifers have bangs tags? Can the seller
produce a health sheet for the calves?How long has the seller been in the business?
When these animals started becoming "the new thing" a lot of people jumped on
board to make a fast buck. They don't care where they come from or how you take care of them and they are not buying them back as yearlings. If you are thinking of buying some and are not sure of the seller, just give us a call and we will help answer any questions you might have. You do not have to buy our calves to get our help. Texas does not require Bangs on the heifer calves, although we do. Because as yearlings they cannot be shipped out of the state without them. You limit your selling options. If the Rancher has not gone to the extent to Bangs heifers, Did they bother to give any calfhood vaccinations? We have also have been informed of a horse rancher who now has gone into the buffalo calf business, they do not have a clue as to what they are doing and have sold some of what they brought in through sale barns. (no bangs tags). Buyer we ware.
Buffalo work very well after being broke, however if this process is not done right they usually cannot be fixed. If you have bought any from a sale barn, were they handled by horseback? Now what is the buffalos perception of horses that you are wanting to train? If a calf has ever been injured or sick, they don't work the same. We have found no difference between bulls, heifers or steers on their work habits. Buffalo grow very slow, unlike cattle and it would be easy to mistake a weak yearling for a new calf. We have seen yearlings that actually weighed less than the calves we were picking up. Please feed a good quality horse grass, grain & worm your buffalo.
This is an example of a poor fed calf . He is the same age as the yearlings next to him believe it or not. We actually have gotten back animals that weighed less a year later than when we sold them. There is no excuse for this. Buy quality & raise quality.
