Holstein bull calves

[boer]

I want to try a new approach with my dairy's bull calves and would like some suggestions. First I want to build a new outdoor facility. Second I would like to know how other dairy people market their bull calves. Are they usually sold as newborns or are they backgrounded and if so what size or age do most people market them?
I am located in BC in a central northern area and therefore the Red Deer or Edmonton area of Alberta would be reasonably similar for climate. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has an outdoor feeding system for their young calves.
Thanks, Margaret

[dfarmer2000]

i dont know how big your dairy herd is so i dont know how many bull calves you would have in a year. This is what i do with my bull calves..i live in southern maintoba and i keep alll my bull calves and raise tehm to about 1300lbs. When they reach this weight i have customers that buy them from me for meat...i sell them in quarters halves r some take a whole animal. We have a privately owned killing plant nearby that also cools cuts and freezes. I bring them to the slaughter house, (which is federally inspected) and i pay for the killing costs and then sell the meat to my customers,they pay the cut wrap and freezing charges. This is working great for me, it gives me a use for the marginal hay that i may have during the year and it generates extra income

[boer]

What age do your holsteins reach 1300 lbs. What kind of facilities do you have for your very young calves. How long do you feed them milk for and do you use milk replacer or whole milk. I will be raising probably 75-100 bull calves per year.

[dfarmer2000]

I have a 45 cow herd. When the cow calves i put my calves into a polydome calf hutch. I use the polydome year round. The calf is in the hutch for 8 weeks where i feed them whole milk. I use whole milk because i usually have extra milk and cant afford to but more quota at the time. After 10 days of whole milk i dilute the milk with water. approx 60%milk and 40%water. The calves are all given a calf starter from day 1. the never usually start eating this until they are about 7 days old. Once they start they eat about 10lbs per day. After they are done the 8 weeks in the hutsch they go into a outside pen where they do have shelter and a roof, they go onto a calf developer grain ration. They also get free choice alfalfa here. they stay in this pen for another 3 months. When they are done in here they go into a pen where they get free choice alfalfa and some of the tmr ration that i use for my dairy cows (consists of corn silage,haylage,grain corn, barley,mineral,and my dairy supp, they get approx 30lbs of this per day.Cant really say how long it takes to get them to 1300lbs sometimes i take them out earlier but i like to see at 1300.To my best knowledge i think it would be about15-16 months.
sorry about all the typos hope you can make sense out of this post.