Heifer Dilema - Advice needed

John C · Post by **John C** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:01 pm

When we started with the Dexters a couple of years ago we bought a couple of cheap heifers and later a bull to go with them.

After he'd done the business we put the bull in the freezer and very nice he's tasting to As a result of his administrations one of the ladies has had two crops of calves but we have had problems with the other one. She aborted a deformed calf after three or four months and since then has steadfastly refused to get into calf despite of running with two seperate bulls. She is most definately barren.

The time has come for her to go but my options are limited. She is over 30 months of age and none of the fairly local abbatoirs cater for over 30 month slaughter, so the closest is in Crewe which is a good 3 hours drive with a trailer away.
On the bonus side their killing price is £60 which is fully £40 cheaper than the local people. Once they have dressed the carcass, they will also butcher it, bag it and seal it for me at 42 pence a kilo. This is the option that we are considering. The journey with the trailer is going to be a bind but the collection of the meat afterwards will be alright because we can combine the second journey with a visit to my mother who only lives about twenty minutes from there.

My other option is take the cow to a local market and sell it there as a barren. The going rate for barrens is about 50 to 70 pence per kilo on the hoof. With it being an unusual breed, the chances are that I could get less than 50 p for her and what with commission from the auctioneers this will mean a very poor return for her.

The sticking point thats effecting my decision making is that I don't know how good the meat from her is going to be. She's over three years old and is almost as broad as she is long. She's a fat beggar and I simply don't know what to do for the best.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:35 pm

Firstly, where are you?

Secondly, in my limited experience, my "fat beggars" don't get into calf easily and when they do, I wish they hadn't. Prolapsing and all that. One went to be culled last year and I've another now that's looking dodgy.

John C · Post by **John C** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:40 pm

Pwllheli Clive.

The heifer should have gone a long time ago but I always hoped she might have gotten into calf.

Jo Kemp · Post by **Jo Kemp** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:47 pm

Her age means that the meat will be excellent! Make sure if you can that she hangs for 3 - 4 weeks.... preferably 4.
We had a tasting and the over 3 years old heifer was by far the better meat and every butcher I meet says that the mature animal will 'eat better!'
Sadly, I sold most of her and rather wish I hadn't!

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:55 pm

John - There's a list of abattoirs for OTM at: http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/mea ... /otmplants.

I'd do the trip and put her in the freezer. Sounds great and lots say the same. Yummy! If you're passing our door, Shrewsbury, drop a few steaks in please!

welshdexterboy · Post by **welshdexterboy** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:46 pm

We put heifers like her in the freezer before and they tasted alright. If she is hanging with fat you can always trim some off. This also a very good reason, being so fat, for her not holding to the bull. If you think you have given her enough chances then it looks like a trip to your Mam is on the cards. Have you looked for a bloke who does the slaughtering on-site. We have done it when our abbatoir was closed down the down side is you are not legally allowed to sell the meat.

John C · Post by **John C** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:56 pm

She wasn't fat when she refused the bull, this is something that has occurred after. The meat will be going into our freezer anyway but I havent heard of a home slaughtering service that caters for over 30 months in our area. I wish there was, it would make life much easier.

106-1100209741 · Post by **106-1100209741** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:49 pm

I hesitate to add a reply as I don't want to offend but are you sure she is fat, or could it be that she 'blew up' just after conception? Is it more than ten months since she was with a bull?

One of our girls is huge and has been for months. Someone told us around February/March time that she looked like she was big and couldn't be long before she calved so we kept an expectant eye on her in February, March, April - we're still waiting....

(Having done our calculations and wondered a hundred times if she'd been with the bull when she shouldn't have and we'd missed it we've came to the conclusion that she could only be due late Oct/Nov/Dec!)

John C · Post by **John C** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 12:34 pm

We are talking in excess of 18 months since she aborted and she's bulled regularly ever since.

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:41 am

Cystic ovaries, Duncan?

John C · Post by **John C** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:18 pm

I made the call today.
The heifer is going to the slaughter house on Tuesday. It's in excess of a two hundred mile trip, but she obviously will only be doing half of that.
The cost not including diesel, is £60.00 for the kill and then 42p per kilo to butcher and pack.
The weight will be from the two halves hanging. I'll be collecting it on the 8th of December.

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:31 pm

John,

Can you not ring them back and convince them to hang the carcass quite a bit longer?

John C · Post by **John C** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:43 pm

Ideally I would, but we are going to combine the collection of the meat with doing our Christmas run with visiting my dear mother, so that we aren't doing a 200 plus mile trip to fetch the meat.
By my calculations, it will have hung for 13 days by the time that I collect it.
I've just checked my previous post and the 8th should have read the 10th.

Edited By John C on 1195825488

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 6:32 pm

What is the point of hanging it more than 2 weeks?