Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

"Was I therefore correct, 15 years ago, to advocate the fattening of more heifers for beef and more use of commercial beef bulls on the poorer quality cows?"

From the bulletin, by John Garratt.

I think he's right, certainly on the first point. I find, when enquiring about stock for sale, that you have to be careful about what you say regarding the intended use of stock as one of two things tend to happen. Either the vendor is so put out that you might not wish to breed from their 'quality' breeding stock that they withdraw them from sale or the price goes up (though why they don't just ask for more money in the first place is beyond me).

In any case I am put off buying poorer heifers for beef as, generally, a poor animal that may have had a poor start in life does not make quality beef and can impact upon both mine and the breed's reputation. For this reason I think more of the Dexter heifers should be sold in the conventional cull market - you might get less money but you don't risk selling bad beef.

It begs the question, are you buying stock in to kill because it is cheaper than producing it yourself?

Killing anything poor is not worth the transport/slaughter costs.

Re: John Garrett
I wonder if he meant those that would not pass a breed inspection rather than poor as in scrawny.

If we are talking poor as in scrawny, then you would need to grow them on to make it worthwhile killing them anyway, so the price has to be low (but like I said above, they probably won't make good beef). If you mean poor as in breed standard then it may be worth killing them, providing they're not erring on the side of poor scrawny. If you mean poor as in type, then they definitely worth killing them, as there is no point buying animals that won't strive and produce in your herd.

Even if it isn't cheaper to buy an animal in than it is to produce it could be worth it financially as you only have the money tied up in it for a matter of weeks rather than years. If you are breeding & selling your own you have to balance the numbers and manage the time delay - it's not always easy to predict demand in three years time, and you also can't predict how many breeding heifers/bulls you will produce.

There are lots of people breeding from poor animals. Would it not be preferable to cross them with a commercial than produce another registered Dexter?

Jac wrote:There are lots of people breeding from poor animals. Would it not be preferable to cross them with a commercial than produce another registered Dexter?

IMO, yes, providing they are not poor in the sense that they can't rear a decent calf.

We've done lots of crossing now with an Angus and found that the ones that you may well consider poor Dexters (I'm talking visually, still a good breeders though) produced the best calves when crossed. This applies especially to taller, hippier type of cow that probably a lot of Dexter people wouldn't want in their herd. All mine like this work really well when crossed, but the stockier, more Dextery types are best kept pure IME. I have little else now. So it is a win-win if you have a herd of what might be called poorer Dexters. It's amazing that when you see the calves from these crossed with a beef bull, suddenly what you thought was a poor cow becomes a good one and what you thought was a good one becomes second rate. Example, one of my best is a tall brindle!

But if you are crossing you have got to be sooooo careful. I've had almost no problems at all in 3 years of doing nothing else, not any harder than pure Dexter but I kept a closer eye on them just in case. But I sold a batch of cows that I had already calved to the AA twice, and they were in calf to the very same bull, and the new owner had very big calves and a few CS's. I did say keep them in light condition but maybe that didn't happen or maybe the calves got too big for another reason, don't know.

I think it was vey apt to see that article just as we have been rumbling on about the very same thing.

I was not born into farming and until 8 years ago had never been in contact with a cow or sheep or pig.
It has been my passion and compassion that made the meat business work and thrive. Carrying cows and sheep when sometimes i shouldnt. always trying to do the best for the cows.
So i find myself with sympathies with people who hold onto cows they shouldnt. its not just a case of an object its a living breathing beast.

But i do run a business, no doubt i could make more money by seperating cows and calves, selling calves through the ring and cows as cast, but that would not always sit with me. if i can sell a cow as a breader for a reasonable price i will. i wont give things away. and i am getting tougher! recently as i say i am seeing i need to act to protect my capital in my herd.

i think the day i become cold and entirely money driven is the day i have lost my passion, and the day i give up.

i agree with you all but just saying its not all straightforward.

dominic

Since I stopped breeding dexters for show and my shop I have kept 2 cows back not registered as I was no longer breeding to sell pedigree I now have the granddaughters which i cross with either the simmi bull or limi depends which herd they run with.Just sold a heifer for fat killed out at 270 kg 24 months graded R4L have another really good one (they are fattened with commercial fat stock on home grown cereals) but sell dead weight as I doubt anyone would pay me the £900 I get selling as a commerial on the dead weight grade system.