Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

Entries for this autumn York rare breeds show and sale close this friday.

Entries can be made online. Show is Friday 2nd October, sale Saturday 3rd October.

Posted my entries yesterday.
Two March born heifers, both black & horned, one short, one non-short. Both shown. Luella, the short, placed & highly commended by the judge.

Cattle catalogue has just arrived.

44 dexter cattle entered in total from 14 vendors
will post catalogue link once available online

link should hopefully take you to the cattle section of the York sale on 3rd October

http://www.ylc.co.uk/uploads/files/Cattle_catalogue.pdf

There's a few good breeding stock entered this time, and not many steers.

Toadhole candy with calf at foot Kirkwood clover won't be there as been sold privately prior to the sale

The following two heifers will be for sale both are unregistered but are sire by Apple coda and are very quiet and well handled and it would be a shame if they went for beef, more details can be found on the N. E. dex website


and

They are being sold by Mr & Mrs Barnes

link to catalogue above updated

Averages;

Registered Av/Top (No. forward)

Cows + calves 270/275 (2) 265/305 (5)
Cows 235/260 (2) 262.50/355 (4)
Heifers + calves 390/460 (4)
Heifers 278/285 (3)
Heifers calves 192.5/200 (2)
Bulls 163/235 (3)
Steers 158/185 (3)

Un-registered

Cows + calves 264/305 (6) 266.67/275 (3)
Cows 290/355 (2) (0)
Heifers + calves 185 (1)
Heifers 246/260 (3)
Steers 110 (1)

A few things to note; many of the 'un-registered' cows were actually registered, just the calves were not. There was a marked price difference in the steers with the under 30 month ones fetching almost twice as much money. The prices also seemed to be down across the cattle and the sheep this weekend, perhaps because the sale wasn't advertised *anywhere* as far as I can tell and partly because only people who are not quite right in the head are buying livestock at the moment, the way things are in farming generally. Best price of the day was 1500 for a very nice Hereford heifer that for some reason was beaten to the championship by a bull that made half the money.

In summary I would say that the stock that were, for whatever reason, lacking made the right money and the top prices were absolute bargains.

I went to the sale first time in a very long time,looking for a cow and calf ,with little information over TB status in the catalogue I purchased .my hand stayed down .I was tempted with prices even to fatten for my freezer but unfortunately due to my main commercial herd I did not want to buy cattle I knew little about.
Disappointing as well some of the cattle were out of bounds for viewing as they were running pigs down the passage way.
One thing when did the Hereford become rare breeds,but it was a very nice heifer and well presented for sale.
It was sad to see owners selling cattle below slaughter value whatever breed.
Maybe one day I will have a dexter back on farm they still are my favourite little cattle.

Not sure about actual buyers but there seemed to be space around the sale ring so not as many watchers as previous sales.

Had a few people asking about or cattle, but no-one enquired about TB status. possibly not mentioned in the ring as majority would probably have been from a 4 year test area.

Access to the cattle area is impeded once the pig auction starts but all cattle should have been in site from 9 so plenty of time for viewing.

Prices could have been better, but thankfully sold at the top end of the price range.

Certainly think that as a seller you have to carefully consider what stock to send to auction and what to sell direct to slaughter, can see no use in paying auction costs, to have someone else take the cream off by sending to slaughter.

To be fair I don't think Dexters are a rare breed either so we shouldn't cast stones. The sale is for 'Rare, Native and Unusual Breeds'.

Hard copies of the catalogue were available in advance, I believe, for anyone wishing to research the TB areas or any other details. I've been one of the first to criticise the market in the past for not releasing catalogues early enough but this year that aspect was good.

I've just edited my post above to correct a typo in the highest price of the unregistered cows. Also, if you take into account the registered cows entered in the unregistered section it changes the figures, which I'll now enter alongside, in red.

skipton rare breeds bulls 5-600 and cows300, at gisburn fortnightly 270.00 small dexters in good condition. don't think theres any entry fees