Bridgwater sale 9th August

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:05 am

Is anyone else going to this sale ?

I'll be there with sheep and goats and in need of a bit of moral support.

I could have taken alpacas as well I discovered yesterday thereby solving ALL my problems in one go. Unfortunately they can't go because it is just too much of a risk because I couldn't bring them back if they failed to reach their reserve.

I really hope the rest of them sell -they are such nice animals.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:05 pm

I hope no-one is being put off by my request for moral support, I promise it is not necessary. I'm sure I can cope by myself, I'll let you know if any Dexters are there.

ngr2804 · Post by **ngr2804** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:11 pm

What sort of sale is it? Rare breeds? Any poultry?

Nick

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:39 pm

Sale of pedigree, rare, native and traditional cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Also goats and alpacas (if anyone takes any.) Starts at 11 am after the normal sheep sales.

Bury Hill Farm · Post by **Bury Hill Farm** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 6:53 pm

Hi Sylvia

I am intending to visit this sale on Saturday, are news if there are any Dexters entered or likely to be there ?

Barry

strawberriesclint · Post by **strawberriesclint** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:51 pm

hi Barry

i have just rang greenslade taylor hunt about the sale and they said there are several dexters for sale.

cyndy

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:00 am

I didn't get round to see the Dexters (if they were there) but other cattle were SO unimpressive I wouldn't have considered them even if I had been able to bring them back.

Despite taking extreme measures (no sleep the night before among other things) to get the animals into a relevant sale it was simply a nightmare. The only comfort is that they do seem to have gone to good homes. Which is a considerable bonus.

But it has really confimed my views about minorities. I would have been better off not registering them and giving them away locally - had I been able to.

Bury Hill Farm · Post by **Bury Hill Farm** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:30 am

There were about a dozen or so Dexters at the sale and all seemed to have achieved fairly good prices.

I didnt get a chance to have a good look around at anything else though as the traffic on the M5 was so bad we took nearly 3 hours to get there and only arrived just in time to see the Dexters sell (instead of the usual 50 minutes) and the journey home wasnt much better.

The bidding on the Dexters was fairly brisk and there were at least half a dozen or more individual bidders.

I also met a couple of friendly fellow Dexter owners and although the journey there & back was not much fun, the weather poor and the bloody Market Cafe ran out of food I had a good day.

Barry

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:41 pm

Anyone got any information on what they fetched? Shetland sheep (sorry but interested) and Dexters??

Jean

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:20 pm

My pure, registered Shetland sheep were not sold as I expected. I sent a detailed list with the application form and I expected the mature rams (who were superb R1s and an R2) to be sold individually but they were sold as a group of 3, thereby limiting the interest in my opinion. They fetched £28 each. My pure, registered ewes almost all had either a single or twin lambs (ewe lambs registered) at foot were sold as pens like commercials instead of as ewes and lambs or small groups of 2 or 3 ewes with lambs as I expected. These fetched £17 - £29 regardless of age or what lambs they had. In fact the 36 lambs, registered, eartagged, Heptovac (twice), wormed ang Dysect and all the loving care and attention they have received since birth did not count at all. The goats didn't do much better. It cost over £100 to enter them, £350 to get them down there. The commission and tolls for selling them and I'm still waiting for the bill from the chap who helped me trim all their feet so they were at their best for the sale. I coukl not put a reserve on because I coukl not bring them back. I have tried to sell them for several months on the SS site, this site, in the local paper, on other internet sites and as an insert in the CSB newsletter, (which I print for them) with no success. I was prepared to sell for reasonable prices, but what I got for these after putting in so much effort was so discouraging that it makes me feel ill when I look at the list. My only consolation, as I said before, is that they seem to have gone to a good home.

One more thing to put behind me and proceed to the next, you live and learn.

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:43 pm

So sorry Sylvia. No consolation at all I am sure but a young guy from Aberdeenshire descended on me a couple of weeks ago (staying with my neighbours). He asked to view the smallholding and in true smallholding tradition he was welcomed (I will talk about my stock till the cows come home, if you see what I mean). He was very complimentry about my shetland ram, he felt he was magnificent and also very large! I explained he was obviously well fed as opposed to the hard life on Shetland. He mentioned that in Aberdeen (surrounding areas??) they (ewes/rams/lambs) fetch £1 a piece!! Scarey? or what??

jean

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:44 pm

Yes Jean, truly soul destroying especially as rams cost £5 to register and ewes £2.

Louisa Gidney · Post by **Louisa Gidney** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:00 pm

I wish Manx loaghtans were as cheap to register as Shetlands! I agree about the poor trade for primitives, not sure what's going to happen this year as we've just moved into the protection zone, which has scuppered a sale to Caithness for the time being.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:55 pm

Any idea of the prices the Dexters achieved?

Ken Hobbs · Post by **Ken Hobbs** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:26 pm

According to Market Report, Dexter Bull £966, Cow £693, in calf Heifer £540.