Getting started

[chris16]

A friend and I are looking at getting started with some Dexter cattle , We have a good eight acre field with mains water that's well fenced etc . We are looking to start with a few steers to finish off . Does anyone know of any for sale ? ( we are based in Hertfordshire )
We have plenty of experience with sheep and horses etc , is there any recommended reading or resources we should be looking at ?

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Why not contact a DCS field advisor, there is one in your county. Look on www.dextercattle.co.uk and go to the field advisor section. There is one listed in Herfordshire, which is Hertfordshire, not Herefordshire. Most Dexter owners keep them on a small scale and will be happy to share info with you on how they manage their herds.

Joining the DCS and your local group is a good way to go, you will get local newsletters and the Dexter Cattle Society Bulletin, and other literature about the breed.

Check up on holding number etc and make sure DEFRA know you are starting a herd. They will be able to tell you the ins and outs of the TB regulations that apply locally

[Rob R]

Definitely do what Duncan has said, and also if you have any trouble finding steers I know of some available near Norwich, which is probably more than 100 miles from you, but if you e-mail or PM me I can pass on the contact details.

[SteveM]

I know of a couple of people locally who do similarly, buying in a couple of steers at spring, keeping the grass down over summer and freezering them in the autumn, or if buying young keeping over the 1st winter and killing in the 2nd year.

[Kelvin and Lottie James]

If you contact me, I will send details of our local group. East Anglia Group. We meet three or four times a year at various different venues. We are a friendly group of like minded people, who just like an informal gathering now and then.
Kelvin James
Sedgefen Dexters
21 Sedge Fen
Lakenheath
Suffolk
IP27 9LE

[Jac]

A friend and I are looking at getting started with some Dexter cattle , We have a good eight acre field with mains water that's well fenced etc . We are looking to start with a few steers to finish off . Does anyone know of any for sale ? ( we are based in Hertfordshire )
We have plenty of experience with sheep and horses etc , is there any recommended reading or resources we should be looking at ?

Welcome to the site.
It may seem an obvious question but looking at recent topics I have to ask whether you have a market for the steers you are going to finish?

[chris16]

Thanks for all the replies , we are intending to get them split into 1/8's for ourselves friends and family and to sell to a few people who already take the lambs . Mostly this would be a trial run for fun rather than commercial gain .

[Jac]

Thanks for all the replies , we are intending to get them split into 1/8's for ourselves friends and family and to sell to a few people who already take the lambs . Mostly this would be a trial run for fun rather than commercial gain .

Unfortunately, friends and family do not always want to pay a realistic price for the beef. Although you are doing it for fun rather than commercial gain it is as well to be mindful (when deciding on your pricing policy) of fellow producers who are running their herds on a commercial basis in the vicinity.

[chris16]

Don't worry I'm not going to be marketing and undercutting local producers , Friends and family would be based on the gifts/favours/barter system .

[ann]

You can't beat a bit of bartering

[Broomcroft]

No, no, bartered cod is fine but not beef, ruins it.

Sorry, that was terrible!

[Rob R]

No, no, bartered cod is fine but not beef, ruins it.

Sorry, that was terrible!

Have you ever tried it?

[Broomcroft]

Have you ever tried it?

Nope, have you?

[Rob R]

I've had crispy battered beef at the local Chinese, but it's not like the chippy sort (you beat me to it with that pun, though)