A little level headed advice needed please

[Howard]

Hi everyone,

due to a number of factors I am unable continue with my small herd of Dexters as I hoped and need to reduce my numbers by more than half. As I havent had them very long I feel really upset, guilty and disapointed about this and its turned into an emotional issue for me and I would really apreciate some objective and practical advice.

The plan that I have come up with so far is to sell 2 black non short registered cows who are due to calve in the summer along with a 10 month old registered non short heffer who is the daughter of one of the in calf cows. I am concerned that as the cows are aged 4 and 7 years they may not sell and am also worried that they may only apeal to someone who will not take care of them. I have advertised them on preloved in the hope of attracting a caring smallholder but perhaps its the wrong time of year. I would really rather not put them through a rare breeds auction in April. Do any of you have any suggestions as to where I might find a suitable buyer? Is selling a calf at 10 months a difficult age? Should I wait until she is old enough to be bulled?

I also have a steer that I planned to butcher at 24 months but this would mean taking him through to April 2015. Due to the amount and quality of my land as well as pressures on my time and budget, taking him through the next winter be a real challenge.Is it reasonable to butcher him earlier than 24 months. Any thoughts on this?

I need to feed and reseed some of my pasture this spring so reducing the number of cows sooner rather than later would greatly help with this and butchering the steer at the end of the year means I would only be taking a cow, a heffer and a calf through winter which would be much more managable for me and more appropriate for my land.Sorry if this sounds like a storm in a tea cup and a lot of fuss for not alot of cattle but the worry that I wont be able to find them a good home is making me unable to see the wood for the trees. I would really apreciate your sound advice

Sue ( Howards partner)

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[Saffy]

Hello Sue,

Have you advertised your cattle on here?

I have found it an excellent way to sell.

As for butchering at a younger age, it can be done whenever it suits you, I did one at 17 months - it was delicious! There was less of it - that was all.

Stephanie

[Howard]

Hi Stephanie,

thanks for your reply. Thats useful to know about the early slaughter. He would be 20 months on 17th of Dec so perhaps that wouldnt be so bad.No I havent put them on here as I thought the stock advertised were all high quality show stock but perhaps I should.

Sue

[Rob R]

When you're doing it just for your own freezer and personal enjoyment you should butcher animals when it suits you and not worry about the 'ideal' time. I have a friend who keeps Dexters just for his kitchen, and he plans the butchering of his steers around when his freezer is empty and when he's going on holiday. As he says, he keeps cattle for pleasure, not added stress, so if I were you I'd go with the plan of beefing him at the beginning of 2014 winter and save yourself the feeding of another winter & spring finishing.

To be honest, when you sell an animal it is out of your hands and the only way you can guarantee how well it is cared for is to keep it yourself or offer to stay in touch with the buyer and offer to buy it back if they find it is getting too much for them (which perhaps isn't the best situation for you, although perhaps the breeder would be interested in taking them back from you?). Don't beat yourself up when you have to sell an animal and if you think it will only go to a home that won't look after it then it's better to cull it. Smallholders tend not to be uncaring, but quite often situations can change quite suddenly and they feel obliged to keep the animals when perhaps they can't cope with them. Very few people intend to treat their animals badly, especially if they're aiming to make money out of them, as sick cows cost more than they make.

The rare breeds sale is one option, and selling in Spring, when people have grass, the prices tend to be better, so if you could hang on until the end of April you could do better then, and you can put a reserve on them but of course you have no control over who they sell to. As Stephanie says, advertising on here is worth looking at - there seems to be a lot of time waster buyers on preloved (we just 'sold' a calf feeder on there - we gave it another wash, ready to package up for the courier. The buyer arranged to send payment, and that's the last we've heard from him - he's stopped answering messages and the payment never arrived).

I'd like to offer to help myself but I'm a bit strapped for space (and cash) until we get some more hay out of the way.

[Howard]

Thanks Rob for your pearls of wisdom. The cows are only for pleasure and our consumption not a comercial venture as the cost of feeding them when you have to buy everything in makes and dealing in small numbers makes unviable.

I do realise that once they are sold they are someone elses property as I breed sheep and chickens and am happy selling them on when the time comes though I try and market them and price them for the right audience. I also agree about the time wasters on preloved as I have had people from as far as ireland asking questions about them without any hope of buying them.

As for the breeder....., I had to ask for details of the tb test as potential buyers want to know this kind of information and when she found I was selling them she wasnt very happy and said that she wouldnt have sold them to me if I was going to move them on. I did offer her them back but she said she was overstocked. Which is exactly the position that I find myself in. Her responce didnt make me feel much better about the situation.

A couple of breeders have been intouch so I hope they will go to some one who understands them. In regard to your inability to buy then untill you sell some hay. Perhaps we could do a trade off and you could pay me in forrage and bedding.

Thanks again for your sencible comments. I realise that my circumstances have changed since I took them on and can see that I was a bit nieve not to realise that my hay supplier would double his prices once I had started my winter feeding. Thanks also to those who have messaged me.

Sue

[helena]

Hi
Are those your little dexters on the side of Hayton ,if you are short of hay why not feed barley or wheat straw plus some fodder beet it is down to around £19 a ton excellent feed.As for out wintering have yousomewhere to make a pen all out commercial sucklers out winter .As for your steer the animal Needs to be fit just sent in some limmi bulls fit at 13months

[Rob R]

A couple of breeders have been intouch so I hope they will go to some one who understands them. In regard to your inability to buy then untill you sell some hay. Perhaps we could do a trade off and you could pay me in forrage and bedding.

We're having a sort round this week, and putting together the bulling groups, so should be able to have some space in a non-bulling group where they wouldn't get bullied. I'd rather you found homes for them with the interested breeders though, as I can't really justify the asking price on them, even in hay/bedding and I don't want to take advantage. However, if you're stuck for an outlet and it's that or culling, let me know.

(I'll buy a lottery ticket this week, too)

[ann]

why not feed barley or wheat straw plus some fodder beet it is down to around £19 a ton excellent feed.

Is it the straw or the sugar beet pulp thats £19 would be interested if its the straw, but not sure where you are buying it from ?

[helena]

We were offered the price on fodder beet as we lifted it.but it was not for sale as we feed it all.,it can be fed whole or chopped.I am sorry we don't have any left ,but I know someone with some left you could put some in a trailer if you have just a few cows just chop it into pieces with a spade.

[Rob R]

There are a few people with some fodder beet to spare on the NFU Fodder Bank, too.