york sale

stew · Post by **stew** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:01 pm

thinking about putting half a dozen cows with calf at foot in at york rare breed sale in april, all heifer calfs over 5 months well grown things do i let them go with calfs at foot or wean the calfs of an sell them seperate ????? should i bother putting cows back to bull and sell em in calf or not
will try and get pics on the for sale page they must sell and i only want realistic money unlike some of the high prices on there

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:24 am

I don't know what is best at a rare bred sale but at an ordinary sale weaning the calves and selling in matched pairs worked OK for us. And putting them back in calf (assuming you have a suitable bull and they aren't very old and past it) would seem to be the better option.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:54 pm

If these cows have been calved for 5 months it seems a shame they are not already back in calf. I would get them with a bull right now, and at least they will have had the chance of one 3 week period with bull before sale. If you do not have them served they will be 6 months or so calved by the sale time, and if calves are weaned anyone buying them will have a long wait to get any calves.

If you can't get them served before sale it might be best to sell with calves at foot.

Duncan

stew · Post by **stew** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:51 pm

they not been served as the bull i use is out of the btsz and im in it or they would have been put to bull before now
i know if i was buying new stock id want to use a bull of my own choice

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:33 pm

I agree totally with Duncan. Most people considering buying Dexters at the sale will not have their own bull and will not want the hassle of having to get the cows in calf immediately, especially if they are new to keeping dexters. You will compromise the amount of people who may otherwise be interested.
Also if you wean the calves, depending on the condition of the cows, they may get fat over the summer if they have 9 months plus before calving again and are not suckling a calf.

Whilst it is nice to be able to chose the bull, if the cow is decent she will sell whatever bull she is in calf to, as a different bull can be used the following year. It would be more of a worry to buy a cow which you don't know can get back in calf.
Penny