Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

The linear assessment scheme uses livestock assessors who mainly work with commercial dairy herds. One of the first Dexter cows to be assessed in a trial run had produced - I believe - 16 calves. The computer programme had to be altered because it only allowed a maximum of 6 to be recorded. It shows...

I always put rat bait blocks under my silage bales and it seems to protect them. I use home made bait boxes made from the centre tube from bale wrap spools with a hole drilled across the centre of the tube. I push a nail through the holes in the tube and the bait block. Keeps it safe for cats and dogs

I've a red cow that is always bullied by my other Dexters. All my other cattle push each other around, but it doesn't seem to be serious. One day A is pushing B around, the next day B is doing the pushing. But this one is always on the receiving end, and is always the last to the feed, except when w...

I agree with Duncan, I've had a couple of calves where mums wouldn't let them suckle. First one, the vet advised me to leave well alone. he said, when the calf is hungry, the cow will let it drink. It didn't. We lost the calf a month later to pneumonia. Second one, I milked the heifer and bottled it...

I doubt if any of the EU rule makers have ever seen a cow, or any other type of farm stock. I've been battling recently with a team of EU project managers who didn't know that farm work depended on the seasons. They also didn't understand ISO standards. As a result they bought 200 tractors with a va...

If I can toss in an odd comment on the "Organic" argument. Years ago, before the organic food movement became established, my dad tried producing organic chicken years and had major problems in sourcing organic feed. One of his friends who was producing organic pork at the same time took s...

This year with the mild weather, the Dexters I have housed seem to be suffering from mites and lice a bit earlier than usual. Although the shed has plenty of ventilation, several of them seem to be sweating more than usual. I know some stockmen clip the hair along the spine to provide better cooling...

I may be old fashioned, but if the animal isn't 100% Dexter, I don't see how the meat can be honestly described as Dexter. I'm not really bothered what the breed is, so long as the description at point of sale is truthful. Otherwise we are no better than the supermarket that describes their beef as ...

I'm aware that my comments may not win me a popularity contest but here goes. I worked for a major international bank in assessing business plans from loan applicants. We required the applicants claim of a market to be substantiated by several letters of intent from the businesses potential customer...

I bought a Krone round baler last year. Its mechanical and hydraulic, doesn't have any electronics. It is also easy to drive with a 60 hp tractor.I've found it to be pretty good apart from the fact that its not too keen on dealing with straw from rotary combines, but that's a common problem. I paid ...

Quite apart from the health risk, are you sure that your vet will only charge £40 for a pre-movement TB test? Our vet charges £90 as there are two visits involved, even though they each take less than 5 minutes. It makes a complete nonsense of the £25 charge unless the hirer is going to serve quite ...

I had a similar problem where the cows udder was so full and distended it was obviously sore. The calf was hesitant and every time she tried to suckle the cow kicked her away. My vet told me just to leave them to "get on with it", but with a lot of effort we hand milked the cow and got som...

I've also been strip grazing. Some neighbours commented that they haven't seen anyone do it for years. But why not, it works? I tried to reseed one field this spring, I'm still waiting for it to germinate. Until it does, I'm getting a practical lesson in grassland management.

Just a little off topic but here goes. At last years dairy event, one of the equipment suppliers was exhibiting a cow scratching post - For only a couple of hundred pounds!!! I gathered together some bits and pieces and at long last have made one myself at a total cost of around ten pounds. Its basi...

I halter train our cattle on our driveway. Its about half a mile long with fences both sides. I lead them a little further every day until we get to the end and then I have confidence that they will go a little further. Beet pulp nuts are a good bribe to get them started. A few old stockmen I have k...