Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

Can I ask, how you go about double-suckling, get them started etc? Know nothing about it.

Rob R wrote: Have you ever tried it?

Nope, have you?

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

Sorry, that was terrible!

We limed our fields a couple of years ago with lime+potash (after testing the soil), and even though PH was just about OK theoretically, the fields yielded much more afterwards. Really worth while for us.

for those interested in cull prices, Dawn meats at carnaby, near Bridlington paid out at £2 per kilo deadweight. That's an excellent price. Sorry to hear about your cow. I've still got my first favourite and dreading the day when she has to go. Gale (born on a very windy night, roof blew off our ba...

Jac, Could you stitch/harrow in some new Aber or whatever grass seed? I grazed one of our old leys down as tight as possible one year, then roughed it up with a harrow a few times over, broadcast seed, harrowed again and rolled two or three times. Phew!!! Anyhow, nothing much happened, but the follo...

Just to clarify, my 250kg DW cow was a freak and that's why I culled her, nothing more than that. She was only 5. If I'd been crossing at the time, I'd have kept her. I'm pretty certain all my cows are within height standard, and they are definitely 350kg max (even in top condition) which I know fro...

TomGDexters wrote:On the culling front I am fairly sure our local slaughter house take non FA cattle, the last ones I sent to a spot in Todmorrden, Nr Halifax

Tom, Can you remember her deadweight and what sort of price you got?

Dexters are the smallest breed of British cattle. A cow should weigh about 350kg. How do you get a carcase of 25okg from a 350kg liveweight animal - answer is you can't. The only way to keep dexters true to their qualities is to maintain the small size. One of the answers is get rid of shorties Dun...

She was 250kg DW. I was surprised as she didn't look that big. I sent 6 in that day and they averaged 200kgs.

Most graded O+5L, with one at R5H. Two were shorties, weighing in at 180kg DW each.

I'm not suggesting that low prices are necessarily a good thing, just that high prices don't always mean more income. I've been banging on for weeks about the only solution to low prices at auction is for established breeders to turn up at the auctions and bid, and I thought I might have shot mysel...

I suppose the first thing to do is find out what local abattoirs there are near you, if any, and whether they require Farm Assurance. I feel certain some do not. It may be that a lot of people drive further to go to a market than they would going to the abattoir. Yes you've got to plan ahead but it'...

I've heard they have good growth rates. Doesn't make much sense does it, other than hybrid vigour I suppose. I cross with full-sized Angus and have provided figures to someone who crosses with a Lowline. But he's waiting for theirs to grow up before we can compare, so no news yet. I'd guess they'd b...

Don't blame the cattle or the buyers, it's the sellers willing to sell at that price. I can't understand why. If sales are no good, don't take them. Cull price for a cow average say £350 unless they're tiny ones, and no fuss or bother either. For a medium sized bull £850? Not sure, haven't taken one...

We just made 10 acres of silage on 24 Sept, but making hay is an achievement.

Did 3 cuts on this field. 1st cut 47 bales, 2nd cut 47 bales, 3rd cut 46. It's a very reliable field .