Hello,
My family and I are in the process of buying an eight acre field close to our home. We are complete novices and would appreciate any advice to help us start in the right direction.
I plan to divide the field into two, keep four acres for hay and use the rest for 4 to 6 Dexter steers (I thought it would be easier starting off with steers while we learn the ropes). Does this sound feasible? would we have trouble buying steers? is there anything you would have liked to have been told when you were first starting out?
I'd appreciate any comments,
Thanks
Stuart
Novice Alert!
Hello Stuart
I'm still a novice after several years (I think you need about 20 years before you get to the experienced stage!) but I do think you might find it difficult to buy Dexter steers at a price where you would make any money out of them. Heifer youngsters are easier to come by (I think) and would give you the option of getting them bred or sending for slaughter when old enough. If you do plan to breed remember to multiply your first purchases by 3 to work out how many Dexters you will end up with. ie for each cow you will have last years calf still growing on when she produces this years calf. On the acreage you have possibly 2 in calf cows would be plenty and you may need to house in the winter to protect your land.
In addition, although Dexters are small cows, they are still big animals so work out a safe way to contain them for the vet etc.
I'm sure everyone else will chip in with better tips than this but I just thought I'd start things off.
I'm still a novice after several years (I think you need about 20 years before you get to the experienced stage!) but I do think you might find it difficult to buy Dexter steers at a price where you would make any money out of them. Heifer youngsters are easier to come by (I think) and would give you the option of getting them bred or sending for slaughter when old enough. If you do plan to breed remember to multiply your first purchases by 3 to work out how many Dexters you will end up with. ie for each cow you will have last years calf still growing on when she produces this years calf. On the acreage you have possibly 2 in calf cows would be plenty and you may need to house in the winter to protect your land.
In addition, although Dexters are small cows, they are still big animals so work out a safe way to contain them for the vet etc.
I'm sure everyone else will chip in with better tips than this but I just thought I'd start things off.
Stuart
Adding to Syvia's comments - I would suggest a couple of cows with at foot young steer calves (and ideally in calf again to avoid mucking about with bulls/AI in your first year). As Sylvia points out this gives you a probable result of 6 Dexters in a year! If you are not fussed about show quality stock this will give you the maximum stock for the smallest outlay.
You will need to invest in electric fencing to sub divide your 4 acre fields and if you run out of pasture you can buy in hay fairly cheaply (off the field).
Ref winter housing - I am on mostly poor quality hill land in Shropshire and my Dexters only poached the ground around water troughs/feeding points last winter so unless you enjoy the work involved!
Good luck.
Peter O'Brien
Adding to Syvia's comments - I would suggest a couple of cows with at foot young steer calves (and ideally in calf again to avoid mucking about with bulls/AI in your first year). As Sylvia points out this gives you a probable result of 6 Dexters in a year! If you are not fussed about show quality stock this will give you the maximum stock for the smallest outlay.
You will need to invest in electric fencing to sub divide your 4 acre fields and if you run out of pasture you can buy in hay fairly cheaply (off the field).
Ref winter housing - I am on mostly poor quality hill land in Shropshire and my Dexters only poached the ground around water troughs/feeding points last winter so unless you enjoy the work involved!
Good luck.
Peter O'Brien
Peter
www.kahurangi.org
www.kahurangi.org
I take your point about winter housing, Peter, and I have left mine out up 'til now when we were very lightly stocked with plenty of options for moving to other fields in the spring to allow poached areas to recover. But now, with more animals, I am thinking about housing at least some of them next winter. Of course it means buying in straw (which is like gold dust in this area) which is added expense. But it might be worth it to protect the fields.
Peter and Sylvia
Thanks for your advice, it is much appreciated.
The field I'm buying is very well sheltered by a wood on two sides and thick hedges on the other two, and it slopes enough to drain well. But I can see that it would make sense to have some housing to fall back on if a winter were to be particulary wet.
A contractor I have contacted has shown some reluctance to bale the hay and has suggested using haylage. How quickly could 4-6 Dexters get through haylage 80cm X 80cms X 4.5'? as I know it only lasts 4-5days before going off.
Stuart
Thanks for your advice, it is much appreciated.
The field I'm buying is very well sheltered by a wood on two sides and thick hedges on the other two, and it slopes enough to drain well. But I can see that it would make sense to have some housing to fall back on if a winter were to be particulary wet.
A contractor I have contacted has shown some reluctance to bale the hay and has suggested using haylage. How quickly could 4-6 Dexters get through haylage 80cm X 80cms X 4.5'? as I know it only lasts 4-5days before going off.
Stuart
Stuart
No experience with haylage - I fed 1 x (old style) small bale of good hay a day to 2 x cows and 2 x semi-adult steers. They also had about a kg of nuts a day each plus whatever they could forage (broom/gorse/dead bracken/dry grass) and they thrived on that in cold conditions. If you therefore work on an equivalent volume of haylage a day per head they won't starve.
Peter
No experience with haylage - I fed 1 x (old style) small bale of good hay a day to 2 x cows and 2 x semi-adult steers. They also had about a kg of nuts a day each plus whatever they could forage (broom/gorse/dead bracken/dry grass) and they thrived on that in cold conditions. If you therefore work on an equivalent volume of haylage a day per head they won't starve.
Peter
Peter
www.kahurangi.org
www.kahurangi.org
Stuart
Do you live in an area where making hay is tricky because of the weather? If not, check out another contractor if you really want hay. Small bales are easy to handle but you will need somewhere well covered to store it. Small bale haylage should be OK. We had big bale haylage which smells of apples. Lovely. Check the weight if you decide to have anything other than small bale hay. If you can't shift it yourself you will need someone to move it everytime you need to put a new bale in. Or buy relevant equipment! Wrapped haylage can be stored outside but it must be fenced to keep animals away and patched if birds have a go at it. Don't be put off there is usually a simple solution to most things, but it helps to get as much as poss sorted out first.
Do you live in an area where making hay is tricky because of the weather? If not, check out another contractor if you really want hay. Small bales are easy to handle but you will need somewhere well covered to store it. Small bale haylage should be OK. We had big bale haylage which smells of apples. Lovely. Check the weight if you decide to have anything other than small bale hay. If you can't shift it yourself you will need someone to move it everytime you need to put a new bale in. Or buy relevant equipment! Wrapped haylage can be stored outside but it must be fenced to keep animals away and patched if birds have a go at it. Don't be put off there is usually a simple solution to most things, but it helps to get as much as poss sorted out first.