Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

Farmers & Mercantile? - we use them for third party insurance on our herd.

I would like to express my support for Duncan. I have no knowledge of Council goings-on, but Duncan has been extremely helpful and encouraging to me as a new Dexter-owner and I am very grateful. The fact of his, and other, resignations is of concern. As a side-note, we own Dexters as land management...

Will do, once I've got some grass to cut...

As an afterthought, I've just bought Silage & Haymaking by Ian Moore (1959) from eBay. Any recommendations for reading gratefully received.

It's that time of year - and I've finally pulled the trigger on a mini-round baler system from Danelander. Very excited, but now having to clear some space to store the kit! PS Pls don't ask prices, because I promised not to say. Although if you're thinking about a similar purchase, now would be goo...

Might be...I'd want to find a vet who's confident of >67% success in Dexters if protocol followed to the letter. What success rates are members getting?

Just to finish off the story - thanks to your combined wisdom, I brought the steer and three heifers into the cattle pen overnight, fed them hay and water, and shipped him off the following morning (yesterday). No problems, and probably the best I could have done for him.

As a novice with only 3 heifers (and a steer), we chose AI this year. Next year, we won't. :) First attempt, consisting of five visits to the crush (pessary, prostaglandin jab, pessary removal, 2 inseminations), produced 1 possibly pregnant and 2 definite returns. Second attempt on the 2 returns, ba...

Really helpful replies - thanks. I shall bring him in from the fields the evening before travelling with hay and water, then off in the morning, slaughter in the afternoon. Not looking forward to my first visit...but has to be done. Cheers, John.

In about a month's time I'll be taking our first steer to slaughter, and called up the abattoir in Dingwall to check the procedure. They recommended that I starve the animal for the day before slaughter. I can see the benefit for the slaughterhouse, but not for the animal! Do members do this, or not...

According to the British Farming Forum, the downside of the McHale wrapper is that if the bale is less than 30kg, it gets pulled off the machine. Think I'm still leaning towards mini round bales.

I've just come across a machine I didn't know existed - a small square bale wrapper, for example the McHale 995lm. Has anyone tried this? If it was any good, I could make haylage or silage with conventional small squares, which would probably be cheaper and stack much better.

Hello Duncan - yes, I am reading this thread, and it's fascinating and very helpful. You've got the system I want! Since our weather is variable, we have to be able to make silage, and the small round bales are much more suitable (I'd wondered about just getting a second hand small square baler, but...

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful. I shall retain some big bales and buy in a little hay for good measure. We've had a good spell of weather up here for several weeks, so on the drier side should be possible. Spraying bracken today - making the most of the last chance to use Asulox. Sweated sev...

That's interesting! How long did a big bale last your bull plus two heifers? Thanks.

We inherited an arrangement whereby a local crofter cut two of our fields (out of total of five) for silage, which he produces in big round bales. There had been no animals on the place for years, and no money exchanged hands (although he always helped us out, if needed). Now we have 4 Dexters, whic...