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Old-Chads-Orchard
Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 394 Location: Malpas, Cheshire
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46052 Location: yes
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 23 1:36 am Post subject: |
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no, those that have them seem to like them
not much help, but afaik they are not mentioned as unusually "difficult"
highlands are often funny and mostly nice if rather frisky, they are very hardy and good at turning less than promising forage into top quality beef
maybe not a starter moo but better than some breeds
dexters are ace moos even if they can be a bit "wild" in a natural herd, dexter bulls are gentlemen if treated politely, steers can be a bit keen when there are mothers and calves in the herd, they cope well in flood plain or moorside land
kerrys , umm, one died the other was a psychopath escapee monster, if they were typical probably best avoided
as a cow novice i can't help much, work out what they have to eat and take type and numbers from there
ps i met some longhorns on their terms, they seemed nice but not very meaty on very rough forage
a thought, what type of herd are you planning?
at small scale you can mix the "herd" when good shopping opportunities can be found, if you are planning to create a herd by breeding it does need acreage for quite a few and choosing a type to match the land as well as a localish breed community for bull rotations etc |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46052 Location: yes
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46052 Location: yes
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011 Posts: 15834
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NorthernMonkeyGirl
Joined: 10 Apr 2011 Posts: 4618 Location: Peeping over your shoulder
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 23 10:25 am Post subject: Re: British White Cattle |
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Old-Chads-Orchard wrote: |
Anyone have experience of the breed on here? Looking for a breed other than the go to Dexter for beef suckler cattle for our smallholder, before I pester the nearest breeder to me wondered if anyone here keeps them?
ta |
Summary:
IMO dexters are not all that, there are better beasties out there, it depends a lot on the keeper's experience and equipment, I am a fan of bigger but dopier animals, what is the proposed scenario across the year, and let me know if you want to chat WAY too much about cattle
For similar stature but beefier look, have a look at "miniature Hereford". I don't know temperament, but they are not a micro-pig-style scam, they were developed in Canada iirc. If you browse Sellmylivestock there are a couple of keepers in the West Midlands.
Highlands are sweet but the width of the horns can mean needing specialist equipment, or if keeping for slaughter the nearest abattoir might not accept them.
I've got Welsh Whites and Belted Welsh Blacks, the smaller and (I think) tougher cousins to the "improved" Welsh Black. We are looking for new breeders to help save this rare breed...
You'll want something easy to handle if you're in Cheshire, for all the TB tests. |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46052 Location: yes
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 23 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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big has advantages such as half the paperwork, half the vet fees and half the pop and chop fees compared to 2 small ones for the same amount of food/meat
the only belted galloway i had was docile but he was huge by 30 months which has its own issues not least that they sink in soft ground and compact/puddle decent ground
little ones are fairly easily moved a few at a time in a tow stock trailer, big uns will probably need a stock wagon
a slight leftfield thought, moderate size, docile, multipurpose (milk, meat, haulage, leather)
buffalo, found all over Asia as smallholder moos
they are not cheap in the uk and i have no idea what mad hoops would be needed to buy them cheapish and fetch them home using the classic "this is my emotional support buffalo" when boarding the plane
charming animals, quite robust and very tasty |
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45612 Location: Essex
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Ty Gwyn
Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Posts: 4603 Location: Lampeter
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NorthernMonkeyGirl
Joined: 10 Apr 2011 Posts: 4618 Location: Peeping over your shoulder
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 23 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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dpack wrote: |
big has advantages such as half the paperwork, half the vet fees and half the pop and chop fees compared to 2 small ones for the same amount of food/meat
the only belted galloway i had was docile but he was huge by 30 months which has its own issues not least that they sink in soft ground and compact/puddle decent ground
little ones are fairly easily moved a few at a time in a tow stock trailer, big uns will probably need a stock wagon
a slight leftfield thought, moderate size, docile, multipurpose (milk, meat, haulage, leather)
buffalo, found all over Asia as smallholder moos
they are not cheap in the uk and i have no idea what mad hoops would be needed to buy them cheapish and fetch them home using the classic "this is my emotional support buffalo" when boarding the plane
charming animals, quite robust and very tasty |
Buffalo dairy has just relocated from Wales to - I think - Cornwall. I've met an old buffalo steer and he was HUGE ![](images/smiles/icon_eek.gif) |
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sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42218 Location: North Devon
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011 Posts: 15834
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46052 Location: yes
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 23 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Buffalo dairy has just relocated from Wales to - I think - Cornwall. I've met an old buffalo steer and he was HUGE |
compared to me, a newborn dexter is quite big
live wt of a full grown bull is a bit over 1000kg, girls and young meat steers(if there happened to be an oversupply of boys) a bit less
buffalo are about the same size as herefords for a local comparison, big but not beltie G size
re size, a prime consideration is what they will walk on, soft or "delicate" soils are best under small moos, harder ground is ok for bigger ones
if the sig snap is the local soil, ie cheshire red, it can get a bit soft and sticky if wet, really huge ones may be best avoided
how big are the local moos on similar soils? what does the ground look like after they use it?
the existing soil will be altered by cattle, with care it can be made better, used badly it will become a problem
imho, cattle keeping and soil management are intimately linked, especially if they are to eat salad and hay in the long term
perhaps thinking about the soil condition and your intentions for improving that and the flora growing on it is one place to find answers about what type of moo will be best
that may change over time as the soil and flora develop
oddly buffalo can do hard and dry or up to their middles in puddles, dexters can be almost aquatic if necessary
any cattle will puddle and compact softish ground
to that end, what sort of moo keeping is planned?
for improving soil/flora, mob stocking and strip grazing seems to work well on soil that is often wet, was compacted and degraded by industrial arable farming etc
it is labour-intensive in the sense that the herd need a new patch every day, but is easy with bronze age field patterns or only takes an hour or so each day moving the electric fencing along the field
moos need eyeballing every day, so the two jobs take the same time slot
scrub clearance/control needs a different approach and free grazing might work best for that, a good fence and binoculars(and maybe running boots if in with them) are the primary infrastructure required
thinking of fences, good ones are good, even good ones might not be moo proof but they often help, walk the perimeter and consider a lot of meat pressing on it or jumping over it
ps some moos are ace at escape and evasion and reducing that is easier than hunting for and/or apologizing
from a moo point of view, i want some family with me, nice food, a comfortable environment and peaceful calm unless i decide to poke my older brother for a giggle or i get spooked by something to run away from or to jump up and down on
pps some moos have tried to kill me when i posed no threat to them or their rellies, some have trusted me and been easy even when they were distressed by something i was trying to help them with
any moo can kill you by accident, that is worth remembering and the opportunities minimizing, some breeds are known for being feisty, perhaps in some ways they are safer as there is little chance of becoming too trusting of them
ppps are you ready for: trying to position a large beast at 5 am while convincing it that you are a midwife should things be less than going well?
are you ready for its best friend taking against you long term if it goes badly with no blame on yourself/selves?
pppps calling a bull for his free-range shoulder massage in the morning is nice for him and the best hand cream i have ever discovered
the smell of hay and happy moos in the morning makes up for wondering which of them is about to sweep the back of my knees with metre wide horns
to observe your happy moos is splendid
moos are ace, they are also a major commitment and moderately dangeroos "pet you can eat" |
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Ty Gwyn
Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Posts: 4603 Location: Lampeter
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45612 Location: Essex
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