Questions about selling dexter calves

Dirtslinger · #1 06/22/08, 11:43 AM

Just for a bit of planning here. At what point do you sell calves for...

Steers/heifers for people to finish for their own freezers
4H kids
Breeding stock for other small farmers
Etc...

I don't want to wean to young, or miss the ideal cut-off times and end up feeding hay that wasn't necessary. Having a long winter here- nobody buys stock just before the snow flies.
Thanks!

whiterabbit454 · #2 06/22/08, 06:11 PM

where you at? do you always have a calf to sell? i would need to get a fence up and all that

Dirtslinger · #3 06/29/08, 11:49 AM

I forgot I posted this- no I don't have any for sale, but I do have a cow about to calve and several heifers that will hopefully next summer.
I'm just curious about when sales should take place for each market.
Do 4H'ers need a bottle calf? Etc etc. Thanks.

morrisfarm · #4 07/01/08, 04:22 PM

I sell my Dexter calves at 6 months old except for the steers. I sell them at 18 to 24 months old as grass fed beef. Hope that helped.

copperhead46 · #5 07/02/08, 07:50 AM

I sell my calves at weaning, so it would depend on your breeding program as to when you sell. Since it sounds like you are in "cold country" you should probably plan on a fall calving season, then you would have calves to sell in the spring. If you want to sell finished beef, plan on selling them in the fall, thats when most people want to butcher, so if you sell them as a 2 year old the timing would be right.
P.J.

Dirtslinger · #6 07/02/08, 09:02 PM

Thanks!
How about 4H calves? Are they normally bottle fed by the new owner?

morrisfarm · #7 07/03/08, 06:46 AM

4H calves are usually weaned calves. A bottle fed calf will never look as good as a calf fed from it's mother. A weaned calf is will tame down quickly in a small pen with sweet feed.

Dirtslinger · #8 07/03/08, 07:48 AM

Weaned- that's good then. For some reason I figured I'd need to remove calf early. Which I didn't want to do, would rather mom had a big hand. Sounds good! I guess I need to contact the local 4H'ers.

morrisfarm · #9 07/03/08, 03:54 PM

Dirtslinger , You can go to www.dextercattle.org and find calves for sale. Click on members and you should be able to find a breeder close to you. Good luck ............

ziggy@sunrisefa · #10 07/08/08, 05:55 PM

If anyone is looking i have some for sale in Western NC. Contact me through my website www.sunrisefarmnc.com