new cattle owner/farming questions?

Stressica

Ok so I am planning on buying 2 cattle form a nearby dry cattle/beef farmer.
Only for pets though, just saving them from slaughter..
(I know i know)

just want any info re herd number.. for 2 animals, not for slaughter or anything, approx price/best way to do it?

also re a crush, i woukld be able to use my neighbours/ (the current owner/ farmer of the rest of the herd) would that suffice or do I HAVE to have my own one? the neighbours farm is only 80M from ours..

I'm fine with feeding/husbandary.

any info/advice appreciated

rancher

Stressica wrote: »

Ok so I am planning on buying 2 cattle form a nearby dry cattle/beef farmer.
Only for pets though, just saving them from slaughter..
(I know i know)

just want any info re herd number.. for 2 animals, not for slaughter or anything, approx price/best way to do it?

also re a crush, i woukld be able to use my neighbours/ (the current owner/ farmer of the rest of the herd) would that suffice or do I HAVE to have my own one? the neighbours farm is only 80M from ours..

I'm fine with feeding/husbandary.

any info/advice appreciated

The dept agr frown on the movement of cattle from farmyard to farmyard because of the risk of the spread of disease, however for two cattle it would be worth talking to them and pleading your case,
I don't think it costs anything to get a herd number, again I'd tell you to talk to your local district veterinary office in the department of agriculture

JohnBoy

Costs nothing to get a herd number, but handling facilities are normally a requirement.

dont have to be fancy, a few strategically driven strainers and some gates should suffice.

Stressica

Ok thanks for the replies so far, i will definetly get onto sorting that out, the herd number thing,

thats great about the herd number nost costing, i was told expect to pay around €200.

i understand about the whole they dont want diseases transferred ir whatever but since these 2 animals would come from the farm anyway it might help a bit, otherwise i will look into doing a simple crush.

bbam

I understand your point about the animals coming from the farm and then back for testing.
However remember bio security
Is a big issue. What happens next year when you buy calves of someone else, who's facilities would you use then?

I think you need to have your own facilities for testing, crush etc. if
Your raising an animal to kill then it will be strong and need good facilities for regular dosing etc.

Stressica

@bbam perhaps i made my post a bit ambigious,

these 2 cattle will only be for pets, to live their lives.

and i will not be buying anymore either this year or next....

and certainly NOT for slaughter.

bbam

Oh, sorry I read it as saving them "for" slaughter.
How odd, I wouldn't think cattle as pets would be a good thing. They'll quickly grow to a stage where they are too big to interact with and if you have kids large cattle are very dangerous.

To be honest id say why don't you get chickens or something more suitable. You get eggs and could save chickens from intensive egg production where they are slaughtered as their production drops.

Dont be daft

Im not having a go at you here, I think its nice idea.
But I worry you might not have a clear understanding as to what your getting into.
Cattle arent pets, fair enough if you raised one from a calve but buying two bullocks or heifers from a farm and expecting to have a pair of very large labradors would be a mistake.

Have you facilities to winter the cattle on?Sheds?Stables?
Have you adequate grazing to feed the animals?Have you adequate fencing to keep the animals on your property?
Have you any expierence taking care of cattle?
Have you considered how long the animals will live for and the associated costs each year and how your going to dispose of them after their death?

I'm not having a dig at you. Just highlighting some issues which can have a dramatic effect on the well being of the animals.

bbam

In fairness a thread based in the notion of "saving cattle from slaughter" is out of place here in a Farming forum.

JohnBoy

Stressica wrote: »

@bbam perhaps i made my post a bit ambigious,

these 2 cattle will only be for pets, to live their lives.

and i will not be buying anymore either this year or next....

and certainly NOT for slaughter.

While I'd agree with the other posters that this maybe isnt a great idea I'll leave the why's and wherefores aside.


The department dont care about your intentions. once you have a herd number you "could" buy in more cattle, therefore they will treat you the same as any other farmer.


With pigs, and chickens I believe too there are "special" pig/flock numbers you can get for backyard rearing, but I dont believe such a thing exists, so you'll have to comply with all the regulations, just like every other cattle farmer.

blue5000

You'll find the phone no. of dept of agriculture in the middle pages of a phone book. You will need a crush. Good luck with them, this may not work out the way you envisage though......

swedex

bbam wrote: »

In fairness a thread based in the notion of "saving cattle from slaughter" is out of place here in a Farming forum.

Bit harsh.

I know somebody in the US who has a "cow sanctuary", cattle are bought in to be saved from slaughter and live out the rest of their lives eating grass and getting fat.

The trick is they get people to pay to sponsor and visit the cattle. It does quite well with all the peta type people, but it's run purely to make profit and I believe he's doing pretty well with it.

Personally speaking, I wouldn't fancy having a pet I couldn't physically restrain if I had to. I really don't know anything about cattle but it might be wise to avoid some of the bigger idiot breeds like limousines and maybe go for a smaller quieter Hereford.

bbam

With all respect to OP I think it's a foolish idea, cattle are not suitable for saving for slaughter by keeping them on a small plot with potentially sub standard facilities.
Saving battery chickens would be a far more sensible idea as they have a good deal of productive life left and are only being slaughtered to replace them with more productive birds. Cattle are reared with an ideal slaughter weight/age in mind.

Stressica

once again thank you for the replies,

I completly understand where you are all comeing from, i myself am from a rural farming community and so having 2 "pet" cows so to speak is definetly out of the ordinary and almost made out to be a freak & would be laughed upon, but thats beside the point.

My Father was a farmer years ago when he was younger 9and so was his father and generations before)

I have plenty of experience with cattle, all throughout my childhood, every evening i used to go up the local farmers and help milk cows and on weekends feed calves and check on other herds, ive also had alot or work experience with vets, gaining knowledge on husbandary and testing, and just being around cattle of diffeernt sizes/temperments etc ofc im not trying to say im an expert, lifes a learning game.
I'm not going into this with my head in the sand.

I wont be taking on the cows til next year (they are due to go around mid July) and thay are 2 whiteheads heifers, im well aware they are not going to be big labs or cute cuddly animals, but at the same time, i see them as gentle giants that need respect, as do all animals. saying that though, these 2 animals are completly at ease around me, more so with me then the farmer, ive spent hours most days since january getting to know them and learning about cattle and their behaviours.



Have you facilities to winter the cattle on?Sheds?Stables? yes
Have you adequate grazing to feed the animals?Have you adequate fencing to keep the animals on your property? yes
Have you any expierence taking care of cattle? yep
Have you considered how long the animals will live for and the associated costs each year and how your going to dispose of them after their death? of course i have and im not rushing into anything hence why i am aksing questions etc now.

sorry if my answer is abit all over the place, i respect all your views.

rancher

Stressica wrote: »

once again thank you for the replies,

I completly understand where you are all comeing from, i myself am from a rural farming community and so having 2 "pet" cows so to speak is definetly out of the ordinary and almost made out to be a freak & would be laughed upon, but thats beside the point.

My Father was a farmer years ago when he was younger 9and so was his father and generations before)

I have plenty of experience with cattle, all throughout my childhood, every evening i used to go up the local farmers and help milk cows and on weekends feed calves and check on other herds, ive also had alot or work experience with vets, gaining knowledge on husbandary and testing, and just being around cattle of diffeernt sizes/temperments etc ofc im not trying to say im an expert, lifes a learning game.
I'm not going into this with my head in the sand.

I wont be taking on the cows til next year (they are due to go around mid July) and thay are 2 whiteheads heifers, im well aware they are not going to be big labs or cute cuddly animals, but at the same time, i see them as gentle giants that need respect, as do all animals. saying that though, these 2 animals are completly at ease around me, more so with me then the farmer, ive spent hours most days since january getting to know them and learning about cattle and their behaviours.



Have you facilities to winter the cattle on?Sheds?Stables? yes
Have you adequate grazing to feed the animals?Have you adequate fencing to keep the animals on your property? yes
Have you any expierence taking care of cattle? yep
Have you considered how long the animals will live for and the associated costs each year and how your going to dispose of them after their death? of course i have and im not rushing into anything hence why i am aksing questions etc now.

sorry if my answer is abit all over the place, i respect all your views.

There is no reason why you shouldn't get these cattle. its not as if its the end of the world if something goes wrong, being whiteheads they have a better chance of being tame than any other breed... go for it
My motto is that its better to be sorry for doing something than to be sorry for not doing it....iykwim

Stressica

yes they are definetly both tame, she fell asleep while her head was in my arms,

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn139/XxgOoSegalxX/?action=view&current=mollister.jpg

yeah i agree

Tipp Man

Stressica wrote: »

yes they are definetly both tame, she fell asleep while her head was in my arms,

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn139/XxgOoSegalxX/?action=view&current=mollister.jpg

yeah i agree

Bit of grass - a couple of pounds of nuts and she'd look great on a plate at christmas

rancher

Stressica wrote: »

yes they are definetly both tame, she fell asleep while her head was in my arms,

http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn139/XxgOoSegalxX/?action=view&current=mollister.jpg

yeah i agree

You definitely don't need a crush to catch them anyway but rules are rules......anyone whose gone back to whiteheads swears by their docility...looks like they'll have a long and happy life

The hawlk

I can see what will happen
When they come into heat you will start wondering about what their calves would be like then all bets are off...

iverjohnston

They will be much more suitable as pets, than a lot of the Pony's and horses that are in peoples paddocks! Best of luck Iver in cavan

Stressica

Thanks and no i wouldnt wonder about them having calves, and even if i did the calf would stay with its mum and live its life

but yeah im going to start looking into crushes by the sounds

bonaparte2

Fair play to you on your farming enterprise.

Many cattle bought this spring didn't make any money for their owners.

Same owners will try to make money next year doing the same thing.

Its widely accepted that many farmers make an actual loss on their farming , year in , year out.

You are under no illusion or ambition about making money , yet you will make just as much as many farmers.

And you have the satisfaction of the companionship and enjoyment of those beautiful docile whiteheads.