Farming Rare Cattle Breeds - Anyone?

TheClubMan

I'm interested in starting a small herd of Dexters or Irish Moiles and farming them on some marginal ground I have. Is there anyone out there farming them and is there a market for their meat or do you have to source a market yourself? Is the rare breed grant per livestock unit paid yearly or just once per unit? Any feedback from someone farming similarly would be much appreciated.

cmac

We run a herd of PBR Kerry cattle on fairly marginal, wet, West of Ireland land and find them great. They're unsurpassed for regeneration of old pastures, outwinter effortlessly, are fabulously easy calvers, and yield the creamiest, sweetest milk imaginable. Oh, and the meat is simply gorgeous.
They have allowed us to farm without taking on the expense of building a slatted shed, and their size makes management pretty easy. We considered Dexters in the early days but we have never once regretted getting Kerrys.

Future Farmer

Conservation Of Animal Genetic Resources (Rare Breeds)
If you rear animals of the following species you can choose this measure:

Cattle:
Kerry
Dexter
Irish Maol (or Moiled)

Horses and ponies:
Connemara Pony
Irish Draught
Kerry Bog Pony

Sheep:
Galway

More Here: http://www.farmfile.ie/AEOS1Conservation

tanko

cmac wrote: »

We run a herd of PBR Kerry cattle on fairly marginal, wet, West of Ireland land and find them great. They're unsurpassed for regeneration of old pastures, outwinter effortlessly, are fabulously easy calvers, and yield the creamiest, sweetest milk imaginable. Oh, and the meat is simply gorgeous.
They have allowed us to farm without taking on the expense of building a slatted shed, and their size makes management pretty easy. We considered Dexters in the early days but we have never once regretted getting Kerrys.

Where do you sell them and can you say how much you get paid for them?

cmac

Because we don't de-horn our cattle our best route to market is direct sales. But the real marvel of the breed is the way they can turn marginal land into milk and beef. Will they grow as fast as a continental cross, no. Are they hardier, definitley.
And I thought I saw a question about the premium payments. We applied in 3 separate tranches last year without any bother. Bear in mind that calves must be registered with the breed society so that must come out of the premium.

sonnybill

cmac wrote: »

Because we don't de-horn our cattle our best route to market is direct sales. But the real marvel of the breed is the way they can turn marginal land into milk and beef. Will they grow as fast as a continental cross, no. Are they hardier, definitley.
And I thought I saw a question about the premium payments. We applied in 3 separate tranches last year without any bother. Bear in mind that calves must be registered with the breed society so that must come out of the premium.

To get full top up of GLAS +, e200 X 10 cows max so if you must register all progeny .. If you had a large herd of say dexters would the E2000 be worth it if you were killing them anyway

kay 9

Bought a couple of Irish moilies for the craic a few weeks ago. Have a few neighbours told we're letting one out as a bull this year.
A few lads nearly dropped.
We're considering letting him to a few heifers though. Easy calved and polled. Colour schemes should be interesting. Keeps the boredom out of it.

sako 85

kay 9 wrote: »

Bought a couple of Irish moilies for the craic a few weeks ago. Have a few neighbours told we're letting one out as a bull this year.
A few lads nearly dropped.
We're considering letting him to a few heifers though. Easy calved and polled. Colour schemes should be interesting. Keeps the boredom out of it.

any pics?

kay 9

sako 85 wrote: »

any pics?

I'm try get a few this evening and attempt posting them with phone as pc is down.

sako 85

Great!

djmc

We keep 5 Kerry bog ponies
I think they are the hardest friendliest animals that I have ever seen bar none.
Also have some Highlands and Galloway but they are Scottish breeds and would not qualify as rear breeds for grants in Ireland.

_Brian

I would dearly love to go down the route of Kerry cows but an outlet for the beef would be a big concern.

pedigree 6

_Brian wrote: »

I would dearly love to go down the route of Kerry cows but an outlet for the beef would be a big concern.

Is the Kerry not a dairy breed?

Or do you mean the Dexter?

pedigree 6

djmc wrote: »

We keep 5 Kerry bog ponies
I think they are the hardest friendliest animals that I have ever seen bar none.
Also have some Highlands and Galloway but they are Scottish breeds and would not qualify as rear breeds for grants in Ireland.

Is there a bit of Arab blood in the Kerry bog pony?

_Brian

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Is the Kerry not a dairy breed?

Or do you mean the Dexter?

Yes of course.
Thanks.

pedigree 6

_Brian wrote: »

Yes of course.
Thanks.

Here I dug a picture out for ya of a dexter cow.
Taken in 2016 at the Iverk Show.

Base price

Someone posted before about dwarfism genes and short leg genes (not jeans) in Dexters. I cannot find the thread but it was interesting reading.
There is a farm near Kilcock on the Enfield side that has some unusual breeds, I think Irish Moiled and Park cattle.

djmc

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Is there a bit of Arab blood in the Kerry bog pony?

Could be they do have the same looking face as an Arab.
Their closest related DNA wise is the Icelandic horse which lead some to believe that they were brought in by the Vikings over a thousand years ago.
The Welsh mountain pony is similar enough too.
As for Kerry cattle I think I heard once that there was a dairy and a beef strain of the breed.
I have seen the bog ponies and Highlands happily graze on furze goarse briars rushes Heather and thistles.

pedigree 6

djmc wrote: »

Could be they do have the same looking face as an Arab.
Their closest related DNA wise is the Icelandic horse which lead some to believe that they were brought in by the Vikings over a thousand years ago.
The Welsh mountain pony is similar enough too.
.

Don't sell yourselves short I presume you mean the Icelandic horse was started by some Kerry Bogs that were exported from the south west of Ireland when the Norse had a trading base in Limerick?

kay 9

sako 85 wrote: »

Great!

Not the best pictures and the shed needs a scraping but they are happy out

k mac

To get the 200 euro grant do you have to be in a scheme like glas . Is it 200 per animal per year.

kay 9

k mac wrote: »

To get the 200 euro grant do you have to be in a scheme like glas . Is it 200 per animal per year.

We're already getting close the the maximum in glas without rare breeds. Going to register our two though. Not that familiar with it other than they have to be registered before a year old. (hair samples)
I'm assuming you get the 200 per head annually of in a scheme like glas

kay 9

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Here I dug a picture out for ya of a dexter cow.
Taken in 2016 at the Iverk Show.

Hi pedigree, nice pic, out of curiosity where did you get that gate? They're handy the way they can't open. We've a supplier for same here but they never have the heavy duty with double latch. Think they're made in NI somewhere.

White Clover

kay 9 wrote: »

Hi pedigree, nice pic, out of curiosity where did you get that gate? They're handy the way they can't open. We've a supplier for same here but they never have the heavy duty with double latch. Think they're made in NI somewhere.

They are Gibney gates Kay9. They're in Cavan I think.

kay 9

White Clover wrote: »

They are Gibney gates Kay9. They're in Cavan I think.

Thanking you white clover.. Are they the same crowd that used to make the indestructible bale handlers?

White Clover

kay 9 wrote: »

Thanking you white clover.. Are they the same crowd that used to make the indestructible bale handlers?

I don't know that. But from what I know their gates are very popular. Just after thinking there, I have heavy diagonal feed barriers by them in a shed here with a few years.

kay 9

White Clover wrote: »

I don't know that. But from what I know their gates are very popular. Just after thinking there, I have heavy diagonal feed barriers by them in a shed here with a few years.

Yeah they're good quality stuff and keenly priced.

tellmeabit

djmc wrote: »

We keep 5 Kerry bog ponies
I think they are the hardest friendliest  animals that I have ever seen bar none.
Also have some Highlands and Galloway but they are Scottish breeds and would not qualify as rear breeds for grants in Ireland.

any pics please?

_Brian

Is it only through GLAS one can claim the rare breeds payment ??

FLC

Has anyone any information on how you might turn a Moiled or Kerry beef animal into return? Low maintenance but low carcass weight....?

Great meat (apparently) but where or who is your channel? Do you have to develop your market yourself direct to butchers/restaurants?

memorystick

Not cattle but pigs. Is there a subsidy for keeping traditional pig breeds?