Buying Pedigree LM

ABitofsense

What's peoples opinion on buying Pedigree LM off donedeal Vs special sales at the mart?

Father has moved from dairy to sucklers (AAx) so I'm looking to add pedigree LMs to the herd and work them in over the years to when I take over fully. I personally like LMs and it would be just a part-time/hobby with about 15 cows in the end. Just wondering best way to buy/start

patsy_mccabe

I did just that. Bought my first pedigree lim heifer at the Castleview/Roundhill sale in 2014. She's from the Castleview herd. Sold my 4th bull off her last week. Also have a cow from her but she's not great - bad choice of bull. Absolute pet though. Didn't get any advice when buying her. Did some research on pedigrees and bought what I liked. Didn't spend big money either.
Second heifer I bought turned out to be a lunatic and I had to factory her when she calved.

A few figures worth considering - only half of all pedigree limousin bulls make it as breeding bulls. The rests end up in the factory.
9,294 lim calves registered in 2017 alone.
https://www.icbf.com/wp/?p=11936registered

You won't make money at it, but it can be a good hobby. Might even cost less than the pub in the long run. Only advice I can give is don't believe all the bullsh1t about €30k and €40k bulls. It's all a con to get you to buy their straws.

Mac Taylor

ABitofsense wrote: »

What's peoples opinion on buying Pedigree LM off donedeal Vs special sales at the mart?

Father has moved from dairy to sucklers (AAx) so I'm looking to add pedigree LMs to the herd and work them in over the years to when I take over fully. I personally like LMs and it would be just a part-time/hobby with about 15 cows in the end. Just wondering best way to buy/start

Personally, prefer buying off DoneDeal, get to see the animals in their own environment plus can see the dams etc, second choice is clearance sales.

charolais0153

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Personally, prefer buying off DoneDeal, get to see the animals in their own environment plus can see the dams etc, second choice is clearance sales.

Thy ain’t going to be selling the best, at a cleaner sale you have some chance of picking value IMO

Grueller

charolais0153 wrote: »

Thy ain’t going to be selling the best, at a cleaner sale you have some chance of picking value IMO

Who buys the best in herd at a clearance sale while atarting a herd though?

charolais0153

Grueller wrote: »

Who buys the best in herd at a clearance sale while atarting a herd though?

Your not going to buy the worst?

Albert Johnson

charolais0153 wrote: »

Grueller wrote: »

Who buys the best in herd at a clearance sale while atarting a herd though?

Your not going to buy the worst?

It depends on your definition of worst, I know of herds where the "worst" cow would be on a similar par to my best. I first and foremost try to buy a beast I like that embodies the traits that I feel important. The necessary figures and pedigree are also very important but if an animal doesn't possess the traits you aspire to produce your at a loss from the beginning. As with everything you try to buy the best you can afford but price doesn't always equal quality, you have to evaluate what's in front of you and what it's worth to you and not everyone one else.

Mac Taylor

charolais0153 wrote: »

Thy ain’t going to be selling the best, at a cleaner sale you have some chance of picking value IMO

By clearance I mean a full clearance.....where someone is getting out, I’ve bought a few that way and have been happy, like Albert says buy the best you can afford, I bought a first calver with a calf at foot and back in calf a few years ago.....sold the calf she came with for 75% of the purchase price and hopefully something similar with her next calf....so can’t complain really.

patsy_mccabe

I'd say anyone that bought at the Thomastown clearance sale a few years back was happy with their purchase. I missed the Eyrecourt sale, so can't comment.

The country is flooded with pedigree limousins. Go to any society sale where heifers are sold and most go tru the ring unsold.

ABitofsense

Thanks for the replys. I'll check out Donedeal, at least then I'd be able to see the herd & how docile they are on the farm etc.

adne

ABitofsense wrote: »

Thanks for the replys. I'll check out Donedeal, at least then I'd be able to see the herd & how docile they are on the farm etc.

Try and start with milk and frame you'll breed muscle in

patsy_mccabe

adne wrote: »

Try and start with milk and frame you'll breed muscle in

Very hard to pick those maternal types on Donedeal. If you can figure out the breeding from the little breeding info given, I think most heifers advertised wouldnt make good cows.

Grueller

charolais0153 wrote: »

Your not going to buy the worst?

No, but I was at a clearance recently with Kevin Bohan in attendance. Cows bred back to Ideal21 on show. I can guarantee ypu an average first time buyer wasn't in the running. Think first time house buyer looking on Ailesbury rd.
I have a few pedigree limousins. 10 cows in all running as part of a suckler herd. In 14 years at ghem I have had one bull I had to factory. I have sold all other breeding bulls from €1650 to €2700. The dearest animal I ever bought was a springing 2nd calver for €1650. Aiming at the top of the market is a mugs game imo. Too much invested and if you go to any society sale there are still any number of bulls for €2500-€3000.

Sheep breeder

Grueller wrote: »

No, but I was at a clearance recently with Kevin Bohan in attendance. Cows bred back to Ideal21 on show. I can guarantee ypu an average first time buyer wasn't in the running. Think first time house buyer looking on Ailesbury rd.
I have a few pedigree limousins. 10 cows in all running as part of a suckler herd. In 14 years at ghem I have had one bull I had to factory. I have sold all other breeding bulls from €1650 to €2700. The dearest animal I ever bought was a springing 2nd calver for €1650. Aiming at the top of the market is a mugs game imo. Too much invested and if you go to any society sale there are still any number of bulls for €2500-€3000.

Agree what your saying about buying breeding. A very wise man told me many years ago that when you looked at a pedigree cert there had to be a least 5 recognised bulls in the breeding of that animal to produce anything worth while. At them a while here as well and always tried to buy maiden heifers worth the money with a good blood line and kept away from the fashion blood that come and went and burnt pockets.

patsy_mccabe

Here ya go;
https://www.donedeal.ie/beefcattle-for-sale/pedigree-limousine-stock/21881675

p576131

Decided I wanted to start a small pedigree LM herd as a hobby so I recently bought 2 pedigree LM heifers that are calving in 3 weeks or so.
These heifers are big square heifers with good maternal and terminal figures. I'm wondering what bulls ye would suggest to use on them when it comes around to the breeding season? I've been looking at LM2116 as a possibility..

Sheep breeder

p576131 wrote: »

Decided I wanted to start a small pedigree LM herd as a hobby so I recently bought 2 pedigree LM heifers that are calving in 3 weeks or so.
These heifers are big square heifers with good maternal and terminal figures. I'm wondering what bulls ye would suggest to use on them when it comes around to the breeding season? I've been looking at LM2116 as a possibility..

A lot will depend on how they calf what they are carrying and how they produce the offspring quality wise etc, they can have all the stars etc. Also trying to match their blood line,
What are they incalf to and what way bred.

patsy_mccabe

I've a LM2116 Bull here and very disappointed with him. He produces small cattle with no length. Mine is dead quiet though. I'd only use him on very big cows to bring up the stars. As said above, try and pick the bull to suit each individual cow.