BOGOF! Where do I stand on this and wwyd?

[Mudfukkle]

As ever, I wish we had a `like` option on here!

Me too, how do we get Admin to add one to the posts? It really frustrates me not having one

Well done GG for your very generous offer I can't wait for the updates, let's hope the foal is born healthy so we can all follow it's progress. All the best Doormouse xx

 

[Nettle123]

Well done GG. The mare is lovely. We took on an infoal mare four years ago as the new owners were not in a position to keep their bogoff. She foaled no problem and the cob cross foal is a lovely useful type now.

Pts a newborn doesn't sit well with me either

 

[Palindrome]

This is why the the powers that be are trying to restart veal production. Personally I won't eat veal on principal because of the traditional management of veal calves. A bull calf born to dairy parents is never going to make the bulk/weight that a specialist beef species bull calf will so the farmer is feeding it at considerable expense in time and money for not much of a final price at market. A bullet costs less, sadly. I'm sure many smaller-scale farmers do let the calf live and get what they can for it, but the big boys with super-herds and over-zealous accountants sure as heck won't.

Thank you fatpiggy, I have read a little more about it and have decided to switch to soy milk as I don't see a short term easy solution and am the only cow milk drinker at home. Can't give up cheese though, will have to find a way around.

 

[bakewell]

Thank you fatpiggy, I have read a little more about it and have decided to switch to soy milk as I don't see a short term easy solution and am the only cow milk drinker at home. Can't give up cheese though, will have to find a way around.

Actually if you are trying to produce a herd replacement (heifer) as the vast majority of dairy herds are closed (no other cattle allowed on, much lower risk of disease) you would generally use sex selected semen (almost always AI for dairy, the bulls are horrors, sex selection very effective in cows).
Friesians (black and white cows for simplicity, majority of cows in uk) already have a big frame so they have some meat value. If a herd replacement is not wanted a terminal sire (one where the offspring goes for meat) will be used. Hence sometimes you see beef bulls in the fields now; gender of offspring irrelevant, beef bulls relatively easy to handle.

So perhaps the problem is not as severe or dramatic as envisaged?

I'd also like to extend my best wishes to GG, jemima*askin and doormouse. I think this is a fantastic solution. However it is also exceptional and we should not think that this set-up is available to all who find themselves in difficult situations or for all unwanted horses. The Uk still has a huge excess of horses and intelligent debate on options is needed.

 

[Cgd]

what a lovely story - can wait to hear the how it all goes x

 

[Old Bat]

Oooh that's made my day! Great outcome all! x

 

[wills_91]

Lovely outcome. Hope it all works out for everyone.

 

[Honey08]

It is a great outcome.

If you think the mare is lovely, there is a good chance that a foal from her may well turn into a nice child's pony too.

 

[lelly]

I'm sat with tears in my eyes after reading all these posts. Then came the photos and more tears. I'm so pleased this story seems to have a happy ending. Well done to all involved. The little mare is gorgeous and her little jockey too. I could never have a foal pts myself I wouldn't even consider it. I hope all goes well for all involved.

 

[FrostyFeet]

What a lovely thread to read,it really does restore my faith in humanity. Well done GG and hope you can stop worrying now Doormouse. It brought back memories for me as the pony I was so lucky to be given for my twelfth birthday was,unknown to us,in foal and gave birth to a gorgeous little black colt foal three months later. My parents didn't have lots of money,but we were lucky to find a field and shelter very close to home and I was allowed to keep the foal for a year,at which point I had to decide which one to keep. I knew that I didn't have the knowledge to handle a youngster (parents completely non-horsey so was an incredibly tough year for a 12 year old!) so let him go,my riding instructor found a good home for him. Even now though,over thirty years later,I still wonder what happened to him and vowed I would never have another animal where I couldn't secure it's future.
I cried buckets at the start of the thread and was trying to think of a way to help,now snuffling at such a happy outcome. Lovely,happy news and the internet at it's very best xx

 

[FrostyFeet]

Ps Jemima Askin you're lovely too-missed your offer whilst typing. You and GG deserve something very special from Santa this year 😃

 

[Palindrome]

Actually if you are trying to produce a herd replacement (heifer) as the vast majority of dairy herds are closed (no other cattle allowed on, much lower risk of disease) you would generally use sex selected semen (almost always AI for dairy, the bulls are horrors, sex selection very effective in cows).
Friesians (black and white cows for simplicity, majority of cows in uk) already have a big frame so they have some meat value. If a herd replacement is not wanted a terminal sire (one where the offspring goes for meat) will be used. Hence sometimes you see beef bulls in the fields now; gender of offspring irrelevant, beef bulls relatively easy to handle.

So perhaps the problem is not as severe or dramatic as envisaged?

That's very interesting and reassuring. There is a farm on the same estate than my yard and I remember wondering why the youngsters were a mix of very different types and colors, a strange herd to look at (some even look like rarish breed crosses). I think the farmer buys them at the market, let them grow up with good grass/haylage and they are then sold for meat. Is there a good website that would tell me more about current farming practices in the UK? Still going to give the soy milk a go (am told Alpro's is very good) but will feel better about my cheese platter!

 

[bakewell]

That's very interesting and reassuring. There is a farm on the same estate than my yard and I remember wondering why the youngsters were a mix of very different types and colors, a strange herd to look at (some even look like rarish breed crosses). I think the farmer buys them at the market, let them grow up with good grass/haylage and they are then sold for meat. Is there a good website that would tell me more about current farming practices in the UK? Still going to give the soy milk a go (am told Alpro's is very good) but will feel better about my cheese platter!

That's likely to be using the defra tb testing system. Basically a beef producer (makes calves) and a beef finisher (last stage before slaughter) have different movement restrictions/ pre movement test restrictions.
ie it's easier for the finisher as his cattle will never meet any other cows to pass on their nasties. Bearing in mind that a bad test could really mess up a large farming enterprise and they cost money/ profit. Hence the "all in" "all out" is the best way of controlling disease in this context.

Hope that makes sense!

I'll see if I can find a decent resource for explaining current farming practices. I think generally farmers have had a pretty bad rap in the last decade though so less bothered about trying to educate (foot and mouth footage was pretty bad for example). And there's no money in farming, it's a grind. (Luckily we have other income sources but I wonder how long we're going to hang onto farming in the uk because it's always been in the family :/)

 

[minesadouble]

Bakewell is correct. There are plenty bull calves out of Friesans/Holsteins by a beef bulls going through through the marts, they make OK money too, we have had a couple to put on cows that have lost their calves. It is not true to say that bull calvs from milk cows are shot at birth per se.

 

[bakewell]

Bakewell is correct. There are plenty bull calves out of Friesans/Holsteins by a beef bulls going through through the marts, they make OK money too, we have had a couple to put on cows that have lost their calves. It is not true to say that bull calvs from milk cows are shot at birth per se.

Incidentally all the "aberdeen angus" beef you see for a premium.... it's all calves off a dairy cow, labelling means it must merely have an aberdeen angus sire.

 

[tinycharlie]

I too could not abort the foal or destroy at birth just because it's a bogof. I was horrified at the first suggestion of it and I would find another solution no matter what.
Well done GG your kind offer made me cry can't wait to see the foal when he/she arrives

 

[*hic*]

Oooops, Doormouse and _GG_ - I have now cleared my PMs.

 

[Leaf]

This is why the the powers that be are trying to restart veal production. Personally I won't eat veal on principal because of the traditional management of veal calves. A bull calf born to dairy parents is never going to make the bulk/weight that a specialist beef species bull calf will so the farmer is feeding it at considerable expense in time and money for not much of a final price at market. A bullet costs less, sadly. I'm sure many smaller-scale farmers do let the calf live and get what they can for it, but the big boys with super-herds and over-zealous accountants sure as heck won't.

I raise rose veal, buy jerseys bulls from a big dairy, crates were abolished in the 90s. Our calves are 8-12mth when they are sent off, months older than commercially raised lamb & pork do you eat that? If you want some facts about rose veal farming then feel free to ask.

 

[lelly]

This thread is going a little off course I think.

 

[bakewell]

This thread is going a little off course I think.

The thread is complete? A solution was found. Unfortunately this board can't be organised like reddit/ subreddits (which would be genuinely great as much discussion has worth but is under slightly off-topic headers)

 

[_GG_]

Oooops, Doormouse and _GG_ - I have now cleared my PMs.

Will resend now

 

[catwithclaws]

Hope GG and Jemima are both signed up for SS this year - whoever gets them needs to get something extra special

 

[Ladyinred]

_GG_ yet again you have made me cry. This is getting to be a habit. You are a lovely lovely person and Doormouse is so lucky.

 

[southerncomfort]

GG - you are a lovely, lovely kind hearted lady. That is all.

x

 

[ozpoz]

GG, you are a darling. x

 

[ozpoz]

Oh, just saw your post.So are you, Jemimaaskin. : )

 

[blitznbobs]

All those people who prefer animals to people should read this thread... Yes there are bad people in the world but the kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me... And restores my deeply held belief that most people are good...

 

[Leaf]

All those people who prefer animals to people should read this thread... Yes there are bad people in the world but the kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me... And restores my deeply held belief that most people are good...

Like

 

[splashgirl45]

just read this whole post and am so pleased that GG has come up with such a fab solution , and jemimaaskin has also been very generous. what lovely people we have on this forum.....at least dormouse can now relax a bit..well done all!!!!!!!

 

[WelshD]

Presumably plenty of you have been assuming that pts the foal is what I'd do myself. It isn't. As some noticed it was a response to the purely practical issues raised, one of which was that the OP's daughter hadn't anything to ride.

I have at mine a perfect child's pony, she's kicking her heels doing nothing, she's an older lady and won't be wanting to jump although she has taught plenty of tiny children to ride. If there is some way of getting her down to the OP then OP and her daughter are very welcome to borrow her whilst OP's own pony is out of action. Perhaps she could be got to _GG_'s for a straight swap. Is there anyone available to help with any stages of travelling from Peterborough to the West Country? Anyone going in that direction in the near future? She's a Section A and adores travelling.

I'm about to pick up my first horsebox, it will be a month or so before its ready to travel ponies but I would be willing to help at that point if needed and being in the midlands may be able to help with getting the OP's pony to GG too if timings work out right