The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: DippyEgg on September 17, 2017, 06:08:08 pm
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Just wondering where most people buy their animals? From adverts in the paper/magazines/internet forums like this one?, Preloved, Gumtree? Or at livestock markets/auctions? Or from breeders? I'm just curious. We've bought some of our hens from farm shops and breeders. We've bought hatching eggs from breeders. Rabbits from RSPCA, cats come from a friend, gerbils from Pets at Home!
Just considering ducks and sheep at the moment and wondering where I should look. I suppose it depends on what's available locally as well.
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Sheep, the first four from facebook and the rest from breed sales. Dog from the Greyhound Trust. Horses and mules all word of mouth. Donkey an impulse buy from auction. Husband via Young Farmers Club.
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Thanks. Are Wives also available from the Young Farmers Club? I will need a few of those soon.
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Donkey an impulse buy from auction. Husband via Young Farmers Club.
Awwww, was he a rescue case? ;)
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Yes in both instances.
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I brought my first sheep direct from the breeder, both times they were pedigree sheep, breeder advertised in freeads. Since then I've brought sheep when something cought my eye on facebook, freeads etc. Most of the poultry, goats, pigs I've got the same way, been browsing and spotted something that took my eye.
I either tend to look around for a bargain, or I see something I like the look of, at the right price.
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Bought my sheep through the internet- various facebook pages and sellmylivestock. On the facebook pages especially you'll be offered everything and anything but sift through and there's good stock on there at good prices. But stick to your guns and if it isn't right don't go look.
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Dogs and cats are always rescues.
Sheep, first one just turned up, then a tup turned up. Next lot came as cade lambs.
Goats, first 2 rescues, next 2 via Farming Ads
Husband via Tesco. ;D [size=78%] [/size]
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Dogs rescue
cat turned up
Sheep through breed society and local breeder
cattle breed soc and local conections
Goats Preloved
husband .. in Tanzania
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I am curious though - [member=22672]penninehillbilly[/member] - does the 28 day money back guarantee apply at Tescos?
Unfortunately by the time the honeymoon wore off I was out of the 28 days.
Besides, it was me who worked there and he was the customer. ;D .
I suppose 25years hasn't been too bad, better than working at Tesco.
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Let's see:
Husband from Freshers week
Kids from husband
Dogs from breeder or cat and dog rescue
Cats from notices in the Post Office window or from breeders for pedigree, or home bred, one from cat and dog home.
Sheep from known breeders, sometimes from Rare Breeds official sales, if we know the vendor.
Pigs from a private seller via word of mouth
Hens from breeder
Geese from breeder
Rats and mice - they chose us :innocent:
Kids were the only ones unseen before arrival.
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Dogs - either from Cat&Dog Home and more recently from pedigree breeder
Cat - rescue case via friend who works at vets
Sheep - pedigree sales (only once) and since then through known breeders recommended by other breeders
Goats - only from breeders directly, and nowadays only occasionally male kids and one female kid for daughter to establish her own herd, otherwise closed herd
Pigs - fattening weaners only, through TAS adverts originally and now through direct contact with local breeders, never through mart
Chickens - originally POL bought in, but nowadays all homebred with occasional cockerel swaps/bought in fertile eggs - no vaccinated stock anymore
Geese - TAS adverts
Husband came through Conservation volunteering group long before smallholding...
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That's interesting. Virtually nobody's mentioned live stock auctions. I've never been to one, but whenever there's a farming programme on TV that's where the farmers buy and sell their stock.
I'm not on Facebook so I don't need to worry about that, but I'd never heard of sellmylivestock so I'm going there to have a look now :-)
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There are specialist auctions for pedigree sheep, as well as general stock auctions for buying and selling sheep to the butchers, or for fattening, etc. At the pedigree sales a lot depends on the reputation of the breeder for producing top quality breeding stock. So where you source your animals is influenced enormously by what you want them for.
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DippyEgg you asked where we buy. I sell my sheep at a local regular livestock auction. Red market for finished stock and a green store market for ones that need to be finished and breeding stock. The breed sales are held at livestock markets but none that are local to me so I have to travel.
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I've bought a lot of my sheep at livestock auctions, both commercial ones for the farm and my fleece sheep.
I've also brought direct from the breeder in both cases.
Tups from breeders I know for my sheep; ditto and from the pedigree sales for commercial ones. Oh, and from recommendations in the early days too.
I've never bought through Facebook or FreeAds. I bought a lovely pony advertised in the local paper but in general wouldn't buy that way.
Cattle, I bought one Jersey after hunting down a descendant of a particular herd, then bred my own using AI.
On the farm, ex-BH bought cattle almost exclusively at livestock auctions, but predominantly from known breeders.
Until I needed working collies, all my dogs were rescues. I bought a part-trained 2-year old collie when I started sheep farming, from a respected breeder, trainer and triallist, and was given another experienced 2-year old dog by a local farmer, surplus to his requirements but a godsend to us. Dot was a present, accidentally bred but from excellent stock, and is the only dog I've ever had from a pup.
Cats rescues initially but now I seek out Siamese crosses - and have bought kittens found through newspaper ads.
Oh, and I bought some chickens found through a newspaper ad, too. I would probably happily source chickens through DASH ads (on FB) but wherever, I would always visit first to be sure of health status - decades ago, I had some disasters buying in chickens which weren't 100% healthy.
Blokes seem to land when I'm not looking. Trying to be more vigilant these days :-J
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The internet. I found chickens off a local farm/garden centre/breeders website and I got my ducks from preloved.
I sold chickens using a flyer at the local Tesco's and I sold a couple of Muscovy ducklings on preloved (Circle of life) and sold another to a neighbour. I feel bad because the neighbours one flew away
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Ponies - the original one was foisted on me as a loan by a yard I went to for private driving lessons, so I was paying them livery for their pony, buying feed, bedding, tack and such from them too! Mostly homebred after that but a few times over the last 20+ years I have been out in a field with someone and find myself asking a few questions more than usual and then a pony comes home unexpectedly. Happened once at an auction too, a weaned foal that time. And once friends offered me a free weanling Sec A colt and I ended up with 2, but it was because I had already picked out one of 30+ yearling colts on a Welsh hill that were going for meat and these friends agreed to take him home for me and do initial handling til I could sort things out - so when they offered a free companion til I could get them both gelded, it made sense - as much as anything I do makes sense ;)
As for husbands, well I've auditioned a few over the years but they never lasted the initial warranty period so I decided not to keep or replace them after a few tries. Despite any attractive packaging or advertised benefits I tend to find it better to hire individual workers for plumbing, gardening, animal care, land maintenance, vehicle repair etc, and then send them home to be fed and housed by others til required again. My sofa, remote, bottled beverages and fridge are my private domain, as is the right to all decisions over land, building decor/maintenance, livestock, transport and business policy. I miss a few of the fringe benefits but honestly not enough to compromise and there are always cheap try before you buy schemes if it comes to it!
Cats from local rescue lady or a friend who had spare kittens.
Hens originally from a local farm, added in a few rescue commercials, since then a mix of POLs from local breeders and more often day olds from a reputable supplier I have come to know in recent years.
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WE bought quite a few at livestock auctions. However I prefer buying through societes, sometimes preloved does indeed work. FB is brilliant and I have sold a lot via there. Sellmylivestock.com is very good too. We also found buying through the FG as a good way of getting decent stock. My advice is to see and talk to the breeders/watch the animals on their own holding and how they are. Best way :)