My name is Ryan O’Neill and I am delighted to have been contacted by a member of the Area 4 club of the Salers Cattle Society to do this profile on my experiences with the breed.
What first attracted me to the breed was their unrivalled calving ease, maternal traits and mothering abilities. I am a self-employed plasterer /dry liner working away long hours off farm and as farming only on a part time basis needed something that would calf itself 99% of the time. So, after running the first Salers bull, that I bought onto 14 heavily muscled cows with mostly blue and Charolais breeding in them, 13 of them calved completely unassisted.
I knew then that this could be a system that could work for me. I have since bought in 8 pedigree registered Salers females and I am currently in the process of registering as a pedigree breeder with the society under the prefix ‘Hollyhill’ Salers.
Most of these heifers are sired by Manor Lane Krypton and Bacardi Herbie, both well noted bulls and are due to calf shortly to the AI Charolais bull Fiston which should prove a good combination.
Eight of last year’s commercial heifer calves have also been retained for breeding. Most of which have some serious style and colour from their top-quality mothers and should make great cows in time. My plan going forward, is to build the numbers of both Pedigree and Commercial Salers sired Females, crossing them back to Salers and terminal Charolais and Blue sires whilst phasing out my original cows. I would also like to point out that the long running stereotype on docility associated with the breed has proved to be untrue in my experience, with my Salers bred cows being some of the quietest cows on the farm. Many of which are like pets they are so quiet.
I’m looking forward to seeing this year’s Fiston Charolais calves from my Pedigree Salers cows which will hopefully result in a few Golden calves, which have proven time and time again to be top sellers in any weanling ring.
For the first time this year, the Salers Cattle club (Area 4) have joined up with the existing Multi-breed sale at Dungannon Farmers Mart. The event also includes Simmental, Blonde and British Blue cattle and runs twice a year in Spring and Autumn with the next sale on Tuesday 6th April 2021.
For further information, contact Dungannon Farmers Mart on 028 8772 2727
