Dexter

[bambi_boy]

I am simply a hobby cow owner, have only one bull calf at the moment (that will be cut).

A girlfriend of mine in Canada has Dexter cattle, and according to her, they are more of a breed for hobby owners.

What is your opinion of the Dexter cattle, ups & downs.

TIA

 

[dun]

Smaller have lower feed requiremtns, don;t seem to finish much like a true beef breed, more like what they are, a dual purpose breed. But all that I have been around tend more towards the dairy muscle then a compromise between beef and dairy. There is a genetic problem that causes defective calves but I don;t recall what it is called. The thing to remember is that even though they're smaller they still require decent facilitys to handle them.

 

[bambi_boy]

The little research I have done (1 day) the defect is called Chondrodysplasia. Lucky for the breed that there is a test to see who is a carrier or not.

 

[ANAZAZI]

You can do better than dexter. Do you tryly want really small cattle?

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Go to the American Dexter Cattle Association for a lot of information. Also have a listing of breeders/ranches by State.

 

[BAGTIC]

Depends on what you want. Some dexters are more dairy type but others have a pretty good beef conformation. http://www.legendrockranch.com

How much land do you have?

Do you intend to keep it a hobby or side line?

They may not bring top price at the sale barns but cattle are a crap shoot anyway regardless of the breeds

If you are mostly interested in raising food for your family and selling an ocassional freezer beef Dexters might not be a bad choice. They have a good reputation for meat quality if not quantity.

If you just want something to help keep the grass and weeds down they will work as good as any.

MOST IMPORTANTLY. Are you primarily interested in pleasing yourself or impressing others?



I raise 'small' cattle.

My 'advantages...'

They tend to be gentle and calm

They are easy to handle especially if you have to work them alone. I remember the first time I got stepped on. Sure was glad the ground was wet and soft and she was'nt 'full sized'.

They fit in the freezer without having to find buyers for the excess

They are easy on fences and equipment

As you get older these are all important considerations.

 

[luckefarm]

i had two dexter's for 8 or ten years now. mine are the shorter legged version. i always crossed them to Angus to knock the horns off. I have to say that i prefer them to anything else i raise for freezer beef very fine textured and highly marbled. they are mellow and easy going and seem to love eating brush. the only thing i don't like is the horns. i culled the one cow last year and the one left has a few years yet but i don't think i will raise anymore because of the horns. they have been good to the kids always the first looking for a handout or leftovers from the garden. the neighbors kids would actually ride on the back of the old one when we first got her.

 

[bambi_boy]

Really only for hobby. I have 10 acres (12 total, but my "yard" is 2 of it) My "collection" is one goat, one donkey & one Holstein bull calf (to be cut) have been told however that he is Holstein X Jersey. a good friend of mine has Dexters and she sings the priase of ease with them, and the meat quality.

 

[BAGTIC]

Luckefarm,

If your check the dexter breeders' organizations and the different websites you will find that there are several dexter breeders raising polled dexters.

Some have semen for sale so it you wanted to take the horns off it should be possible to AI and end up with a herd of polled animals. I believe the link I posted is all polled but there are several others. Other breeders websites have picture of more grown animals, bull and cows, to show better that some dexters have good beef configuration despite their small size.

I know someone who had a 'Belfair' (dexter x jersey) bull that was as masculine and muscular as any breed despite being small 'freezer size'.

 

[HOSS]

My mother raises Dexter x Jersey crossed animal for beef and milk. Her customers like the smaller size, disposition and ability to either be used as freezer beef or as a family milk cow. She sells them as fast as she can raise them. Right now she is down to one heifer that she is keeping for breeding purposes. She normally uses a Dexter bull on Jersey cows. Calves are very small at birth (30 to 40 pounds) but very spry and they grow fairly fast. Jersey cows have no calving issues with the small calves and of course make good mothers. She has found a niche market. They are not for everyone but she can raise all she needs on 15 acres.

 

[bambi_boy]

The more I read on the other breeds the more it scares the crap out of me! I have been breeding dogs for 12 years, and I am sure that there are people that don't know how research goes into breeding. It really is more than sticking dogs in the back yard, and just because the dog is cute, or a great "friend" does not make it breeding potential. I say all this, because Dang I did not realize how serious this cattle business is!!!! So shame on me for thinking otherwise.

I am seriously thinking that the Dexter is right for me, right size, right freezer size and from what I hear from breeders, the meat is remarkable.

 

[Onthebit]

i had two dexter's for 8 or ten years now. mine are the shorter legged version. i always crossed them to Angus to knock the horns off. I have to say that i prefer them to anything else i raise for freezer beef very fine textured and highly marbled. they are mellow and easy going and seem to love eating brush. the only thing i don't like is the horns. i culled the one cow last year and the one left has a few years yet but i don't think i will raise anymore because of the horns. they have been good to the kids always the first looking for a handout or leftovers from the garden. the neighbors kids would actually ride on the back of the old one when we first got her.

There are a lot of commercial breeds that are horned...burn them off when they are calves.......The short legs will not produce bulldog (terminal gene) when crossed with a longleg...there are whole herds of longlegs...they are around 40 inches tall at the hip....Nice cows to work with...as they have also been bred for disposition....the thing about these cows is that they can finnish on grass unlike the modern commercial breeds who need high grain to put on back fat etc....you can't feed the world with old genetics though...so I have nothing against either !

I have 4 dexter cows and I just got my first one for christmas! Im impressed with them...I have one witch....she is boss cow....so some day im going to have to let her know I am the boss and 3 nice quiet sweeties who like scratches and treats....they all have horns....