Dexters - good, bad, or indifferent

Good questions. There are some good websites of Colorado Dexter owners listed on the ADCA members pages.

Here's one who raises Dexters and goats: http://www.lazyj5dexters.com/

Here's one who lives in the mountains: http://cjsfarmhasdexters.homestead.com/index.html

Another mountain home: http://hometown.aol.com/hicountrycat.../business.html

I raise Dexters in a mixed herd with goats. It's a good combination. They complement each other in many ways. I recommend it.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

I'm on the opposite side of the state from you, in montrose up on a mesa, Our cows handled the 105 temps just fine this summer with a shaded three sided shed and an irrigation mud hole! Two weeks ago we had -20 degrees at night, a high of 4 and our 3 week old calf was just fine with momma and sis in the shed, they would go out of it as soon as the sun was up, and stand in the pasture until dark. They are incredibly hardy, the calf was born in 1 foot of snow, in the pasture.

I'm using 60 lb bales of oat hay, they are going thru about 1/2 bale a day, but a lot of it is just mixed on the floor of the shed with bedding. If I was more picky about keeping it of the floor, they would probably eat 1/3 bale a day, I don't feed grain.
They do not like to be alone, get two.

Tilly

Thanks for this thread. We have really thought about getting a dexter for our farm. We would like to get a young heifer (bottle feeding or shortly after weaning) to raise up so it is well used to being handled. Our goal is to milk and raise the baby for meat. Not looking for anything big here. We only have five acres right now and it is dry lot so we have to truck in our own hay for our goats and horses. Eventually when the cow was milking we would cut out our goat herd and just keep one or two. Would a cow and goats get along fine or would I need two cows?

Oregonguys do you think you might have anything for sale this spring that would fit the bill for us? Feel free to PM me personally. Thanks!

In my experience, two cows will interact with each other constantly, providing friendship. A cow and goats will coexist peacefully, but don't become friends.

A neighbor has one horse and one goat. They are close friends. Maybe one cow and one goat could bond, also.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Well, since we would be raising the calf for meat the calf should be around as companionship for mom except when it was sent to the slaughterhouse. By then it would probably be about time for a new little one. It would still have the goat(s) if needed, so should work out fine. We are planning on moving to some more acreage in a few years, when and if the economy turns around, and I'm sure we will keep a few more cows then.

Think of the timing: If you start with a bred cow, then have a calf for beef, you'll probably send the calf to the slaughterhouse when it's 24 months old. If you re-breed or do your AI on the right schedule, you'll have a one year old calf at that time and a calf just about to hit the ground. Your one bred cow could now be four. One cow, a two-year old steer or heifer, a yearling and a newborn.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Thanks Genebo, I'm new to this (seems I've done most other livestock but not cattle). I thought you slaughtered earlier than 24 months, thought is was more in the 15-18 month range. Since the time to raise is longer than I thought I guess selling every other calf would be more manageable for us? So, we would have one cow, a two year old steer/heifer, and a newborn. Maybe sell the yearling when it comes along? Thanks for setting me straight, always good to know what you are getting into!

I got my bred Dexter in May and she was quite wild. I had given all of my Saanen dairy goats to a friend before the cow got here, but she let me take one back as company for the cow and it worked out very well. The cow calmed down right away and she and the goat became good buddies. Once the cow calved I gave the doe back to my friend. So I would say yes, they get along very well with goats.
Mickey

When I got my 8yr old Dexter Cow she came with her companion Saanen wether goat, they had been together for over 4 years & are the best of buddies. They would not be separated, couldn't be more than a few feet away from each other. The goat is now buddies with the other Dexters I have also. Now the calves are just a little bit bigger than the goat but he still watches over them. He also breaks up any real rough play between any of the Dexters.
My 8yr old cow & 4yr old cow were both raised by children & milked by them before I got them.

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-Jessica, Sullivan County, NY
www.MyMiniFarm.com

Farm Mom,

You can slaughter the calf at almost any age, once it's big enough to suit you. The meat changes with age. First it's veal, then baby beef, then beef. The amount of fat grows with age. Fat equals flavor and to some extent, tenderness.

I slaughtered a steer when it was just over 12 months old. It was too young, I think. The meat is so lean that the hamburger won't hold together.

Most people slaughter at around 16 months. That age is the age that feedlot cattle are slaughtered. Grass fed cattle grow slower, though.

At 16 months old, the calf has just reached the age where it would be beginning to marble the meat and develop full flavor. It's still gaining weight pretty quickly, too. If you were to slaughter at that age, you'd be leaving beef on the table, so to speak.

I've heard a lot of people say the same thing, "We got in a hurry to taste Dexter beef on the first one. We decided to wait a little longer from now on."

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Thanks Genebo, happy to learn more.

The last one I slaughtered was an 8 year old cow. She was turned out on good grass and fed about 1 lb of calf creep a day, just to keep her coming up to us, and she was the best beef yet !! If I'm raising a bull for slaughter, 20 to 24 months seems to be best for me. They have their growth and you'll get a lot more beef. I think that a lot of people have butchered too early with the Dexters and thats why they are dissapointed in them. You can't hurry them, but, boy o boy, are they worth the extra time.
P.J.

I'm looking for a family milk cow, and was thinking about a Jersey. But I saw some Dexter's advertised locally and was wondering about the amount of milk and the butter fat percentage.

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Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West

Just a close estimate: the Dexter will give about 1/2 the milk of a Jersey. The butterfat content will be slightly less. Of course, the Dexter will eat about 1/2 as much and give great beef calves, so there's the trade-off.

If you don't need a large volume of milk, it's not good to pay for it. Some people with heavy milking breeds end up giving milk away. Sometimes it's good to have an economy breed that gives just the right amount.

One other thing: it takes twice as long to milk 4 gallons as it does 2 gallons.

I have a friend who has a 3 gallon milker, but he only milks one gallon and puts a calf on her for the rest. He feeds a family of 5.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

We don't eat meat, but it sounds like a Dexter would give just about the right amount of milk for our family of four big time dairy consumers. I'll have to check and see if those two heifers are still available.

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Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West

I would check the ancestry of a Dexter before I bought her. There are certain lines that are much more milky than others.

The ones I saw advertised were already gone. I'll keep doing more research - did find a few breeders within reasonable driving distance. Now I just have to convince hubby to spring for the cost of a cow or two, and then sell my Nigerian Dwarf goats. The goats are cute and all - but I'm really more of a cow person. (Worked on a dairy when I was in college.)

We have 3+ acres of good pasture - plus we have access to at least 2, possibly more, acres at the neighbors. Would that be enough to keep a couple of Dexter's happy if we supplement with hay/grain in the winter?

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Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West