How long will they last?

Bailey just calved and I can say we have milked her, but we are not milking her She had a little bull calf in early Feb. and he just wouldn't get with the eating program so we moved her up against a fence and wrapped a rope around her as a sort of stall/kick guard and milked her twice to bottle feed the calf before he figured it out. I don't remember if one of her other owners had milked her or not, but she stood fairly well when she had food in front of her and I knew she would give plenty of milk! We bought her from some folks in Illinois who had got them from Missouri ... now they are in Iowa! Also, thanks for checking out the blog!

Now, back to the original post...

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"I find the animosity against those of us that farm for a living rather than a hobby interesting.....as if having a dexter or highland cow makes you superior to us mere dairy/beef/or hog pruducers that you are more than happy to draw upon for advice."

Milkinpigs, did I miss something? Where on earth did you get that from this thread? Did anyone here say they were superior for having highlands or anything else for that matter? The jest of the thread was how long should a dairy cow last. If that is not the main thing you look for in a dairy cow then I don't guess it is important to you but it is important to me. Lighten up!

The first time someone slapped me in the face with the "There's a dairy in New York where they only milk Dexters" I visited that dairy's website; at that time the "dairy" was milking one Dexter cow and thinking of expanding to three cows. By those standards, and given that we have always had at least one milk customer, we at Wolf Cairn Moor have been in the dairy business for the last 4 years. We don't call ourselves a dairy though, neither would anyone else, we're just some folks who keep and milk a few Jersey cows and who happen to have a few neighbors who enjoy raw milk.

On the subject of a cow and her being burned out after "5 freshenings", a high producing cow pushed hard will burn out fairly quick, while a family cow kept on a croft with little thought given toward a higher volume of milk or butter production will last much longer. I would be really interested to know if a cow pushed hard, and thus burned out, gives as much milk in her shorter production period as a cow given little to push her along gives over a longer production period (5 freshenings v 12 freshenings). From a money making standpoint it makes little sense to keep and handle a cow for 12 or 15 years to get out of her what one might in 4 or 5 years. The cows may have other opinions but in general they keep their views to themselves.

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I see what you are saying Haggis, but I guess the point is that they are a "value added" dairy. They are taking what they believe is a benefit of the Dexter, milking them, and then making cheese for direct and wholesale sales. This isn't for everyone, but it is a reason to not write off the Dexter completely as a fad ... at least in my humble opinion.

And I completely agree with your comment about a commercial cow and a family cow in terms of longevity.

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And when I said that it was sad that the cow was done so quickly, I was more refering to the cows worth and how quickly they are thrown aside... or used up so quickly what a sad life for them, that they work sooo hard for a short time.

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Jennifer, Chase and the whole Darby clan

They were probably talking about a commercial operation. When a cow drops below a certain production amount they get rid of them since they figure their losing money on them at that point.

Bob

I think Rodney King once said after the LA riots, "Can't we just all get along?". And I can say, "amen to that!" It's clear and apparent that some of us are going to think that the dexter is just a fad or craze for the time while others won't. The bottom line is this: If whatever cow your squatting, standing, kneeling, or stooping next to is producing the desired amount of milk/butter/protein/fat you're interested in, she's a good one. It doesn't matter if she's a Texas Longhorn or a Holstein. I've said it many times before. My grandma's favorite milk cow of all times was a Jersey/angus cross cow.

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Francismilker

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" James 5:16

I agree completly francismilker, but if someone is going to bring up the point that something is a fad then you have to expect that those that don't agree are going to state their points.

I must admit that this is the first "internet" thing to get me riled up and I don't like it! But, the most frustrating thing is that I never said Dexters were a commercial alternative ... that doesn't make them a fad though. As Chalk Creek pointed out they have been in the US for 100 years and the association (ADCA) is celebrating it's 50th ... that has to count for something?

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FAD! Ha.... guys, I didnt mean to offend anyone. There are a lot of beef and milk producers that dont even know what a dexter is.... The breed just seems to show classic signs of being a "fad" breed. NO OFFENCE to those of you who breed them....


JKB