Breed suggestion for milker/possible oxen
 

Hubby and I have been batting around the idea of getting two heifers to have for milking and light oxen work. Triple purpose; milk, meat (their calves), and labor. I thought of dexters but they maybe to small for hubby. I was thinking of other breeds. Any suggestions. We are in SC Kansas on 80 acres of pasture with goats. Has anyone milked a meat breed of cow, if so what was the yield? Thanks ERin

hey Erin :) from a fellow SC kansan ... Have you thought of Highland cattle? there is some folks in Newkirk who own some, not sure if they have any for sale.

I know you can milk highlands, and Im sure you could milk any breed really, they all produce milk, its just a matter of how much you got vs how much you need.... and how it tastes

You can milk any breed of cow, but you are looking for for a specific breed, and I think I know just what you need. Milking shorthornis what think you are looking for. They can be hard to find, but there are some for sale on the family cow boards. Dont bother with any of these "fad" breeds. The MS will give calves that will flesh out better than other dairt breed, and they are very strong animals. I think they would do you well!

JKB

I can see why you'd think that Dexters are a fad, being that they've seen an increase in popularity in recent years, but since they've been around for a very very long time, I think its unfair to call them a FAD. Dexters are here to stay. As urban sprawl takes over much of the farming land and as people begin to return to the old ways of doing things, Dexters very much have their place in our modern world :D

Milking shorthorns might be a great choice, but they will be much harder to find!

My choice would be Red Devon. They were originally brought to America in the early 1600's as a triple purpose breed... intelligent, gentle, easy to train to yoke and decent milk production and carcass.

Why would Dexter's be to small to use as oxen?

We saw some oxen at horse progress days recently and they were beautiful animals. I asked the owner about them and he said they were milking shorthorns. He said he uses them because they are very forgiving and easy to train. He gives classes and that's what he always uses on beginners. We have recently started buying raw milk locally until our girls freshen and they use milking shorthorns on grass only. I am used to Jersey milk so didn't like it as well but it's certainly not bad. There were several breeders at the Springfield Mo fair this weekend so I would assume they are fairly easy to find here in MO but not sure about other areas. I would assume you could find anything with the internet though. Many farmers still don't use computers so contact your local fair board and ask for a listing of exhibitors in the milking classes and they may have address and phone to several breeders.

I found a picture of the milking shorthorn oxen.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...photo/oxen.jpg

I always thought it funny that my family - from Northumberland - chose Dexters over milking shorthorns. This would have been back in the 30's or before. My dad said they only ever had Dexters on the place and that's why we chose to have them too.

I would suggest Milking Devons or Milking Shorthorns.
Both breeds are triple purpose type of cattle although I feel the Devon is a more laid back and less agressive breed of the 2 but harder to find. There are some of both in MO, ARK and KS.

I dont think my post has anything about a Dexter being a "fad" breed. I was speaking more on the lines of the Highlands you suggested. But, I have stated in another thread about Dexters being "fads". I just sold a Jersey cow and 4 Jersey calves today to a man in GA, who is selling all his Dexters because they are not meeting his needs. I see this way too often.... No reall meat market for them because they dont flesh out like a real beef breed, and no milk market, because, well they arent dairy cattle. The only market would be people who want a smaller breed of cow. Back to the OPs question. I really do think you would benifit from the milking shorthorns!


JKB

Nothing wrong with wanting a small dual/triple purpose cow for a small homestead. I like Jersey's and really wanted one until I sat down and fully assessed our family's needs. Not everyone needs the output of a Jersey.

But just because Jersey's aren't the right choice for me, doesn't mean that I go around making disparaging remarks about them.

So Dexters would be perfect for a small homestead supporting one or two people. I my case my meat market is me and I don't need 600 lbs. of beef from a large breed. I also don't drink/use 3 or 4 gallons of milk a day... a gallon is more than enough. The require less pasture and/or feed. Sounds just about right for a lot of people. My only reservations would be for their use as oxen.

As too Highlands... I'm considering them also. There attributes are that they can exist almost solely on forage/pasture that other cattle won't do well on, they are very weather hardy/adaptable and very disease/illness/pest resistant. I short they are extremely easy keepers.

I wouldn't classify any breed as a fad if the owners know what they want, why they want it and it meets their needs.

HAHA... I had to laugh! "disparaging remarks"??? How about obviouse remarks. I do love my Jerseys, well I loved them, but I really dont have anything against Dexters. Ive owned them before. But I was so disapointed in them, I dont suggest them to anyone. It was like having a small less fleshy angus cow. The milk producion was the same, and the hanging weight was about half of an angus. If I wanted a small angus, I woul have went with a lowline....


JKB

thats what you said... and I suppose I assumed that you were talking about Dexters, since they'd been mentioned already and you were suggesting a different breed??

"Obvious remarks"??? Well it is obvious to anyone that frequents this board that you don't like Dexters, and have nothing good to say about them.

As for their milk production maybe you aren't aware of several all Dexter creameries in the USA? Perhaps the ones you had weren't well bred for the dual purpose.

I would hardly call highlands fad either. they have been around for a very long time and their popularity continue to grow. Will they ever be a feed lot animal, no, but that doesn't mean there is no beef market for them. If you are into direct market (which has brought more profit to us that beef auction sales) then you should have no trouble selling the meat. If you just want it for your family, they are so easy to keep and provide you with just enough to fill a freezer with the best tasing meat you can find. And if you want oxen, a friend of ours had the most wonderful pair of dun's but I can't find their picture.

Depending on the size of cattle you want to deal with, I would suggest the Dexters if you want smaller cattle, or the Milking Shorthorns for the larger breed. There are a lot of people who use Dexters for oxen, they are not too small at all.
P.J.

Another vote for Milking Shorthorn if you want a larger breed. They are a truly enjoyable cows and make wonderful oxen. I was privileged to milk a Shorthorn herd for two years. Love those gentle giants!

If I understand right, you want the females to do the hauling as well as milk and their calves would be beef right?

Since you want two for a team anyway, why not get a couple of beef heifers? Some of those girls have some serious udders on them. They won't give the 40 to 80 pounds a day, 10 month lactation of the dairy breeds, but you probably don't need that.

An Angus or Hereford won't get too tall, will definitely give you a beefy calf every year, are muscled enough to do your pulling and should definitely give you enough milk for home use, even if it's for 6 months instead of 10. You'd stagger breedings anyway for your beef.

I happen to know a few people who milk beef cattle. A few live in FL and find beef cows more heat hearty then dairy and a few have really nice purebred herds of beef cows and would rather keep an old pet or kids project calf as a milker then an animal that they have no use for the calves from. I was always impressed by the common sense of the idea.

Okay, I'm interested now. I also live in Florida and have been contemplating the purchase of a cow. I'm a newbie to having anything larger than rabbits, but I like the idea of beef and milk and heat tolerance. How willing are the meat breeds to be milked?

No cow is willing to be milked until she figures out it feels good and is a relief. Luckily, most cows tame really easily, especially if you have just one, they like company and yours is good when there are no other cows. Find the local 4H or FFA crowd. Often the kids have project animals that are really tame. Or you can start with a calf. It will be 2+ years before she calves and you can start milking, but a lot of people like to raise babies. It gives you time to get used to such a big animal as she grows. Just because a cow is a dairy breed, doesn't mean she's gentle, I've met some mean ones! Any gentle cow can be milked. I think it's easier to gentle a cow then a horse.

Thanks for the info. I have a 14 year old son I would also like to involve. We are planning our move as we await the sale of our home. I've been homesteading in the suburbs since I was 10. My grandfather had beef cattle, but I've always wanted to have a milk cow. What would be the best way to learn the basics of cow keeping before we get one?