DexterXJersey

[Slev]

Bred my Dexter to a Jersey, A.I. First timer, we'll see if it takes..... should be a good milker, I hope

[michiganfarmer]

Iim curious. wont that create a calving ease problem?

[Patt]

Your Dexter is a first time heifer? Be prepared to help if necessary. We tried a Dexter Highland cross and we had to pull the calf.

[Slev]

I think the long leg Dexter is close enough to the Jersey that it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If it is, we will pull it if need be.

[Suzanne]

I have a jersey bull a friend wants to use on her Dexter heifer. Who out there has done that successfully? I have told them they may have to pull, just the fact their Dexter is overweight now, as it is would add to the problem if it doesn't slim down some. Thanks for any replies.....

[KSALguy]

an over weaght cow or any livestock animal for that matter complicates the breeding regadless of what you breed them too,
if your bull is not rough and too large and the heiffer is other wise structurally sound and not really SMALL then things should work out IF she looses weight to a more healthy size.

[Slev]

well, I'm no Vet. but I do know dexters come in 2 body types. The taller, more Kerry type is still smaller than a Jersey, but not by much. From reading the Jersey standards, they have a huge body weight range, something to consider. But if you have a larger Dexter and a smaller Jersey, you might want to run that by either your Vet. or a Dairyman in your area for their advice. Dexter@ 36"-42" @ <750 lbs. vs. Jersey@ 800-1200lbs. and medium sized.

[Slev]

Originally Posted by KSALguy

an over weaght cow or any livestock animal for that matter complicates the breeding regadless of what you breed them too,
if your bull is not rough and too large and the heiffer is other wise structurally sound and not really SMALL then things should work out IF she looses weight to a more healthy size.

....Diet Cow Chow, maybe?

[Paula]

Jersey calves are small and slender, you shouldn't have a problem.

[Patt]

When we decided to buy a Highland bull to go with our dexters we looked at the size calves his father was throwing vs. the 2 calves our dexter had already had that were 100% dexter. We had 2 crosses born this year and they were both 45 lbs. The dexter calves we had before were 35 lbs. The problem with our heifer was that she had a bull calf and he is very stocky. There's a pic of him here somewhere. I would think like Paula said with Jerseys being so slim you won't have as much of a problem.
Our cows are the longer legged Kerry type.
From what I've read on the New Zealand Dexter website they use Continental bulls on Dexters frequently with no problems. It just that first time that's worrisome. Better a small calf the first round and then after that something larger.

[65284]

I bought a big long leg Dexter cow and her daughter that had been bred by a fence crashing Angus bull. They were too far along to abort when I bought them. I kept them in the barn lot and checked them many times a day and had the vet on standby. Both had the calves without any assistance. The cow had no problem at all, but I did a lot of sympathy sweating and grunting and straining right along with the heifer. The heifer was 13 months and 1 day old when she calved. Other than stunting her somewhat size wise there didn't seem to be any other long term effects. I consider myself very fortunate not to have lost her.

[Timberline]

I think you'll enjoy this cross. I know I love mine to the point that I keep selling pure Dexters in order to keep my cross bred heifers. They seem to be the best of both worlds: better milkers than most Dexters; better beef than most Jerseys; still small but not so short that you break your back milking; and my favorite, heterosis.

This year my 3/4 Jersey 1/4 Dexter cow had a gorgeous Dexter sired polled heifer. I bought a Holstein bull calf and put on the cow. I just milk every couple of days when I need it, so having the extra calf has kept her production up and she is raising beef for me.

If your Dexter heifer is 15 months old, she shouldn't have any problems calving, just don't let her get too fat before calving, and remember feeding lots of alfalfa and/or grain during the last couple months will make the calf big. Can't wait to see pics when the time comes.

Here's my crossbred with her two brats.

[Slev]

wow! love the picture! Tell me, how hard was it to graft the new calf to her? I know most of the time with my sheep they fight it for several days or weeks....

[Timberline]

Grafting the calf wasn't hard, but it was time consuming. For the first two days, I went out several times a day and put the cow in a chute and let the calf nurse. For a week after that I went out and held her on the halter several times a day, then she decided she didn't have a choice. He still can't nurse unless her calf is nursing. The two calves are inseparable and doing everything together, so he gets plenty to eat. The cow won't lick him like she does her calf, but she does watch over him and will defend him.