Sell me on Dexters

[jode]

We have a Brown Swiss (we think - not registered or anything) heifer that we are raising for a milk cow. She has a great temperment and seems like she is going to be a great cow. We tend to go through a lot of milk, so we are really looking forward to some "free" milk. Anyway, I see that alot of folks here favor the Dexters. A quick trip over to Wikipedia reveals that they give good milk and some folks prefer the meat (saying it is sweeter) and that the meat is generally more marbled with fat than traditional supermarket beef. Anway, I am just wondering what the big attraction is to Dexters for homesteaders. Is it merely the small size that makes them attractive to folks that are nervous about having a full sized cow about?

[copperhead46]

The size of the Dexter is what has made them so popular with the "small" farmer. A lot of people have moved to the country and have 2 and half, or 5 acres and the small size makes it easy for them to have a cow or two. I have plenty of room, and have always had big cattle, but started with the Dexters because I wanted a butcher calf and didn't need 800 lbs of beef at a time. I went from 2 cows and a bull to 20 head at the moment, just had another calf born about 20 minutes ago. I have gotten to really like them, have developed a small beef business, and I sell all the calves I want to. They are pretty easy to handle, have a calm temperment, usually, and are just kinda fun to raise.
I also raise grass fed beef, and the Dexter is well adapted to this type of program. I do feed protein pellets in the winter, but when I fatten one it's usually at the end of grass season and they are ready to go. the Dexters very seldom have a problem calving, in 5 years I've never pulled a calf, even from 2 year old heifers. They go into production a lot earlier, and they are very disease resistant. For someone who just wants a cow or some of us who acutally have a "herd" they are really very low maintenence cattle.
If you want to have other breeds, the Dexter bull will put you heifers into production a year earlier. I have longhorn X Angus that I have my polled Dexter bull on.

P.J.

[Timberline]

OH boy, my favorite subject. This could be a long post.

I got Dexters after years of having other breeds, so being nervous about the larger breeds' size wasn't a factor, although I'm sure for some folks it is.

We have a small family, so don't need gallons of milk. I milked Jerseys for several years and it was just too much. I did graft beef calves onto the cows, but that was not always easy to accomplish. Dexters give me the amount of milk I want.

We don't need a lot of beef, and a Dexter steer lasts us a year. We put one in the freezer every fall and it works out fine for us. Also, usually have a waiting list of people wanting the smaller, leaner cuts of beef from our Dexters. We grass feed (hay in winter) only, and the Dexters do very well in this situation.

I had Jerseys and Dexters at the same time. My bigger Dexters were about the same size as my Jerseys. The Jerseys ate at least 1/3 more (more when fresh) and produced a lot more manure. Yes, they were producing more milk, but it was milk I didn't need. I now have smaller Dexters than what I started with and they eat even less.

The Dexters take our very cold, snowy winters very well. They stay in good condition every winter. They are easy on my fences and pastures. They like to browse more than other breeds, which works well on property that has a lot of brush and willows. My little bulls are easy to handle and gentle, any that aren't (cows or bulls go in the freezer). I'm an average sized woman and often have to doctor and handle the cattle by myself, so I do appreciate the Dexters' small size.

We are at 8000' elevation and brisket (high altitude disease) is a problem here. I have only heard of one Dexter that had it (and it was born here in Colorado). I don't know if that's due to the smaller size, and the heart not having to pump blood through more body mass, but that's the only reason I have come up with so far.

I also like that fact that the Dexter breed is small, but not miniature. They were not bred down from something else. It is a very old breed with a lot of history.

In 10 years of breeding Dexters I have never had mastitis, milk fever, pink-eye, or other serious disease in my herd. I have only had to have a vet help pull one calf. I vaccinate and worm regularly, and work closely with my vet on this. I have to treat a calf for scours occasionally, had one cow get ovarian cysts, one bull lost his fertility after several years, but that's about the extent of it. I was a vet tech for 12 years and saw lots of disease, calving and other problems in the local cattle that I just didn't have with my Dexters.

Dexters are not for everyone, just like Jerseys or Angus are not for everyone. I have seen people buy a Dexter, then are upset that they don't get 5 gallons of milk a day or 800# pounds of beef off one steer. The Dexter is a small dual purpose breed, designed to produce moderate amounts of milk and beef on less feed. She won't milk like a Jersey or finish like an Angus, so don't expect her to. But for those who have a small place, want a manageable amount of high quality milk and beef, and like something that's different, then Dexters are perfect.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

By the way, that's a very pretty heifer you have and looks like she'll make a fine family cow.

[darbyfamily]

For the most part, there is some very good information on Dexters in this post too..

Actual milking ability of dexters?

but towards the end, it gets into a debate with a dexter naysayer and then its a bit less fun to read, but still a ton of good info here

[linn]

Well, I love my Dexter for her great personality. I truly believe that Dexters are generally a very intelligent animal. She gives just enough milk for us without flooding us.
However, your little girl sounds just great. I have never owned a Brown Swiss, but have heard they make a great family cow.

[genebo]

If you have enough land to support a Brown Swiss and need a lot of milk, then you've ruled out a couple of the best reasons for owning a Dexter, but made a good case for owning two Dexters. Time their pregnancies and always have one in milk.

A Dexter's best attribute is it's size. It eats a lot less and can survive on a smaller farm. It's less imtimidating, due to it's size. Most of them have a very gentle temperament.

The average Dexter gives about 2 gallons per day, including what the calf drinks. Maybe there's a gallon in there for you.

Dexter milk has smaller molecules, making it easier to digest. It makes great soft cheeses and good hard cheeses. It has a fairly high butterfat content.

Dexter beef has won contests for the best tasting beef in the world. It makes smaller cuts that are generally leaner, without much surface fat.

Dexters are very hardy and are easy birthers. Most births are unattended and go perfectly. Dexters mature early and can start giving you milk earlier.

The Dexter breed is still listed as "recovering", so you'd be helping to preserve a rare breed.

It's the best choice for a small landholder.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[Slev]

and in addition to owning a small cow, what farm out there can't use a little bull every now and then...?

[jode]

Awesome replies. Good info. It actually sounds like many of the reasons for owning a Dexter are the same as why I own longhorns. They have a great temperment, are naturally disease resistant and self-sufficient (no calving probs), intelligent, and have great tasting, low cholesterol beef. I guess the only difference is the size. I don't think I'll ever own a Dexter (but you never know) but I appreciate the discussion.

[cowkeeper]

Dexters rule