Thinking of getting miniature cattle. What breed?

[bloogrssgrl]

My DH and I are very interested in getting miniature cattle, hopefully by next year. We would like a good dual purpose milk/meat breed. So far, we are considering Scottish Highland, Dexter, and American Milking Devon.

Are there any others I should be looking into? Anyone raising any of these care to share the good and bad?

Any help is greatly appreicated.

[darbyfamily]

I havent had my Dexters long enough to be a fair speaker on the subject. I will tell you that we have never owned cattle of any kind, nor touched one with my own hand, until these two girls got here. They are super easy to deal with, great personalities and Im milking now, though not getting much because I started too late into it with her.

I havent found bad to it yet but Im still in the honeymoon phase of my cow purchase

[ebook]

As a Dexter owner I would say get Dexters! They are enjoyable and easy to work with in my experience, even if they aren't super tame. I could go on and on, but I'm sure others will share some of their favorite things about the Dexter ... be warned though, some think they are a fad

I would also say that it depends on what you plan to do with your cattle. What will be the most important to you.

Finally, I don't think I would throw the American Milking Devon into the "miniature" category because their cows are between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds. Of course I wouldn't call Dexters or Highlands "miniature" either because they are both purebreds, not animals that were bred down. One more thing about the American Milking Devon, according to their website there are only about 600 registered animals in the US at any time. That is a pretty small amount and would probably take quite a bit of commitment if you want to keep the your breeding pure. With the small numbers the price might be higher, but it could be worth it if you are interested in helping sustain the heritage breeds ... and the American Milking Devon is an important American heritage breed!

[wstevenl]

I've got 6 Dexters now (I'm new to it as of this year) and love them so far. Of course they are all different so I like some more than others. For the most part they are very friendly, but don't think they are going to be so small that you don't have to be careful with them... they are still intimidating.

I've looked online at alot of Highlands. I really like the idea of getting a few but I've noticed that many that I have looked at have been far away in the pictures where most of the Dexters are hogging the camera. It makes me wonder if alot of Highlands are more skiddish.

[bloogrssgrl]

Thanks for the input so far! Looks like the Dexters are representin'!

ebook, we are looking for a good meat and dairy animal. And thanks for clarifying about miniature as opposed to purebred. It's important for me to learn the correct lingo as I am shopping around.

The thing that caught my eye about the American Milking Devon is that it seems like a good all purpose animal. And the fact that it is a hertiage breed - something we are pretty interested in right now.

wstenenl, thanks for the caution as well. We are currently raising goats and I have learned to never underestimate an animal no matter what it's size. Something very important to keep in mind.

I look forward to everyone else's input!

[bloogrssgrl]

Oh! I forgot! We live in NE PA so we also need something that can deal with northeast winters. Nothing too fragile.

[RdoubleD]

Right now I have Dexter cattle. In the past I have raised Polled Herefords, Angus X and played around with Lowlines.

The Dexter's that I own have the closest temperaments to the Herefords very easy going. The one thing that I would caution you about the Dexter cattle is that they do not all milk alike, you have to learn what bloodlines are known for stronger milk traits or purchase a cow that has been milk and has some kind of a production information. You will find that a lot of Dexter's are bred more for beef traits then milk traits.

I have heard of people purchasing a Dexter for home dairy use and are disappointed in the amount of milk they would get. So I guess it would be best if you are going to use a cow for home milk to figure out how much milk you are going to need or expect and then shop for a cow that will fill that need.

Hope that helps a little.

[ebook]

bloogrssgrl - RdoubleD has some good advice there that you should take into consideration. One other thing I will throw out there, it is good to do as much reading and research as you can, but I think you just need to get out and look. Being in PA you should be able to find Dexters and Highlands, but I know that the American Milking Devons will be a littler more difficult to find. Of course you are on the Eastern side of the country so maybe you are in a better area.

I would love to have some American Milking Devon just from the historical aspect, as I mentioned before, but I have heard stories of them being a little rough around the edges. But, that may just be an individual thing.

Hope your search goes well.

[SweetMissDaisy]

We love our Dexters!! We've got four cows expecting to calve soon ... one in just a matter of days!

You can see photos of some of ours here:
http://www.pbase.com/annawightphotography/farm_animals

[Shirley]

Originally Posted by bloogrssgrl

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Are there any others I should be looking into? Anyone raising any of these care to share the good and bad?
Any help is greatly appreicated.

Check out the miniature Jersey. http://www.miniaturejerseyassociation.com/

[Tilly]

my dexters handle colorado winters just fine, they actually seem to prefer being out in the snow at 20 below than in the 3-sided shed. We had a calf born last december, and he and mamma did just fine..very hardy breed.

Tilly

[Tiffin]

6 Dexters and 2 cross Dexter/Jersey and 1 cross Dexter/Dutch belted. Five calves expected this spring and summer. They are all easy going, gentle, love attention. One is a 2 year old steer which has become the farm mascot; he is such a treat to have around for visitors. I don't think I would have any other kind of cow but actually the Dexters and cross Dexters are all I have every had so perhaps I'm not being fair. But, so far since your question it has been all about Dexters. And, yes they can handle cold weather. They only stay in the barn if it is extremely windy or a terrific down pour. They also will retreat to the barn during extreme fly season. One major problem is parting with one to sell or beef.

[furholler]

Dexter.

[billy]

Speckled Parks also might be an option

[CatherineE]

Hey there...I'd like to weigh into this discussion on the side of the American Milking Devon (http://www.milkingdevons.org/)! They are a wonderful breed, sweet tempered, smart, gorgeous to look at, hardy in all extremes of weather, able to make rich milk and marbled meat on rough grass and browse, and a very cool heritage breed that needs to be preserved. We have some land down near Houston Texas, and after loads of research, we finally settled on MDs, and are very happy with our choice. Last year's sad drought forced many animals in the SE to be sold as their pastures dried up, but that enabled us to put our own herd together. All the animals were pretty skinny when they arrived in our pastures, but they are filling out nicely on good spring grass! To the best of my knowledge, we've got the only herd of MDs (11 animals, so far) this far south and west, as the majority of the breed live in the NE. However, you being from Pa. should make it much easier to locate these Milking Devons! My best advice is to network...write to everyone you can that has MDs, learn from them, ask for suggestions and who you should talk to next. These breeders either know, or at least know of, each other and they hear who has animals for sale!

Oh, another thought would be for you to start out with a nice Jersey, and cross her with an MD for a replacement heifer for yourself. You'd get the best of both worlds then...small size, good on grass, more meat than a Jersey, but probably a bit more milk than the average MD.

I'm going to try to upload a picture or two of some of our animals so you can see what we're talking about. Good luck on your descision-making!

This is a photo of some of our heifers out on a new paddock, a couple of days ago.


This is a photo of our sweet milk cow, Katie.


Last, but not least, is Katie's 2 month old heifer, Libby!


God bless. CatherineE

[JulieLou42]

Beautiful gals, CatherineE!!!

There is a ranch in the far north of Idaho that has AMD's, and I'd dearly love to get a few of those...they are very pricey...and they regulated breeding strictly. You can only get semen and embryos if you breed to AMD.

Mike Tymrak

Birch Run Ranch
P.O. Box 644
Bonners Ferry, ID 83805
208-267-3733
mtymrak@coldreams.com



Guernseys are kinda rare these days, and getting rarer! They are very gentle and typically weigh in at around 1200#. Mines' a 3/4 Guernsey X Angus, but she has a larger size to her by about 200#. Very sweet, easy disposition.

Good luck on your search...

[bloogrssgrl]

Thank you, everyone, for you wonderful input and advice. I will definitely check out the other breeds that were suggested and start networking with some breeders in our area. Hopefully this time next year I can post pictures of our animals.

[tailwagging]

Originally Posted by CatherineE

Hey there...I'd like to weigh into this discussion on the side of the American Milking Devon (http://www.milkingdevons.org/)! They are a wonderful breed, sweet tempered, smart, gorgeous to look at, hardy in all extremes of weather, able to make rich milk and marbled meat on rough grass and browse, and a very cool heritage breed that needs to be preserved. We have some land down near Houston Texas, and after loads of research, we finally settled on MDs, and are very happy with our choice. Last year's sad drought forced many animals in the SE to be sold as their pastures dried up, but that enabled us to put our own herd together. All the animals were pretty skinny when they arrived in our pastures, but they are filling out nicely on good spring grass! To the best of my knowledge, we've got the only herd of MDs (11 animals, so far) this far south and west, as the majority of the breed live in the NE. However, you being from Pa. should make it much easier to locate these Milking Devons! My best advice is to network...write to everyone you can that has MDs, learn from them, ask for suggestions and who you should talk to next. These breeders either know, or at least know of, each other and they hear who has animals for sale!

Oh, another thought would be for you to start out with a nice Jersey, and cross her with an MD for a replacement heifer for yourself. You'd get the best of both worlds then...small size, good on grass, more meat than a Jersey, but probably a bit more milk than the average MD.

I'm going to try to upload a picture or two of some of our animals so you can see what we're talking about. Good luck on your descision-making!

This is a photo of some of our heifers out on a new paddock, a couple of days ago.


This is a photo of our sweet milk cow, Katie.


Last, but not least, is Katie's 2 month old heifer, Libby!


God bless. CatherineE

Where did you get that horn jewelry???!!!!

[pcdreams]

I haven't had any cows yet but have been looking at dexters.. The mini jerseys look interesting as well.. got to watch for true breed vs jersey/dexter cross though. Not that theres anything wrong with that. Just watch that you're getting the real thing and not swindled.

[Timberline]

Been raising Dexters at 8000 feet elevation in CO since 1998. They can take extreme cold and snow with no problems, and do not lose condition in the winter (which is a problem I had with my Jerseys). They are hardy and easy to care for. I've never had a case of pinkeye, or any other disease. Once in a while a calf will get milk scours, but easily treated. Have had to have a vet out to pull just one calf in ten years. We vaccinate every spring before calving, vacc calves at 4 and 8 months, heifers get a bangs vacc before a year of age, worm spring and fall and that's about it. They are very friendly and let strangers walk out in the pasture and pet them.

We have a small family and our Dexters give us just the right amount of milk and beef. We have a waiting list for beef and have no problems selling our steers. There's a good market for nice gentle heifers. We have butchered everything from 18 month old steers, to old cows and bulls and the beef is always fantastic. We feed quality pasture and hay (grain used only for milking cows and as a training aid). The milk is sweet with about the same amount of butterfat as Jersey milk.

We have 65 acres of mixed pasture, some very dry and sparse, some well irrigated grass and clover mix and some very wet brushy areas. The Dexters utilize all of it and do very well on it.

We started with Dexters after having other larger breeds, both dairy and beef. The Dexters are just right for us, but not for everyone. If you need tons of milk or beef, you will need more Dexters than you would animals of a larger breed. Just keep in mind that this is a small breed, bred to to produce moderate amounts of milk and beef and do it economically. They were not bred to milk like Jerseys or dress out like Angus, so don't expect them to.

When considering any breed, learn what they were bred for, what climate they thrive in, etc, so you won't be disappointed. Dexters have far exceeded what we initially expected from them. They have keep us supplied with milk and beef, and generate quite a bit of income from seedstock sales. What we didn't expect was the amount of fun, entertainment and joy we get from them. And they have brought us many wonderful friends over the years through the ADCA and PDCA. Dexter breeders are great bunch of people.