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06/26/08, 07:46 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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Meet Magie & Matilda
These two Dexter heifers just turned 1 yr old last week. They have had only minimal handling so I have my work cut out for me to gentle them into being milk cows by next year. First up on the agenda is to get a stanchion built so I can get the vet out here to dehorn them. They were pretty flighty last night after their trip here and Maggie mostly hid behind her slightly older half sister. My 4 yr old daughter gets credits for the names. 
Matilda
Maggie
After years of wishing for a cow, I now have two! 
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/26/08, 12:33 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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The girls were still wary this morning, but seem to be settling into their new home just fine. Here are a couple of shots from this morning.
Matilda
Maggie
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/26/08, 02:11 PM
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Cracked Nut
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Owen County Kentucky
Posts: 421
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oh their very nice!! i like their names i would like some dexter milki cows but there none to be had in my neck of the woods that i know about good luck with them
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06/26/08, 03:02 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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Thanks! Have you checked the ADCA and PDCA websites?
Also check out the Irish Dexter Cattle Forum
I found some in Kentucky on both boards.
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/29/08, 08:00 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,349
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About the last place I would choose to dehorn cows would be the stanchion I was going to milk them in.
You sure don't want them associating the stanchion with unpleasant, painful situations. And cows are smart enough to make the connection.
Put them in there and dehorn them and it might be difficult to get them to put their heads in it for milking.
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06/29/08, 10:05 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North Alabama
Posts: 242
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yes. DEHORN!
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06/30/08, 11:47 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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Just called the rental place where I got the horse trailer to transport the girls and amazingly they have a squeeze shoot! $24 for a 24 hour rental - plus about 80 miles worth of gas for the two round trips. But at least we will be able to get the horns done sooner than later.
Any good tips for getting a couple of spooky girls into the shoot?
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/30/08, 12:09 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 583
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What color is Maggie? I didn't know they could be two tone. Very curious what she'd get registered as. Is she reg'd?
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06/30/08, 01:40 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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They are both black, Maggie just needs to shed her winter coat. I read here that worms might be the cause of the late shed, but then again we have had a cooler than usual spring and they were wormed with Safeguard pellets in Feb.
They are both out of dual registered parents, (same sire and grandsire for both of them) and as soon as I decide on a farm name they will be registered with the ADCA by the seller. I will probably go ahead and register them with the PDCA too since they are eligible.
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/30/08, 02:48 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: S.E. Iowa
Posts: 2,530
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Anything I have had dehorned, I hauled to my large animal vet. He has a pen and a shute, and charges very little for this service if I haul them in. MUCH cheaper than all those trips, call around to the vets.
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06/30/08, 03:06 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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There is only one large animal vet in this area and they do farm visits only. I would have to go to the same rental place to get a trailer anyway so it doesn't save me anything. I am trying to schedule it around a dental appointment I have in the city so I can pick up or drop off on when I have to go into town anyway.
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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06/30/08, 06:54 PM
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: VA
Posts: 1,706
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Congratulations on acquiring two lovely Dexter heifers. You've had them less than a week. They've not had much time to get accustomed to their new surroundings and now you are going to dehorn them? In mid-summer? Please reconsider!
I know all the reasons for dehorning. You have young children, you're worried about gentling them, and ultimately milking a horned animal, etc., etc., but Dexters are typically a HORNED animal. Apologies for raining on your parade, but why, oh why?
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06/30/08, 08:01 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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Would waiting until fall make it easier on them? I suppose I could wait a few months, but my understanding was that sooner is better than later. And I plan to have them AI'd in October.
And if you have any experience in gentling cows with horns I would love to hear about it.
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
Last edited by Wags; 06/30/08 at 08:13 PM.
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06/30/08, 09:19 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,662
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My experience is more with goats than with cows, but if you dehorn now, in the summer, I'd be very concerned about flies (and maggots). If they were tame, so you could keep a really close eye on things and apply something to the wounds to keep the flies off, it might work, but since they really aren't tame yet, if they were mine, I'd wait until cooler weather kills the flies off.
Kathleen
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