breeding Dexters to Lowline

crowinghen · #1 10/26/08, 11:44 PM

Has anyone bred their Dexter heifers or cows to a Lowline Angus bull?
I've bred my normal sized cow to a Lowline (ai'd to Quartermaster) really love the steer calf that was the result... but kinda thinking we'd like to get smaller cows so we can run a couple head instead of the one cow/calf pair. There are some reg. Dexters for sale in my area-- real shorties, very cute both heifers. thinking about getting them and breeding them to the same Lowline bull for some home-raised beef or even keep one or two heifer cows for a small herd.
i have a Nubian that gives all the milk our family needs right now, so just looking for beef... lowlines are much more expensive than the Dexters-- by far in my area...

any thoughts??

thanks!

wstevenl · #2 10/27/08, 08:56 AM

I know it's been done because I occasionally see the cross for sale. Also, I know that the guy that makes all different "breeds" at Happy Mountain Farm started a line called Barbee cattle that is a lowline/dexter cross. I plan on crossing alot of my cows with Lowline after I've got all the Dexter cows that I want for a while because, like you, I want a beefier, short animal but I've been told that the Dexter cow would raise a great calf because of all of it's milk. Not to mention, the dexter is cheaper by far.

crowinghen · #3 10/27/08, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstevenl

I know it's been done because I occasionally see the cross for sale. Also, I know that the guy that makes all different "breeds" at Happy Mountain Farm started a line called Barbee cattle that is a lowline/dexter cross. I plan on crossing alot of my cows with Lowline after I've got all the Dexter cows that I want for a while because, like you, I want a beefier, short animal but I've been told that the Dexter cow would raise a great calf because of all of it's milk. Not to mention, the dexter is cheaper by far.

My AI guy just returned my call and said that a LOT of people do breed their Dexters to Lowline-- a beefier animal plus polled as a nice plus ( if you don't like horns) Then also no worries about Bulldog calves.
I live very close to the Happy mountain Farm-- I've never been there tho.

Yes the Dexter are cheaper here too-- half as much I'd say.

Shazza · #4 10/27/08, 05:26 PM

I wouldnt breed a Dexter short leg to a Lowline, but if you test your Dexters and they are Chrondodysplasia Negative then I would definately. If you breed a positive Dexter to a Lowline I would hate to think where all the extra muscleing would go if the calf was a shorty.

genebo · #5 10/27/08, 09:23 PM

I have a friend who breeds a herd of Angus cattle with a short legged Dexter bull, chondro positive. He calls the offspring "Dangus". The calves are very beefy, all polled, and retain the Dexter temperament and taste. Since the Lowline Angus is an Angus that was selected for size, you should get similar results.

There have been a number of beef cooking contests held in which the Dexter beef was judged superior, so that's a plus.

People who've eaten my friend's beef have come to me to buy a Dexter bull for their herd. I've sold two that way.

Don't worry about first generation calves from a short legged Dexter. No problem. There are many different forms of dwarfism among cattle. The Dexter form mainly affects the leg length.

When I look at commercial beef cattle, I think about all that excess leg that will go to waste. We don't eat the legs.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Shazza · #6 10/27/08, 09:54 PM

I'm sorry I cannot see the point in introducing a disease to a herd on purpose....before long you will have Angus breeders having to test. Using a negative bull is the only safe way to breed to Dexter cows or another breed of cattle. And you know Genebo that the disease affects far more than just the length of leg. IMO

wstevenl · #7 10/28/08, 08:20 AM

Gene said not to worry about FIRST gen. calves so I would assume that this guy is butchering all the heifers too and keeping his offspring F1s.

I've had a 35 year breeder tell me that condro (not a disease) mainly effects the length of leg, but on alot of them you can see a bigger head and shorter neck too.. What would be wrong with adding more beef to them?

Shazza · #8 10/28/08, 08:27 AM

A dwarf Dexter is the same as a dwarf person...they have the same amount of muscle as a big person but their skeleton is dwarfed...same for the Dexter...squashing and distorting their limbs/legs. If you add more muscle stands to reason you get more leg problems carrying the extra weight, and a short legs joints often click quite badly under the strain of a big body. IMO

Razorback21 · #9 10/28/08, 10:03 AM

Are you wanting milk in addition to beef? Lowline Angus in my opinion is the perfect homestead beef breed, because it dresses out at such a high percentage, and I would want to keep them mostly pure bred. They do equally well on grass and on grain. This is our first year raising them and couldn't be more pleased.

KSALguy · #10 10/28/08, 10:06 AM

so dwarfism in humans is a disease? hmmm better go chainge the Genetic books

Shazza · #11 10/28/08, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSALguy

so dwarfism in humans is a disease? hmmm better go chainge the Genetic books

Dwarfism is a GENETIC disease...

What do you call it then KSALguy?

genebo · #12 10/28/08, 08:16 PM

Dwarfism is a trait, just like being polled or having spots. It varies a lot from species to species, and also within species. Some breeds of cattle have no dwarfism in them. Others have as many as seven different kinds of dwarves. Dexters have two forms. One is so rare that it has only been seen in Australia. Angus have many different forms of dwarfism. One of them is the form that Shazza describes. The skeleton doesn't grow, while the rest of the animal does. This type does not exist in Dexters. This type of Angus dwarf usually dies of suffocation before it's a year old. My neighbor has had two of those in a herd of 70 Angus.

Knowing that Angus carry this form of dwarfism isn't enough reason to disqualify them from being used as breeders. It's a rare occurrence. My neighbor was just unlucky.

I have a friend who has a different form of Angus dwarf. His cow is just small, about the size of a Lowline Angus, but healthy, like Dexter dwarves. She's been repeatedly bred to a short legged Dexter bull with excellent results. Tasty calves!

Do a search for bovine dwarfism and you'll find information about these forms of dwarfism.

The Lowline Angus is the small version of the Angus, which is universally accepted as the standard of beef excellence. They're small and produce good beef. The only reasons I can think of for crossing them with Dexters is to get the increased milk production, which may hasten calf growth, to get the gentle disposition, or to take advantage of the lower price of Dexters. Lowlines are too expensive to eat!

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Shazza · #13 10/28/08, 08:24 PM

Any form of Genetic malformation/malfuction/mutation in both breeds should be avoided IMO. If anyone has ever seen bulldogs being born you would be of the same opinion...not something you would wish on any breeder or cow lover.

Shazza · #14 10/29/08, 12:11 AM

I did try biting my tongue

... Dwarfism is not a trait of the Dexter... Small dual purpose Cattle is a trait. http://dexter.une.edu.au/

cowkeeper · #15 10/29/08, 06:58 AM

I am sure there are many lovely chondro carriers (hetero for the gene) out there, but it cannot be denied that when two carriers are bred together, and there is then the possibility of a homo carrier (bulldog, dead) calf, that it is not a desireable breed 'trait' but a deformity.

translplant · #16 10/29/08, 11:23 AM

I know someone who has crossed Lowlines and Dexters. PM me if you would like contact information for him.

I would be a bit wary of crossing first calving Dexter heifers myself to ANY breed larger than a Dexter. A Dexter cow, however, that has successfully given birth at least once, okay.