New here but have a few questions

[mg_at_the_farm]

Can someone tell me about Dexter cows??? We raise goats, couple of my kids can't handle cows milk, but I miss it, we never buy an animal before learning all we can about it, DH lived at his grandpas farm when he was a kid, but they raised beef cattle and pork and he really doesnt remember much about it as they moved away when he was only 8. I spend summers at my aunts goat and emu farm and at my the dairy farm my uncle managed, but not enough to learm much except that big machine was loud..lol...anyway, figured this was a good place to start learning, also intend to visit a friend of my mothers who raises cattle and of coarse if I decide to buy will talk with the breeder in length, but this looked like a good place for initial info and opinions.
We have dairy and meat goats, rabbits, ponies, chickens,turkeys, ducks, and pigs, but I have never had cows, I know nothing about them other than what I've googled, wickied, and learned at the fair last year when I stopped and talked to a few farmers at the show....

How much do Dexters eat?

how is the milk?

my uncle raise holstiens, and I remember loving the taste when I got to have a glass, but with goats, each breed seems to have it's own taste and texture, with meat and milk, is it the same with cows?

How is the meat?

I have heard the breed is good for both purposes,

how winter hardy are they???

an old man I know has a couple of highlanders and a couple of black angus,(lol he says they are pets and keeps them to remind him of the old days when he wasn't to old to remember what to do with them) he is a good old guy but gets irritated easily, especially when pounded with questions (because he does have trouble with his memory unfortunatly) but he said if I wanted to use either bull I was welcome to bring 'em a mate...

could a dexter handle being bred by eith of these or is the size difference too much??

typically how is the temperment of a dexter???
how long does hand milking take those of you that do it???

My mother says they must be milked on a perfect schedual every 12 hours, is that true, or

could I keep a calf on her and milk when I need it like I do with a couple of my does? how much feed do they need???

do you give feed just as a distraction and extra nutrients as with goats or do they need a certain amount?

(my goats forage and get hay unless they are under a year old or bred or standing in the milk stand and I take it away when the milking is done) .

what kind of minerals do you use???

can I have just a single cow here or will she get depressed being alone like a goat????

if so would raising a calf for butchar every year be addiquit company or would you recomend another adult companion???

what kind of fence do you use??
I have a 3 wire electric, is that enough???

I only have 8 acres fenced???
is that enough space???

yes alot of questions, yes I have some of the answers from other areas on the net, but many I have found have been contradicted by others so I decided you guys would be the tye breakers...lol... no, just need to make sure I understand everything and have several sources, and several questions here I never found the answer to, like

how much hay???

anway thanks in advance for any help you can give!! realized I rambled on and on, so i seperated all the questios so you can scan quicker and just answer them if you dont wanna read the whole post....sorry so lengthy

[LizD]

Wow that's a lot of questions...but I'll do my best! Ok my Dexters are outside in the winter, with a wind shelter, at -32c. My jersey is in the barn at -10c or lower. They are half her size, 40" - 600 -650lbs, (chondro free -meaning this is their 'real' height) and they have half the input feed wise and half the output manure wise. They are able to turn grass hay into body fat, yes I supplement with good mineral, free choice salt, kelp and a lick. They get a bit of grain when they come in to get milked but the steer finish really nicely on grass. The meat is well marbled, tender beef with smaller cuts that have a perfect bone to muscle ratio. The milk is rich, about 4% judging by my cheese, and the fat globule is really small making it easier to digest, like a goat's and also perfect for making hard cheese that ages well. Incidentally goat's milk contains more lactose on average than cow's milk so often we find that people that think they can only drink goat's milk can also digest Dexter milk! The individual milkyness and temperament depends on the individual cow, depending on the breeding program of the seller. Do your homework with a bunch of breeders until you find a cow that suits you. Quickness of hand milking depends on the milker not on the cow and finally as to the schedule for milking; I milk about now in the morning and then about 4 in the afternoon, not twelve hours apart. My cows adjust to my milking times and as long as I am consistent they are just fine with it. Dexters are often out-crossed with smaller beef breeds but why not find a good dexter breeder around you, we are everywhere and they are great beef animals of their own accord. The problem with most of that start with one Dexter cow isn't necessarily the cow that needs another but the owner that needs to buy another Dexter! They are addictive! Hope this helps, Liz

[linn]

We have several Dexters. I AI my milk cow to a Dexter, but we run our others with our Black Angus bulls. They produce a nice cross bred calf. I usually have to start keeping my calf up and let the cow in morning and night, otherwise she starts holding back her milk or when the calf gets older, it will take all of the milk. Dexters produce good, rich milk. They are usually not very heavy producers with the first calf.
A three strand electric fence should hold cows, but when a bull wants to go through an electric fence, they usually will, especially if they are romancing a cow nearby. If you have eight acres of grazing that should be enough for a couple of Dexters, if you are running other livestock on it. You may have to buy in hay though. Hope this helps.