cow tractor or tethered cow

chickenfarmer · #1 04/29/09, 12:13 PM

I am interested in getting a Dexter for milk and raising its calf for meat. I have about 1.25 acres of lawn that I would like to use to feed them. I have small kids so I do not want to use an electric fence, and I do not want to fence in the entire lawn for cost as well as wanting a place for the kids to be able to play. Ideally I would like to build a portable pen and move it every day or so, this way I could clean up the piles of manure and I would not have to worry about the cow being tangled in the tether. With a Pen I am thinking I could attach some sort of shade as well for them.

thoughts?

Ernie · #2 04/29/09, 12:38 PM

First, I don't know that 1.25 acres of just lawn is going to be enough for her AND a calf. Pasture grass is a mix of forage, whereas typically lawns are just one plant.

The tether isn't a huge problem, if there's someone there who can at least keep an occasional eye on the cow. People all across the Third World tether their cattle every day.

All in all though, I don't think it's going to be a good idea. You're going to great lengths to get you a cow for milk and meat without actually having the place for a cow, OR wanting to put up with the inconveniences of a cow.

AlyCarm · #3 04/29/09, 12:47 PM

My concern would be the children.

I have 3 of them and a few horses and every day the youngest one (almost 2 yrs old) is creeping through the fence to see the horses... thank God they are all nice old ones but they are still animals and still dangerous. A cow and/or calf presents the _same_ danger... kick, step, head-butt... danger! Please think this through carefully.

NOW, I have our bratty miniature horses in an electric fence and let me tell you.... the kids stay away. It is just a solar-powered horse fencer, not sure of wattage. It only takes once (or twice for my son LOL) to learn it is a no-no. SOunds cruel, but believe me, I'd rather have them mildly shocked a few times them to be trampled or kicked....

**thought I would clarify that my kids ages are 6, 4 and 2ish**

chickenfarmer · #4 04/29/09, 01:07 PM

Thanks actually the lawn is a good mix of grasses, clover, dandilions, weeds. I also have about 3.5 acres of woods/brush that I am working on clearing as well. If I tether them what's the best way of making sure they have shade? Would I just tether them where there is some shade?

thanks

mistletoad · #5 04/29/09, 01:14 PM

Dexters will clear that brush for you in no time but a tethered Dexter would not be happy. Our girls buck and run and chase each other - can't do any of that on the end of a rope.

chickenfarmer · #6 04/29/09, 01:37 PM

That is good to know I was thinking of getting a goat for clearing the brush. Maybe I will fence is the wooded area for the Dexters. I am in Northern Md good to know you are from MD

raymilosh · #7 04/29/09, 02:09 PM

I tethered my dexter for about a year and a half. It worked alright, once I made a spike strong enough to hold her. I used a 2.5 foot long solid steel 9/16 inch diameter rod to drive into the ground with a sledge hammer. On the top, I welded a 7/16 inch thick plate of steel that was round and about 3 inches across. The rope was then tied to a large chain link that went around the rod but was too small to fit over the plate on the top. that allowed the cow to walk around without the rope getting wound up on the stake. On the cow end, I used a halter and a caribiner (sp?) that had to be unthreaded to open. (She sucessfully got off easier to open types several times). I learned through trial and error to get oversized hardware and to use the large size rod. the cow managed to break free or pull the stake out of the ground several times early on. the rope is synthetic and about 3/8 or larger diameter and is aobut 75 feet long
I provided her with a mobile shelter that she could walk into, but not behind. I provided her with drinking water in a large tub seated into a car tire (to prevent her from tippping it over. She loved tipping over 5 gallon buckets, so now i use shorter tubs. I also placed the water tub at at the limits of the rope, again, to prevent her from tipping it with the rope.
When she had eaten the grass down, I would lift the rod out of the ground by using a 5 ft section of 2x4 as a lever.
It goes without saying to place the rod such that she cannot get the rope wrapped around anything.
It's hard to tell how much she liked it or not. I would rather have had her inside a fence, but we didn't have one yet. I also used this system for a bit to keep her separated from her calf so I could milk her in the evenings. Now I just hkeep her separated with electronet fencing and it works for the most part.

Farm 36 · #8 04/30/09, 12:49 PM

Now theres a lady that figured something out and made it a success

sammyd · #9 05/01/09, 07:11 PM

We've been tethering cows for a few years.
We start them as calves so they are trained into it. We put the halters on them as soon as we can get one to fit. They are walked out to the tether every morning and brought in to the pen in the evening. If the weather looks bad we keep them in.
We use the biggest cable with swivels on both ends that we find in the dog section of the local farm store. It has held holstein steers of 1200 pounds without problems.
Similar to this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000634L3S?...0&linkCode=asn
We also tie the cable to trees and an old tractor tire with rim that we have.
With the cows and the rabbit tractors we haven't used our riding mower for years.
As for feed value of the lawn, I couldn't say. We fed some good hay and a grain mix while they were in the pen for the evenings.
Unless you use a fencer I don't think anything portable enough to move every or every other day will be suitable for holding a cow.
The acres might be OK depending on your location but having extra feed on hand is a must since you can never count on the weather to provide perfect condtions for growing all the time.

Wags · #10 05/02/09, 01:37 PM

My Dexters are great at clearing brush - all of the trees in our pasture are perfectly trimmed to a uniform "dexter height". Visitors frequently ask about how/why we trim all the trees that way.

Fence the brushy area and let them at it. Win-win for both you and them.

chickenfarmer · #11 05/03/09, 11:12 AM

Thank you all so much! What do you all suggest for fencing material to fence in the wooded area? I do not want to use electric due to the younge kids. Any possibility for attaching fencing to the trees? I have seen high tensile wire fences and I like them

Cliff · #12 05/04/09, 07:15 AM

Electric fence is not gonna hurt your kids. Show it to them, tell them that if they touch it it will hurt really bad. Some will believe you and not touch, some (like me) will have to touch once to believe. They will not be damaged and will learn you mean what you say and they should listen to you. In a way i think it makes kids more responsible to have to watch out for some things themselves instead of being constantly babied.

francismilker · #13 05/04/09, 08:02 AM

Cliff, you're right on the money with that one. I don't know if it's a boys' ability to not get into a daring contest with his buddies about touching an electric fence. You get a few ornery farm boys together and the wheels of mischieve start to turn!

Sara K · #14 05/04/09, 08:40 AM

I'm wondering if possibly you are confusing the NZ type fence with the electric fence carried by most feed/farm stores. I've read stories of people suffering heart damage by the NZ fence but the stuff you can buy locally is not the same. We use a 25 mile Zerebra (might not be the right spelling) and a 10 mile and while it's not fun to get shocked I'm not concerned about the kids....once maybe twice is all it takes and for the really young ones.

My 8 and 6 year olds have a large amount of farm chores and if they skip the step of shutting the fence off get a few more zaps than the rest of the family. I do not worry about it with them (just the fact that they are skipping a step in their chores) but the 5 year old doesn't wish to get shocked again!

Sara

Jackie · #15 05/04/09, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cliff

Electric fence is not gonna hurt your kids. Show it to them, tell them that if they touch it it will hurt really bad. Some will believe you and not touch, some (like me) will have to touch once to believe. They will not be damaged and will learn you mean what you say and they should listen to you. In a way i think it makes kids more responsible to have to watch out for some things themselves instead of being constantly babied.

It's true! It wont kill them or even leave a mark. I have touched mine a few times and never died.

whodunit · #16 05/11/09, 02:34 PM

We have young kids and electric fence, they may touch it once then they learn you really do know what you are talking about and will mind better

kmorisett · #17 05/13/09, 11:21 PM

I have one small area of scrubby, thorny bushes/brush in my pasture, and that is my Dexters' favorite place to be. In fact, my cow even calved in the middle of all those thorns. My girls also ate the other little trees that are trying to grow along the barn even though there was plenty of hay available for them. I think they will be very happy in the woods, but if there is no grass to speak of there, I would include some of the "lawn" as well.

I was thinking of using some kind of a tether to put my 3 week old calf out in our pasture. I am leary of it, but I don't know what other options I have to get her out there. I have a 4 strand high-tensile wire fence, and my little heifer can run right under the bottom wire in a lot of places. Also, the bottom wire doesn't carry a charge on it either. Any of you think this might be an OK solution until she gets big enough to stay fenced?