Dexter Questions

[Tessynae]

My hubby (Unlikely Farmer) and myself are buying property and will hopefully have Dexter cows, Guinea hogs and chickens. Maybe goats, not too confident about that yet. We'll take it slow.

I have been trying to gather as much info on the care of Dexters as possible and I seem to be getting differing info.

We are wanting to get meat and some milk from them, we don't need a lot of milk.

My question is, can we get milk from them if we grass feed them only? We want to have rotational pasture with some hay set aside in case of severe draught or winter. We live in SC, so bad winters aren't usually an issue. With that said, we want to be covered just in case.

Also, how much pasture per Dexter should we expect to need? Some say one acre per and some say 3/4 acre. Others say 1 1/2

[genebo]

An average Dexter is dual purpose, meaning that it gives enough milk for a small family while raising a really good beef calf. For those who've bought milk cows from me, that means taking one gallon per day from the cow while letting the calf have the rest.

This is done on grass pasture, augmented with hay, like you described. It is done with a once-a-day milking where the calf is separated overnight, then the cow is milked in the morning.

There are other Dexters that are much higher producers of milk. They usually have the appearance of a dairy breed and yield less beef. They are sought out by people who want more milk than the average Dexter can provide.

There are also Dexters that have been bred to produce more beef. These are blockier and look more like the beef breeds. The milk production may not be as much as you'd like, but they do make more beef.

It would help to find a good Dexter breeder close enough to drive to and visit. Most will have a few of each type, so you can see the difference. Here is a breeder in the northern part of SC that would welcome you:

BeaverTree Farm - Home

You need to talk to your local Agricultural Extension Agent. He will know the 'Stocking rate' for your area. The stocking rate is expressed as the number of 1200# cattle you can run per acre. A Dexter cow usually runs about 1/2 that weight, so you can run twice the number of head as the stocking rate says.

Still it's best to understock than to ever over stock. Start small and grow into it. In just a short time you'll know exactly how many you can handle.

[G. Seddon]

I have Dexters but don't milk them, so I can't answer your question about milking a grass-fed only cow (I imagine there are some who do this, but I bet that most do better when supplementing with grain). As far as stocking rate, your best guide will be your county extension agent who knows your area best and can guide you better than anyone else. This will depend somewhat on what's growing in your pasture and the drought condition in your area. I would advise that you exercise restraint in the number of animals (and species) you start out with so that you don't overstress your pastures.

You can get more info about Dexters from the ADCA website (www.dextercattle.org); pay attention to the genetic information too. The regional director for SC is Charles Townson, Cowpens, SC (email charles@beavertreefarm.com). He will also be able to advise you.

[goodhors]

Our Dexter heifer was an extremely economical animal to feed. She gained well on just grass, was light enough that she didn't impact the dirt much in packing it down or making mud holes by the gates.

I didn't milk her, but her mother got milked and gave quite a bit of milk according to the breeder. However he mentioned that he didn't like having to milk while almost sitting on the ground, plus trying to get something under the udder, was difficult. He had to empty his dish several times into a larger pail during milking sessions.

If I planned to milk a Dexter regularly, I would build a milk stand for her, so I could comfortably sit beside her and not on the ground. My heifer was one of the "long-legged" type, stood about 42inches at the shoulder. Still was not going to be much clearance from teat to ground when the udder was full. No way I was going to be milking while sitting in the dirt!

A milk stand would need to be sturdy, have rails so she couldn't sashay off the edge, nice ramp to lead her up and back her down. Stanchion/head lock to hold her in place with a grain box for the treats during milking. You could walk up beside her to clean the udder, milk by hand or machine if you get one. Easy to slide in a dish or bucket to milk into from the side. No chance of her kicking if she was in a bad mood. Wouldn't have to be fancy, just sturdy and safe. Dexters are SOLIDLY built, even if they are small, so the stand has to be up to her weight of 600-800 pounds when bred.

You want to practice her going up on the stand, getting snacks, head fastened in, BEFORE you need to milk her. While she gets fed you wash her, clean the udder, handle the teats, just as you would when really milking. Then quietly back her off with a command or word, so the whole process becomes routine BEFORE her calf arrives to add confusion. A little calf pen where by the front of stand or close by so she can see the calf while snacking, will probably make her calm down during milking. Dexters are GOOD mothers, so you want calf quiet, no fighting cow trying to "save him" or escape the stand when she can't see him.

The man we purchased the Dexter heifer from bred his Dexter cow to a Jersey bull, for the new family milking cow. Got a longer leg for easier milking (man was tall), more milk, which helped with his new children (twins) added to the family. The cross was a pretty cow, not very much bigger than her Dexter mother. Maybe 48 inches at the shoulder. He bred the cow cross back to his Dexter bull, and she threw a NICE chunky calf. Calf was a bull, so was steered, going for beef. He had certainly put on the meat fast and READY to go at 14 months, 600+ pounds. Looked like a midget 4-H steer champion at the Fair! Well covered and big necked, muscled. I was quite interested to see how early he had developed, mostly grass fed, big time saving if producing a meat steer.

Big thing with any cattle is to handle them daily. You want to train them in what you want them doing, and cattle LOVE routine so they will help. Our Heifer got led in and out to the field, haltered twice a day, tied so she knew how, loaded in and out of the trailer, she had no issues being handled. Got baths, feet picked up for rasping off, groomed often. I treated all our cattle more like horses because that is what I am most familiar with. I do NOT LIKE fighting with an animal, so I need to train it for what we do with it. If you put your heifer/cow on the milking stand daily for treats, handle her udder, she will be a peach to milk when the time comes. She knows what is expected, so routine is your friend. Doing things at the same time daily, will help the routine a lot with cattle.

Good luck with your cow hunting. I would also get any Dexters with horns off or naturally polled, so you don't have to worry about accidently getting poked. Cows with horns use them. No horned cattle allowed here, totally unsafe.

[Tessynae]

We have been to see Charles at Beaver Tree Farms. He's great! The problem is, he doesn't milk them or do rotational grazing. So he wasn't really able to help us with those questions. We are going to get our Dexters from him and he said he would get them used to being handled in that way. That way it shouldn't take quite so long to get them trained to milk.

I will check out the other links to see what I can find there.

I really appreciate the advice. I relish all the wisdom you folks have!

Thank you!

[Farmer2B]

You'll have no trouble getting milk if your Dexter is lactating, however remember milking such a short back can give you a sore back.

[genebo]

You know what's odd? With all the talk of problems milking a short legged Dexter, I looked at a couple of the neighbor's Jersey cows. Guess what? Their teats are closer to the ground than his Dexters, and two of them are short legged. One of the Jerseys actually stepped on a teat and tore it off! Twice!

[Tessynae]

Originally Posted by genebo

You know what's odd? With all the talk of problems milking a short legged Dexter, I looked at a couple of the neighbor's Jersey cows. Guess what? Their teats are closer to the ground than his Dexters, and two of them are short legged. One of the Jerseys actually stepped on a teat and tore it off! Twice!

Yikes!!! Give the girl a bra!!! Poor thing.

[goodhors]

Originally Posted by genebo

You know what's odd? With all the talk of problems milking a short legged Dexter, I looked at a couple of the neighbor's Jersey cows. Guess what? Their teats are closer to the ground than his Dexters, and two of them are short legged. One of the Jerseys actually stepped on a teat and tore it off! Twice!

And this problem with sagging udders on older cows is EXACTLY why dairy folks sell their older cows off. Teat damage on a milker is the end of her career on the dairy farm. I milked cows at a dairy, saw damage to teats from OTHER cows stepping on udders of cows laying down in their loafing stalls. They were getting in new stalls designed to help prevent that kind of problem.

When you breed an animal to be so specialized, they can easily hurt themselves in ways wild cattle never would have. Benefits of lots of milk over less easily damaged, but low milk production cows.

I looked at a number of Dexter cows, and they had smaller (than Jersey's) udders to start with. So even full of milk, they were not close to dragging on the ground. One EXCELLENT cow, all kinds of a Champion showing, was then 14yrs old. She had the NICEST udder, full with new-calf milk, still up tight to her body, not close to dragging. She was a short-legged model, probably only 36-38 inches tall, had produced a calf EVERY YEAR, was a good mother raising those calves. But the good udder to start with, had STAYED GOOD over the years of using her. Definately the kind of breeding benefit you want in your mother cows!! And she was so HUGGABLE looking, friendly, mannerly to strangers, just a lovely little cow.

Sounds like the OP has a plan, will be helped by the cattle seller, so we will be waiting to hear how things progress!!

[genebo]

I visited the farm of the ill-fated Jersey today and got the rest of the story.

She had only torn off the bottom half of two teats. Her milk didn't leak until you started to milk her and she let down, then it would flow freely from the damaged two.

A local dairy needed a cow in a hurry, so they bought her. She was a good producer and they adapted a milking machine to fit her stubs. She has been working well for them for two months, now.

She sold for $800, which is low for a Jersey around here. The owner was happy to get it and the dairy is happy to get her.

How about that? A sad story that ends well!

Goodhors, I have a 16 year old Dexter with a tightly suspended udder and long teats, yet her calves reach up to nurse. She's 42" tall.