Dexter Calf born Aug 2013

[tonyb]

Finally. A little Dexter calf was born on our farm in August this year. This is our first one. We tried AI two years ago on our Dexter cow but she came up open. Last September we bought a little Dexter bull and he got the job done.

The bull has really gained weight. Not sure if the previous owner gave him grain or not. We gave him and the cow a little grain during Jan and Feb; started grazing Apr 20. Its been all grass since then, and now he's a chunk.

P.S. You never realize what a mess your place is until picture time. In the one pic you can see where the bull tore the doors off the shed. Don't know what got into him -- they've been in that yard for 6 months and suddenly he hates sheds.

[lakeportfarms]

Congratulations...nice looking little heifer. The wait for one is forever isn't it? Chondro Dexter bulls are VERY easy keepers from a feed standpoint. How is Junior's (if that's still his name) temperament?

[G. Seddon]

The calf is a heifer, right? Nice!

[genebo]

Congratulations. That sure is a beefy calf.

[tonyb]

Originally Posted by lakeportfarms

Congratulations...nice looking little heifer. The wait for one is forever isn't it? Chondro Dexter bulls are VERY easy keepers from a feed standpoint. How is Junior's (if that's still his name) temperament?

Junior is a laid back bull. He leads a pretty quiet life at our place. I can't walk right up to him, but he'll eat treats from my hand.

I was out to your place a few years ago to buy a couple of Alpine wethers. You guys had Highlands back then. Still raising Highlands, or strictly Dexter these days?

[tonyb]

Originally Posted by G. Seddon

The calf is a heifer, right? Nice!

Yes, she's a heifer. She's done really well. Other than carrying her to the shade trees after she was born, she's required no special treatment. Looks very healthy with just mama's milk and fresh grass.

Originally Posted by genebo

Congratulations. That sure is a beefy calf.

I thought so too genebo. She should grow into a nice looking cow. She can't be registered, though, so I'm inclined to put her in the freezer when the time comes.

[lakeportfarms]

Tony,

You may want to consider working a bit with her and turning her into a milk cow for somebody, or trading her for a steer at weaning. We never tested Junior or Junior's mother for A2/A2 milk, but Mike is A2/A2 and Junior's half sister is A2/A2, so there's a good chance Junior is A2/A2, and depending on your cow the heifer may also be A2/A2. So she'd have some value to somebody as a milker if she's handled well and friendly even though she isn't registered. It's hard to tell if she's a chondro carrier, she's got pretty long legs for one, but there's a chance she is based on how beefy she looks and her pretty broad face and features. Junior is certainly a chondro carrier.

We still have our Highlands, and many more Dexters now. I believe we're up to 70 Dexters or so and 20 Highlands. The only goats we have now are the Mini Silky Fainters, just a half dozen of those.

[JLMissouri]

Congratulations, How old was your bull when he got the job done? Just curious

[lakeportfarms]

JLMissouri,

I can answer that...We bred the little bull calf and he was born May 4, 2010. He was sold at about 6 months old to somebody who planned to use him on some Hereford Heifers. If I remember correctly he got them bred when he was around 12-14 months old and had calves on the ground in spring of 2012. Tonyb can confirm this but I believe he purchased him from the man we sold him to. Anyway, the bull is almost 3-1/2 now.

[cowkeeper]

I'm surprised that no one has commented on a bull that gets to an age where he suddenly decides to tear the doors off the shed. Time for the freezer before something worse happens IMO.

[wvdexters]

Congratulations! Nice looking heifer you have there.