Checking out the Dexters

genebo · #1 05/31/14, 07:54 PM

Every morning I inspect each of the Dexters, looking for scrapes or bites or anything else that could use attention.

SusyTX · #2 06/11/14, 09:33 AM

Gene, loved the video! Our Dexter herd has grown to 45, our freezers are full, and we have steers being sold privately for grass-fed beef. We walk the pastures morning and evening, and even with a larger herd, they are still friendly. Gotta love the Dexter personality!

copperhead46 · #3 06/11/14, 02:57 PM

Very nice genbo, they look great

MO_cows · #4 06/11/14, 05:05 PM

Great dispositions, and I like that the calves get some handling too, I'm sure that helps later on. So who is the old bossy with the crooked horns? Looks like she is large and in charge. I was just waiting for her to push the bull out of the way, too, and get another back scratch.

genebo · #5 06/11/14, 10:32 PM

The "Old bossy with the crooked horns" is Bambi and she is definitely the herd leader. She injured her right horn when she was little and it grew like that. I call her my little angel with the crooked halo.

Chief Cook · #6 06/12/14, 06:57 PM

That was wonderful. Thank you.

pfettig77 · #7 10/27/14, 03:43 PM

Fun! I'm getting dexters this spring. Do you ever worry about the horns?

genebo · #8 10/27/14, 08:06 PM

I am not worried about their horns. I love the beauty and grace of their horns. They are all quite expert with their horns and can pick apart a bale of hay, pull down a branch of succulent leaves, or even open a gate with them. They use them against each other to establish and maintain a pecking order that rules their lives. But none of them have ever even hinted at using them against a human.

A small herd has the calves and shy cows at the bottom of the order. The stronger and bolder of the Dexters fill out the top of the order. The bull reigns supreme over them all. There is one level higher than the bull, and that is HUMAN.

We used to close the corral gate behind the goats so we could feed them some sweet feed and minerals. My bull, Brenn, would stand with his head against the gate, waiting to be let in to clean up after the goats. When it was time, I would step up beside Brenn and release the latch. I'd say, "Step back, Brenn" and he would step back one step. I'd open the gate as far as it would go, then repeat, "Step back, Brenn". Now I could open the gate almost all the way. When it would bump into Brenn's nose, I'd ask him to step back again. This time, instead of stepping back, he would tip his head back and turn his horns so that the gate could barely pass by his nose. I would end up holding the gate open, arm outstretched, as Brenn wlked under my armpit and into the corral.

We repeated this almost every morning for years, and I was never once touched by a horn.

I'll never forget the sight one day of the herd, tails in, circled in the center of the pasture in defense against a pack of dogs. It was like a wall of horns, an awesome sight. No Dexters were injured that day, although two dogs died.

An Angus bull rode down the fence and got into my pasture. He lasted less than 5 minutes before Brenn's horns chased him back through the fence, bleeding from the butt.

Hooray for horns. Brenn's saved one of my little cows from being crushed by that huge bull or dying trying to have an oversized calf.

chuckhole · #9 10/28/14, 01:41 AM

One of yours in the video sounds a lot like one of our little heifers. From the sound of her, she thinks she is an Elk. I have heard her from over a mile away. Gotta love their personalities.

Ceilismom · #10 10/28/14, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckhole

One of yours in the video sounds a lot like one of our little heifers. From the sound of her, she thinks she is an Elk. I have heard her from over a mile away. Gotta love their personalities.

I have always thought my first (and favorite) cow sounded like an elephant. Now that I think of it, maybe elk is closer to what she sounds like.

bja105 · #11 10/28/14, 06:43 PM

Geneno, I am sure you told us, but I don't remember, what are your Dexters for? Custom meat, dairy, pure bred stock sales?

We got a Dexter last month, our first horned cow.
ImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1414539417.321244.jpg
We love her, she has been a calming influence on our two year old calves. I love the horns! She doesn't use them on us, but she is very precise in aim when another animal is in her way. She is also the noisiest one in the herd.
ImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1414539646.850538.jpg

But, we can't touch her. Its ok if she touches us, apparently, but she backs off if we try to touch her.
Even the dog likes her.
ImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1414539766.748177.jpg

genebo · #12 10/29/14, 02:50 PM

Dexters are a dual purpose breed, giving moderate amounts of good milk while supplying some great beef. They are also useful as oxen.

I think their best fit is with the small landholder that doesn't have enough acreage to support a large breed cow and calf. A dexter cow can supply the family with milk while raising a fat beef calf, all on small acreage.

They usually make great pets, and many are kept for just that reason. Others are kept as "lawn ornaments", attracting visitors and inviting discussion.

I keep mine for all of those reasons, except as draft animals. I've had thoughts about it, but never put them into action.

Dexters were classed as a rare breed until just recently, and one of my original purposes for owning them was to help preserve the breed.

Go to this web site and read Temple Grandin's methods for handling cattle: http://www.grandin.com/behaviour/pri...ight.zone.html

Approaching your cow from a point off of her shoulder will give her the least urge to escape. If she has been handled all her life, she just needs time to become accustomed to you. If she was raised without human contact, you are at the beginning of training.

Cattle need to be trained to behave in the manner we want them to behave. A milk cow needs to be trained to come to the milking station at milking time every day, present herself in the stance to be milked, and stand placidly as she eats and is milked. That is not an instinctive thing, and trying to milk a field cow will probably get you kicked. A well trained milk cow will let you place the side of your face in her flank and share her existance with you for a short while.

So, do you have a trained cow or a range cow? That is to be determined. It's easy to train a young calf, harder to train an adult cow. It can be done, but requires time and patience.

I always recommend that buyers visit any family cow they intend to buy, so they can determine for themselves what level of training the prospective cow has. A well trained, gentle farm cow is worth a lot more.

Your cow is pretty. Be patient with her, use feed and good hay to win her over. When offering her feed from the front, try to get her to come to you. Approaching her from the front triggers her instinct to back away. Possibly feed her through a gate at first, so she feels safe on her side.

Good luck.

bja105 · #13 10/29/14, 05:17 PM

I don't know how much she was handled before we bought her. She was in a herd that was moved daily for the last year. The seller said he tied her to a fence post to milk a few times, so I suspect she was handled before. One thing in our favor, we have a Jersey steer that is halter broke, so in a pinch, I can lead him, and the others will follow. We don't plan to milk our cows in the next year, we want them to raise beef, for now. That may change next year.