Dexters!

[CassandraCarbis]

I have a small farm with goats a donkey and chickens I think our next addition will be a cow. I have been researching and I am pretty set on the dexters. they seem perfect for a family cow. I know the cow I want but what else should I know before I decide to bring her home?

[suzyhomemaker09]

A lot will depend on what you want to do with this cow...

I love my Dexter.

[G. Seddon]

This, for starters:

http://dextercattle.org/adca_buyers_check_list.html

Where are you located?

[CassandraCarbis]

I just basically want milk. My husband will want beef so eventually a bull will be needed but for now a milk cow

[CassandraCarbis]

I am in north ga

[G. Seddon]

That's what a lot of people say these days, sadly. When your family milk cow calves and has a bull calf, that's easy. When she has a heifer calf, most people are reluctant to raise it for beef and then are shocked when people looking for a Dexter want papers.

If you are interested in a Dexters, then you are doing the breed a good turn by registering their offspring so those genetics don't disappear into oblivion. There are genetic concerns also when you are seeking a bull for your cow and registered Dexters are more likely to have those issues identified.

You didn't say where you are located.

Here's a link to the section of the ADCA website that relates to the genetic issues.

http://dextercattle.org/adca/adca_articles.html

And if you look on the main page (www.dextercattle.org) under leadership, you can find the contact information for Region 8, which includes Georgia.

[SSacres]

I bought a 8 month old Dexter heifer last fall, the thought was to AI when old enough, but I wanted/needed her to be fairly tame. Went out and purchased 12 ft panels to make a small pen and spent a couple months trying to tame her down. She never did get tamer and winter hit hard, so the plan changed, she is now destined for the freezer.
BTW her mother is also wild, so really look at disposition and if they were handled when young. Good luck!

[CassandraCarbis]

Thank you for the advice this is all new to me, I have also read that you can just buy sperm from a registered bull but I am not sure how I feel about that

[CassandraCarbis]

I love in dawsonville ga

[topside1]

I love in Monterey, Tn. Welcome to the forum....

[CassandraCarbis]

Thank you! Happy to be here do you have dexters?

[suzyhomemaker09]

I have a single cow.....my children milk her most of the time so I have absolutely no desire to own a bull.
I've AI'ed her 2 times. I'm lucky enough to have some decent Dexter breeders in my area and a facility that stores so obtaining the straws isn't an onerous task.

Last time I used a straw from this guy....

http://www.dextercattle.org/pedigree...i?horse=023294

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a heifer calf that hopefully will be an improvement to my current cow. Who while not a bad animal is a Chondro carrier and if I end up with a chondro negative calf then offspring will have a better resale value as it's not a bad thing to try to get that defect ( if you want to call it that ) bred out.

We picked our cow form a meat herd....I went specifically with one in mind and ended up coming home with another.It took a bit of patience to get her calmed down and milkable...she still doesn't care for any affection but instead is all about her business of coming in to be milked and then going back out to pasture when she's done...she simply gets a chain strung across behind her so she can't back out of the little stall. ( if you can even call it that)

[jcjersey]

I love my dexters! Im very brand new to this whole cow thing, but Im so glad I went with these small adorable cows

[genebo]

I live in central Virginia near where I85 and I95 meet, so you pass close by when you go north. You are welcome to come by and visit most any time to see what we do with our Dexters.

You say you have one in mind already. Be sure to go see her before buying. They are the gentlest breed, but that doesn't mean that each and every one is gentled. It depends a lot on the individual cow and how she was raised. So go have a look. You'll be glad you did.

Take the time to locate your neighbors who keep Dexters. They can be a really good resource.

Remember, the cow doesn't give milk until she calves, then she can be milked for about 9 or 10 months. You would normally re-breed her 3 months after she calves, so she has a new calf and begins giving milk again about a year after her last calf.

That means that at times you will have 3 Dexters. The cow, her first calf and her second calf, all at the same time. The first calf will go to the freezer at about the same time her third calf hits the ground. Make sure you are equipped to feed and handle them.

You can keep a bull to rebreed your cow, but he will eat about 50% more than your cow will. It may be best to use a neighbor's bull or go for artificial insemination to keep her in production. AI is another subject, but it's a way to get a high quality bull to breed your cow for less than it would cost to feed him. The cheapest way will be to share a neighbor's Dexter bull.

Be careful using a bigger breed bull to breed your little Dexter cow. There is danger in that.

[CassandraCarbis]

Do you have any dexters for sell?