Post by littlecowfl on Jun 7, 2010 20:08:17 GMT -5
There is actually a pretty neat story about how I obtained my first Dexter heifers. Thought since I'm new, you might enjoy reading it.
I began working with cattle while in college in Colorado. I worked as a calf feeder at a dairy, wrangled on a bison ranch, and worked extensively with CSU's herd including calving season. These were large operations and the learning curve was high. At times, it was like taking a drink from a fire hose. I was hooked. I also worked with a local mobile vet. I was his cattle dog on calls involving cattle, unless the owner was kind enough to have already put the animal in the chute (rare). Of all the client's herds we treated, my favorite were the spunky little Dexter cattle at one ranch. I really liked the little guys and they were supposed to be that size, rather than some weird artificial selection process, so they were healthy. I did a little research about Dexters from time to time over the next ten years while I served in the military.
Finally, in 2003, I bought my own farm in Virginia near where my ship was home-ported. I raised some commercial cattle at first to get a feel for the land. It was much different than raising cattle out west. Finally, one year before I was to be stationed on shore duty, I contacted a Dexter cattle breeder in Missouri (Boulder Fork). They had some of the finest looking animals that I had ever seen. I arranged to drive out to their farm in September 2005 and pick up three 6 month old Dexter heifers. I would be returning from the war in August 2005 so I hoped to have enough time to prepare for my new arrivals.
A week before the trip, tragedy struck as Hurricane Katrina smashed the gulf coast. I looked at my big, empty, stock trailer that I would be hauling halfway across the country and formulated a plan. I dropped the trailer off on base in a prominent location and sent a message out inviting people to fill it full of school kits and personal hygiene kits. One week later, I left Norfolk, Virgina for Missouri with my two dogs in the cab of my truck, bedding, hay, camping equipment, and buckets in the pick-up bed, and a trailer crammed full of goodies for Hurricane victims. Here are the pictures when I delivered the goods to the Salvation Army in Tennessee. They were loading an 18 wheeler immediately to take supplies to one of the locations for displaced victims. The gentleman in orange is a SA volunteer.
I left very early in the morning and pushed through all the way to Tennessee that first night to ensure the donations were delivered ASAP. The dogs and I found a hotel in Tennessee and then headed towards Arkansas the next morning. We were side-tracked at Graceland and we had to do the tour. It was....interesting. I never imagined using fake fur in so many ways. crazy.gif
We reached the Ozarks after dark and had to feel our way through strange mountain towns. Finally, at about 10:00 pm, we arrived at the cattle ranch in Missouri. The rancher was also a military veteran and had already insisted that I stay with his family instead of finding a hotel. Their dog was overjoyed with my dogs and the three of them played non-stop.
The next morning, we caught up my new heifers, haltered, vaccinated, and loaded them up for their trip home. They had the run of the big three-horse trailer. Shaving provided thick bedding, hay was piled on the sides, and a large tub of water was secured in the corner. I entered twice a day to play with them and feed them grain in their individual buckets.
We hauled out early the next morning and made it to an RV campground just over the border into Kentucky. The park owners were amused at the calves in my trailer. The dogs and I slept in the little tack-room area. We awoke early to the thumping of calves playing in the trailer. They had enough room to romp and took full advantage of it.
At a gas station the next day, a crammed full cattle truck pulled in to refuel next to us. My girls were strangely quiet as they watched the random flashes of crowded cattle move behind the round holes in the sides of the huge double-decker trailer. A big, brown, eye peered out to the calves and some mooing was exchanged. It was a strange moment.
That night, I talked my way into staying at the Kentucky Horse Park's campground. The manager said I'd have to leave if the calves mooed too much. I only wanted a few hours sleep, so I promised that we'd be gone before the sun came up. My cows were quiet all night.
We briefly stopped at a fairgrounds in the Virginia mountains where an Arabian horse show was taking place. People were friendly and curious and it felt good to get a break from the road for a few hours.
Finally, we arrived at the farm and I introduced my girls to their new quarters. Trudi has the red halter, Tina has the blue one and Tara's halter is green:
A year later, I was married and out of the Navy. I sold my Virginia farm and we dropped the girls off at another Dexter breeders farm in North Carolina to be bred (Freedom Farms). We picked them up when it was time to move down to Florida.
Florida was a whole new challenge to raising cattle. We are high and dry so it is similar to the west but the porous sandy soil means that their hooves must be trimmed because they don't wear naturally as they would on hard ground. Tara and Tina gave us Easter and April but Trudi didn't take.
Once the calves were weaned, we looked at breeding the cows, but it was a bad year. Hay prices were sky high, Florida was in it's tenth year of drought, and there were no Dexter bulls available near us. AI was not available for only three cows and. Reluctantly, we skipped breeding that year.
Then, the girls received a late Christmas present on January 18th of 2009; Randy the bull!
Tina now.
Tara now:
Easter:
April with her white tail tip:
Here is the first set of calves from Randy. They are now 8 months old. I sold Randy the bull and Trudi, one of my original cows, recently. However, I am awaiting another crop of calves from Tara, Tina, April and Easter this Aug/Sep.
Heifers:
Steer:
I began working with cattle while in college in Colorado. I worked as a calf feeder at a dairy, wrangled on a bison ranch, and worked extensively with CSU's herd including calving season. These were large operations and the learning curve was high. At times, it was like taking a drink from a fire hose. I was hooked. I also worked with a local mobile vet. I was his cattle dog on calls involving cattle, unless the owner was kind enough to have already put the animal in the chute (rare). Of all the client's herds we treated, my favorite were the spunky little Dexter cattle at one ranch. I really liked the little guys and they were supposed to be that size, rather than some weird artificial selection process, so they were healthy. I did a little research about Dexters from time to time over the next ten years while I served in the military.
Finally, in 2003, I bought my own farm in Virginia near where my ship was home-ported. I raised some commercial cattle at first to get a feel for the land. It was much different than raising cattle out west. Finally, one year before I was to be stationed on shore duty, I contacted a Dexter cattle breeder in Missouri (Boulder Fork). They had some of the finest looking animals that I had ever seen. I arranged to drive out to their farm in September 2005 and pick up three 6 month old Dexter heifers. I would be returning from the war in August 2005 so I hoped to have enough time to prepare for my new arrivals.
A week before the trip, tragedy struck as Hurricane Katrina smashed the gulf coast. I looked at my big, empty, stock trailer that I would be hauling halfway across the country and formulated a plan. I dropped the trailer off on base in a prominent location and sent a message out inviting people to fill it full of school kits and personal hygiene kits. One week later, I left Norfolk, Virgina for Missouri with my two dogs in the cab of my truck, bedding, hay, camping equipment, and buckets in the pick-up bed, and a trailer crammed full of goodies for Hurricane victims. Here are the pictures when I delivered the goods to the Salvation Army in Tennessee. They were loading an 18 wheeler immediately to take supplies to one of the locations for displaced victims. The gentleman in orange is a SA volunteer.
I left very early in the morning and pushed through all the way to Tennessee that first night to ensure the donations were delivered ASAP. The dogs and I found a hotel in Tennessee and then headed towards Arkansas the next morning. We were side-tracked at Graceland and we had to do the tour. It was....interesting. I never imagined using fake fur in so many ways. crazy.gif
We reached the Ozarks after dark and had to feel our way through strange mountain towns. Finally, at about 10:00 pm, we arrived at the cattle ranch in Missouri. The rancher was also a military veteran and had already insisted that I stay with his family instead of finding a hotel. Their dog was overjoyed with my dogs and the three of them played non-stop.
The next morning, we caught up my new heifers, haltered, vaccinated, and loaded them up for their trip home. They had the run of the big three-horse trailer. Shaving provided thick bedding, hay was piled on the sides, and a large tub of water was secured in the corner. I entered twice a day to play with them and feed them grain in their individual buckets.
We hauled out early the next morning and made it to an RV campground just over the border into Kentucky. The park owners were amused at the calves in my trailer. The dogs and I slept in the little tack-room area. We awoke early to the thumping of calves playing in the trailer. They had enough room to romp and took full advantage of it.
At a gas station the next day, a crammed full cattle truck pulled in to refuel next to us. My girls were strangely quiet as they watched the random flashes of crowded cattle move behind the round holes in the sides of the huge double-decker trailer. A big, brown, eye peered out to the calves and some mooing was exchanged. It was a strange moment.
That night, I talked my way into staying at the Kentucky Horse Park's campground. The manager said I'd have to leave if the calves mooed too much. I only wanted a few hours sleep, so I promised that we'd be gone before the sun came up. My cows were quiet all night.
We briefly stopped at a fairgrounds in the Virginia mountains where an Arabian horse show was taking place. People were friendly and curious and it felt good to get a break from the road for a few hours.
Finally, we arrived at the farm and I introduced my girls to their new quarters. Trudi has the red halter, Tina has the blue one and Tara's halter is green:
A year later, I was married and out of the Navy. I sold my Virginia farm and we dropped the girls off at another Dexter breeders farm in North Carolina to be bred (Freedom Farms). We picked them up when it was time to move down to Florida.
Florida was a whole new challenge to raising cattle. We are high and dry so it is similar to the west but the porous sandy soil means that their hooves must be trimmed because they don't wear naturally as they would on hard ground. Tara and Tina gave us Easter and April but Trudi didn't take.
Once the calves were weaned, we looked at breeding the cows, but it was a bad year. Hay prices were sky high, Florida was in it's tenth year of drought, and there were no Dexter bulls available near us. AI was not available for only three cows and. Reluctantly, we skipped breeding that year.
Then, the girls received a late Christmas present on January 18th of 2009; Randy the bull!
Tina now.
Tara now:
Easter:
April with her white tail tip:
Here is the first set of calves from Randy. They are now 8 months old. I sold Randy the bull and Trudi, one of my original cows, recently. However, I am awaiting another crop of calves from Tara, Tina, April and Easter this Aug/Sep.
Heifers:
Steer:
