Elly May the Ridiculous (and loved)

[Olga]

In light of recent heated discussions, it was brought to my attention that this post could be misconstrued. I love Elly May and so have pet names for her. She is ridiculous in a good way, she is ridiculously cute. She is also not a Dexter. She is 3/4 Dexter 1/4 Jersey. When I advertised her, there were no takers. Even as a pair with her half jersey mother, Elly didn't sell. I regret having sold Elly's mom - she turned out a magnificent milk cow on her 3rd lactation. And I may regret selling Elly - I think she's going to have a magnificent udder. I'll post pictures when she calves in a month or two. Hopefully, my friend will build a milking stand for her soon.

I've always though that Elly May looked ridiculous. She has a short body and short legs and a big head. She is ridiculously wide.
Frankly, I didn't know what to do with Elly May. I though about sending her for beef. But a friend of mine has a nice farm and a hobby of introducing farming to young kids. She has, in addition to a small herd of commercial cattle, a little bit of everything: some goats, a few sheep, a LGD, chickens, ducks, geese, horses, 2 alpacas, a pot belly pig... I'm sure I'm forgetting something! She frequently organizes "farm fun" days for church and school children. She also helps out at church fundraisers and festivals by setting up a petting zoo. Guess what, she always wanted a mini cow. And Elly May fit the bill!



Recently, Elly's hormones kicked in and she became a total sucker for a good body scratch. I wanted to feel how her udder was developing and she didn't object. The frontal attachment is truly great. The teats a bit on the small size. I wanted to feel the rear attachment, so I started to scratch her from behind, below the vulva. Elly liked it so much that she lifted her left leg off the ground. She stood there for as long as I scratched, on 3 legs!

[dexterfarm]

She looks good to me

[Olga]

When the 6 mo old steer hung out with her, they were the same size: same height and length of body.

[Olga]

Even back when Elly was born, I thought that she was funny.

May 17, 2010 17:18:10 GMT -5 Olga said:

Oh, and Elly is the smallest most awekwardly put together little shortie I've ever seen. She has to stick her neck way up to keep her head above the grass.

May 19, 2010 22:18:51 GMT -5 Olga said:

Here is little Elly May



Here is how small she is



She is full of energy and spunk, and getting chunky already on all of that milk. All is takes for Elly to hide is run into some taller grass and lay down - and you won't be able to see her until it's too late - then she shoots up and runs to her mama.

I sold both Elsie and Elly in Spring of 2011. I had advertised them locally, on Craigslist, in newspaper, on KFC board and on my website. Personal preferences don't always mash with local market demands...

[Olga]

Malcolm is 4'10", for reference.

[hollydzie]

I think she is very very cute

Holly

[libertyfarms]

Feb 14, 2013 20:46:10 GMT -5 hollydzie said:

I think she is very very cute

Holly

Definitely agree!!

[lakeportfarms]

She looks perfect to me. I would have loved to have her in our herd, registered or not! I also know quite a few people that would have snapped her up in a heartbeat. They're bugging us for anything like her but we don't have any to sell!

[Maple View Farm]

Hans, same here. Olga wish she was up here. People are calling for the Jersey Dexter crosses. she is so Sweet looking. We have a Dexter steer that is a shortie that looks just like her, his name is coconut! He looks like one too.

[Olga]

Thank you, guys! Her owners are delighted with Elly. And I can't wait for her to calve! Should be such a cutie, since Earnie throws little babies.

Here's one of Earnie with a high schooler.

[Olga]

Well, Elly May turned 4 years old on May 15 of this year. Yet she has never had a baby. Elly had been with our bull for 2 heats in summer of 2012. When she didn't calve in Spring of 2013, Elly came to stay with our herd to ensure that she was bred. Elly cycled regularly untill March 2014 when I finally sent her home. We have two hypotheses: either Elly was too fat or she was carrying a mummified calf. Her owner, my friend Lisa, didn't want to put any money into her for veterinary care, so a decision was made that Elly would be butchered.

At first Lisa told me that she intended to have Elly made into hamburger meat. When I asked why she wasn't getting any steaks, Lisa said that Elly was "too old". Thanks to this forum, I was able to provide her with a ton of information on butchering "older" animals. Our local processor was also helpful - he offered to cut out one t-bone and have an employee deliver it to her for a taste-test. The t-bone was a success - in fact, everybody thought that it was the best steak they've ever had, very dark red, but well marbled, the fat slightly yellow and very buttery in flavor.

This past Friday we went to the processor's to pick up the beef. Elly May's hanging weight was 240 lbs (no live weight at this processor). The steaks arrived just in time for Father's day! The picture is of two sirloins and two ribeyes.

[ssrdex]

Those steaks look great Olga. I wonder how many miss out on some really good beef because they've been told to grind everything over a certain age...what a shame. So I presume there was no mummified calf? Too bad she didn't take, she's a cutie in those pics.

[Olga]

This is the testimony from my friend who is getting to enjoy Elly May the Delicious. She gave me permission to share her text:

Every time we eat a cut of Ellie May, I am shocked. It has so much more flavor than any beef we've ever raised and butchered that there is literally no comparison. I am really wondering why? Breed? Grass fed? Aged longer? Combination? I am so curious to find out how these next two steers do on all grass and how they taste. Seriously, even the plain ground beef tastes better. What's the deal? We want to be sure to repeat it. LOL
If we butcher these next grass fed steers and they don't taste like Ellie May, we''re going to have to sell off our cows and buy dexters. LOL
I've read several articles the last couple days about the flavor of grass fed vs grain fed and every single one says to expect less fat cover and less marbling. Boy, that sure was not true in the least with Ellie may. It was opposite. And the fat tastes SO good. I can't wait to make the tallow out of her fat. It will be amazing. LOL