PorcPrunus Herd, The Netherlands

[nicosteintjesholland]

I'm Nico, and together with my girlfriend Annemiek we run the PorcPrunus herd.

We started in november 2006 with our first Dexter cow. She should be in-calf but wasn't.
We decided to buy our own bull: Herikehoeve Little Boy. www.hollanddexter.nl/files/album/herikehoeveLittleBoy.JPG
He was a very nice bull, but to tall 122 cm.
We purchased 2 short cows to.
At this time our Dexters were only a hobby.

During the years we bred some calves. We were lucky we could get some conservation pasture from the gouvernment. We could keep our own-bred heifers!

We were breeding the (for Holland) usual way: short X non-short. But our non-shorts were mostly to long legged, even when the non-short parent was not tall.
In 2010 we went on vacation to England and visited a lot of farms. The nicest cows we saw at Veronica Schofields Harron farm. She told us she was breeding withou t the bulldog-gene for decades. All her cows were very uniform and equal. We liked that and decided to go that way.

We sold some short cows, only kept one for fun. And we searched long before we purchased our herdbulls, first Mauhin Oakley after him Stuyvenberghof Poldark Polled. Oakley is breeding like we expected: non-short non-tall (1 or 2 inch less than their mothers, but the same weight). The calves from Poldark are to young now, but we think he does the same as Oakley.

in 2014 we purchased a cow from Veronica: Harron Fleur. We hope she will give us many progeny like her.

I shall post some photo's from my website later. (My Avator is Mauhin Oakley)

[legendrockranch]

Welcome to the group Nico.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Welcome! Thank you for sharing your story. We would love to see photos from your website. I'd enjoy looking at your website, even though I won't understand it, I'm sure. But as we say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

[cddexter]

Hi Nico

Welcome. I think you'll like it here.

I've known Veronica for 25 years, she's a terrific person, probably the most knowledgeable Dexter breeder in England and one of the most competent, and has wonderful animals. I'm sure Fleur will do well for you. And, on a personal level, congratulations for figuring out true genetic height is preferable to using dwarfism. (I'm the breeder of Benjamin (Benny), the picture Kirk keeps posting of non-short small Dexters, which you've seen on another board.) I've been following the same practice Veronica uses, and it's worked well for me, too. Lots of people in the US and Canada still breed the old way, at least it's an improvement on dwarf to dwarf which weas still the norm when I started.

Love to see some photos of your animals, when you get the time to post. I'm sure we are all looking forward to some great discussions and valuable exchange of info with you. Carol Davidson.

[nicosteintjesholland]

I've been working on my website for a few months: www.dexterkoe.nl

[zephyrhillsusan]

Really nice job, nicosteintjesholland!  I especially like the photos on your "Natuur" page.  They're great!  I wish I could understand.

[nicosteintjesholland]

It's about our conservation area we rent from the local gouvernment. It's about 9 hectare with 0,5 ha woods and 0,5 ha watter. Our steers and some young bulls are running there. Steers till they are 3 years, then they go for beef wich we sell in our own store at our farm.

[zephyrhillsusan]

Thanks! Are there many Dexter breeders there? We lived in Provence for 11 years, and I never heard of them, although I hadn't discovered cattle yet at that time, so I wasn't looking for them.  The only thing I knew about cows at the time was that they sure make lots of different varieties of delicious cheese.   The cheese section in a French grocery store is a wonder to behold!  I bet it's similar in Holland.

[cddexter]

Oh, Nico, not just Fleur, but a Breoch, too. Well done. carol d.

[nicosteintjesholland]

Our society Holland Dexter has 108 members, mostly with 2 or 3 cows. there are only 5 members with more than 5 cows. We are the only one doing beef commercial.

Yes Carol we have our Breoch Phlox to. She is a daughter of Breoch Truffle out of a Breoch Sultan. She is in calf from Sultan or his son Breoch Scout.