Introducing . . . Morning Star Meadow Family Farm

[morningstar]

Hi everyone!

We are currently fencing 30 acres with 48" woven wire electric to rotationally graze multi species of livestock. We're planning to keep rotating them daily while the grass is growing and will strategically place round bales to keep moving them throughout the winter. We will be putting in a winter waterer and a summer waterer in the next few months. We will also be building portable shelters that will move with the animals (although our pasture is also interspersed with a few dozen 250 year old trees for shelter/shade (summer). Outside the fencing we are surrounded by 41 acres of woods, hence the need for an electric woven wire fence.  We are anticipating the predators will be quite interested in our animals, although we have yet to detect much of anything besides deer on our wildlife cameras.

Anyway, we are looking to buy a starter herd of registered polled Dexters to graze with Angora goats, Clun Forest sheep and KuneKune pigs followed by various poultry (Welsh Harlequin ducks, Pilgrim geese and Dominique chickens). We've had poultry for years - the livestock are a new experience. My husband is a recently retired park ranger and we homeschool our six children (ages 9-20), so there are many people available to help. We are particularly interested in animal conservation of rare livestock breeds and sustainability.

We have friends who have a herd of Dexters but they aren't registered. We would like to help select for traits the Dexters are best known for; temperament, ease of calving, ability to thrive and finish on pasture.  Milking our Dexters will be a great plus!

So, my question is - how do we go about finding some Dexters and what can we expect to pay? I'm REALLY leery of Craigslist and the like.  I have been corresponding with a very helpful breeder in northern Missouri and another in western WI.  I found both by searching the internet. I don't know them personally, only through our conversations - so, how do I know who we should trust? Did any of you buy animals from people you met online? Also, how far can I transport animals without stressing them?  Is it important to find animals that are used to living in a Wisconsin climate (we live in the north center of the state)?

I've been reading all I can about ideal conformation and I've been looking at tons of pictures (the old pictures on the history thread were fantastic!) Also, what should a starter herd look like - what ages are ideal?  We have the ability to put all of the males (of all the different species) into one part of the pasture when we don't want them breeding the females - but I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with a bull from the start (a ram, a buck and a boar are much smaller).  The local county agent recommended 2 cow calf pairs to break up our sod (it hasn't been grazed for over 30 years). I could easily use AI for the first couple of years, as we're 5 miles from an AI technician and we're always home (so determining when an animal is in heat shouldn't be a problem).

Just wanted to introduce us and ask some advice from all you veteran Dexter breeders!

+AMDG+
Jean

[hoperefuge]

Welcome!

I don't shop Craigslist either!  The ADCA For Sale page is a decent place to start, as is the breeder directory...most of the breeder "business cards" are linked to their farm websites.

Dexters are quite adaptable.  As long as you don't buy one from Alabama in January, you shouldn't have to worry about moving them to a different climate.  Any trailering is going to be at least a little stressful, but I've had several hauled 2,500 miles, from WA to KY, and they've handled it fine.  Bred cows are a nice way to start, in my opinion.

If you're interested in a milk cow, I happen to have a trained-to-milk girl for sale right now.

Kim

[legendrockranch]

Welcome to the forum.

Talk with a lot of breeders if possible try and visit some of them, just pick their brains and if possible find a mentor. I'm not sure where you are located however the ADCA is having if annual meeting this year in Kansas. The main page of their website tells you about it. www.dextercattle.org/ That would be a good place to look at a lot of animals. There are also regional shows that if you are close enough you might like to attend. I personally do not show my animals but as I mentioned this is a great place to see all the shapes and sizes, plus colors of Dexters. On top of that you get to meet new friends and visit with the old ones.
Many of us on this forum and elsewhere are more than happy to help newcomers out and see that they get off to the right start. Best of luck to you.

Barb

[zephyrhillsusan]

Welcome, morningstar , Jean! It sounds like you're doing all the research up front--very smart!   Hoperefuge's advice to look on the ADCA Sale Page is great. That's how we found our first cow from her back in 2009.   (I have a friend who bought a Dexter off Craigslist and things didn't go very well, I'm sad to say.)  Legenrockranch's advice is right on, too. It's really important--especially starting out--to do some "meet 'n greets." Go visit some farms, talk to people, see their Dexters, touch them, ask the owners to tell you their good points, and see if they'll even own up to their animals' faults.   

If you can go to the AGM, that's a great place to learn! We knew very little about structure and conformation when we went to our first one, but we "played" along as judges during the show and actually started to be able to guess how the animals would place. Then we went and visited the farm where many of the winners came from and asked lots of questions.

Another good place to start is your Regional Director. I'm not sure what state you're from, but you can look up yours on the ADCA Regional Director page. They are really your gateway to finding great Dexters.  They can be a mine of information and are likely to know what's available in your region.  If you're near the edge of one Region, you can call a neighboring Director, too.

The ADCA also has a buyer's checklist you might make use of.  I recommend you explore the ADCA website.  It's got some good information on it and has been recently updated.

[Pinevalleydexters]

We bought our first four Dexters from Craigslist as well as used it to sell cattle. I asked a lot of questions about the cattle we bought, and when we visited the farm we went with the plan that if we didn't like the cows we wouldn't buy them.I think if you do your research on the animals and breeders craigslist works. We have raised calves from the first cows, kept the calves we liked, and sold the cows that weren't the direction that we want to go. We live in Northern WI and due to distance from other breeders, if we didn't use craigslist our options would have been very limited.

[zephyrhillsusan]

I should clarify that my friend who bought the Dexter off Craigslist did not go see it and relied on photos because of the distance. There was a health issue that wasn't disclosed, but that's not the fault of Craigslist; that's on the seller--not what I consider ethical breeding practice. However, it does bring up the whole issue of caveat emptor--"Let the buyer beware."  
Whether you buy off Craigslist or not, what @pinevalleydexters said is very important--visit in person, ask lots of questions, and determine ahead of time that if the animal doesn't fit what you want, you'll walk away.  Another idea that some people have used, especially if they're completely new to cattle, is to take a friend along who has some experience with cattle.

[kansasdexters]

Jean

A very good way to start a herd of registered Dexter cattle (or any breed) is to start with a young (3-6 years old) bred cow that has successfully calved and bred back within 60 days of calving. You can purchase this option as a cow/calf pair with the cow bred back (and preg-checked to confirm that she is at least 60 days bred). If you get a cow/calf pair, then you'll be able to raise and handle that calf. You won't need a bull for the first year. You will gain experience with halter training the calf, weaning the calf, milking a cow, etc. You'll be able to evaluate the cow's udder and teats while she is in milk, prior to purchase. The cow will have her next calf, since she comes to you as a bred cow, and you'll gain experience with calving and raising another calf. You will learn how to genotype and register a calf. If all goes well in that first year, and you decide that you want to expand with a registered herd, you will have some knowledge and experience under your belt, and be able to make confident decisions because you'll have developed a better understanding of your actual level of interest, time, resources, and skill sets.

If you just want to raise your own beef, then it's really best to start with some weanling or yearling steers. The requirements (equipment, housing, fencing, feeding, transport) are simpler with animals that have already been castrated, vaccinated, and weaned for at least 30 days, before you get them. You simply put them out in your pasture and provide hay, mineral/salt, supplemental feed, and clean water, as needed, to properly finish them out. You don't need a bull and you don't have the risks associated with breeding, pregnancies, calving, and caring for very young calves. Finishing steer calves is the least risky, least costly, way to learn about cattle and how they fit/or don't fit with your particular situation, needs, and resources. There are no genetic testing requirements/expenses, no registration expenses, minimal record-keeping requirements, and if you decide that you don't want cattle after all, you can easily call it quits.

When choosing a breeder/owner to buy your stock from, it helps to get references or use referrals from people that you know and trust. It helps to visit several farms and to observe how they manage their stock, and how they prepare their stock for sale and transport. An experienced and knowledgeable Dexter breeder/owner can be a mentor and an ongoing resource to you, as you develop your registered Dexter herd. So, begin with the end in mind.


Patti

[Dahdo]

Hi Jean,
Welcome, we are glad you found Dexters and it sounds like you have already done way more research than I ever did, so I expect you will get off to a great start. Especially with all that help you have. We are retired and our farm is how we plan to remain "old and strong" for a long time with any luck. That's said, it would be nice to have a teenager or three around to help out. Anyhow, you have already received some excellent advice, so all I'll say is you have aced the first test: selecting the breed. I'd love to hear more about Clun Forest Sheep and how you selected them. Sheep are something we have considered adding to our farm, we have a bored Aussie/border collie mix and that is never a good thing.

Cheers,
Dave

[cddexter]

Hey Dave, you could always get a few sheep from the same person who foisted that bull on you...multicolored st. Croix x katadan hair sheep, relatively quiet, cool color patterns, same quality as the bull, and a good price. smile. c.

[Dahdo]

C, How can I refuse an offer like that? Do you deliver?

[Fran]

Hi Jean,
I'm another Dexter breeder who had a very successful Craigslist Dexter purchase. Puff is one of my very best and favorite cows, and I went out of state to get her. However, with that being said, I did go get her myself so that I could see the sire & dam, and meet the guy who raised her -- and I did NOT pay up front. I think we were extremely blessed when I hear about some of the horror stories from others. You've already been given some great advice and shouldn't have too much trouble finding some breeders close to you. Good luck and congratulations!!
Fran

[cddexter]

Hey Dave: yup.

[cathylee]

I agree that if you are careful Craigslist can be a decent source. I searched ADCA and found registered animals in my area and when a heifer buyer backed out I took her. But if I had been ready to buy before that I would have gone to see some Craigslist animals.

I have had WH ducks and loved the females. I have Appleyards ducks and Pilgrim geese. It is nice to see the sex by color. Geese will chew on your trees and kill the young ones. They eat the grass down to the soil along a fence line and deposit poop in the same spot so it isn't spread around well if you have them fenced in. So they need to be moved frequently and that doesn't work well with setting eggs.

But most important...No turkeys?