Dexter Cow and Calf

[kyfiddle]

Hello All! I just stumbled across this forum recently as I was researching Dexters for possible use on our little "farm". Talk about the right place at the right time! So much great information! And they sound like the perfect breed for our place!
However, I am searching for some info/guidance and was hoping that someone on here might be able to help point me in the right direction. I found a Dexter cow that is about 2-1/2 years old and her 5 month old weaned heifer calf that are for sale just a few miles from us- at what seems to be a pretty fair price. She supposedly calved with no problems and both look healthy. Our main interest in getting a cow is to be able to milk her, and this cow has never been handled, let alone milked. This brings up my area of uncertainty- since she was able to produce enough milk to raise a calf, can I assume that she will be worth-while to try to milk for my small family? We don't really have a need for much more that a gallon a day, more would be okay, but would I be safe in trying this animal as a milker?? Also, what are the minimum diseases that I should have her tested for, and how is that normally handled between a buyer/seller? (as in who is normally responsible for coordinating and paying for the tests?)
We have searched the site looking for answers, but haven't found any posts that quite answered my questions. One of the local vets told me to forget Dexters and get a Jersey, and that is as far as I got in my line of questioning with him, as we are pretty sold on Dexters.
Thanks, Dave.

[kyfiddle]

Thanks genebo- that's the kind of input that I was hoping for!
Dave.

[liz]

Hi Dave; I have a Jersey and 4 Dexter cows, all of whom I milk and I make a lot of cheese so I thought that you might like to hear about my experiences.

The cow you are looking at is two and a half? The heifer is her first calf and this is her first lactation? She will have an increase in milk with each lactation until she is mature; with the biggest increase between the first and second lactations and then much smaller ones after that. I'm assuming that she isn't fresh right now, so it won't be possible to judge her udder but try and ask the seller about how she was looking re 'milkyness' when she freshened. Where-as Jerseys are bred for their milking ability there is sometimes a huge difference between Dexter cows. My foundation cow Leila, at maturity, is about 7 liters /day, her daughter Reannagh was milking 8 liters/day her first lactation. They are both about 650lbs, 40" tall and Chondro free, Brigit (Bardeau my Jersey is twice their size and so Reannagh pound for pound is just as milky.

As Gene said there are a few differences between them though. My Dexters have beef conformation, meaning that they are boxy with a nice layer of fat on their backs, the Jersey is skin and bones and for this reason the Dexters were able to stay outside last night (-32 degrees) while the Jersey had to be in the barn. The Jersey needs higher protein feed and hay, I find, to stay in condition but the Dexters get fat on grass hay. Because of their size difference and their 'input' difference they also have different 'outputs' ! This makes cleaning up after the jersey a real drag, mornings when she has been in the barn all night! As Gene pointed out their milk and beef are also different. Dexters will marble and finish on grass really well and although smaller cuts are perfectly proportioned meat (muscle) to bone ratio but Jerseys again need higher inputs and I have found that the bones are bigger than the muscling. But I must say that Jersey is good tasting beef too, just not as good as Dexter, IMO.

The milk between the different breeds is also quite different and each has its strengths so; Jersey milk has larger butterfat globules, which cluster quicker and therefore separate from the milk faster, while during cheesemaking this makes the milk a little more difficult to work with, not to loose the butterfat, it lends itself to beautifully textured and flavoured SOFT cheeses Dexter butterfat is a smaller fat globule and therefore as in other breeds with similar butterfat (Ayrshire for one) it lends itself to making really tasty aged HARD cheeses. Having said this both hard and soft cheeses can be made from each milk and both will be much tastier than what can be bought in the store! The yellow colour is an indication of what each does with the forage they are eating; Jerseys and most cow breeds convert this into beta carotene, which is fat soluble and therefore makes the butterfat yellow and I have found that Dexters' (like goats and sheep) milk stays white, butterfat and all and this means that they convert the forage into vitamin A instead.

Finally on the points about disease to watch for in your area and training a cow; the first you should discuss with your vet or county agent and the second is going to depend on your comfort level and the cow's temperament. We just purchased a 7.5 year old cow and a 6 month old heifer, neither of whom had ever experienced handling. The cow will be milked and milkable by the time she freshens in spring but I actually despair that the heifer will ever be easy with people and milking.

Again these are only my experiences with my animals but I hope it helps. Liz

[copperhead]

I'll jump in here just to say that a gentle cow is worth her weight in gold !!! If they haven't been messed with, it's very hard to get a cow to settle down enough to milk her. It can be done, but take a lot of time and patience. I bought some a few years ago, from a man who said how gentle they were and had been milked.........wow o wow......One never did let me close enough to milk her and the other would let you milk, as long as you had her tied up and could dodge those back hooves. I raised some good calves out of them, but , will never buy one again, until I see their "good" nature for my self. Dexter cattle are gentle natured, but they are still cows and some of them are crazy, for whatever reason. I like for one to at least be gentle enough to take feed out of a bucket and not run for the hills when I touch her. If she's not crazy, you can probably gentle her enough to milk. Patience is the key, and a treat never hurts either.
P.J.

[onthebit]

Kudos to Liz: well done!
Copperhead: you have yet to meet my petulant Petulia: she will eat righ out of your hand, be the first in the barn, and U wont milk her:Im pretty sure ,but you are welcome to prove me wrong!

[copperhead]

Onthe bit, I'll defer to you, because you know your cow, I don't. I'm sure you would never tell someone that she could be milked either. I guess my point is that if a cow has never been handled at all, it will take a lot of time and patience to get her turned into a milk cow. I'd either keep looking for one that has already been handled and milked or I'd turn my attention to the heifer calf, and start her on the road to being a family cow. I love my Dexters and will testify to the good nature of them and ease of handling.
P.J.
Liz and Gene, thanks for the info, that answers a lot of questions that I just haven't gotten around to asking but have wondered about.

[djabshire]

I have an 8 year old cow that has never been milked .we sold her three month old bull and decided to try and milk her since we sold her baby..we tied her head up and gave her some feed. she let us milk her and never kicked once.She didn't have a real large bag but we get an average of 3/4 to almost a gallon a day.which is plenty for my husband and I.Their teets or small and give a fine stream of milk from the begining,but will get larger and have a larger stream the more you milk her .this is from a first time milker!!Some Dexters are born milkers and some give just enough to take care of their babies.Dovie

[lsg]

Jan 17, 2009 20:16:52 GMT -5 djabshire said:

Some Dexters are born milkers and some give just enough to take care of their babies.Dovie

You are so right about that. It depends a lot on the lineage.

[farmmom]

My Candy was the same age when we got her and she was halter trained to an extent, she lost her calf last year that would have been her second, we managed to milk her, we had a few buckets of spilled milk, but by the time we decided to dry her up for breeding she would stand in the barn with just a lead rope on in front of her hay and tolerate being milked, It wasnt always easy but she learned, a squeeze shoot didnt hurt either, but we only had one on loan for about two weeks, I really think it made all of the difference.

[kyfiddle]

Thanks all for sharing your experiences! After more checking and considering, we decided to give these two a try! They should be delivered to our place in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to working with them, and will let you know how things are going with their training. (Or more likely as with the other critters around here- how MY training is going!)
Thanks Again!
Dave.

[wdilts53]

I am also new to the the Dexter breed. I just bought a 10 year old cow with a 2 month old bull calf on her. She was gentle to be around but not really into being touched. I broke her to the stantion in two days and started milking her on the third day. She has not even raised her foot at me, a perfect dream to milk. I am looking for another cow either fresh or going to freshen for another milk cow. If anyone knows of one I would appreciate a heads up. I live in New Mexico.

[legendrockranch]

Hi wdilts,
So glad to see you you posting here. The forum is great and I'm sure with your experience around cattle you'll be an added benefit to us.
You might want to list on the "auction barn" thread that you are looking for another milk cow, I think it's a more active area.

Keep in touch, and welcome to the forum.
Barb