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Post by legendrockranch on Feb 14, 2011 21:27:21 GMT -5
It's about $1 per 50# bag. Genebo, at that price send me down a semi-load. ;D ;D  Barb |
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Post by gulfcapt on Feb 20, 2011 7:36:58 GMT -5
Im new to this forum, and to dexters and cows in general! I got 2 coming next wk a Bull 11 months and a heff 7 months... They will be in about 2 acre pasture, I know this won't be sufficiant for grazing so my  ? is to you folks is what? and how much should I feed them everyday? I live in Panama city Fl. (Bay Co.) I now I have alot to learn about them and I will be reading posts on this forum to get some hine sight into these animals.. Any response will be greatly appreciated. thank you |
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lsg
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Post by lsg on Feb 20, 2011 8:53:21 GMT -5
. So here's what I fed during 2010: ____Each Dexter_____Each Goat_____Gabby____All chickens and ducks corn______1/4#_________.3#_______1/3#_________3# 12% feed__1/4#_________.3#_______1/3# Corn gluten_1/4#_________.3#_______1/3# Calcium____1/4tsp_______1/4tsp______1/4tsp_______1tsp Minerals___1 Tbsp ______1 Tbsp______1 Tbsp________2 Tbsp Genebo, does the mixture above represent what is in your formulated feed? I read your post a couple of times and I guess I am dense, but I wasn't sure. |
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Post by gulfcapt on Feb 20, 2011 12:32:40 GMT -5
I got these dexters because I have friends with them and they enjoy em.. Im thinking I will have to come up with another pasture to move em back and forth. I was just hoping someone could tell me what amount of hay to feed daily.. money is really not a issue unless I lose my job lol then I will be giving them away.. anyreply would be greatly appreciated because i dont want to starve em.. thank you
mike
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Post by rdoubled on Feb 20, 2011 12:59:50 GMT -5
Mike,
When I have a few cattle that I am feeding I purchase small square bales that weigh around 100lbs. We can get it in alfalfa or Grass hay. When feeding grass hay I will give them about 2 flakes/slabs a day per head. From there I judge if the cattle are acting hungry whenever they see me or if they are loosing weight and adjust the amount.
On a side note. If you keep heifer and bull together she will get bred at this early age.
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Post by gulfcapt on Feb 20, 2011 14:02:04 GMT -5
rdoubled thank you for the response. I will start them off with what u suggested and keep a eye out. I also appreciate the heads up with the bull mateing with the heffer I wasn't aware of them breeding at such a young age, amatter of fact I didn't even give it a thought.. I do have alot to learn and so far from reading posts on this forum I have learned alot.. I do hope it turns out to be a good learning experience because I don't want the dexters to suffer from my lack of knowledge by no means... thank you again
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Post by littlecowfl on Feb 20, 2011 16:14:55 GMT -5
A great resource is your county extension agent. Free info, low cost soil testing, low cost forage testing, and they can tell you what you have growing in your pasture and how well it will support your cattle. There is a big difference between the types of grasses that grow throughout the US. Cattlemen should be grass farmers first.  I cannot even begin to tell you complicated it is to raise cattle in our region (NE Florida). I am finally hitting my stride five years after we moved here. We bought the place when this area was suffering it's tenth year of drought and the pastures were severely over-grazed. It's improving but it takes careful management and rotation. Someday, pasture renovation.... Hey, I can dream! ;D Without knowing any specifics about what type of grass you have, I can only give you some general advice: 1) Buy protein blocks or tubs to put out for you cows, free choice. Florida grasses are low in protein. 2) Add loose minerals to their feed but also provide both a mineral and a salt lick in your pastures. Your soil is sandy. Very sandy. Minerals seep right through so you need to supplement your cattle because they will not get enough from either their grass or their feed. 3) Never limit water access. They drink a ton of water, especially in the summer. Mine even come by the fence to get a 'shower' from the hose on really hot days. 4) Free choice bahia or coastal round bales are fine. Get a round bale feeder to reduce waste (something we still don't have). 5) Build a pen big enough to house them while your grass is coming up and during the winter when you are feeding round bales. It's a 'sacrifice area', so to speak. At least 70% of your annual feed costs will be in the winter. Hang in there, spring is just around the corner for us. 6) Build a place to restrain them. At least a swing gate chute but preferably a head gate or a squeeze chute. Build a nice lane that leads up to it and will keep the cows single file. Make it easy on yourself by designing it with help from a cattleman nearby (try to find someone who can walk around your place and give suggestions as to where to place the pen and restraint area). 7) How to find a local cattleman? Join your county cattleman's association! Great resource for pretty much everything you need. Your county extension agent can fill you in on where they meet and how to join. 8) Gather a fresh fecal sample from each animal and drop it by your vet's office for a test to see what parasites your cows have. The test will run only about $7-10 and well worth it when trying to decide which dewormer to use. 9) If you don't have shade in both the pasture and the pen then plant some trees. It's just too hot here in Florida for any creature to be without shade. Look at your cows and if all of the above still doesn't seem to be keeping them shiny and in good weight, add a corn/soybean based cattle feed to their diets. Go slow and ration it out into once or twice a day feedings. Mine never get more than a pound per day (and that was for a very skinny cow). Hope that helps. ;D |
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Post by gulfcapt on Feb 20, 2011 16:59:19 GMT -5
Genebo and littlecowfl thank you very much for your response I realize you probably answer the same ?? over and over for people.. But this person realy appreciates the help and time that you give to your posts. If you don't mind littlecow letting me know when and were that fair will be held at I would like to try and make it... thank you both again mike |
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Post by littlecowfl on Feb 20, 2011 17:14:24 GMT -5
Glad to help out!
It's the Clay County Fair in Green Cove Springs, FL. It's from 3/31 through April 9th.
BTW, what sort of vessel do you drive? I was a SWO in the USN.
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Post by gulfcapt on Feb 20, 2011 17:44:15 GMT -5
I run supply vessel in the gulf of mexico, right now Im in sabine TX. You miss the water or glad your feet stay dry? ;D
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Post by littlecowfl on Feb 20, 2011 18:29:31 GMT -5
Somewhere in between, actually. I sang old cowboy songs to stay awake on watch and now I sing old sailor songs to our toddler. Can't win. ;D
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Post by littlecowfl on Feb 20, 2011 20:30:14 GMT -5
Awesome Gene! I can only somewhat sing but I also play the viola.  |
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Post by gulfcapt on Feb 21, 2011 6:51:28 GMT -5
lol you two are funny. Thats a good video of you Genebo that you posted here lol. lol JK. The only time I sing and dance is when my Granddaughter who is 1 1/2 comes to see us and we are watching Dora the Explora, Its not a pretty sight by no means.LOL
I have one more ?? is it better to keep their food/feed off the ground or does it really matter???
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Post by littlecowfl on Feb 21, 2011 10:01:19 GMT -5
Much better to keep the feed off the ground so they don't ingest so much sand and dried up manure. Here's a feeder they sell at Tractor Supply. It works great for us. If you're handy, you can make one by cutting a plastic barrel in half lengthwise. Gene- I'm not THAT talented! I haven't figured out how people sing while playing the violin/viola. I can't move my mouth and hold the thing in place, LOL! I can play 'Red River Valley' pretty well though. The feeder:  This is the long one and I recommend it for no more than four horned cattle. They'll shove each other out of the way if you have too many. You see how everyone can get their share here, despite the horns. My girls are now dehorned (that sucked!) because the fair doesn't allow horns, so the same feeder can feed eight dehorned cattle. Another idea is to buy a rubber tub for each cow, but since these are on the ground, they get pooped on. A last option, that I use sometimes, is that I hang their individual buckets on the fence. Hope that helps!  |
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Post by littlecowfl on Feb 21, 2011 10:12:17 GMT -5
Good advice, Gene! As usual. The only grasses we can grow down here die off if night temps drop to the upper 40s.  Gene, we pretty much bermuda, bahia, or coastal. The cows like the grass but it just isn't rich enough to get them sick. We don't need bloat blocks down here like I used when I had my farm in Virginia. My grass was orchard with some clover mixed in and I really had to be careful. It was a whole 'nother world when I moved down here. Too much fertilizer is much more likely to just end up in our water because of how porous our sandy soil is. Looking at our sand, you would wonder how anything grows! That being said, there are other higher protein feedstuffs out there in bulk, depending on how close you are to either peanut farms or citrus groves. Both peanut rolls (peanut plants after harvest) and citrus pulp can be used to feed cattle. I haven't had a chance to get either at a reasonable price so I do not know how to feed it. Please talk to someone experienced in these feedstuffs before feeding it. Especially the peanut rolls. Very rich legume. |
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