Ingredients of Dexter longevity

[Olga]

This question is addressed primarily to long-term cattlemen (and ~women ;D ).
I have heard it said that arthritis limits how long a cow can be productive - and that makes sense.
I've noticed some comments that Carol D. had made to the width of the muzzle - and wondered what that was all about. I know some breeds have narrow muzzles - like Jerseys - while others have wider ones. How does that affect their longevity, I wonder?
When we realized that Sioux lost all of her front teeth we wondered how the dental characteristics affect cattle. Do Dexters keep their teeth longer? Do they have stronger teeth that allow them to chow down inferior forrage?
What are other aspects of Dexter make-up that help them live longer?

[cddexter]

ahhhh, what an excuse to hold forth.... ;D

First, I don't think as a breed, Jersey's have narrow muzzles, across the board. Have to get an experienced Jersey person in on this one, but...

Wide muzzles are supposed to be indicators of two things:

1. big mouth = carol (...no, no, just joking and don't think I'm not aware I'm leaving myself wide open to all sorts of comments ) it's actually faster eating and thus more intake, so more time to lie about and chew cud and relax. Apparently animals with small muzzles spend more time grazing, thus having less time to process what they eat. Eating less and spending more time doing it = less efficiency and less production. This holds for range cattle with sparse vegetation. If you have a pampered Dexter in a lush pasture and lots of fodder available, it probably doesn't make much difference, but we are looking at longevity and production and efficiency--AND FUNCTIONALITY--so in those cases, it does matter.

2. it is commonly thought (proven?) that a wide muzzle is an indicator of wide everything else from front to back: wider between the front legs which increases heart room capacity, and wider pins for calving ease.

(Spring of rib can be manipulated and this is very evident in dwarfs. Their body cavity is smaller (it's not just the legs that are affected, ya know) so for everything to fit AND to produce a calf, the ribs tend to get 'sprung' more, and especially when heavily in calf, their bodies tend to droop at the bottom because with a spine on top and ribs on the two sides, the belly is the only un-caged part where expansion can take place.)

Of course there are always exceptions, but the wide muzzle reasons tend to be true. A lot of the 'poor doers' seem to have narrower muzzles. And, calving ease isn't always about pin width. Pelvic girdle tilt is really important too, which is something very few people take into consideration. However, really narrow pins can make for more difficult calving, so with the idea that width is consistent throughout the body, eating more faster and being wider everwhere, a wide muzzle is seen as 'better' than a narrow one.

Teeth continue to grow, just like a rat's. I don't think it's the teeth that make the difference. I think, from the delicate consitution I've heard Jersey's have, that it's that Dexters are less 'refined' and less purpose oriented (i.e. have had less controlled genetic interference) so are still better adapted to roughing it as cattle would have been eons ago.

And, I guess I should add that because Dexters are not raised 'commercially', they don't have the same restraints and conditions applied to them. Dairy cattle are genetically altered to produce milk at the expense of the rest of the body. You'll find most dairies cull their cows at 4 or 5 because the cow is burned out, her legs are shot from standing on concrete, and her udder is beginning to lose shape. The cow could probably go on for years, but because she's seen mostly as a milk factory, when she starts to wear out, she's replaced. Beef cattle get culled when they miss a year calving. Most are out on the range, are raised by the thousands, and may not get the nutrition they need. I've been told that it's common to cull beef cattle at 8 or 9 because of a missed year. Again, the cow could probably go on for years, but she's seen as a production unit, so miss a year? out on your ear! In both cases, I'm talking large commercial producers, not the small 20-cow unit. There, I expect there is more latitude.

Most Dexter owners pamper their cattle as though they were house dogs. Thus, there is a lot more individual attention, better awareness of nutrition and conditions (I doubt you'd see some big beef producer putting in sprays for his cows to cool off, as is being dicussed elsewhere here), so I'm willing to bet it's more a market thing than anything special to do with the breed.

Does that help? ;D c.

[Olga]

I am lucky to have access to a hammer-mill: I plan on grinding horse-quality bermuda hay and mixing it with grain and feeding free-choice. Sioux will spend winter here at the house so I can monitor her closely.
Sioux was 13 when I got her, she'd spent 7 years or more at her previous home in MO, in a large herd.
I noticed the lack of front teeth in November 2009, I think, when Sioux got sick and I had to drench her and give her boluses. She had nothing but gums then, so I'm not sure at which point she lost all her teeth. I'm pretty sure she had all of them when we first got her.
Sioux can eat just fine when the grass is long enough for her to curl her tongue around. Anytime the grass gets too short I have to supplement.
Justus asked me if we should "retire" her. But she looks to be in good condition and is enjoying life in the herd.

[Olga]

Sorry Gene, I should've been more clear. I got Sioux when she was 13, she turned 19 this July. So she'll be nearly 20 when her next one is born if she took.