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Post by dexterfarm on Sept 27, 2012 12:44:29 GMT -5
They are not really in the same class as dairy breeds. It would depend on where you are but I would say they are not more expensive. Most dairy cows you see for sale are dairy culls or offspring of dairy culls. As result they have lots of health issues. A good breeding stock dairy cow will cost you a lot.
I have had 4 jerseys in the past. One made it to the butcher the rest died young. A yearling steer that ate himself to death bloated and died in the field. I had a breach calf that I had to pull and then lived in my house and tube feed for 4 days he made it 4 months before he got an infection and died. The cow that gave birth to that steer never got pregnant again died a year later when the weather got to hot for her and she refused to eat.
those jerseys cost me a lot with very little in return for meat and milk. I am not saying there are not any good dairy cows out there but they will cost.
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Post by lakeportfarms on Sept 27, 2012 13:46:52 GMT -5
The price is based upon where you are and what you're buying. Most people who buy a Dexter cow will bury her on the property, years later. In the meantime, they will enjoy many fine hours with their face pressed into the side of that cow, listening to the soothing sounds of her digestion while chasing away the pesky calf that will one day grace their table with the best beef they've ever tasted. There's a lot more than economy going on here. It's not how cheap you can buy any old cow, it's how good a cow you can buy to live with you and provide for you the rest of her life. VERY well said Gene...and one of the major points we try to make with buyers. When you spread out the cost of a well trained and top quality Dexter as opposed to a cull animal or even a lesser quality Dexter that may give you frustrations galore, what is that worth to somebody per year assuming a 12-20 year lifespan? Fifty or a hundred bucks a year? That's well less than a dollar a day. What other kinds of enjoyment can you have for that amount of money? |
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Gorignak
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Post by Gorignak on Sept 27, 2012 19:01:13 GMT -5
Now ....that is the pitch from the salesmen. I have nothing to sell, no reason for bias. I just bought my first Dexters. So, I won't lie to you. Neither will they....all that they said is true, and then some .... BUT, ....they did avoid talking about the wart ......THERE ARE GENETIC PROBLEMS. These are manageable and well documented. They are not reason to eliminate Dexters from the running...BUT THEY ARE DAMNED IRRITATING. Buy PHA FREE and manage the Chondro. However.....nothing is easy. You will need to research the genetic anomalies and see if you are up to managing them. They are easily reduced and eliminated. The Dexter is SO much SAFER, and more manageable...the first replies didn't do the basic ....BOO.....and tell you that more farmers have been killed by Jersey Bulls than any other breed....nasty, sneaky little boogers. You want to hug a bull....we do, every day. Our Dexter bull is so pleasant, so much a gentleman....  TRY THIS WITH A JERSEY.....DON'T ........ 7 YR BULL, 6 YR COWDexters are smart....I think smarter than other breeds. They learn to lead fast. Ours are horned.....big, sharp horns. It took them one month to learn us...they have NEVER lowered their head to us again. Dexters are affordable now......be willing to travel. MANY people got small herds of Dexters over the past 5-7 years. The press on them has been incredible. Now the drought has hit, in the Springfield Missouri/Fayetteville Arkansas Craigslist, there have been numerous 5 head herds at ridiculously low prices. We paid $2,000. for 4 Dexters, came home with 5, will have 6 in a couple weeks, and will be milking in a month. That seems cheap to me. CHECK the Missouri Dexter Breeders show and auction in October. Olga is going. There will be lots of high dollar cattle, and probably some decent bargains. There are a couple of recent threads on the attendance and the link to the show.  HEADED FOR THE MILKING STANCHION NEXT MONTH....... SHEILA , 2 1/2 YEARS OLD, FIRST CALF HEIFER
Dexters are economical. Our drought this year was devastating. I bought a 25% molasses tub, and feed about 50 lbs of range cubes a week....they have eaten 1 1/2, 4x5 round bales of bermuda hay in 2 1/2 months. That is 4 head, one nursing a fat calf. I had zero pasture until last week. The pasture that we will start with is 5 acres....It will do our 4 head easily. We took a 1 year old that would not let you get within 30 feet of her......gentled her in 2 weeks......halter trained her in two more weeks. She leaps out of the stall in the morning and hurries us to the deep grass in the orchard where we tether her.  WHAT A LIFE.....ONE YEAR OLD MATILDAThis site is populated by folks who want to sell their version of genetic perfection. That is well and good when the time is right. There is no better cow to learn the ropes on. And, if you need more milk, you can afford to have two. Look around and buy a group....pick out your darling(s) and sell the others. Make sure the papers and tests are in order. Sounds like you have the land/pasture to work a buy/sell deal and come out ahead. |
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Post by Olga on Sept 27, 2012 22:08:17 GMT -5
Pasohorsegal, a good point to start, and I've been telling this to everyone who's ever called me asking to buy, is go to www.dextercattle.org and click on Members. This will bring up a .pdf of all current breeders. Take your time, copy names and contact info for anyone withing driving range. Then go to the online pedigree and run their names. High-light those breeders that have more than 1-2 family milk cows. Look for breeders that have recently registered calves. Contact those breeders and set up a farm visit, just to check out the herd and gain some knowledge. At this stage, don't even ask about anything for sale. Getting into a new cow breed is similar to buying horses. You wouldn't go buy a Missouri Foxtrotter if you didn't know what a foxtrott was. Or commit to buy the first Paso Fino without knowing the signs of DSLD/ESPA. And never base your knowledge or opinion based on interactions with just 1 breeder. Example: 4H mom went to a dairy goat breeder and bought 2 Nubian does. The breeder gave the impression that she had quality, very competitive stock. Once at home, 1 of the does tested positive for CAE. The other one was judged poorly at the Co. Fair because she doesn't have depth of body, her udder lacks width, the rear attachment is low, teets too close together, floor of the udder not level. The mom contacted a very high-end Nubian breeder in hopes of getting a superior dairy buck to improve the offspring of the above doe. He however believes that the doe has such an array of faults that no buck would ever be able to fix all of them! Sorry for wordiness, here is my point: all sellers have an ulterior motive - to sell and make profit. Even if they are not trying to trick you, they might not focus on the negative aspects of the animal. And then, sorry to say, there are those folks who are just not that knowledgeable or smart all together. So get experience so that you can be your own judge! |
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Post by wvdexters on Sept 28, 2012 7:10:06 GMT -5
Registered cattle can seem a bit "pricey" to people at first. I know they were for me (in the beginning). But I had done my research, I knew what I wanted and needed; and Dexters were the breed for us and our conditions.
So we purchased top quality, registered girls. (IMO You have to think long term.) Their calves will more than pay for their original costs many times over in just a few years. They are so worth the original investment..... many times over.
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Post by rezzfullacres on Sept 28, 2012 7:36:18 GMT -5
I have been resurching the cost of family cows and the Dexter seems to be in the most costly bracket.. I love the cow but it seems to have some genitic problums in some blood lines.. Why is it more pricy then other dairy breeds? www.horsetalessalestips.blogspot.comThe first thing is to define a family cow....To me a family cow is one that is ready to work for your family by producing milk to drink, a calf for beef, and fertilizer for the garden....The cost of the cow is just the starting point..We sell weaned calves for 1 price a cow that has been trained to the stanchion and is ready to milk is another price...We do not sell any family cows that are not already milked so the time investment alone is considerable...We breed our heifers at 16 months figure about 9 more months before a calf and than add some more time to make sure the cow works out as a milker....So in order for us to sell a family cow we need to go 30 months or so compared to 7 months for a weanling...Add into this formula that not all of the prospects are going to work out, most will but some won't...It all adds up to make a quality "family cow" expensive to produce therefore making it expensive to buy... |
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Post by Olga on Sept 28, 2012 8:50:52 GMT -5
There is another point to the "cost" of the milk cow. You will always have surplus milk. And there will be those, among family and friends, who will be happy to donate $5 towards the cow grain in exchange for a share of the dairy bounty. A few years ago I was selling a milkable Dexter/Jersey cow due with her 3rd calf. Couldn't sell her for $1000, not for $800. Finally, I practically gave her away for $500 to some good friends. They've had 2 milking seasons out of her so far, and at $5 a donation, she has by now paid for herself. They are getting 2 gallons with no separation from the calf!
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Gorignak
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Post by Gorignak on Sept 28, 2012 9:01:37 GMT -5
Pasohorsegal...i get a bit more allegorical//metaphorical than some can handle...no more problem than any with real warts...The "wart" I was talking about was PHA.... a fatal genetic flaw that 50% of Dexter owners are avoiding dealing with. It can be tested for and eliminated. It is a defect that causes a stillborn calf of such size that the cow's life can be endangered.
I think that you need to find a yearling or older heifer and breed her to a local Dexter bull....
You would have plenty of time to get her acclimated to you and her new setup.AI is an option, but all the stars have to be lined up to be cost effective and physically effective. I am probably going to be breeding my short legged cows to Olga's long legged bull.
I am not too concerned with trying to create the "super" calf.....I need to get my feet under me. I need to develop my facilities and infrastructure.
That is why the herd we bought was so perfect.....$2000. bought
Bull 7yr....good looker, sound, solid pedigree, short legged
Cow 6yr.....A straight back, 4 calves in the rear view mirror, had a calf the day before we picked her up. Bred back now
Heifer....2.5 yr .....going to calve in a couple weeks....is half gentled now and we expect her to be in a stanchion within a couple of weeks of calving. We will have options on breeding her.
Heifer....1 yr ..... Has really blossomed. We will get to make breeding choices with her in several months.
New bull calf.....a monster, and from our mellow bull. I'm sending off tail hairs for a PHA/Chondro test....could be long legged.....
Anyway....the package offered us 10 different kinds of experience. I have seen herds of 4-7 for sale multiple times at very reasonable prices in the area. Southwest Missouri is a hotbed of Dexter ownership...
Sorry for the "misleading" info....Get a Dexter ....or two, or three.
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Post by pasohorsegal on Sept 28, 2012 9:24:03 GMT -5
Good points Rezz and Olga, I understand the investment of producing a family cow . I raise horses and never get back what I have into them. There is no logical reason for doing what I do except I love the animal . However there are just some folks that just can't aford the the cost of a trained cow. They take their chances at auctions ,Craigs List or what ever..If all of us had our choices We would choose a seasoned cow But some can't ,and rather than to have nothing we take a chance with other resorces. Yes Olga, I know I will get more milk then Bill and I can ever use . I plan to give it to hurting familys in our area at no cost to them as so many children go without milk becuse of the rising cost of of food. As an Ordained Minister I feel its my Christian duty to help whever I can with the Love of Christ even though its a small thing and the cost to me is high on my retirement income.. I just have to do something for folks, its in my heart ! www.horsetalessalestips.blogspot.com |
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Post by lakeportfarms on Sept 28, 2012 9:30:45 GMT -5
Mike,
Though I agree that a yearling Dexter is probably the way to go for Pasohorsegal (registered, preferably), I have to disagree with you about "finding a local Dexter bull". When your only criteria is whether a bull is local or not, one tends to overlook traits which can be undesirable in breeding. With only one Dexter, it's better to concentrate the time on finding a AI technician in the area and select a good bull unless you're blessed to be close to a respected breeder who is willing to accept females into their farm for breeding.
Another advantage to AI...if the cow is registered and tested for PHA, Chondro, A2 etc..., any decent AI bull has also been thoroughly tested for this and more, and the resultant calf will be obligate non-carriers and reflected in the pedigree without any additional testing. The exception being chondrodysplasia AI bulls, or if she was to purchase a chondro carrier heifer, which would have to be tested to be reflected in the pedigree.
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