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Post by northstar on Oct 28, 2014 11:36:15 GMT -5
Before I bought L.C., I found a Dexter bull, only 60 miles away to breed her to, then the second time I needed to breed her, they'd butchered the bull. The Highlander was the only option-the vet comes 100 miles, and AI is just too expensive. I think she just had the bad luck of a breech birth, the calf wasn't bigger than the pure Dexter. I won't get another Dexter, just because of the logistics of breeding. I'm looking at a 1/2 Highlander 1/2 dairy cross heifer. I'm not in any hurry, I probably can milk her another month or so. The only slaughter house is 250 miles away, and I wouldn't take her there anyway. I'll take her over to Otto's, it's a familiar place. I think the hardest part for me is that I am making a choice to butcher her for economic reasons. If she was 15 and had had a good long like, I probably could have eaten her and participated in her butcher. I'm usually a very realistic animal owner, but this just wasn't expected. Thank you for your kind words, Marsha
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dexterlady
member
Wife, mother of two daughters and five grand children
Posts: 647
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Post by dexterlady on Nov 14, 2014 23:37:41 GMT -5
Marsha, I am so sorry you have to butcher L.C....I know that has to be heartbreaking....Wish there was something I could say or anyone could say to ease your pain....I sure wish we lived closer...Anyway, my heart felt sympathy is with you....Life just isn't fair sometimes and this is one of them....I hope you find another cow that will let you milk her....Good luck with whatever you decide....One thing I rwanted to ask you...Why is it you wouldn't get another Dexter?Friends forever.....Donna
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Post by northstar on Nov 15, 2014 13:03:04 GMT -5
Thank you, I know you know how I feel. By the logistics of breeding, I mean there isn't a Dexter bull for 250 miles, and AI is much more difficult when the vet lives 100 miles away, and there aren't any AI techs. I was offered a tank to keep semen, then found out the only place to refill was in Anchorage, 200 miles away and about $100. I can't really say that the first Highlander calf caused the problem, she was backwards, maybe because she was too big to turn around, though she weighed the same as the first Dexter calf. I know if you lived next door with your sweet little bull, I'd have another Dexter in a heartbeat! Marsha
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dexterlady
member
Wife, mother of two daughters and five grand children
Posts: 647
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Post by dexterlady on Nov 17, 2014 0:08:42 GMT -5
Marsha , I understand much better now...I don't think I would have one either if I had to go through all that....I have not seen your little calf yet on Edge of Alaska.....I didn't get the shows recorded so I think I missed it....Was she on the show?....Dang, I wanted to see her!...I saw a program tonight where Otto butchered a cow....But it was a red cow....Boy that was a big cow....Otto seems very caring for his cows..... I am still waiting for Sunshine to calve...She isn't due until next month , the 4th.....I'll let you know what we get....Hope this one will be a bull from Sunshine!....Stay in touch.....Donna
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dexterlady
member
Wife, mother of two daughters and five grand children
Posts: 647
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Post by dexterlady on Nov 17, 2014 0:09:59 GMT -5
Marsha , I understand much better now...I don't think I would have one either if I had to go through all that....I have not seen your little calf yet on Edge of Alaska.....I didn't get the shows recorded so I think I missed it....Was she on the show?....Dang, I wanted to see her!...I saw a program tonight where Otto butchered a cow....But it was a red cow....Boy that was a big cow....Otto seems very caring for his cows..... I am still waiting for Sunshine to calve...She isn't due until next month , the 4th.....I'll let you know what we get....Hope this one will be a bull from Sunshine!....Stay in touch.....Donna
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Post by shortfencefarm on Mar 9, 2016 14:38:54 GMT -5
Ladies and Gentlemen, Many of you may have read my thread in the Dexter Cow section but I realize it really belongs here. Last year I bought a 5 year old supposedly pregnant red Dexter cow my wife later named Scarlet with her heifer calf at her side. It turned out that Scarlet was not in fact pregnant just fat. The guy swore up and down he had her vet checked, but I lost a year of production and he wouldn't return my texts or emails. So, I decided to breed her with a young bull that is the half-brother to my herd sire hoping to get a heifer. This bull was the last of RHV Fargo's sons excluding my herd sire. I put them together in early July of last year and within a month she was bred. Well on Monday of last week she started acting strange and separating herself from the herd. I thought she looked like she might soon calve because she was huge. So large in fact my wife suggested she may be carrying twins. So, I segregated her and put out a roll of hay and water. I came home from work the next day and go to the area of the woods where it seems everybody likes to calve and found a little dead bull calf curled up in a ball. As far as I can figure he was more than a month premature but seemed to be fully formed. Scarlet was none the worse for wear except she was confused and would not leave him. I removed him immediately. This is the first time I have lost a calf and knew this day would come but I a just a little befuddled. It's not about the money, for me it’s just about the loss of life. Trying to figure out what I could have done better. On Tuesday of last week she attempted to deliver the placenta but retained it. This is another reason I think the calf may have been born dead as the hormonal signals to detach the placenta were not transmitted at the time of birth. So, I have a herd of 9 going on 3 years and this is the first lost calf out of 3 births for the keepers of statistics. All other births were by my "proven" cow Betsy. Regards, Tony
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Post by kansasdexters on Mar 9, 2016 19:12:45 GMT -5
Tony -
Your new cow, Scarlet, may have had a selenium deficiency. Reproductive failure and a retained placenta is common in cows that have a sub-clinical selenium deficiency. Your vet can take a blood sample and send it to a lab to check for two of the most common mineral deficiencies that adversely affect reproductive success: selenium deficiency and/or copper deficiency.
For optimal reproductive health and vigor, consider adding dried kelp (we use Thorvin Icelandic Organic Kelp) to what you offer your cows for their free choice mineral supplement.
Patti
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Post by shortfencefarm on Mar 9, 2016 22:37:13 GMT -5
Patti, Thank you very much for you input and the advice to check for selenium deficiency. Is it simply a matter of what they intake because my go to cow Betsy has never had any issues and they have the exact same diet. I have been meaning to set up free choice for all my Dexters, just doing different blocks, tubs etc. I do high intensity grazing and have been managing 3 small herds in the last 3 years trying to get to a stable point where I can put everyone together. After all the ladies calve this spring I should be at that point. Then I will turn my attention to creating the best forage I can, figuring out the free choice mineral thing and concentrate managing one homogeneous herd. It just seems there is not enough time and money. Regards, Tony
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