Then & Now....or, "50 Shades of Hay"
Aug 22, 2013 13:35:07 GMT -5
rhonda, Fran, and 7 more like this
Post by Gorignak on Aug 22, 2013 13:35:07 GMT -5
Well, we have had a chance to gather our thoughts and some pictures of our first year of Dexter ownership. We could not have been more lucky, as you will see. The owner came through with his promise to take care of the paperwork. He got all the registrations completed, I will have to do the transfers, but the paperwork is signed. We are switching all the Registrations to the ADCA from the PDCA. He also had a vet check and vaccination done to all of the cattle. The heifers were tattooed and all were wormed. He paid for that.
He did not know that the cow, Dorothy, and the Bull, Oz were brother and sister. All he clearly "understood" was that they were registered. The pair was about 16 months different in age. We knew within 1 minute of getting copies of the pedigrees, what we were dealing with. We decided to proceed.
He had gotten the standard...." they can exist on pasture that no other cow would eat".....and he took that advice to heart. He told me that they had been fed no grain, just pasture and hay. His pasture was steep, flint gravel hills with scrubby fescue, a good stand of cactus on it......and not much else.
The pictures tell more of the story than I can relate with words. I'm not going to throw a match on this tinder pile and expound on what I consider ethical behavior in dealing with the sales and purchase of Dexter Cattle. I will say, the Dexters carry a somewhat heavier intellectual burden than more "traditional" breeds of cattle. With ours, there is a thread of inaccuracies that extends back to the breeder........through the initial owner.....and on to us. Well, "The Bull Stops Here". I have little tolerance for, and will not participate in the elaborate Ponzi Scheme that currently surrounds MUCH of the trade in these cattle. You know who you are, and you know what you are willing to say to "sell" a cow/bull. You know how much of the "50 Shades of Hay" surrounding Dexters is either unproven, a stretch of the truth, or utter fabrication.
Doing this.....passing through second and third owners, the cattle inevitably suffer from the misrepresentations. Your stories, your inaccuracies, and your evasions will eventually haunt the cattle that you sell.
Let's let the pictures tell the story. Remember, we also had SO much to learn ourselves. I don’t know who was luckier…. the cattle, or us.
DOROTHY 6 & 7 YEARS OLD.
Dorothy was on her 5th calf. It was born the day we brought them home. She is a cow to die for.....hyper-easy calver, smart early mother, she can hide a calf in a brush pile and communicate to it across a field. Her handling the calf, in new surroundings, was a joy to see. We now know, with proper nutrition, she gives in excess of 2.5 gal/day of milk, from an almost invisible udder.
Look at the rings on her horns. They are nutritional choke points.....poor pasture, harsh winter, poor hay, low minerals, stress of calving and nursing.
The first picture is one year ago, the day after she calved. The "Now" picture is this week....nursing her sixth calf.
OZ, 7 & 8 YEARS OLD
All I can say about OZ is.....OZ EATS FIRST....so any deficiencies were less pronounced with him. BUT, that being said....he had a " Pillsbury Doughboy" look about him. He was puffy and not "toned" and sculpted like he is now. The top picture is the day we got him, below is this week. He is the only one of the cows whose horns do not show rings....
SHEILA, 2 & 3 YEARS OLD
Sheila was nearing 2 years old in the top picture. She was carrying what turned out to be a bulldog calf. She was shy, reclusive, timid and hesitant. Her nutritional deficiencies are now evident to us....not so to our untrained eye, a year ago.
Now....she is outgoing, a pest, obedient, punctual, endearing, and an absolute "best friend" milk cow. She gave 2 gal/day at the outset. Now, a steady 1.25 - 1.5 gal/day at 7 months.....from a 36" chondro positive cow !!! She is PERFECTLY proportioned as a miniature cow. I wouldn't sell her for what we paid for ALL 4 of the cows.
MATTIE, 1 & 2 YEARS OLD
POOR MATILDA......Mattie was the bottom of the pecking order. She is one year old in the top picture. She was a train wreck, and gaunt and mis-proportioned from poor nutrition. She was unapproachable, timid and fearful. She did not even attempt to eat until everyone else was done.
I will say, at this point, that the high quality protein/Molasses tubs were Mattie's salvation....and the other cow's also. When everyone rushed to the hay....Mattie would amble over to the tub and eat undisturbed. She then could eat hay when the rest were done.
NOW....Mattie is a million dollar heifer. She got more of the "beef" blood that was in the line. Her front legs are VERY wide set and stocky. She is sure footed, and can get up to a gallop instantly. She is extremely massive in her frame and flesh, and has an “Angus” butt. We yanked her out from under OZ at 13 months and tethered her out in good grass for 6 months. We supplemented her feed, and pampered her. We bred her at 2 yrs old and are looking forward to her calf. She is less social than Sheila, but she is easily managed and approaches us anytime we enter the field. We can scratch Sheila anywhere.....ANYWHERE....but Matilda is less tolerant of a hand around her face and neck.
IT TOOK A FULL YEAR TO PRODUCE THE COW IN THE SECOND PICTURE FROM THE ONE IN THE FIRST !!! Fingers crossed for her first calf and lactation.
LITTLE BURP, 1 WEEK AND 1 YEAR OLD
Dancing Bear..... Alias "Little Burp" . The first picture is about a week old. The second is this week....one year old. He hasn't known a bad day in his life....Well, maybe the day of his first snow, that he was sure we had made happen. He had a bad event when he was 2 months old and limped for a couple months. His left leg knee joint is more swollen than the right now, and he does not have a lot of running stamina. He is destined for the freezer.
SO...... we learned a quick, hard set of lessons. I think the cattle got lucky. To a great extent....YOU ALL HELPED IN THE PROCESS.... I would be remiss not to thank everyone for their opinion and information...BE IT ACCURATE OR INACCURATE... You helped us learn what to expect, and what is expected of us in the future.
I KNOW we got lucky..... we have healthy, quality Dexters. Believe me...... Luck played a far bigger part than skill this time !!
He did not know that the cow, Dorothy, and the Bull, Oz were brother and sister. All he clearly "understood" was that they were registered. The pair was about 16 months different in age. We knew within 1 minute of getting copies of the pedigrees, what we were dealing with. We decided to proceed.
He had gotten the standard...." they can exist on pasture that no other cow would eat".....and he took that advice to heart. He told me that they had been fed no grain, just pasture and hay. His pasture was steep, flint gravel hills with scrubby fescue, a good stand of cactus on it......and not much else.
The pictures tell more of the story than I can relate with words. I'm not going to throw a match on this tinder pile and expound on what I consider ethical behavior in dealing with the sales and purchase of Dexter Cattle. I will say, the Dexters carry a somewhat heavier intellectual burden than more "traditional" breeds of cattle. With ours, there is a thread of inaccuracies that extends back to the breeder........through the initial owner.....and on to us. Well, "The Bull Stops Here". I have little tolerance for, and will not participate in the elaborate Ponzi Scheme that currently surrounds MUCH of the trade in these cattle. You know who you are, and you know what you are willing to say to "sell" a cow/bull. You know how much of the "50 Shades of Hay" surrounding Dexters is either unproven, a stretch of the truth, or utter fabrication.
Doing this.....passing through second and third owners, the cattle inevitably suffer from the misrepresentations. Your stories, your inaccuracies, and your evasions will eventually haunt the cattle that you sell.
Let's let the pictures tell the story. Remember, we also had SO much to learn ourselves. I don’t know who was luckier…. the cattle, or us.
DOROTHY 6 & 7 YEARS OLD.
Dorothy was on her 5th calf. It was born the day we brought them home. She is a cow to die for.....hyper-easy calver, smart early mother, she can hide a calf in a brush pile and communicate to it across a field. Her handling the calf, in new surroundings, was a joy to see. We now know, with proper nutrition, she gives in excess of 2.5 gal/day of milk, from an almost invisible udder.Look at the rings on her horns. They are nutritional choke points.....poor pasture, harsh winter, poor hay, low minerals, stress of calving and nursing.
The first picture is one year ago, the day after she calved. The "Now" picture is this week....nursing her sixth calf.
OZ, 7 & 8 YEARS OLD
All I can say about OZ is.....OZ EATS FIRST....so any deficiencies were less pronounced with him. BUT, that being said....he had a " Pillsbury Doughboy" look about him. He was puffy and not "toned" and sculpted like he is now. The top picture is the day we got him, below is this week. He is the only one of the cows whose horns do not show rings.... SHEILA, 2 & 3 YEARS OLD
Sheila was nearing 2 years old in the top picture. She was carrying what turned out to be a bulldog calf. She was shy, reclusive, timid and hesitant. Her nutritional deficiencies are now evident to us....not so to our untrained eye, a year ago.Now....she is outgoing, a pest, obedient, punctual, endearing, and an absolute "best friend" milk cow. She gave 2 gal/day at the outset. Now, a steady 1.25 - 1.5 gal/day at 7 months.....from a 36" chondro positive cow !!! She is PERFECTLY proportioned as a miniature cow. I wouldn't sell her for what we paid for ALL 4 of the cows.
MATTIE, 1 & 2 YEARS OLD
POOR MATILDA......Mattie was the bottom of the pecking order. She is one year old in the top picture. She was a train wreck, and gaunt and mis-proportioned from poor nutrition. She was unapproachable, timid and fearful. She did not even attempt to eat until everyone else was done.I will say, at this point, that the high quality protein/Molasses tubs were Mattie's salvation....and the other cow's also. When everyone rushed to the hay....Mattie would amble over to the tub and eat undisturbed. She then could eat hay when the rest were done.
NOW....Mattie is a million dollar heifer. She got more of the "beef" blood that was in the line. Her front legs are VERY wide set and stocky. She is sure footed, and can get up to a gallop instantly. She is extremely massive in her frame and flesh, and has an “Angus” butt. We yanked her out from under OZ at 13 months and tethered her out in good grass for 6 months. We supplemented her feed, and pampered her. We bred her at 2 yrs old and are looking forward to her calf. She is less social than Sheila, but she is easily managed and approaches us anytime we enter the field. We can scratch Sheila anywhere.....ANYWHERE....but Matilda is less tolerant of a hand around her face and neck.
IT TOOK A FULL YEAR TO PRODUCE THE COW IN THE SECOND PICTURE FROM THE ONE IN THE FIRST !!! Fingers crossed for her first calf and lactation.
LITTLE BURP, 1 WEEK AND 1 YEAR OLD
Dancing Bear..... Alias "Little Burp" . The first picture is about a week old. The second is this week....one year old. He hasn't known a bad day in his life....Well, maybe the day of his first snow, that he was sure we had made happen. He had a bad event when he was 2 months old and limped for a couple months. His left leg knee joint is more swollen than the right now, and he does not have a lot of running stamina. He is destined for the freezer. SO...... we learned a quick, hard set of lessons. I think the cattle got lucky. To a great extent....YOU ALL HELPED IN THE PROCESS.... I would be remiss not to thank everyone for their opinion and information...BE IT ACCURATE OR INACCURATE... You helped us learn what to expect, and what is expected of us in the future.
I KNOW we got lucky..... we have healthy, quality Dexters. Believe me...... Luck played a far bigger part than skill this time !!
