New, lots of questions

[raeleigh26]

Hi from NE oklahoma!
I have a3 yr old dexter cow, and a2 yr old dexter bull, neither are registered, parents were (at least one parent for each) but the owners didn't want the calves, and didn't bother with papers, if it were even possible. ..
My first question is, is there any way to register animals with unknown parentage? A hardship registration?
Maggie is a true red micro mini at 33"tall, she was attacked by a dog at 3 months and nearly died then and after from complications, she lost her first calf in December, he was large, and I missed it by minutes, but she's been fostering an Angus dairy cross steer ever since, I'm weaning him slowly (not hard, she's very particular, long story) and milking oad for now. Getting almost half gallon each time, no cream line.
Harley was a bottle baby, he's still a big baby, stands a handsome 42"tall and proud of it. He's red, but his momma was black, so far he's had 2 sons, we're waiting till June to breed this year.
Second question, is half gallon once a day normal for a dexter? And, only about a quarter inch cream line?
I have a ton of things to ask about but it seems I've lost it all for the moment,lol

[kansasdexters]

raeleigh26 -

In order to register with the American Dexter Cattle Association (ADCA), both the sire and the dam must be registered with an approved Dexter Cattle registry. The ADCA is the largest Dexter Cattle registry in North America. Here is a link to the ADCA registration requirements: www.dextercattle.org/forms/registration%20regulations%20final%20version%20(1).pdf If you want ADCA registered Dexter cattle, then it's best to purchase ADCA registered stock from a Dexter breeder that does the registration and transfer of your first purchase.


There are several other cattle registries that have different requirements for registration, there is also an International Miniature Cattle registry: www.minicattle.com/ . Make sure that you understand the limitations of each registry, because they don't automatically accept or even recognize the registrations from other registries that have different requirements.

A heifer/young cow normally produces less milk in her first lactation than she will in subsequent lactations. How much you actually get depends on many factors, such as how many times a day she is milked, what she is eating, how much the calf takes, how long she has been lactating, etc. Half a gallon per milking, from a 33-inch cow, is substantial production for a 3-year old cow. Dexter milk is typically slower to separate because the fat globules are very small. Unlike Jersey milk, which separates quickly, Dexter milk takes awhile (24 hours) for a cream line to form. Some Dexters have the genetics to produce milk with more protein and fat than others do. These genetics (Milk Proteins - Beta Casein, Kappa Casein, Beta Lactoglobulin) can be tested for and selected for: www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/cattle.php

[raeleigh26]

Thank you, I'm not really concerned with registration, atm they're just providing for us, but eventually I'd like to have registered stock.
I knew about the cream taking longer to separate, but there's never enough to bother with so we just shake it up. The milk is wonderful though, I may get a jersey that'll provide us with more cream later.
Yes, Maggie has done very well raising a full sized calf, she's had no issues with her udder at all and at 4 months, Dude is taller than she is now.
I've just heard about dexters giving up to 3 gallons a day, I wondered if that was hype, or if her size made the difference.

[kansasdexters]

A 40-inch hip height, 650 pound Dexter cow that can produce 3 gallons of milk per day (doing twice-a-day milking, and not allowing a calf to nurse on her) usually has an udder that is about this size, when she freshens:

[zephyrhillsusan]

raeleigh26 , you'll also find that she'll hold back the cream for "her" calf. The cream is in the hindmilk, the last to be let down, and while all cows hold up the cream for their calves, Dexters are notorious for it. Never having milked another breed, I can't tell you if they do it more than other breeds, but they definitely do it! Once the calf is weaned, if you keep milking her, you should get more. Spring grass makes a difference, too. When I'm milking a cow in the spring, I let the milk sit a couple days in the fridge (we get more than the two of us can drink, anyway, so the milk always gets ahead of us). The I use a small ladle (like one to serve gravy with) and skim off the cream. I pour it into a separate jar, and when I have enough, I do something with it. Some people use cream separators, but I've never bothered. I've heard of people putting the milk in a large jar with a spigot, letting the cream rise, and taking the milk off from the spigot at the bottom. The reason I don't recommend this method is that I have yet to find one of those jars with a spigot you can really clean. I don't think it's very sanitary if you can't thoroughly clean the milk residue out of the spigot.

If you contact your Regional Director for OK, Region 6 on this page, they might be able to give you some specific help as to whether your animals can be registered.  

We enjoy it when people have lots of questions, so keep asking! 

[raeleigh26]

Maggie is the most particular and picky cow I've ever known. ..
If you change something, expect an additude. If I decide Lou is bugging me and I move Maggie to a different post to feed or milk her, she'll refuse to eat.
If I milk her in the morning because it was raining the night before and I just let dude nurse, she'll refuse to eat, or stand, because I always milk at night and nurse in the morning.
I had enough milk, so I nursed dude for 2 days, she wouldn't stand for him.
When she finally accepted it, now I need to milk tonight, and I'm sure she'll give me trouble about it, changing the routine again.
I don't think she's holding up for dude, she accepted him for exactly 3 days, then refused to nurse him except at feeding time. She coddles him, cleans him, but absolutely no nursing except at the feed bucket, period. Same with our bottle calf, to watch her you'd think they're both hers, but she won't nurse them.
Tbh I'm a little afraid that when she does have her own calf she might be the same way, that'd kill me.
She's so stuck on routine she won't even come in through a different gate, hold it wide open for her, she'll go the long way around to the usual gate and stare at you.
If I've taught her to do something (handle her feet, for example) I can only do it in the exact same place I've always done it. Heck, if you hook the tie rope on the wrong side of her halter she'll stand there and stare at you, feed in bucket, til you fix it. I'm not kidding.
She seems to enjoy milking more than nursing, as long as its me, she just tolerates her foster.

[zephyrhillsusan]

I'll give her this, raeleigh26 --she's observant! And smart enough to know when you change something! I've heard people say that Dexters are opinionated, but never having had any cattle except Dexters, I can't compare Dexters to any other breed except to say that mine really aren't. Both of my cows are quite easy-going, so I guess I'm spoiled.

If it's any reassurance, I think that when Maggie has her own calf, you'll find things are completely different. As smart as she is, she knows the foster calves aren't hers and seems to know what they're there for--feeding, at specific times! You're probably lucky she'll even accept a foster; I've heard of people whose cows never did stop trying to smash them if they weren't in the stanchion. 

[raeleigh26]

She is. I don't think I'll ever be closer to a cow than I am with Maggs. After the dog attack she required round the clock care for months, 2 vets told me to put her down, gave her almost zero chance, told me to cut off her ear, we're bonded like no other. But she is very opinionated.
In contrast, Harley, my bull, is a big puppy dog, so easy going, I've had to pull him away from the neighbors cows in season, or walk him a mile home when he goes on walkabout, nothing to see here, just taking my bull for a walk, lol.
He doesn't mind ...well, anything. Whatever, unless it's a shot, he'll hold a grudge for two weeks after he gets a shot.

[zephyrhillsusan]

raeleigh26, I've heard too many stories of dogs attacking cows and chewing their ears off.  Horrible!  There was a story on Keeping a Family Cow; the photos are horribly gory, but the story had a happy ending.  Someone made a fly mask for the cow with prosthetic ears to protect her from the flies.  No wonder you're so attached to Maggie--going through rough times really bonds us to our girls. 

[raeleigh26]

It was a Jack Russell. Within 30 seconds he had her down, by the end of it she had no skin from her poll to her withers on top, she had holes in her shoulder and front legs big enough to put my fist in, and skin hanging from her jaw, her ears were the least of it. It looked like she'd had a run in with Freddy Kruger.
Fought abscesses,illness, and necrotic tissue for months, and is why I didn't breed her until her second year. Now, she's got one visible scar on her neck, one on her girth, and her ears, and she walks funny, kind of pulls her left front forward and flips the hoof straight. She's one tough little girl.
I've been carefully timing her cycles and penning Harley to avoid another winter calf, it's worked for 4 months so far, but I'm looking at them walking together in the front pasture right now.
Got to go survey the damage.
How the heck did he get out of a solid wood post and cattle panel pen?!?
Oh well. She'd be due Jan 5th. Yay.

[raeleigh26]

Harley,



And Maggie(last summer)

[zephyrhillsusan]

That was horrendous! She looks great for having come through all that. If you're worried about her being bred, which I imagine she is if he went to that much trouble to get to her, you can get the vet to give her a shot of Lutalyse. Then I guess you have to figure out if Harley jumped? If you have a stall, some people I know stall their cows for a couple days when they're in heat, just to prevent accidental breeding or slipping on muddy ground with other cows mounting them.

[raeleigh26]

There's no evidence to show how he got out. None.
Does anyone else have a flying dexter bull? I'm thinking I'm gonna be rich! Lol
We've used lutalyse in my mom's racehorses, but while it's terribly inconvenient, it's not an option for me financially atm so I'll just have to prepare for a winter calf.

He was stalled, but I've got no hay so I've had to micro manage grazing for the last few days, lock him up, then lock her up. It's amazing that he got out of the pen without leaving any sign of how he did it.

[zephyrhillsusan]

If he was out, I guess he jumped!

[hoperefuge]

They can easily jump a 4' fence or gate.  I've seen it with my own eyes.

Kim