Glencara Finerty

[HillHaven Farm]

Hello. This is our first post. Longtime lurker though. We added dexters to our little farm about a year ago. At first a cow, Elsie, and her steer that we will be butchering in June. We have since kept her new calf, a well built red shaded dun heifer that we have named Rosie, and have added another heifer who we have been calling Hope. We are going to stay with three cows for now, keeping one a year for meat and selling the other two. Elsie came from a beef farm where her contact with people was extremely limited. Daily contact with us and a little grain, brush downs in the stall, some apple slices have really made progress in her training. Though she does not like to be petted out in the pastures, she does like that in the stall and she can be milked. Through extensive research and picture comparisons we have come to realize that luck led us to pretty good conformation and temperament, also an honest breeder who has been patient with our many questions, with a good start on our little herd. My question is about AI'ng the three cows. Starting out we really don't have the facilities to house a bull. I would like to AI with the same bull on all three to cut down on confusion and shipping costs. We live in northeast Ohio. The ADCA AI page has Glencara Finerty listed. This would be pretty close for us, less shipping fees. My cows have a lot of O'Briar Hill in them and Glenn Land from CA. Elsie has really nice milk characteristics and her steer is turning into a really good looking beef prospect. I would like to see that continue. I have read some of the positives and some of the negatives about this bull and his pedigree. What I would like to know is did he have any issues with his feet, his progeny able to keep weight and condition easily, anything else I should know about? Does anyone see a problem with AI'ng all three cows to him. Thanks in advance for any advice.   Matt

[littlecowfl]

It's difficult to discuss a particular bull offered for AI. We all have our preferences and some bulls match up better depending on what the cow owner is looking for. If you haven't already, contact his owner and perhaps discuss your cows and what you would like to improve in their calves. Most Dexter breeders are very helpful and will not give you bad info.

A few basic thoughts are to ask about his legs and feet, his dam's udder (which will have a big influence on his heifer calves), his temperament, and ask for photos of his offspring. Fertility measures can help you evaluate how likely the AI might take.

You can read up on specific, measured characteristics you would like in a bull and then privately ask the owners of Finerty how he measures up. Some folks on here can get very specific about beef characteristics, for example.

[HillHaven Farm]

Thanks. I thought maybe someone on the board had calves that were sired through AI from Finerty and could relate some of the good or not so good traits that showed up. I watched the youtube videos of him and some of his calves and thought they looked pretty good. I will give the breeder a call and ask some questions. I am hoping that selling his offspring will not be a problem with so much Lucifer in his background. That does not bother us at all but we are concerned it may be an issue. We like horns on our cattle so it limits the choices of bulls on the ADCA site.

[littlecowfl]

If you look him up on the ADCA pedigree, click on progeny and then contact some owners of his calves.

Also, are you close enough to meet the bull? Seeing a bull in person will tell you a lot about his temperament. As far as Lucifer bloodlines, that is a hot button topic here.

[legendrockranch]

Hi Matt, Please check your messages.

Barb

[cddexter]

Alicia: Finerty must be long dead by now, so looking at him isn't an option. He was a very long bodied bull from Lucifer, which should give milk, meat yield, and possibly some extra height. There is no question that Lucifer had temperament issues, but there is also no question that not every offspring inherited the trait, and I haven't heard issues with Finerty. c.

[littlecowfl]

Thanks, cddexter.

OP, I would approach owners of his progeny to determine temperament, since Finerty is deceased. Perhaps the owner of the straws even owns some of his offspring and you can meet them.

[HillHaven Farm]

We have been doing some more searching on the ADCA site and now have it narrowed down to a few bulls. Me and the wife have been at odds a little, she likes the red and dun coats on the cows, I like the horns. It has been a lot of fun comparing the different bulls, their pedigrees, the different traits that we like. We should be placing orders pretty soon and are pretty excited. Thanks guys!

[Dahdo]

I'm a little late to this conversation, but first, welcome and congratulations on your decision to start a herd of Dexters. You mentioned that you were giving consideration to shipping costs in your choice of AI bull and I just wanted to try a persuade you to leave that out of the equation. First, because you will find the differences to be minor compared to the other costs of an AI program. The costs of the straws and the AI technician's fees are the big ones of course. Second, doing AI opens the whole world of Dexter bulls (living and historic) to your program---don't limit your choices to save money on shipping. The way to save money in your AI program is to a) find an excellent technician who will provide AI services at the correct time, and b) educate yourself and be very diligent on observing your cows to recognize when they are in standing heat. A steer or two really helps. And, there are many more AI bulls that those listed on the ADCA web site. See www.dexters4u.com/, contact Patti Adams (Wakarusa Ranch), Stefani Millman(Emerald Park), and many others.