I was reading the posts below and I too have always wanted one. we raise Angus of course for meat and have a herd that is always being sold. I want a Dexter for myself. They look cute. How much milk do they give and can you buy semen for them because I wouldn't want a bull. I would definitely keep it away from my Angus Bull and that herd. It would probably be part of the sheep family and live in their barn. Is there a site that give more information on Dexters. Has anyone heard of any in Oklahoma? Thanks, Debbie

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), November 04, 2001

Answers

Debbie, I've only had my Dexter heifer for 3 weeks, so I'm still a Learner! However there are some good sites for you to check out. One at Yahoo Groups, look for the cattle section I think it's http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/dextercattle and then there is http://www.dextercattle.org. These sites both have lots of links to follow. By the way dexter semen is readily available.

-- Carol Koller (ckoller@netsync.com), November 04, 2001.

I'm no expert either, we've only had Dexters for a few months. We love them though. We have a bull and have no problem with him in with sheep, goats, etc. They are smaller, but they pack quite a bit of weight in there, especially the bulls. We separate the cattle from the sheep and goats at feeding time though, because the cattle would hog it all.The sheep and goats are intimidated by the cattle anyway. Ours don't have horns, which was a must for us. Our cow is due to calf within the month and if it's a heifer, we plan to raise her for a milk cow. We do have a 9 month old bull calf for sale if anyone needs one.

-- Kim Bailey (bailey@hilly-acre.com), November 04, 2001.

Debbie, click below for the site of the American Dexter Cattle Association and it should answer your questions. Click on the 'Breeder's Listing' and you can click your state or states around you. There's a few Oklahoma breeders listed. Some sites also list more info about the breed. The 'Ads' only show a couple of folks selling semen, so you may have to contact the individual ranches to see who's selling it.

Do be careful where you purchase. Using any old bull may give you larger calves, since those not registered (and possibly some who are), are breeding for larger calves.

I ride and drive my Dexter steer. He roams the 30 acres with my other stock. I personally won't have a barn (causes too much sickness), but I do have loafing sheds (3 sides and a roof).

Dexters

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 04, 2001.

I have my name in for a 3 month old heifer calf next spring to be raised as a family pet and to be used as a milk cow when she's old enough to be bred. My only draw back is that the ones I looked at had furry udders which I hadn't expected but from what I hear from other Countrysiders its not all that unusual. I am anxious to hear how the milking goes with your new mama, Kim!!! I have had alot of advice against Dexters mostly due to their lack of meat (smaller than a big beefer) and the cost and we are discussing less expensive family milk cow options but my heart was caught by a little dun cow and her heifer calf. The blacks are gorgeous but the duns look like little teddy cows..LOL Is it just me or do the bulls look like they are wearing bad toupees? A red bull I saw especially reminded me of William Shatner. When I get my heifer, whatever she may be, she will be hangin' with the sheep for company but fed separate since I have no other cattle. Debbie, I even had it suggested to me that I get a smaller beef type heifer (Angus) as a milk cow since one of my reasons for a Dexter is that I don't want the milk supply a dairy breed would give. A thought perhaps since you have Angus already? Good luck in making your decision.

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), November 05, 2001.

Alison, you'd have to feed an Angus a lot more groceries than you do a Dexter. For a family that needs a couple gallons of milk a day, you can beat a Dexter for efficiency.

Its true an Angus would give you a larger calf, more meat on your steers, but you will have to proportionately feed them more to get them there. There is more than enough meat on a Dexter steer (carcass weight at two years, prime time to harvest for excellent flavor and size) will be around 400 lbs). Remember that if you have to pay more now for your Dexter than you would for a more common breed, you will also be collecting that much when you have heifer calves to sell (if you can bear to part with them). Dexters are very feed efficient, not to deride Angus at all, and will thrive on "low quality" diets. (In fact, most people find you must be careful to give them very little in the way of legumes).

As to the hairy udder issue, I agree with those who said that they have udders like most other cattle. Perhaps you are accustomed to seeing dairy cattle, who are usually regularly clipped to keep their udders clean. Its not a difficult job for one lil ol cow.

-- Earthmama (earthmama49@yahoo.com), November 05, 2001.

Hi Debbie. I have two Dexter heifers that I hope to have bred this year. From what I understand Dexters produce on average 2 gallons of milk a day, although I have heard of varying amounts. I attended the American Dexter Cattle Association meeting last spring in NY and learned that Dexters can really range in size and conformation.Some of the Dexters I saw were very small and looked truly miniature. Other I saw looked almost as large as Angus. Some looked beefy and others more dairy-like.

I bought the first Dexter calves I saw (they are cute!) and am very happy with them. I guess they are medium to large size as far as Dexters go. I want to breed down in size and am looking for a small bull. I keep the two on about 3 acres of orchard grass, and right now they need to go on a diet. They seem to put wait on easily. (Well, they also get a lot of goodies from the garden.)Good luck.

-- Barb (rosemontfarm1@aol.com), November 05, 2001.

oops, make that ..."they seem to put WEIGHT on easily". Oh, and Alison, I know what you mean about the "bad toupee" . It does add to their charm!

-- Barb (rosemontfarm1@aol.com), November 05, 2001.

Don't forget that there are other breeds of mini cattle. Angus, hereford, & texas longhorns are bred down to mini size (in case you still wanted to try milking an angus). There is also a zebu (like a mini version of a brahma), & a mini jersey (naturally polled) however the jersey is very rare & expensive (for this breed it is better to breed down useing mini jersey bull semen). And there are other mini breeds newly developed for both beef, milk, & duel purpose. These breeds are mini american beltie (oreo cookie) (this breed is duel purpose & is a cross of dexter & dutch belted), there is a cross of dexter & mini jersey, & a few others that I can't remember the names of right now. Below, I'll give the sites for the registries I have. I even found a farm that crossed their dexters with belgien blues. They registered them with the belgien blues society & call their cattle baby blues. These cattle look like a very beefy cross breed but still are a mini/mid size. (I have (when I can finally get some livestock) thought about trying the same thing only useing piedmontese instead of belgien blues (both are double muscled).) And this last cross breed doesen't have the birthing problems that belgien blues or piedmontese do (these two breeds frequently calve by cecarian (C- section) though piedmontese uses it a lot less).

So you don't have to settle for a dexter in order to have a mini cattle breed (for any reason ie... meat/milk/work/ or any combo. Yes, they make great small oxen. Just remember they any cattle, reguardless of size, need horns to work in a yolk, other wise you will need a breachen (strap on the back end of the animal like in a horse harness) to keep (hold back)the load from running over the animal.)

International Mini Cattle Breeds Registry: www.minicattle.com/minicow/index.cfm

International Mini Zebu Asso. : www.miniature-zebu-cattle.com

American Dexter Cattle Asso. : www.dextercattle.org

If anyone wants the site on Baby Blues cattle (it's some where in my hair sheep files as they have those too.), let me know. I might not have a place to do any of this stuff yet, but I have done a lot of research on a lot of subjects, so have extensive files. I'd love to share any info I have with anyone that wants it.

Good luck

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (jawjlewis@netzero.net), November 06, 2001.

Just a comment on animalfarm's above post about oxen needing horns: I attended an oxen workshop this past spring and asked the instructor (Drew Conroy, author of "Oxen a Teamster's Guide") if horns were necessary. He said on flat land you could use the yoke on dehorned or polled oxen, but on hills (i.e,. downhills)the yoke would slip too far forward on hornless oxen (especially if you're pulling a wagon or other implement that could pick up a lot of speed).

-- Barb (rosemontfarm1@aol.com), November 06, 2001.

This is an awesome discussion. Thanks Earthmamma for all the great info you have given me here and through emails. My heart is still pretty set on Dexters, how about you Debbie?

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), November 08, 2001.

I am still interested in the Dexter. I have to think about it because I am taking care of quite a few sheep, horses, cows. I definitely do not want another bull. The one out there stares at me! The fencing is good so the Angus are quite away from the sheep, except when lambing comes around in Feb.,March, I can't imagine milking at the same time. That is a pretty hectic month, I uncover my bees to life, unearth all the cover on my u-pick plus acting like a nervous mother to those sheep myself. My Ram goes to the butcher Monday, so that will be easier. He likes to see people rolling on the ground! Back to Dexters, I want one so will wait until March to search. Thank you all. Debbie

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), November 08, 2001.