The Middle Age Spread
Introducing Dexter Cattle
"Cookie" and her Rent-A-Bull "Cajun"
Recently we became interested in utilizing our property to provide our family with some better quality foods. While we had the rabbits for the "other-other-white meat", we really wanted a way to have some healthier, tastier red meat as well. Russ, the ever studious web surfer, discovered a heritage breed of cattle that seemed to fit the bill to a "T". These compact bovine called Dexters definitely peaked our interest.
We made our first purchase of this delightful breed by "Craigslist" of all places. We brought home a registered, 2 year old, Dun Cow named Fan-C-Cookie and her 3 month old calf which we dubbed "Chip". As Cookie had been on pasture only for more than a year, and Chip had never been touched by humans, it was a bit entertaining getting them loaded, home, and unloaded. Definitely a learning experience! We also learned how to make a steer, much to Chips dismay, he was successfully banded the week after Mother's day, and all seems to have gone well from our perspective. Although he is even more hesitant to approach us, he is slowly warming up to the idea that we usually have "cow cookies" (aka range cubes) to share, and if he wants any he has to hurry before his momma eats them all.
Cookie has filled in quite a bit since she came to live with us. We think that in addition to being only on pasture, she was likely playing nurse maid/wet nurse to the 2 other calves that were with her and Chip when we picked them up. It is amazing how quickly she filled in, and Chip has grown!
Originally from Ireland, this breed is considered triple purpose. Being decent milk animals, with a dress out for beef around 60%, and having mellow personalities that makes them a good breed for training to a yoke, they are useful small cattle. These are not a miniature breed, but a small breed. The bulls top out around 900 - 1000 pounds and around 40 inches at the hip, while the cows are even smaller at around 750 pounds, and 38 inches at the hip at 3 years of age. Calves are born weighing around 45 pounds, so calving difficulty is rare. Dexters come in "long" and "short" legged varieties, and there is a chondrodysplasia gene (or bulldog gene) that can occur. This is a genetic mutation that is easily tested for. As it was not something we desired for our purposes, we chose animals that were "chondro-free". Animals carrying the chondro gene tend to be more compact in body type, and often quite tiny in stature.
Most often these are a horned breed, with the most common color being black. These compact bovine also come in red and dun coloring as well, and can be polled. Considered "easy keepers", they are perfect for smaller properties, being range fed, they are more likely than many other breeds to browse on bushy forage as well as grasses. They are also efficient converters of forage to growth.
We had the privilege of attending the 2008 ADCA (American Dexter Cattle Association) AGM where we not only learned a ton of useful information, but met some awesome folks! Heck, they are almost as cool as "bunny people". The best part for me was the opportunity to participate in the live auction! I got a bidder number and purchased a young dun heifer; Cowtown's Grey Fire.
More recently, we attended the Summer Meeting of the Texas Dexter Breeder's Association (TDBA). Once again we met some awesome folks, visited with some we had met at the AGM, and made some new friends. Emma was able to sign up for their youth program where youth train and show a donated steer at the breeder show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. On this trip we also picked up our herd addition from the AGM Auction, and we picked up our "rent-a-bull" from Cowtown Dexters' as well.
As we start this adventure we would like to thank the ADCA, TDBA, and all those great folks that have helped us so far, and continue to answer our newbie questions... Don and Kathy Giles of the TDBA, John Hinkley of Cowtown Dexters, John Derrick of Texas Dexter Cattle, Van and Rhonda Shasteen, Mary Upton, Mike Hawkins and Mickey Bush and the Britton Family. Already these and many more have made our adventure fun and memorable, and we look forward to building more memories with this awesome project.
Back to March Hares Rabbitry.
Forward to:
Cookie and Chip.
RA Deer Run's Margaret "Maggie"