Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

In Australia our classes are normally set out by date of birth of the heifer/cow. It does depend on the individual show society as to the cut off dates for junior and senior cow/heifer. Most times it works out that a heifer has not calved (less than 2 years) and a cow has a calf at foot.

Rob
Before you do anything get yourself a copy of Temple Grandin's book Humane Livestock Handling. This has HEAPS of information including yard designs etc.
Andrea

I think Margaret (Wagra) means hypoglycaemic. It could be that she is close and may be having contractions. She may be blaming you for the pain she's having with them (just like a dog will blame you for the shock they get when they touch the electric fence with you standing next to them!!).

Ann
We could "...change the name of the breed to protect the innocent...."

If she is holding condition & happy I would let her decide when she's had enough! I know of a Dexter who calved happily at 19 years. A pony we used to own always seem to lose at least 10 years off her age when she was in foal. She had her last foal at 27!

I haven't personally eaten a bull of that age myself but I have been told as long as they haven't "worked" for at least 3 (preferably 6) months the taste is fine. I have put bulls in the freezer at 18 months and haven't noticed any difference to the steers. I have also eaten "old"...

I thought it might have been but you guys in the northern hemisphere sometimes have some strange words! Thanks

Stephanie
Please excuse my ignorance - but what is a "bulling heifer"?
Thanks
Andrea

Hi fdb When you say traditional hereford do you mean horned or polled? If the bull(s) are horned I would not put them in together. I run my bulls together when they are not serving with no issues. Just be careful if you have to put them in a yard together (NOT advised). It is best to get 1 bull out ...

Clive I think it has been missed for years - people assuming that the calf was a bulldog (before we knew of the Chondro gene). Jo Garwood was blaming her neighbour for the resulting calf - she thought it was chemical drift from next door affecting the cows... :evil: The stories I have heard of breed...

Clive - you are correct - generally full term "water baby". I will see if I can find the article written about it. In short, a couple of these calves were "born" within a short period of each other. Jo Garwood of Balbadgerie Dexters was the recipient of one of these calves and th...

There is a way to know - TEST. All it takes is a hair sample for DNA analysis. So easily managed.....

Congratulations Tim! The addiction has started & is not curable!

Mark - I find it hard to believe (but would be ecstatic for you guys if it is the case!) that PHA is not a problem in the UK. Woodmagic Wheatear was one of the original carriers of it. My herd was affected by it (I owned one of the bulls from which the discovery of this disorder was made), I still h...

Where there's a will there's a way & when you are a Dexter you will find a way!!! I know of quite a few Dexters successfully serving Holsteins - from using a mound of dirt through to waiting for the cow to lay down.