Just thought I would have a crack at uploading a photo for the first time. Our very dear and obviously still very active 14year old bull Lowercombe Nero decided to go visting the young ladies in a neighbouring field. In order to do this he lifted the gate off and marched through a fence (ironically we only had him in the barn while he was going through a pm test before going out on hire). Whilst it was all rather stressful at the time it all ended happily and this photo (taken whilst I was waiting for reinforcements to arrive) rather summed up the moment.
As you can see he had not really thought things through and there were certain logistical problems relating to what he was hoping to achieve. Thankfully the young lady with him graciously accompanied him back and waited with him until he was collected.
Must admit there were a few other things going through my mind than 'gentleness' when I took the picture. He is a good natured old boy and thankfully they were way beyond his reach so to speak otherwise it might have been a lot more complicated. By the way meant to thank you Stephanie, don't think I would have been able to upload the photo without your instructions.
Our Pontius at 42.5 inches has been taken home in disgrace from a neighbouring field of holstein heifers 3 years in a row. The first year, Willie the holstein man said "no, don't worry, he'll no have reached any of mine" when I offered prostaglandin a week later. So I wrote the ear number in my diary and she calved a day off the due date. Last year we jagged two. That was after putting 5 fences, 3 fields and a roadway between the Dexters and the holsteins. (note that the word holstein does not deserve a capital the same as Dexter)
But the holsteins broke into a wood, dense spruce, and travelled 1/4 mile at least to tempt poor Pontius over a wall. This year we had a good empty field between them but a walker opened a gate which had not been open for 30 years and left it. A heifer got in to the boundary fence, and while you would imagine that a Dexter would find it more difficult to cross rylock and barb than a holstein this is not the case. So another Dexstein on the way.
My next new bull, Owram Electric Eric, is coming via Stirling, transferred there to the care of the same holstein owner. Should I ask him if he wants to use him on some heifers before he gets him to Burnside?
Maybe not.
Duncan
Duncan MacIntyre
Burnside Dexters 00316
Burnside
Ascog
Isle of Bute
Our bull cajero dejay has served 2 angus this year. fully grown and big cows. we AI`d at the same time just to make sure and it was evedent he had reached.
I am not far off finding out i have some steers that will be fat over the winter.
i have some retained dex*angus heifers which i am breeding from, as i just like them. they are a good size hardy and good looking. i have crossed them back across the dexter and the calves lookk good.
i suspect i could sell them quite easily as angus cross heifer stirks.
i think the beef will be good. but not quite as good as pure dex
Our old stock bull broke down a wooden five rail fence to get in with some angus heifers about three years ago and although they were taller than him they kindly obliged by kneeling down for him! We had to have the vet out to inject them just in case the bull had been successful! My husband had to eat his works when he said ' they are too tall for him to serve' It made us smile.
Many years ago, a very short-leg red Dexter bull managed to squeeze under the fence to join the neigbouring commercial herd. 9 months later, there was a calf in that field that looked the twin of one of mine. The bull had certainly managed! Poor little mite obviously thought he belonged in my herd as he was always hanging round the gate socialising through it with the Dexter calves rather than playing with his big commercial siblings.
My neighbour, as is his wont, made much use of the "F" adjective and cast aspersions on the pedigree of my bull. My view is what do you expect if you run a lame Belgian Blue bull. Cows find Dexter bulls far more appealing.
Colin wrote:Reading Dom's comment made me wonder what Dexter x Aberdeen Angus beef is like ? Also what sort of dead weights are being obtained ?
Anybody done this ?
Colin
Hi Colin
We bought an Angus bull 6 months ago after a lot of researching about the beef and calving etc. The beef is supposed to be excellent according to reports I have received in the UK and in America. It will presumably be a milder flavour than the smaller pure dexters although I will be interested in how it compares to the beef from bigger pure dexters. i.e. see what size, as opposed to breeding, does to the taste.
Our Angus bull fits in the foot-trimmers crate which the foot-trimmer says isn't always the case with some dexters!!!!! Having said that he's only coming up to three years.
All the calves that I heard about are black and polled (but not sure that always applies?) and are about as big as mom when they are 7 months old. The calves when born were OK size-wise, one farm reporting he couldn't tell the difference.
Deadweights achieved seem to be 250-300 kg at say 24 months. They should finish off grass if the grass is good or they are left a bit longer. Otherwise a bit of help with feeding might be required, don't know yet.
We will probably wean a little earlier, say 7 months instead of our more usual 9.
We have 35 cows in calf, hopefully, to our Angus and they should start to drop about Christmas time. I put heifers to a small non-chondro dexter bull first.
