Dexter Cross Deadweights - ...anybody got some figures please?

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:00 pm

Has anyone got any figures for dexter-crosses please? Would like details of the other breed, whether steer or heifer, age and deadweight (or hook-weight for those overseas). If you've got any other figures like liveweight, yield, whatever, they could be interesting.

Thank you.

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pudser · Post by **pudser** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:13 am

Hi Clive,

I think you seem to be the only one crossing to any degree with angus.I hope to try a few this year but it will take while before we get to slaughter.
I take it you only cross the N/S still?

Have you any weights ,I would expect 2 year old steers to hit 250KG?

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:34 am

Hi pudser, yes I'm doing Angus only on Non-Shorts but did accidentally cross a large shortie cow last year, the result was a shortie angus cross calf, born small. But the effect of chondrodysplasia was quite different from that of a dexter-dexter shortie and I would avoid it at all cost. I nearly put the calf down as a youngster because it walked like a spider and snorted. It was border-line all the time, so I didn't put it down and now it seems to be OK at about 5 months, but still snorts just a bit. It's a female but will go in our freezer.

It's really AA-Dexter figures I'm after, or Dexter-AA, but other breeds would help. I've had details from one farm that does Angus-Dexter in a big way and they were getting 250 to about 290 kg, and another that does it in a small way with Hereford and gets similar results. But that's just two herds.

I will change my bull this coming year so I am thinking what to do, might go for a Stabiliser. Visited a large herd recently and was very impressed. Small'ish, very chunky bulls they had, and they threw small calves which grew quickly off grass and milk, no creep.

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domsmith · Post by **domsmith** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:57 pm

we will have a couple more dangus in the chill before christmas, but i am terrible at recording facts and figures.
we tend to sell bits all over the place and before i think about it some has gone here there and everywhere.

dom

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:38 am

If you could just guess their liveweights dom when you send them that would be something. Just wanted to see how consistent they were with the weights between different herds. Mine won't be going to the abattoir till Christmas 2011.

pudser · Post by **pudser** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:32 pm

Are the DBO downloads available anymore?They were very useful.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 6:04 pm

DBO is no more pudser, but no reason someone else couldn't restart a new one. Most of the downloads are available on my farm information site www.broomcroft.info, might be a bit out of date in places.

Marg Rawlings · Post by **Marg Rawlings** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:22 am

Hi Clive
We had a lot of opportunity in Western Australia to process a number of cross bred Dexter animals and found that around 16 - 18 months a 1stX Dexter bull Murray Grey cow produced a liveweight animal around 320 - 360kg, which gave us a consistent 180kg carcase. Murray Grey was produced from Angus originally.

I do have figures on bone outs which show a beef box yield of 78 - 85% XBreds and PB's, even the break down of cuts per carcase and how much we achieved.

Hope this is helpful, if you need any more info let me know
Marg Rawlings :D

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 8:39 pm

Cheers Marg. We've got Murray's over here as well but you don't see them very often. That's a decent weight for the age. Did you try the beef, what was it like?

ann · Post by **ann** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:13 pm

I have a dexter welsh black cross cow and put to my non short bulls I'm getting a dead weight for steers of 280kilo's, heifers a bit less. Grass fed and run to around 28mths. I'm afraid I also am not the best at keeping the dead weight records, but thats the weight of the one I killed last year.

Marg Rawlings · Post by **Marg Rawlings** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:20 am

The beef was very nice, a compliment for the Dexter beef as MG is also fine grained with good marbling. The growth weights were after being on feed for 45 days, but still good growth for age.

Marg

domsmith · Post by **domsmith** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 1:12 pm

suddenly realised we have a 1/4 belgian blue in the chill ready to cut next week.
he weighed 214kg o3L really struggled to get fat on him. although his mother is 1/2 BB he comes from a smaller non short type that Jo Kemp breeds. we have another one of hers to kill which i am guessing at 85-90 kg per side deadweight, he will be a pure dexter.

the part BB has a reasonable rump on him but still only got a O grade. not that it matters to me at all. he was on barley at the end for a month to put fat on but still only got a 3 fat class.

also got in the chill an over thirty month short non short dexter!! he just never grew so i let him go on as long as i could. 140kg all in dead. had to be boned at plant being OTM.

and also an 8 year old cow landed back today, again boned at plant.194kg dead -04h.

i am going to do a taste test to see what we think of it all

dom

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 1:30 pm

domsmith wrote:i am going to do a taste test to see what we think of it all.

dom

My money's on the cow. If you need any help just let us all know where and when :D.

280kgs wow! That's a terrific deadweight Ann for a 3/4 dexter. I get the feeling that shape / size gets passed on down the line. Can't wait to try our Angus-Dexter Christmas 2011. Cattle are so slow!

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domsmith · Post by **domsmith** » Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:22 pm

just done the taste test.

holly s**t!! cow beef is fantastic!

we had a platter of leftovers. cow ribeye, popeseye(top rump) sirloin and fillet. all ends not full steaks that i could sell!
heavily marbled. soon as it hits the pan it melted. a course open texture amazing flavour.

its going to be hard sell tomorrow, convincing people to eat an old cow, but we will see what they make of it. i am convinced its a great end for my unproductive cow!!

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 4:24 pm

That sounds great dom. I'm jealous, the nearest O48M abattoir that'll return your beef to us is 80 miles away, unless someone else knows another one around Shrewsbury? I suppose we could do a home kill, got a pal with hanging room. I've got an 8 year old and a 10 year old to go O48M soon maybe I can divert one of those!