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Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:28 pm
by Kathy Millar
My friend has 2 Dexter cows and 2 heifers that he needs to breed and wants to use a bull. He has been offered the use of an Aryshire (2-3 years old). Would this be alright? And what about the heifers? There are NO unrelated Dexter bulls available here, we usually use AI.
Kathy
Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:21 pm
by Duncan MacIntyre
I would want to see the Ayrshire bull or know what size he is before making any decision. Many so called Ayrshires nowadays are no more than red and white holsteins to me, and the sheer size would be a problem. You also have to consider what you will do with the calves.
I am not the slightest bit afraid of a little inbreeding, it does not usually cause any disasters of any sort unless carried on to the Nth degree. What it does do is bring out any recessive genes and sometimes may be of use in revealing what your stock are carrying, eg tendency to produce white. You are most unlikely to get some sort of deformed monsters from one or two generations of even close inbreeding. At least you would have a pure calf to rear as beef if you felt the inbreeding would make it unsuitable for retaining as a breeding animal.
Duncan
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:05 pm
by Kathy Millar
Thank you Duncan. I sure wish you were here, you wouldn't believe our ignorance. It is no use me asking how big this animal is as the friend involved wouldn't know what "big" is and I may not be too bright either. If the Aryshire bull is the same size as a full grown Highland bull, would that be OK? He was going to use the Highland but it is not available when he needs it.
We do not use a Dexter bull as the only one around here is not available. There are only 2 or 3 breeders who breed registered Dexters and all but one use AI. The others don't care about pedigrees and most buyers don't either. I have offered to do paperwork for two of them but no takers.
Kathy 
Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:34 am
by Inger
Its interesting about the lack of interest in pedigree Dexters where you live. Over here, we'd be hard put to sell a non-pedigree for anything except the freezer. But then the costs of belonging to the Dexter Society and registering calves is very cheap here and those wanting to buy an animal just for the freezer, often buy weaner Hereford calves instead.
Wouldn't it be easier to form a co-operative to buy a young bull, then move him from farm to farm as he was needed? Bulls are far easier to use than A.I.
Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:58 pm
by ann
I would certainly never use any bull larger than a highlander on a Dexter, I know they sometimes get served by accident by larger bulls, but even some adult non short Dexter bulls are to heavy for heifers in my opinion.
An adult Ayshire bull is talking big and heavy too.
Is there no one near to your friend, that he could take his dexters to?
Ann
Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 4:37 am
by Inger
I have to agree with you Ann. The other consideration is the average Birth Weight thrown by a bull being used on heifers. Some bulls produce an average which is larger than you ideally want your heifer to give birth to.
Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:22 pm
by Kathy Millar
My friend and I had thought about a bull but everyone here wants spring calves (we have NO grass from mid-July onwards until next spring) so someone would not be happy. I thought perhaps we could put all of our cows together for 6 weeks or so in July and August but what do we do with the bull for the rest of the year? Also, I would be afraid for the safety of the current calf crop, they sure can get banged around. And unfortunately 3 of the cows are horned. I almost feel like a person has to get big or get out. There are numerous paddocks around here still with grass but NO fences but I am now on the outlook for something as I have all my cattle in a small grass-less paddock right now and they are not happy.
No, around here, most don't care about registering their stock. We don't show and farms are slowly disappearing on the Island due to lack of abattoirs and high land prices. And it looks as though we are going to get some sort of "passport" system here for cattle and maybe sheep so that will shut down more farms as people DON'T like paperwork! 
Kathy
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 12:23 pm
by Inger
So what's going to eat the grass? ??? Petrol is getting too expensive to have to mow all that grass.
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:46 pm
by Kathy Millar
Around here it will be housing developments that will eat the grass. Wish we had more protection for farm land. We have an agricultural land reserve (ALR) in this province and I had the misfortune to meet the 3 guys on the Island committee. Just a bunch of rubber stampers; if some developer sqeals loud, then out comes the land from the reserve. We lose thousands of acres a year.
Kathy