Newcomers - Welcome
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Broomcroft
- Posts: 3005
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:42 am
- Location: Shropshire, England
- Contact:
Hej! (Swedish for Hi!)
I take this as an occasion for me to introduce myself. I have been a lurker for a few months, and a dexter owner since last november. The discussions on this forum gives me a lot; information, inspiration and amusement.
I live on a smallholding on the Swedish westcoast and in addition to the dexter cow, her yearling heifer and a very young heifer calf we keep a small herd of gotland sheep. The sheep are bred primarily for their silky, curly and gray furs. We also breed chickens, ducks and gees of endangered native breeds.
There are only a few dexters i Sweden, three or four herds and as far as I know only one that is bigger than a few animals. I hope there will be more in the future since the breed has many qualitys and advantages. They are exactly what I want at my farm, and probably more people would feel the same if they only knew about them.
I take this as an occasion for me to introduce myself. I have been a lurker for a few months, and a dexter owner since last november. The discussions on this forum gives me a lot; information, inspiration and amusement.
I live on a smallholding on the Swedish westcoast and in addition to the dexter cow, her yearling heifer and a very young heifer calf we keep a small herd of gotland sheep. The sheep are bred primarily for their silky, curly and gray furs. We also breed chickens, ducks and gees of endangered native breeds.
There are only a few dexters i Sweden, three or four herds and as far as I know only one that is bigger than a few animals. I hope there will be more in the future since the breed has many qualitys and advantages. They are exactly what I want at my farm, and probably more people would feel the same if they only knew about them.
Anna Bergstrom
Sweden
Sweden
Welcome Anna, it is lovely to have a new 'voice' on this discussion board, now you have made a start do keep us up-to-date with what you are doing over in Sweden. As you will have found while lurking, the things that get posted cover just about everything to do with Dexters (and occasionally sheep sneak in too) so it isn't difficult to find things to say.
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Duncan MacIntyre
- Posts: 2372
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 12:38 am
- Location: Isle of Bute, Scotland, UK
Hello Anna,
very good to hear from Scandinavia. Some years ago I was lucky enough to take part in a tour of Norway Denmark and Sweden, two days in each country looking at Cattle Health with 9 or 10 other vets. I was most impressed by the progress made in all three counties with eradication of tuberculosis, brucellosis, IBR BVD Leptospirosis and Johnes Disease. I think most of your farmers have a better attitude to biosecurity than we do in UK.
Good luck with your Dexters!
Duncan
very good to hear from Scandinavia. Some years ago I was lucky enough to take part in a tour of Norway Denmark and Sweden, two days in each country looking at Cattle Health with 9 or 10 other vets. I was most impressed by the progress made in all three counties with eradication of tuberculosis, brucellosis, IBR BVD Leptospirosis and Johnes Disease. I think most of your farmers have a better attitude to biosecurity than we do in UK.
Good luck with your Dexters!
Duncan
Duncan MacIntyre
Burnside Dexters 00316
Burnside
Ascog
Isle of Bute
Burnside Dexters 00316
Burnside
Ascog
Isle of Bute
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Broomcroft
- Posts: 3005
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:42 am
- Location: Shropshire, England
- Contact:
Hej Anna,
As one of the loudmouths I welcome you, and wish you luck with our chosen breed. Five of the loudmouths have now said welcome, maybe we just spend too much time at our desks (I am having my lunchbreak at the moment).
Now the ice is broken, please do not be a stranger.
Martin. Medway Valley Dexters.
As one of the loudmouths I welcome you, and wish you luck with our chosen breed. Five of the loudmouths have now said welcome, maybe we just spend too much time at our desks (I am having my lunchbreak at the moment).
Now the ice is broken, please do not be a stranger.
Martin. Medway Valley Dexters.
Martin.
Maidstone
Kent
Maidstone
Kent
Hilsens, Anna,
having worked in Stavanger, southern Norway, for 4 years and toured Norway, Sweden and Finland, there are certainly good "dexter habitats" to be found. I am sure that you will find your herd and breeding stock of great interest to others in Sweden. I am envious of your high health controls in Sweden, just wished the Government put more emphasis on animal health here.
As Beryl (Woodmagic) said, it would be really interesting for us to find out more about the land you keep them on and the length of housing them inside for winter, or can you winter them out where you are ?
Lykke til,
Penny
having worked in Stavanger, southern Norway, for 4 years and toured Norway, Sweden and Finland, there are certainly good "dexter habitats" to be found. I am sure that you will find your herd and breeding stock of great interest to others in Sweden. I am envious of your high health controls in Sweden, just wished the Government put more emphasis on animal health here.
As Beryl (Woodmagic) said, it would be really interesting for us to find out more about the land you keep them on and the length of housing them inside for winter, or can you winter them out where you are ?
Lykke til,
Penny
Thank you all for your warm and encouraging welcome!
I think the life of Swedish dexters is quite similar to their Brittish sibblings. Our winters can be really cold with a lot of snow, but that is far less problem than the kind of rainy and warm winters we had this year. When ground is frozen or dry the cows are allowed to go out if they want, and they sure want to. During wet periods they have to stay inside, otherwise our pasture land would be ruined in short time.
The house is very simple with a wall to the north, a half wall and windbreaker to the west and just windbreaking net on the other sides (our place is sheltered from the hard western winds by a mountain). We built the house last summer and will make some improvements this summer, but principally it works well. The cows love it and the sheeps too, also now when it is hot. The trend among dairy farmers and beef producers is to replace the warm barns with big, light and airy buildings where the animals are not tied up (don´t know the word in English for this system, but I guess it is popular in other places where there is a need to bring the cattle in during winter too..).
Other Swedish dexters I know live outside all year but are fed inside during winter. Even dairy breeds manage outdoor life very well during Scandinavian winters if they are well fed and can find a dry and shelterd place to rest. Though many farmers have problem with kind people reporting them to the police if the cows are outside when snow is arriving. These kind persons have not read the reports on argricultural research tha say that cows are healthier if they live outside..
Our biggest disadvantage is the short season on pasture. We have to feed hay during 7-8 months a year.
I think the life of Swedish dexters is quite similar to their Brittish sibblings. Our winters can be really cold with a lot of snow, but that is far less problem than the kind of rainy and warm winters we had this year. When ground is frozen or dry the cows are allowed to go out if they want, and they sure want to. During wet periods they have to stay inside, otherwise our pasture land would be ruined in short time.
The house is very simple with a wall to the north, a half wall and windbreaker to the west and just windbreaking net on the other sides (our place is sheltered from the hard western winds by a mountain). We built the house last summer and will make some improvements this summer, but principally it works well. The cows love it and the sheeps too, also now when it is hot. The trend among dairy farmers and beef producers is to replace the warm barns with big, light and airy buildings where the animals are not tied up (don´t know the word in English for this system, but I guess it is popular in other places where there is a need to bring the cattle in during winter too..).
Other Swedish dexters I know live outside all year but are fed inside during winter. Even dairy breeds manage outdoor life very well during Scandinavian winters if they are well fed and can find a dry and shelterd place to rest. Though many farmers have problem with kind people reporting them to the police if the cows are outside when snow is arriving. These kind persons have not read the reports on argricultural research tha say that cows are healthier if they live outside..
Our biggest disadvantage is the short season on pasture. We have to feed hay during 7-8 months a year.
Anna Bergstrom
Sweden
Sweden
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Louisa Gidney
- Posts: 857
- Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2005 11:00 am
- Contact:
Feeding hay for 8 months is not confined to Sweden! I've just about stopped feeding my cows now. I'm in the the north of England on top of a hill, 1000 feet or 300+m (I'm still very hazy on metric!).
I'm the resident archaeologist, currently writing a thesis part-time with the unofficial title of "Noddy goes to the cow byre for academics". The proper title is rather dull. I specialise in the study of animal bones.
I'm the resident archaeologist, currently writing a thesis part-time with the unofficial title of "Noddy goes to the cow byre for academics". The proper title is rather dull. I specialise in the study of animal bones.
Zanfara Dexters
Tow Law
Co. Durham
Tow Law
Co. Durham
Thanks so much for the description, one thing that puzzles me, you speak of windbreaking net?
Like Louise my cows usually require quite a long winter feeding period, and I am handicapped in that I self-feed my silage with an electric bar in a concrete silo. I have to empty the silo, before I can refill it, and at the moment the cows are just finishing the last of it. When the grass begins to grow, they tend to fill themselves during the day, and slow down on the silage, it is difficult to adjust it exactly, and I cannot afford to risk running out before the ground is dry enough for them to graze out across the farm.
The real problem here is the wet ground, and keeping the pasture from turning to mud. They are as happy as sand boys in the snow, I sold some six-month calves into Canada one winter, and they adjusted quite happily. We had a severe winter on my last much drier farm in ’63 and my cows never milked better, although they were living out at the time.
Do you know if milking herds in your country use cubicles for housing? A common problem here is freezing water, and making it accessible for the livestock, do you have ways of getting round it?
Haymaking here is a headache unless you have your own machinery, and round silage bales are commonly used, do you use them?
I find it fascinating in how many different conditions our little Dexters thrive in various parts of the world.
Like Louise my cows usually require quite a long winter feeding period, and I am handicapped in that I self-feed my silage with an electric bar in a concrete silo. I have to empty the silo, before I can refill it, and at the moment the cows are just finishing the last of it. When the grass begins to grow, they tend to fill themselves during the day, and slow down on the silage, it is difficult to adjust it exactly, and I cannot afford to risk running out before the ground is dry enough for them to graze out across the farm.
The real problem here is the wet ground, and keeping the pasture from turning to mud. They are as happy as sand boys in the snow, I sold some six-month calves into Canada one winter, and they adjusted quite happily. We had a severe winter on my last much drier farm in ’63 and my cows never milked better, although they were living out at the time.
Do you know if milking herds in your country use cubicles for housing? A common problem here is freezing water, and making it accessible for the livestock, do you have ways of getting round it?
Haymaking here is a headache unless you have your own machinery, and round silage bales are commonly used, do you use them?
I find it fascinating in how many different conditions our little Dexters thrive in various parts of the world.
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DavidPatch
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 2:16 pm
Hello from another lurker...
I'd just like to echo all the previous compliments paid to everyone who gives their time so generously to maintain and contribute to this site. It really is atreasure trove of pooled knowledge.
As a newcomer I'm fortunate in having a father-in-law who has been a dairy herdsman for close over 40 years, and a nextdoor neighbour who runs a large commercial beef suckler unit, both of which have been nice enough to help me out with my more daft/ basic questions. But it has been wonderful to be able to have all the extra info on this forum to refer to as well!
Having broken my duck on the posting front, I'm now going to go for the whole hog and start a new thread as well!
David
I'd just like to echo all the previous compliments paid to everyone who gives their time so generously to maintain and contribute to this site. It really is atreasure trove of pooled knowledge.
As a newcomer I'm fortunate in having a father-in-law who has been a dairy herdsman for close over 40 years, and a nextdoor neighbour who runs a large commercial beef suckler unit, both of which have been nice enough to help me out with my more daft/ basic questions. But it has been wonderful to be able to have all the extra info on this forum to refer to as well!
Having broken my duck on the posting front, I'm now going to go for the whole hog and start a new thread as well!
David
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Broomcroft
- Posts: 3005
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:42 am
- Location: Shropshire, England
- Contact:
Go for it David and welcome.
Beryl - I imagine what Anna was using in Sweden is either Windbreaker, or something like Netlon which are both windbreak materials for use in buildings and on fencing maybe. I created an awning for my Dexters last year out of windbreaker material. They ate it! But they wouldn't eat Netlon, that's tough stuff.
Beryl - I imagine what Anna was using in Sweden is either Windbreaker, or something like Netlon which are both windbreak materials for use in buildings and on fencing maybe. I created an awning for my Dexters last year out of windbreaker material. They ate it! But they wouldn't eat Netlon, that's tough stuff.
Clive
The windbreaking net is made of plastic, like a plastic net with small holes, and very strong. Not very tasty I hope, at least no one has eaten it yet.. Dry snow on windy days has a tendency to make its way through the holes, and the kind of horisontal rain we often have in autumn enters about one meter inside the house. Besides from that the net creates a good indoor climate without condensation problems. It is now common here to replace the windows, or the upper part of the walls, in new cattle buildings with this kind of net. Is it not common in Brittain? If not, my description may be to wague to really explain.. There are some pictures at: http://www.trejon.se/content.php?s=150
Frozen water is of course an issue for us. I still carry water to my animals, quite a lot of exercise but all real farmers use water automats that don´t freeze. There are different kinds but the most common solution is to put a warm cable inside the water pipe (the cable becomes warm only when temperature falls, and I don´t think it requires much electricity).
Does a cubicle system mean an open building where the animals can choose between different places for eating, resting and walking? If so I think that is a more and more common way to house milking herds. The payment for milk is low but many dairy farmers seem to have trust in the future and many of them are building new housing to be able to keep more cows. It is of course said to be the only way to survive.. A few years ago there where not a single cow farm running its own dairy in Sweden, only very big centralized ones, but now one farm dairy after another is starting up. They live on keeping breeds that deliver exellent and fat milk, and making top class cheese from it. They often use an old polled breed originating from the very north, but dexters would also be a good choise for a farm like that I believe.
Frozen water is of course an issue for us. I still carry water to my animals, quite a lot of exercise but all real farmers use water automats that don´t freeze. There are different kinds but the most common solution is to put a warm cable inside the water pipe (the cable becomes warm only when temperature falls, and I don´t think it requires much electricity).
Does a cubicle system mean an open building where the animals can choose between different places for eating, resting and walking? If so I think that is a more and more common way to house milking herds. The payment for milk is low but many dairy farmers seem to have trust in the future and many of them are building new housing to be able to keep more cows. It is of course said to be the only way to survive.. A few years ago there where not a single cow farm running its own dairy in Sweden, only very big centralized ones, but now one farm dairy after another is starting up. They live on keeping breeds that deliver exellent and fat milk, and making top class cheese from it. They often use an old polled breed originating from the very north, but dexters would also be a good choise for a farm like that I believe.
Anna Bergstrom
Sweden
Sweden