My new herd - Very small herd of very small cows!

Rob R · Post by **Rob R** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 1:05 pm

Saffy wrote:Perhaps "Dexter Spotting" will catch on, do we have to get thier eartag numbers to score?

Have you thought of a points system? I think there should be extra points for a bull!

Stephanie :laugh:

The online herdbook just encouraged it! :D

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:03 pm

Well I did my level best to "Dexter spot" in Norway but failed dismally....I know there are a few there but I didn't score a point.

I did feel a little sorry for the Norwegian Red Cows though as most of them are wearing bells, as were a good many of the sheep, it must ruin thier street cred completely and drive them to distraction- looks cute though.

I spent many hours pumping a farmer about costs, prices and subsidies, they are sooooo lucky, I won't go into detail it is far too depressing.

Also I noticed that the Norwegians have their own way of dealing with tags getting pulled out, they put one in each ear!!! So this poor little red cow has to face the world with a humungous yellow tag in EACH ear and a clonking great bell around her neck. :D

Beautiful place-absolutely stunning.

Stephanie

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:29 pm

Regarding the ear tag sizes, it may be that some newcomers to the cattle world do not know that our wonderful government thought all calves should sport two tags bigger than the ears, and it took a lot of persuasion from the Dexter Cattle Society Council through various representatives including Veronica Schofield, to get approval for the smaller "large" tag which almost all Dexter owners now use. Many farmers with larger breeds also use the "Dexter" size tag without realising its origins. I can remember Veronica producing a photo of a newborn Dexter calf with a proposed standard size tag held next its ear, a good demonstration of the problem.

I visited Norway in 2000 and then the average herd size was 14. We visited a herd of 32 milking cows which was regarded as very large. The farmer and wife, and his son and daughter in law, all lived very comfortably on the income from the farm and a small bed and breakfast set up. We also visited a herd owned by a banker who was investing in Limousin embryos of the highest quality he could buy and looked ready to become really big. A few like him could destroy the lifestyle of a large number of their traditional farming families. At that time most of the countries meat seemed to be from the dairy herd, almost no pure beef herds as we have here.

Duncan

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:04 pm

Hi Duncan

I don't think things have changed that much, I didn't see ANY beef breeds at all except a small herd of non descript hereford types.

The farmer I "interrogated" seemed very knowledgable and said the NRC were almost the only breed of cattle in Norway and that their sheep were cheviots and a small amount of wild or ferral mountian sheep, which tended to be grey and tasted very nice!! However I did spot what looked more like a "milk sheep" in another area.

I shall attempt to add a photo of a Norwegain Red Cow, so you can see the double tags, most were yellow but we saw one herd with green.

Like you say Duncan very small herds and flocks, the farmer we stayed with had 20 sheep but also worked for Fjord1, the bus and ferry company.

Stephanie

It worked

mindenho · Post by **mindenho** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:04 pm

Hi, I've been away from the web site for a week or two and it has been interesting catching up. The Norwegian Red looks a lovely animal but not as good as a Dexter!

I was delighted to hear Saffy that you bought an older cow to start your small herd. I think it is a good idea for those new to Dexters to start with a proven animal and one who knows all about calving. I had sold a 9 year old cow with a smashing heifer calf at foot to someone wanting to start a Dexter herd, but a week or so after agreeing the price I was telephoned to say they wanted something younger. I had offered to keep the cow to run with the bull so the purchaser was getting a proven cow( 6 calves to date), no doubt in calf again and a heifer calf at foot all for £450. I think that was a bargin for someone new to Dexters - what do others think, particulary about starting with an older cow?

Erica

Louisa Gidney · Post by **Louisa Gidney** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:30 am

Having started with a 6 month old heifer myself & then getting a 10 year old cow some years later, I would not hesitate to recommend starting with an older/old cow first. I foolishly thought the heifer & I would work things out together but it was the blind leading the blind. The old girl had been there, done that & got the T shirt (& then forgotten what the T shirt was for). Absolute doddle, no grief at all with calving, milking, double suckling etc. I've currently got 2 old girls at home & life is so simple with them that allthough one, who gets recurrent mastitis & is a bit creaky on her back legs, ought to go on OCDS, she keeps being given "just one more year". I've got some very nice heifers coming on but I really need to do more work on halter training them but there is so much else to do that it keeps being postponed.

Anna · Post by **Anna** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:45 pm

I just have to add a comment about cows in Norway. NRC is probably the most common cattle but there is also some very interesting old Norweigan breeds. They are rare of course, but still existing. Check out the telemark cattle:
http://www.husdyrfoto.no/filer/ImageArc ... eid=130117

Even more interesting is the fjord cattle from the west of Norway, a very old breed. They used to weigh about 250 kg but nowadays they weigh more like 400 kg. They are mostly horned, but some of them polled:
http://www.husdyrfoto.no/filer/ImageArc ... eid=130127

They are really nice and what I would have choosed if hadn´t been able to lay my hands on a Dexter (but Dexter suits my demands better, so I am thankful I could).

Woodmagic · Post by **Woodmagic** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:11 am

Thank you Anna, it was interesting to see what the Telemark cattle look like. I came across reference to them years ago, when I started studying the subject of bulldogs, and learnt that the Telemark suffered from a similar but not identical problem, but I had never seen a picture. I understand that for years your government would not allow the Dexter into your country, because they did not want to acquire another afflicted breed. They finally relented when it became possible to introduce the Dexter without the achondroplastic condition.

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:27 am

Hello Anna,

Thankyou for sharing these lovely photos. They are beautiful cattle, the Telemark have stunning markings. Perhaps if I had been able to speak to you before we went I could have seen some of them but maybe next year.

Stephanie

peter farrer · Post by **peter farrer** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:31 pm

Good 4 u! We are still in the longing stage - is taking an age but they say all gud things cum to those who wait. But we are genuinely pleased at your news. Wishing you every success. Tina and Peter (still in suburbia

)

Anna · Post by **Anna** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 11:42 am

Woodmagic, I am very surprised to learn that the Telemark cattle has suffered from a similar a bulldog problem as the Dexter. I have to do some research on it and try to learn what the status of the breed is today. I live in western Sweden (quite close to Norway) but I don´t know very much about Norwegian cattle except for a little about their old native breeds, since I am interested in old breeds.

You are absolutely right about the fact that Dexters where banned from Sweden earlier. The people who at last convinced Jordbruksverket (our version of Defra) that a Dexter not always meant a bulldog had to struggle hard. Today I am very thankful to them!

Saffy, you have a permanent invitation to come and meet the Swedish mountain cattle, the Swedish red polled and the Norwegian fjordfe I have nearby, as well as my Dexters.

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 10:38 pm

Well tomorrow I'm off to sunny Spain for my hols (at least I'm hoping it will be sunny in the north, but I'm sure there is a reason why it's so green). I shall pick up the challenge from Stephanie and keep my eyes open for Dexters. Will also endeavour to take pics of any local Spanish looking breeds.

Stephanie I very much hope your Dexters will be delivered to plan. I'm sure it can't be far off now. Good luck to you too Peter.

Colin

happy hollidays · Post by **happy hollidays** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:10 pm

Saffy I do hope that you will be able to move your new herd soon, extremely unlucky timing for you! They look lovely in the photos, congratulations.

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 9:24 am

Hello everyone,

I still haven't got my little herd home - but soon, I hope by the look of things! However I paid them a visit and took these pics.

The pic below is Woodmagic Palmchat with her son Woodmagic Hedgehog 4th - Covered in milky bubbles!!!

The pic below is Woodmagic Mallard 8th - running as fast as her legs would carry her to catch up with the rest of the herd, or perhaps she didn't want her pic taken.

I shall probably bore you all silly with photographs when I get them home.

Stephanie

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:50 am

Beautiful little herd Steffanie you must be really proud :D .