Pedigree or Commercial

[Rob R]

But our Dexters would average say 220kg DW for steers at 27-28 months, and the Dangus steers would average about 260kg DW at 22-24 months.

For the Dexter Clive, as an average, what kind of range & liveweight did that equate to?

[Broomcroft]

Thanks for the info. So do you produce any pure Dexter beef at all now, or are you entirely Dexter cross beef ? I recall Clive you used to have an Angus and a Dexter bull. What's the feedback from your butchers on Dangus v Dexter?

I only cross now, my last pure Dexters are nearly finished. At one time I had an Angus for my cows and a small non-short Dexter for my heifers. But I haven't got any Dexter heifers now, just cows, so the bull got beefed.

When I get low on cows, I will be buying in pedigree Dexter cows, but no heifers. Might be doing that this year. My Dexter cows, from next year on, will go to a Dangus bull which I have just bought; that should be interesting.

I asked in the US (where they cross more than we do, or at least talk about it more openly) and generally got the response that Angus is probably the best overall to cross with, i.e. flavour / eating quality / easy calving etc, although the general opinion was that Dexters add something to almost any breed, Highland, Jersey. Angus-Dexter is also one of our main butcher-customer's favourite, it's what he eats himself, so that was a big help in deciding and that's the main feedback. Also, Angus is my favourite "normal" beef by a country mile, although not what you generally buy in the UK I have to say, but what is served in the US as Certified Angus Beef, which is yummy and hard to find. So mixing the two seemed to make sense all round.

For the Dexter Clive, as an average, what kind of range & liveweight did that equate to?

Rob … my steers are usually around 420 kg's at slaughter, 28 months or so. Dangus around 500kgs at 24 months.

[helena]

sorry to ask what is a dangus.
Since I started with dexters in the early 80s I have crossed them usually because I forgot the AI man and it was easier to put one of our suckler bulls in.
The best cross I have ever had was a MRI/dexter I still have one commercial suckler left the old girl is 15 ,the calves have a will to live and since both breeds are duel purpose you have milk and beef.Best grade from this cross many years ago was U4,
Hope it is alright me replying as I have only 2 little cows now affraid the simmentals have taken over still have an MRI but we have to make our living so large cows .I still meet people who say hows the dexters and thats how they know me.
One thing for dexters you meet and make many friends.

[Broomcroft]

Dangus = Angus X Dexter, or the other way round. It's just a nickname. I suppose some people might call any combination of the two a Dangus, don't know? The name is just used because people who do it get fed of constantly saying Angus X Dexter.

We're about to calve Dangus cows to a Stabiliser bull, the offspring will be F1 Stabilisers and both Angus and Dexter will be lost in the title.

MRI X Dexter sounds an interesting cross, and to get grade U4, wow!

I assume MRI = Meuse-Rhine-Issel?