dexter crossing

[domsmith]

I cant really help with how they kill out, we have stopped doing it these days.

I sell as stores, we got between 500 and 650 last year for 9 put through the auction. they were 18 months old ish and just grass fed. they look big here on the farm but when you get them next to some limos or something you realise how far off you are!


Y end goal like Clive is to have a cows that are neither too big nor too small. that dexter milkiness and hardiness is essential. my angus are just so heavy on the ground and they eat so much!
I intend to cut back this year, after that winter i have no stomach for it. thinking of 10-15 cross cows and 10-15 dexters.

dom

[Adam Lowline]

Hi Sues,
we might have something for you to consider.
We have 2 Australian Lowline Angus Bulls. They are a pure Angus bull that has been selectively bred since 1929,for a docile temperament, easy to handle, ease of calving, 2week shorter gestation period, naturally polled, better marbling and a bigger rib eye area. They only stand 42" tall so very easy to handle.
We have crossed our bulls on our long legged Dexters and have some really cracking animals out of them. Our first steer is 15months old and is bigger than his mum and dad already! He has always lived out on just hay. A couple of weeks ago we bought 2super looking heifers from Woody at Happy Farm and he was really impressed with our quiet bulls and thought they looked a similar height to a medium Dexter bull but they were much beefier. He also commented that our steer was a bigger than his 30 month old steer that he had just taken to the abattoir!
We have just AI ed 10 dairy shorthorn/ Fresians with a local dairy farmer and are very excited to see the results. We will then be able to put the offspring back to our lowline bulls. In the future we would also like to put our bulls on a Dangus to see the results.
Hope this is food for thought?
Adam and Jenny

[Broomcroft]

I sell as stores, we got between 500 and 650 last year for 9 put through the auction. they were 18 months old ish and just grass fed. they look big here on the farm but when you get them next to some limos or something you realise how far off you are!

Why sell as stores dom? you must have your reasons, but take them on another 6 months and you'd get, for steers, £900-1000 from a good butcher.

[Broomcroft]

In the future we would also like to put our bulls on a Dangus to see the results.

I think you'd probably end up with an Angus, just a bit smaller maybe. Genetics is a funny thing to put it technically . We put our Dexter bull to three of the bigger Dangus heifers as a trial, and ended up with very small progeny, defeating the whole object so won't be repeating it.

I like the idea of a smaller females and a bigger male. We do it with sheep as well and it works as long as you are careful about lambing/calving obviously and don't go too far with the size difference. It must be something to do with what a male passes on in his genes. Females pass on certain things that a male can't, which must be why experienced breeders often say that it's the female line that counts more than the male.

We found that after our AA got too big, we started getting barren cows, not many but significant. They are now back in calf to a smaller bull, so I assume the cows wouldn't let him do his job?

[Kelvin and Lottie James]

Why are these cattle called lowline, when they are pedigree aberdeen angus? Surely, this is the size that angus were originaly, before canadian blood was introduced. The herd where I worked fifty years ago was a pedigree herd of this size. The only thing different in those days was that they were really vicious, althoug my son walked trhough a herd of cows with calves when he was about three years old, they took no notice of him whatsoever.

[domsmith]

Why are these cattle called lowline, when they are pedigree aberdeen angus? Surely, this is the size that angus were originaly, before canadian blood was introduced. The herd where I worked fifty years ago was a pedigree herd of this size. The only thing different in those days was that they were really vicious, althoug my son walked trhough a herd of cows with calves when he was about three years old, they took no notice of him whatsoever.

Angus were not originally small they were bred to be small to suit what we wanted in the mid 20th century. it was actually sensible people that brought the breed back to its proper size through out the seventies and probably saved the breed. Most people talk of the belt buckle Angus and how we have ruined the breed, but not so.

Clive, i have neither the space nor the butchers to do it. we live in a poor area where butchers sell slice sausage (only Scots will know this) and terrible meat. i would love to have a butcher within 50 miles who would appretiate some good beef.

dom

[Broomcroft]

Angus were not originally small they were bred to be small to suit what we wanted in the mid 20th century. it was actually sensible people that brought the breed back to its proper size through out the seventies and probably saved the breed. Most people talk of the belt buckle Angus and how we have ruined the breed, but not so.

That's interesting. You learn something every day.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Regarding the size of Aberdeen Angus cattle, there is an excellent programme shown repeatedly on I think Sky channel 280 on the history of farming, 3 programmes in series - dairy, beef and crops. The beef one is really interesting and pays particular attention to hereford, angus, and the introduction of continental cattle to UK. Worth looking out for if you have not seen the series, record if you can't view it at time. I think I have watched the beef and dairy ones at least 3 times(slow learner)

Duncan

[ann]

I think I have watched the beef and dairy ones at least 3 times(slow learner)

I'm afraid it goes with the greying of the hair

[domsmith]

Thats a great programme the history of farming, narrated by the chap from the Archers.

it shows exactly that heard lots of reasons for the shortening of the breed. one is that they were a better size for hanging between the decks on the ships that brought the carcasses from south america.
they were killed in Argentina etc then by the time they arrived here in the Uk they had aged nd were ready to be sold.

d

[debra wiltshire]

sorry to hear about your TB situation...must be very frustrating and depressing considering all the hard work you have put in to your beef business..sorry this is directed to clives post a few days back!

[Broomcroft]

Thanks Debra. It is demolarising. Got rid/beefed of most of my cattle prior to any positive test results. Hence only one actually gone down so far, but it would have no doubt been a lot more if I still had the numbers. I feel really sorry for those who have lost the lot which seems to be happening more now.

[Mima]

Hi,
I am sorry Clive to hear of your TB news, very sad news.

Continuing the cross breeding topic, We are the other way round when it comes to cross breeding, as we are primarily a pedigree Belted Galloway herd which produces beef with the whole herd living out all year round including calving, being grass fed and finished on wild flower unimproved pastures only. We recently added (couple of years ago) a few non-short Dexters for a few different reasons, from continuing to develop our beef's eating quality, to helping improve business finances and land management techniques as well as enjoying their appearance and curious nature! The Dexters fit in with the farms aims and ethos and we hope they will prove to compliment the herd of Belties.

We bought a small herd of empty Dexter cows and heifers and ran a pedigree Dexter bull with them plus a couple of spare Beltie heifers, this gave us some pure Dexter beef, pedigree heifer replacements and a couple of cross breds with Beltie mums to compare eating quality when the time comes. All calved easily and are growing well, the bull was then culled (which I later regretted)

The next year we selected the best performing DEX cows to go with our Beltie bull in the main herd, these also have all calved easily unaided this spring and are growing very well so far. Our Beltie cows are roughly a third bigger again from the Dexters, and this way cross is preferred with the milky Dexter Dam for future cross breds.

We have to focus on the low input, easy care and minimal management needs of the business as well as the end result carcass size, grade and eating quality when determining how successful our farm is, and both the Beltie and the Dexter breed are so far proving their worth, both being hardy, good grass converters, easy calving, good mothers, gentle natures etc etc , so I am hoping the cross breds bring together the best of both breeds! It is still early days but the results so far are positive. The plan is to run a Dexter bull over selected DEX cows/heifers every other year to breed some pedigree replacements and pure bred beef.

Who knows how this will develop in the future for us but we figured the worst that would happen would be that we lost a bit of size but it would still all taste good!

Mima