New cattle owner

[Emag]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to purchase my first couple of dexter cattle this summer. Any tips or advice welcome. I was thinking of getting cow and steer, would this be the best for a starter? Size of acerage per animal? Housing for winter? Amounts and type of winter feed? Best age to finish animal? Is it better to finish them before winter so that they finish on grass? What other supplements do you give? Lots of questions as I'm a bit of a novice but want to make sure I'm doing everything right. Anything else I should know? Thanks in advance

[Saffy]

Hello Emag,

I have none to sell, so no axe to grind!
Whereabouts are you?

My best suggestions:

1. Go and see a local herd that are well established and don't mind sitting down with a cuppa and giving you their time, if you are near me, you will be welcome.

2. Spend as much as you can on handling when you first have them, whether it is a simple gate that hinges on one end to hold them up behind it, perhaps in a pen or a full blown race and a crush, get it from the beginning, so you can handle your animals when you need to.

3. They don't have to go in for winter, if out they will eat more, if in they will need bedding as well as forage. Out they will tread the ground up and make a mess.

4. Best age etc, everyone has different ideas, you need to go and see what people do.

5. You need a holding number.

If you would like PM me and I will give you my email and phone number.

Stephanie

[Emag]

Hi thanks for your response. Iv got my herd number so ready to go, I'm going to see a Dexter cattle farm within the next few weeks who I most probably will purchase from so defo will have a list of questions for him. We have use of a fixed crush although it's not beside where the animals will mainly be grazing but beside their winter housing, what do you suggest regarding this? Halter training?

[Saffy]

Hello again Emag,

Halter training is one method, it depends on what you want to do with your animals. I am a former dairy farmer and when I had my first dexters they were a little jumpy and unhandled. So for the first few weeks I had them in small stables, two to a stable, so I could give them little bits of food and 10 minutes of attention several times a day. They got used to seeing me at close quarters in the first couple of days and then gradually allowed me to touch and then stroke them.

They weren't allowed out into the fields until they were all OK with being at least touched. Then I got them into my yard most days and ran them through the crush but NOT to do anything nasty, in fact I placed a trough with a small amount of food the other end of the crush and they got a small reward for being smart enough to go through the crush....my idea of "Cowology."

My "reward" was that the wildest heifer started to wait to have her back scratched before she went to eat the hay I had put into the rack that winter, I was really touched! She is an old cow now and a total pet, to such an extent that if I am making a fuss of another cow I have to stay vigilant as she gets quite jealous and it isn't beneath her to T bone the one I am stroking!!! As far as she is concerned I am her servant/pet, I suppose I should be glad she doesn't T bone me for insubordination!

Stephanie

[Saffy]

Hello Emag,

Glad you have a herd to get some info from.

If it were me I wouldn't buy from the first herd I went to see, in fact I didn't I bought from the 4th or or maybe 5th herd I saw. You can always go back to the 1st herd if on comparison you prefer their cattle and they are offering the best deal.

There are several different types and colours of dexter to choose from.

Short and Long.

Black, Red and Dun.

Also many different "qualities", i.e. conformation, herd health etc. So choose with great care, not haste.

Stephanie

[Saffy]

Just wondering how you are getting on and if you have bought yet?

Stephanie