As a relatively new Dexter owner, I am interested in other peoples perspective on the benefits / drawbacks of running the bull with the cows as opposed to AI. Currently I have mine running with my two cows and their two calves, four heifers and a steer. To date, I have had no problems with him taking any dislike to the calves or the steer, and I have been using Estrus Alert stickers to indicate when he has been up to his business! I generally check them twice a day, and spend at least half an hour observing from a distance. Is there any more that I should be doing, and what are the comparable success rates.
All of this is pie in the sky, however, as my bull is an unproven youngster. Should he turn out to be a Jaffa, he will be in the freezer sharp-ish! :;):
Bull versus AI
My bull likes male company or perhaps he just tires of female company!
When the older steer was still running with him, they would go off to the other side of the field, ignoring the girls..... no one in season obviously!
I only remove the cows with heifers at foot.
When I had only a couple of cows I used AI - hassle free re. bulls and fences and if you want to know when to serve the cow, get the vet to give a hormone injection so timing is done for you.... you can also synchronise the 2 cows.
I did have one cow inseminated 3 times but she was not usual.
Jo
When the older steer was still running with him, they would go off to the other side of the field, ignoring the girls..... no one in season obviously!
I only remove the cows with heifers at foot.
When I had only a couple of cows I used AI - hassle free re. bulls and fences and if you want to know when to serve the cow, get the vet to give a hormone injection so timing is done for you.... you can also synchronise the 2 cows.
I did have one cow inseminated 3 times but she was not usual.
Jo
If I had to rely on AI I would not be able to run my Dexters. My bull knows better than me when a cow is on heat, he seperates them from the herd a day or so before they are in season & keeps them close to him for a couple of days. How many times he serves the said cow in the time she is in season I do not know. I do know that it is more times than the once with AI. I do not have to pen them for service or hang around waiting for the AI man. I live about a mile from the farm and work full time about six miles away, so AI was always a non starter for me.
Just after buying my first two heifers I bought my bull. He was not the one that I went to look at, but was a youngster that the owner was just putting to work at 15 months old. I really liked the look of him and ended up taking him home. I am very happy with him & so are my cows. The calves he has produced seem to be what I am looking for & he should have a long & productive life ahead of him.
The downside of having your own bull is that you are stuck with what you have and cannot breed your own replacement cows, unless you can justify two bulls.
It comes down to what you are happy doing. What I do suits me, but would not be everyones choice. I would not criticise anyone for their reasons for owning a bull or not. Its just that when I lean on the gate and observe my small herd it seems more complete when dad is around.
Just after buying my first two heifers I bought my bull. He was not the one that I went to look at, but was a youngster that the owner was just putting to work at 15 months old. I really liked the look of him and ended up taking him home. I am very happy with him & so are my cows. The calves he has produced seem to be what I am looking for & he should have a long & productive life ahead of him.
The downside of having your own bull is that you are stuck with what you have and cannot breed your own replacement cows, unless you can justify two bulls.
It comes down to what you are happy doing. What I do suits me, but would not be everyones choice. I would not criticise anyone for their reasons for owning a bull or not. Its just that when I lean on the gate and observe my small herd it seems more complete when dad is around.
Martin.
Maidstone
Kent
Maidstone
Kent
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Mark Bowles
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Bull versus AI, no contest. Bull every time.
Drawbacks are:-
You need plenty of room to split your groups up,and lots of electric fencing. A bulling heifer next to a bull seperated by post and rail or sheep netting and barbed wire is not 100 percent reliable.
We run 2 senior bulls plus juniors growing on, you do have to stop and think how is best to keep them apart.
We do take visiting cows ( only with recent TB tests), a good number of which have failed at AI so a visit to the bull is the last hope.
I must admit to wanting to use some of the bulls on AI, but my pathetic AI hit rate tends to put me off
mARK
Drawbacks are:-
You need plenty of room to split your groups up,and lots of electric fencing. A bulling heifer next to a bull seperated by post and rail or sheep netting and barbed wire is not 100 percent reliable.
We run 2 senior bulls plus juniors growing on, you do have to stop and think how is best to keep them apart.
We do take visiting cows ( only with recent TB tests), a good number of which have failed at AI so a visit to the bull is the last hope.
I must admit to wanting to use some of the bulls on AI, but my pathetic AI hit rate tends to put me off
mARK
Mark Bowles
Linford Dexters
Webmaster
Linford Dexters
Webmaster
I really don't understand the low hit rate with AI if you are reasonably near the stock - impossible otherwise, though the activity with other animals is often in the early evening so timing the stock visit then could be useful!
In AI the semen is placed nearer the ovum so the bull would mount (and other animals too) on say Monday evening but ideally AI would be on the next day - late morning perhaps.
If injected, the cow comes into season a specific time later so the AI man can be notified early and timing should be perfect.
The bull too can miss - or rather, the cow may not hold the pregnancy, regardless of whether it was AI or bull.
We all do what we find easiest really.
Jo
In AI the semen is placed nearer the ovum so the bull would mount (and other animals too) on say Monday evening but ideally AI would be on the next day - late morning perhaps.
If injected, the cow comes into season a specific time later so the AI man can be notified early and timing should be perfect.
The bull too can miss - or rather, the cow may not hold the pregnancy, regardless of whether it was AI or bull.
We all do what we find easiest really.
Jo