Dexter milk

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 6:14 am

Me again and same friend.....she is milking her other Dexter and finds that not much cream separates out. Is this because Dexter milk is more naturally homogenized or do Dexters not give much cream? What is the average percentages of butterfat and protein for Dexters? And is their milk on the high end for calcium?

I was given my first taste of Dexter milk tonight and her owner very generously gave me a litre to take home. This is from the first heifer I ever calved out and I'm very proud of Annie (and her new owner, Katharina)

Kathy :D :D

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:08 am

Not many people record any yields or butterfats nowadays in UK, but if you look at older records a decent Dexter heifer should produce well over 2000 litres in first lactation, and be at 3.5%upward for butterfat. Burnside Holly produced 2399litres at average 4.82%BF in 305 days. I have had butterfats recorded at over 6%. I always found the cream went well to the top, colour of it depends a lot on diet but very yellow/orange when at good fresh grass. Is this heifer just in the first few days post calving? The colostrum is quite different and will not have the same consistency.

Duncan

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:48 am

Annie calved mid-August. Is there some reason why she isn't producing much cream? She is milked once a day and only gives about 1 to 2 litres.

Kathy

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:07 am

Something is wrong here, I think impossible to tell over the net, I would suggest a vet looks at this heifer. She should be producing something like 12 litres and be at her peak lactation at the moment. Get her general health checked, look for mastitis, signs of acetonaemia or other metabolic disorder. I presume she is not suckling the calf in between milkings??

Duncan

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 5:49 am

Yes, she is suckling her calf who is taken off her mother for only a few hours (6?) Also, Annie doesn't seem to let her milk down easily and I thought that was just because she is new at all this. Now I think that the calf had her mom all to herself for the first few weeks, so perhaps Annie had already adjusted her milk supply for one small calf? That still wouldn't explain the small amount of cream though. Should my friend have started milking Annie right after her colostrum finished? How long did you separate the calf from the cow before you did your milkings?

Kathy

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:52 am

Kathy,

The first milk you strip out has very little cream in and the last has the most.

However if your little lady isn't to happy about proceedings she won't let it all down and is probably hanging on to the best of it.

I expect she lets it down when her calf goes to suckle, this is often the case with suckling cows that are miked for the house.

She is thinking of your figure!!!

Stephanie

moomin · Post by **moomin** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:11 am

The cream comes down at the end of the milking, in the strippings, so if Annie is holding back you won't get much cream, the calf will get it all afterwards!
When I used to milk, I used to keep my calf off overnight and then get everything ready to milk, let the calf have one side while I had the other, the milk comes down and it is much easier to milk and to strip out. You will also learn to milk very quickly!!
I used to start this routine very soon after calving.
The colostrum, or the "beestings" of the 3rd. milking makes a fantastic pudding.
2 pints of colostrum into which is stirred 2 tablespoons of sugar dissolved in a little hot water, sprinkle with nutmeg and put in a fireproof dish. Put the dish in a roasting tin full of water and bake in the oven at a low temperature till set like an egg custard. Yummy!

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 4:28 pm

You know what they say....if you don't ask, you won't find out. I had no idea of the details of let down and cream being in the last bit. This has certainly helped my friend understand why she doesn't get much cream. I was a bit worried she would be disappointed in "my" heifer. Didn't want her getting turned off of Dexters! :O

Kathy

Elizabeth · Post by **Elizabeth** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 6:48 pm

Hi Kathy, I know that I am late on this one, but I just saw it today and decided to add my two cents! My Dexter girls have great butterfat, usually averaging almost 1 litre in 4 of light to heavy cream. My big girl averages 18 liters in flush, while my smaller one 9.5 on a daily basis. Luckily they freshen at opposite times of the year!! I am not able to hand milk so I use a machine and the initial milk let down is taken fairly quickly, but to get the strippings (and thus the butterfat!) they still need a little ecouragment or massaging of the udder. I also found that they averaged more milk and had easier let down for me if I took their calf away and hand raised it while milking twice daily. A bit of a pain and extra work, but it really seemed to make a difference in the amount of milk that they let down or 'allowed' me to have. Tell your friend not to be discouraged, when she finally gets all the strippings, or cream, she will have a milk that could almost 'take on' that of a Jersey and makes great cheese, butter and yoghurt! Liz

Jo Kemp · Post by **Jo Kemp** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:16 pm

Don't say 'Almost' Elizabeth - I was told at the Yorkshire Show that a Dexter had beaten all breeds, Channel Islands included, at the South of England Show....I don't even know where that is, is there anyone out there who can give details of this please?
What catagory - quality or yield over ? lactations etc.
A commercial farmer is showing interest in Dexters and I would love to have extra plus points to give him!
Jo