Dexter cattle

[jkl79]

Hi there! I see that some of you keep dexters, and I'd love to hear a little about your experiences with them. We're just about to put some money down on three (dun steer calf, red steer calf, dun heifer), but I want to know how they've been for you. This will be my first experience with larger livestock so I felt like dexters would be a good place to start! We don't have great pasture yet, so I plan to keep plenty of hay on hand. However, do you also supplement with grain? If so, how often?

Thanks!

 

[greyfields]

I adore Dexters. I'm in the situation where I can raise larger cows, so I chose to go a different route with my herd. But, I have relatives in England who raise them in very little space, yet they still pack their freezer every winter with high quality meat.

I grass feed/grass finish all my cattle. Depending on the quality of your pasture and hay, you may/may not be able to do it. I have to keep the beasts moving pretty regularly because you don't ever want a cow to lose condition.