absoluteapps
Chillin' with the herd
Looking for a small breed cow for pasture management. We are a no kill farm and my horses do not clean up their pastures. Wanting a cow to do that for them. Any suggestions? Any breeders?
anyone from Mid-Michigan
- Thread starter absoluteapps
- Start date
If you check Craigslist, there seem to be some Dexters for sale all the time in Michigan. Do a "Dexter" search to shorten looking choices. I would suggest you get two, so they can keep each other company, less likely to go wandering to find bovine friends. I would further suggest steers, even though you don't want to eat them or sell for meat. Heifers and cows come in season, and even good fences may not keep them home when they want to be bred. Steers do not have that hormonal issue, though they can be as silly as the females, entertaining to watch run around the fields.
Dexters are genetically a small breed, and even old steers probably won't go 900 pounds. Shopping, you may find breed crosses. These could be cheaper than pures, but you have to consider what the other part brings in that you need to deal with. Herefords have some issues with light skin and cancer as they age, Highlands have a LOT of hair to hold in bugs and ticks. Dwarf breeds often have structural issues that become apparent with age, bad legs under growing bodies. Dairy crosses still get pretty good sized, not staying small.
Dexters usually have horns, which should be removed for safety in handling. The younger the better for removal.
Dexters don't seem to make the mud mess in soft dirt conditions, of the bigger cattle. Less weight on each hoof. You still would need to limit grazing in spring to let bodies acclimate to new grass and prevent hoof problems. I was surprised to learn cattle can get laminitus like horses, with too much rich grazing, unlimited grazing on new spring grass and being overweight. Dexters I know, stay nice looking on good grazing alone and seem to need lots less hay in winter than larger cattle breeds.
If you plan long-term ownership, you may want weaner calves to handle young and brush to get them used to being worked with. Turn them into pets. So MUCH easier to be able to call them to come and get haltered, lead them where you want them, than chase them about when you need to change fields or treat them for something. That chasing stuff is hard on cattle, your TEMPER, equipment if they jump or run thru the fence or over you! Some folks cattle ACTUALLY LIKE their people! Way more fun to own friendly cattle. Our cattle wear collars and bells to help us locate them quickly. Helps the horses know where they are as well. If cattle should ever get loose, we HOPE bells will help find them easier, because cattle can sure disappear in brush. Collars have reflective stripes, an aid in visibility, flashlight location at night, helpful to headlights if they got on the road by accident.
You will still want to mow, to keep pastures in good grass production after removing animals in the rotation cycle. Horses and cattle are not going to graze the long stemmy, dried out stuff. No food value to either species. Both will keep going back to the same spots with short, new growth grasses for grazing. So you may have some very lush places they don't graze, with bald spots between from constant grazing of any growing thing. Mowing and a little rest for the pasture, gets it back to even again, when you can put the animals back on. Mowing also prevents weeds from seeding out, getting tall. Cattle don't eat those yucky tall weeds or thistles either, cutting short helps prevent weeds returning.
Dexters are genetically a small breed, and even old steers probably won't go 900 pounds. Shopping, you may find breed crosses. These could be cheaper than pures, but you have to consider what the other part brings in that you need to deal with. Herefords have some issues with light skin and cancer as they age, Highlands have a LOT of hair to hold in bugs and ticks. Dwarf breeds often have structural issues that become apparent with age, bad legs under growing bodies. Dairy crosses still get pretty good sized, not staying small.
Dexters usually have horns, which should be removed for safety in handling. The younger the better for removal.
Dexters don't seem to make the mud mess in soft dirt conditions, of the bigger cattle. Less weight on each hoof. You still would need to limit grazing in spring to let bodies acclimate to new grass and prevent hoof problems. I was surprised to learn cattle can get laminitus like horses, with too much rich grazing, unlimited grazing on new spring grass and being overweight. Dexters I know, stay nice looking on good grazing alone and seem to need lots less hay in winter than larger cattle breeds.
If you plan long-term ownership, you may want weaner calves to handle young and brush to get them used to being worked with. Turn them into pets. So MUCH easier to be able to call them to come and get haltered, lead them where you want them, than chase them about when you need to change fields or treat them for something. That chasing stuff is hard on cattle, your TEMPER, equipment if they jump or run thru the fence or over you! Some folks cattle ACTUALLY LIKE their people! Way more fun to own friendly cattle. Our cattle wear collars and bells to help us locate them quickly. Helps the horses know where they are as well. If cattle should ever get loose, we HOPE bells will help find them easier, because cattle can sure disappear in brush. Collars have reflective stripes, an aid in visibility, flashlight location at night, helpful to headlights if they got on the road by accident.
You will still want to mow, to keep pastures in good grass production after removing animals in the rotation cycle. Horses and cattle are not going to graze the long stemmy, dried out stuff. No food value to either species. Both will keep going back to the same spots with short, new growth grasses for grazing. So you may have some very lush places they don't graze, with bald spots between from constant grazing of any growing thing. Mowing and a little rest for the pasture, gets it back to even again, when you can put the animals back on. Mowing also prevents weeds from seeding out, getting tall. Cattle don't eat those yucky tall weeds or thistles either, cutting short helps prevent weeds returning.
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