Multi- purpose cattle- Oxen teams?

[AndreaS]

Hi everyone!

I'm Andrea, and I just joined here, but am also a member of BYC.

My Fiance and I are building our little homestead bit by bit. The next step will be a family cow. My first reason for getting a cow is for milk and dairy products. I very much want to be able to make my own cheese, butter, etc...we also plan on slaughtering maybe 1 steer every other year or so (We eat very little beef). It recently occured to us that we would like to be able to use animal pulled equipment for our small farm (11 acres) and we were wondering if the cattle breeds we were researching would make decent oxen teams.

We've been trying to decide between Mini Jerseys or Dexter cattle. I know that the Dexters can be used as oxen, but I was leaning towards Jerseys because of the higher fat content of their milk. Making cheese/butter is a very important part of the milk cow decision for us.

So.....my questions are:

1. Does anyone use Mini Jerseys as oxen? What are your thoughts on this?

2. Do any of the folks here who have Dexter cattle have any thoughts on using their milk to make cdairy products?

Thanks so much everyone!! I know you get a lot of questions about breed selection, but I couldn't find this information by running a search

 

[aggieterpkatie]

When I lived in Vermont I had a pair of Brown Swiss calves I was raising as an ox team. Unfortunately I had to move before they matured, but I did a good bit of research before I got them. Jerseys tend to be a bit headstrong and can be slightly harder to train than other breeds.

Mini Jerseys as oxen though...I'm not sure they'd be able to pull very much. And are you planning on having a team or a single animal? It may be hard to find a matched set of mini Jerseys. Are you planning on raising your own team from your milk cows? If you only have 1 cow it will be a while before you can use them as a team, because they'll need to be the same size or close to it.

Dexters can probably pull more, since they're a stockier breed. Miniature breeds have short legs though, which isn't really something you want with oxen. But, I'm sure there are teams that work quite well depending on what you want them to do.

I'd get a pair of Holsteins or something cheap and easy to find and easy to train. You'll be able to buy a team and get them started quicker than you could if you had a cow or two and raised their calves.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

And if you haven't already, get over to Rural Heritage. They've got TONS of info on oxen!

If you scroll down on this page , you can read up on Dexters used as oxen. Sounds like they may not be the best breed for beginners.

 

[AndreaS]

Thanks for the reply!

I was thinking more along the lines of raising a team over serveral years from calves born at our place. It just seems to me like it would be great to have the option of doing that with whatever breed we end up with.

I was tending towards Mini's because we are only on 11 acres, and we plan to do ALOT on that land, so it will not all be in pasture. Also, for the milking aspect.....i don't need more than 3 gallons of milk a day, it's just the two of us, so I was thinking less milk would be more manageable.

Thanks so much for the links, I had not heard of rural heritage, looks like they have a ton of good information! I'm going to go do more research on that site now!

 

[goodhors]

Not sure what kind of jobs you plan for the oxen, but maybe you could get them done with a single! It would save some in expenses, keeping only the milking animal, one Ox and perhaps calves from the cow. People with horses often overlook ponies, who are good workers, cheaper to own and work on the farm. You don't always need a BIG animal or Pair, to get your farm jobs done.

You want the higher butterfat in milk, but Jerseys give a LOT of milk daily. Sounds like you would not be using it up daily, unless you go into the cheese business or start feeding the extra to pigs or chickens.

I know of Jersey/Dexter crosses that seem to be good for family cows. They are slightly bigger bodied than Dexters, give more milk, but not the quantity of a straight Jersey. If you are not in a rush for the cow, maybe you could get one bred-to-order or breed a Jersey to a Dexter, keep the calf. Heifer or steer, the calf would work as an Ox, be edible, and you might like to keep the heifer to replace the cow in a couple years.

If you go thru the posts, there are several about buying "Your First Milk Cow" that have great information. It will help you avoid mistakes in choosing a cow.

Not sure where you are located, but you may want to have some Oxen lessons before putting money into them. In Michigan there is Tiller's International, a teaching facility near Kalamazoo. They teach how to train Oxen and work with them in rural settings.

http://www.tillersinternational.org/oxen/oxen.html

I am sure there are other groups who do similar things, especially in New England. Oxen are hugely popular in that area. There just is SO MUCH to learn in cattle handling, let alone working with them, that going to class for it may save you a bunch of time and grief later on. We have driving horses, train and use them. But me training a steer to work? I would have no clue how to start.

 

[AndreaS]

Great, Thank you so much! We live in NC- will have to look and see if there are any classes in our area. We are planning to go to amish country for our honeymoon (we're odd 27 year olds!) Maybe we could find some classes while we are there.

Great information, as always, these forums are just the best!

 

[CDSMINIS.COM]

Hi Andrea,

I'm glad to hear you are considering Dexters. I was in the same basic position you are about five years ago. In that time I have had full size jersey's and normal (mini) sized Dexters. If I had it all to do over again I would not have wasted my time with the Jersey!

I love my Dexter milk. It is sooo much better than Jersey milk! The texture is smoother and the flavor is outstanding. From my Dexter cows I get a quart of cream per gallon and can make about a pound of butter from that quart of cream. I have also made easy mozzarella cheese and yogurt. A friend of mine is experimenting with cheddar cheese right now and is pleased with what she is seeing.

A few other things to consider especially if you are new to cattle. Beef breeds are hardier than dairy breeds:

-Dairy breeds are notorious for being just fine in the morning and dead when you go to milk them in the afternoon.

-Dexters are fairly easy to find and will cost 1/5th-1/3rd the price of a mini Jersey.

-Dexters are typically smaller and easier to handle than other breeds, even mini jerseys. Most of the miniature jersey's I have seen are 8-10 inches taller than my Dexters.

-Dexter beef is top notch! if you ever run into the problem of having too many animals you can always eat them, or if you are like most back yard breeders, sell them to someone else so they can eat them.

-Dexters have been used as oxen for centuries. I haven't trained my Dexters as oxen, but others I know who have say they learn fairly quick. All my Dexters have been halter broke very easily, I'm certain they would learn to work well too.

If you have any other question on the breed let me know; I'd be happy to help any way I can.

-Dave

 

[DanceswithCows]

Hi there,

I'm in the UK we have about 40 dexters for beef, jerseys for milk and I train all sorts of breeds as oxen.

We have milked our dexters, but quickly moved on to jerseys. Dexter milk tasted weak and dull in comparison (although yield was very good), and home dairying was extremely difficult - it is average in butterfat, and what's there is naturally homogenised so the cream doesn't rise. The jersey's are a vast improvement, the cream is easily scooped off with a spoon, and what others would think of as full fat milk is left! The jerseys are also a lot less naughty, and more quiet and docile than the dexters which speeds up milking and general handling. I wouldn't bother with a mini jersey, fulls ize is still only pony-like and theya re easy to handle.

Jersey beef has been proven to be the most tender of beefs and consistently comes out top in taste tests - the only reason it isn't eaten more is due to discrimination against the size in beef raisers. We raise and sell jersey steer beef quite economically - they work out the same financially as the dexters.

Getting lots of milk in one go is better for us. You don't want to feed a calf seperately if you don't have to so if you leave it on, it takes care of the milking and you only have to do it once a week - with something that gives less, the daily amount is more manageable, but you have to milk daily to get it, and when you want a batch for cream or cheese etc you have to wait for it to build up...

Jerseys make great oxen for a small farm, they are very affectionate towards humans, active and fun. Yes, they are small but to be quite honest that is very handy on a small farm - holsteins grow HUGE, with a food bill to match and most jobs don't require that kind of power. Dexters would probably be stronger and just as active but they do have a very large stubborn/naughty streak, whereas I think the jerseys are simply intelligent/curious about everything so they like to be kept occupied.

To be quite honest though, I don't think jerseys or dexters make ideal beginner oxen because they are both so active and intelligent. They never forget, so if you get it wrong that's it forever.

 

[gypsygirl]

Anyone that is new to cattle, and planning on having a milk cow to use the milk, should know that it is not commonly done because it is a large commitment of time and energy. My best friend had one milk cow, and even with a milking machine, the twice daily chore really ties you down, rarely is there anyone familiar enough with the procedure to stand in as a subsitute even for one milking. More than the effort of milking, but the cleaning of all the equipment twice a day gets old quickly. In the case of milk and dairy products, proper sanitation procedures is critical, it could case serious problems if this is neglected. When milk is not going to be pasturized, you must be very careful in its handling. Do all your homework, know what you are getting into, and how to do it safely.

 

[treeclimber233]

If she does not want to milk twice a day or even every day she can keep the calf and let it nurse too. Just seperate the calf from the mother for 8-10 hours so there will be some milk to get. That is what I do with my goats. If I want to go away for a weekend the babies take care of the milking for me. works great