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Post by Donlin Dexters on Jul 2, 2014 22:24:58 GMT
Grant you we have had only 4 calves born and have 3 in the foundation status, and while we adore all our Dexters, we are absolutely taken with the personalities of the chondro-positive Dexter. When we were bringing together our foundation herd, one of the breeders who had been breeding for more than 20 years commented that “we would know by the calf’s personality that they were positive” has really rung true to date for us. We have found the chondro-positive calves appear to be born without much of their calf-protection instinct (this is what we call it). We know there are exceptions. We currently have a 6.5 mth old chondro-negative bull calf who has loves to interact with us since he was only a few days old and there have been a couple of others too but we are yet to have an exception with a 'midget'. There is truly ‘something different, something more laid-back’ about the chondro-positive personality. Just thought I would share  |
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Post by Donlin Dexters on Jul 2, 2014 23:04:30 GMT
Forgot to add – Judy you should be thanking their constant chatter and writings for the inadvertent advertising of Legacy. Its what drew us to the website, and to this forum. And it was only after reading about Legacy’s direction that we decided that even though we are in a country with an exceptional upgrading program, we planned our breeding program to work with what we have so we could be as traditional to the ancient breed as possible. And there are many other breeders who want to do the same just as there are many who couldn’t care less. So be proud of your achievements and let the advertising continue…………… |
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Post by Donlin Dexters on Jul 2, 2014 23:06:35 GMT
Whoops wrong thread
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Post by genebo on Jul 3, 2014 2:13:49 GMT
I share your thoughts about the shorties and their demeanor. I've had some really nice calves of both the short and long legged types. Yet the shorties seem to be just a bit nicer in most respects. I once equated it to picking out your future wife from a room full of pretty women. There is something that draws you to them, and they to you.
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Post by jamshundred on Jul 3, 2014 3:01:09 GMT
Hi,
Even in the wrong thread it is an amusing observation.
I was horrified to discover that South Africa had banned chondro carriers. They will simply not have Dexters. Dexters are a dwarf breed. Remove the dwarfism and you have Kerry-type animals that will eventually fade out in the US because this is a market where people zoom whereever they can make the most money off their ventures. . . . and if Kerry cattle fit that criteria we would have lots of them!
I am a chondro breeder. Because carriers deliver non-carriers I have both. Even the non-carriers off the dwarf lines are different in several aspects. It was the dwarf carrier of which the brochure was written and the dwarf animal on display in those brochures. I have 20 years experience of both types through thick and thin. Anyone wishing to rid the breed of it's very essence cannot possibly have the experience to make that decision.
Let me take it a step further. The American polled breeders and breeders of larger non-carriers are enjoining the benefits of the polled fad in the US. ..but it will not be sustained. Within another 7-10 years at most the Dexter market will crash. It cannot sustain the pricing taking place at this time and the only thing holding it up right now is the meat market. Even that is not going to pay Dexter breeders going rates for Dexters unless the animals are presented as being a different breed. Cattle people who come into the breed believing the current hype get back out pretty much as fast as they get in unless they are able to develop their own markets for meat from the farm. I suspect if there were comparisons made of traditional Dexter meat versus the modern Dexter blood lines . . .traditional would win because even the meat has to be changing along with the size and phenotype. The target market of this breed is not buying modern Dexters. They cannot afford them.
Judy
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Post by Donlin Dexters on Jul 4, 2014 1:02:05 GMT
No one is going to stop the breeding of the chondro-positive Dexters, and no one can scare-monger enough to stop the demand for them either, especially by tree-changers. Just as has been done in the States, there will be those of us who are more than capable of setting up another avenue/association to ensure the ‘survival’ of the very traits which are Dexter. Even if the avenue/association only offers online pedigree information of parent verification and acknowledges test results from accredited labs through online pedigree information……………………oh there is an avenue: Legacy Over here meat prices are up and down and all over the place, all the time. Unless you plan on supporting 100s of animals, one will never make a successful living out of meat. But the pet; self-sustainability market has remained constant for a couple of decades and demand is beginning to outweigh supply, in both available land and small-acre animals. The chondro-positive Dexters is what every single enquirer has been drawn too when visiting our stud. Remembering we keep horns. (Actually now that I think about it there are only 5 foundation girls who display no horns (de-horned) and one girl with some horn resulting from dehorning paste gone wrong out of nearly 30 moos) Our naughty daughter jokingly suggested to one family that they could purchase two of our midgets for $6,000 EACH. I had to quickly tell them no, those moos were not looking for a new home as I could see both their minds suddenly begin ticking over with consideration. (The midget “She” greeted each of the family as they exited the car and then proceeded to follow each of the three kids for a brush, sometimes squeezing her way between the child and the moo they were brushing. The midget boy had taken a real liking to the eldest of the teen kids and was his shadow for ages. This went on for about an hour.) There were the chondro-negative calves and moos who also demanded attention and opretended to be shadows but of course the ‘smallest of the smalls’ drew the biggest oooo’s and arh’s from the ‘cattle novice’ family. Three weeks later we delivered one of each sex, chondro-negative kidlet moos to them. The family were just so taken with the breed and the kids hadn’t stopped talking about the couple of hours spent with the moos. (none of our positives were looking for a home) We, and others will always breed chondro-positives........gees, how couldnt you |
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Post by genebo on Jul 4, 2014 1:51:58 GMT
"gees, how couldn't you"
How perfectly well said
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Post by wvdexters on Jul 6, 2014 2:29:08 GMT
Ditto!!!
Everyone who comes to our place wants to see the dexters. They love them. Last year we had 3 little calves and people went right to the little dwarf steer Frank every time. He's been fed, played with, photographed, even made it onto a Christmas Card. I even get e-mails now starting out How's Frank!!
We are thrilled with them and are even setting up our herd to be all carrier cows.
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Post by tarsallat on Jul 6, 2014 4:03:05 GMT
I was horrified to discover that South America had banned chondro carriers. They will simply not have Dexters. Judy Where in South America? Is this a mistake and really is South Africa? |
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Post by jamshundred on Jul 6, 2014 18:36:07 GMT
Hi Tarsallat,
Yes. It should have been South Africa. I edited it in the original thread.
I have always wondered of the meaning of your screen name. Is it a farm name?
Judy
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Post by Donlin Dexter on Jul 6, 2014 22:37:52 GMT
Last year we had 3 little calves and people went right to the little dwarf steer Frank every time. He's been fed, played with, photographed, even made it onto a Christmas Card. I even get e-mails now starting out How's Frank!! We are thrilled with them and are even setting up our herd to be all carrier cows. OMG - a christmas card! I never thought of that We havent had very much luck with our ratios to date and hope to make a considerable change to this with the introduction of our only positive boy to the breeding program for 2015 calves. You'll have to let me know how you go wvdexters as you move toward a positive herd of girls, and then your ratios with each season. Its times like this I wish cows had a much shorter gestation period !!!!!! |
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Post by tarsallat on Jul 9, 2014 23:53:09 GMT
Hi Tarsallat, Yes. It should have been South Africa. I edited it in the original thread. I have always wondered of the meaning of your screen name. Is it a farm name? Judy its hungarian |
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