Dexter Milk Cows

From a very young age, I (Vanessa) have always wanted a milk cow of my very own. We brought Dolly and Molly home, leaving their 5 month old highland X calves at my Dad's. Neither of these cows had been handled a lot, certainly never hand milked, and yet-they were 5 mos into lactation, so I had to go right into milking them! Within a VERY amazingly short time, they were amenable enough that all I have to do is throw a little grain in front of them so they have something to do while I milk, and I don't even have to tie them! That year they produced nearly 4 gallons each on twice a day milking, on rough feed, and with only enough grain to hold their attention while I milked!

A Dexter is the ultimate all purpose, family cow. They are small enough not to be intimidating, extremely hardy and give a decent amount (between 2-4 gallons/day) of rich, creamy milk (their butterfat % is right up there with a Jersey, at approx. 4%)!! They raise healthy, lively little calves that, when finished, will give you a perfect amount of meat to put in your freezer-a whole Dexter will amount to about a half a side of regular size beef-but you get double the high quality steaks and roasts!! You can also train Dexters to be used as oxen, to work up a garden spot, perhaps! Dexters, being smaller size cattle, and very hardy, are extremely easy keepers! You can feed 3 Dexters on the same amount of hay you would give one regular sized cow! And they do not require huge amounts of grain! They have rather hairy udders, which prevents frostbite in the winter, and are not nearly as susceptible to milk fever as larger, heavier producing animals.

Dexters, with their tractable temperaments, also make super nurse cows! Here, Dolly nurses two calves-and only one is hers!