The Poultry Keeper

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

i have really had my heart set on a shetland cow as a house cow ,but i'm running into a real lack of infomation
only 2 people it seems in the country milk their shetlands
they seem to be a beef animal mainly
i cannot find any info on milk yeilds
so dexters ,i've snooped around the dexter site ,is there anyone i can speak to as oposed to on the internet ,
if there is could somebody pm ,
i really carn't make a mistake with this as she will be a really long term comitment ,feed ammounts any info that anyone could give info on would really be useful
i really know nothing Crying or Very sad

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

have pm'd you Smile

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

P.S. I should have said - I love mine to bits and have never regreted getting them. Well apart from the odd dark, cold, wet night when they are playing up Laughing

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jaydee67 · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 9:49 pm Post subject:

My bro in law has milked his in the past. He was chair of the Shetland Cattle Society ( or whatever it is called) and has quite a few Shetland cows. If you want his phone number I can give it to you.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

that be great as well Very Happy

,i really need info on this i have the winter to make up my mind ,before next year i need to know if i should do this or not ,
a lady up the road bought a cow to have as a milk cow it turned into a nightmare,it died in the end so it really has to be right

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

ok i think i'm going to have a cow day Shocked

,i've been invited to meet 3 different herds of shetlands and a cow and calf ,now i'll have to find a dexter to visit nonie doesn't think there are any here ,but i'll ask today ,the crofters will know
now i just have to really be nice to oh and buy him that pair of wellies he has been avoiding,if he doesn't have wellies he carn't feed the goats Rolling Eyes

,and the turkeys Rolling Eyes

i must admit i do have a favorite cow number 14 ,she's an old cow and always up for a cuddle and fuss ,and have even seen a pic with a child sitting on her back but she's a fesian and not suitable Sad

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

He will definately need wellies for a cow!!
You could always post on the dextersforsale site to see who lives in your area - they are a friendly bunch Very Happy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

ok i'll have to try that Very Happy

i'm late for work Embarassed

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1325 Location: Leicestershire

I used to have a Dexter, she had a bit of Jersey in her as well so was a bit bigger than the average Dexter.

According to Val Porter (Cattle. A Handbook to The Breeds of The World) they were originally dual purpose - milk and meat but I suspect the rarity of them will mean that the milk side of it has maybe been bypassed. Val says the yields can be almost as high as a Jersey with a good butterfat.

Why is the Freisian no good for you? is it because there will be too much milk. The reason I ask this is because there's nothing quieter than an older Freisian cow and buying from a breed which is more bred for beef doesn't get the temperament needed for a milker, I have a friend with a farm shop and he milks rare breeds to make cheese, he has some Glousters but they have all been "mother reared" and he's really struggling with them. He says they can't get their heads round it! Dexters would be the same, only get one if it comes from a milking herd. Or ideally get a heifer calf to rear.

Itsybitsy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

she'd be to heavy and she is angus's pet cow he wouldn't part with her Wink

,nonie works with over 100 of them and she doesn't think they would work for us an niether does angus ,they both recommend the shetland ,ayreshire although angus thinks it maybe a bit heavy for my soil or the dexter, i need something that gives a few litres and will not eat me out of house and home ,hay and feed is expensive here ,
the land is rough and i need a cow that will cope ,i don't need a huge yeild i'm still keeping the goats for milk as well Very Happy

,temperment is my main concern ,the ayreshires used to be the cow that every one had here ,oh and highlands that used to be bleed for black pudding ,or for meat .i had that coversation yesterday that handled twice a day they will be ok but a shetland from a beef herd mother reared is going to be a problem ,nonie says young heifer as well ,lots of halter training and grooming so that hands are friendly and brush everywhere ,nonie does this on a saterday with her calves
this may sound strange but i'm also looking for a friend Cool

ps the sheep are fed up with me moaning about my boss Wink

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1325 Location: Leicestershire

I understand Very Happy

heavy land, rough grazing, need a friend, well you've got the best idea then, especially as you've got the temperament bit, goats being a completely different kettle of fish and mostly handleable, people don't realise what an unhandleable cow can be like (I work with cows every day, not milking them though). Well the best thing I can say then is if you can't find a ready made house cow, go for a heifer and rear her yourself - long wait though. What are you going to do with all the milk? From my Dexter when she was in full flow (which wasn't a great deal) we used to get a 2kg box of cream every 2 days and all I remember was the fridge being full of milk. I gave a lot to the calf though, bottle feeding it. Also how are you going to get her in calf? A1? You will need to be in the breed society if you want semen unless you know somebody locally with the right bull.

Itsybitsy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

you've never met holi Wink

shetland bulls are no problem i've got 2 friends who both have bulls and are willing to either let my cow go there or borrow the bull
but you just scared my oh ,on the milk yeild bit Laughing

,and he just said he lives with 5 of them Evil or Very Mad

if nonie thought the big cows would work then ,she's got a lovely heifer that she raised ,she would have loved to have taken her ,i think they are keeping her at the farm now because she's a gentle soul loves sucking your hand and you get licked to death if you stand still long enough ,it's quite funny really there's a rough tough crofter standing there up she walks and he ends up with a cow licking the side of his face Laughing

,finding one like that that's suitable is going to be a nightmare ,
thanks for the advise everyone Very Happy

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1325 Location: Leicestershire

Sorry

It's just things that need to be taken into consideration, getting the Dexter in calf was probably the hardest, used A1 for a couple of years & then she went to an Aberdeen Angus, but that's not a lot of use if you're milking them. Sorry as well I didn't mean to scare your OH. I made lots of ice cream and butter, cooked with butter all the time. I was never too keen on the goats milk & so happily had a cow, but you just don't realise how big and clumsy they are till they've got their foot in the milk bucket Laughing

, or mending broken fences that were okay for the goat but the cow just barged through them. I'm not trying to put you off here but just telling how it is. I'm the worlds worst, if I decide to do something I just go and do it and don't think about the consequences until they are treading on my toes.

Itsybitsy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6927 Location: isle of lewis

that's ok

,when he goes into the fridge when the goats are in full flow ,he tends to say bad words Wink

,goats are a nightmare when it comes to fences the ones i keep are old english they are about as close to feral goats that you can get infact holi is 1/4 feral ,the old english also includes feral goats ,they tend to stand on fences and streach them and leap over ,may can jump 5 feet from a standing start Mad

,but i'm aware that they leap over and just push through
i'm fenced by sheep fencing, barbed wire and because of the threat to goats udders electric on top is, this enough ,the housing is something i worry about hence i like the idea of smaller ,the meat is a by product the same as the goats meat and how to get rid of bedding
and to be quite honest with nonies the size puts me off and they don't react like horses Rolling Eyes

,she asked me to stop one the other day ,mind you it is different when you are around other peoples ,and i'm always worried about upsetting them and i don't know them apart from 14 and nonies little heifer
hark at me i used to work with eventers Embarassed

,i think if i started with young we;'d get used to each others ways Very Happy

i think i've decieded what i'm going to do just sit on it and wait ,the crofters who keep cows are all aware of what i want and i'm sure something that i want will turn up Wink

,one of the crofters has said that i can buy a young heifer off him ,and an other one in tolsta i've talked to has a small traditional shetland and has said i can have the first heifer off him if i want to thanks for the advice ,anything is usefull
i think in animals i'm totally different ,i was doing dog training for 14 years mainly problem dogs and a lot of that time was spent when people hadn't thought their breed of dog properly so i look into things too much ,and sometimes after a lot of time deciede that it's not right for me ,in everything else i'm the oppersite Embarassed

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1325 Location: Leicestershire

I had goats too - before the Dexter, the first one was tethered, she pulled and pulled, always wanting that bit of grass furthest away, she stretched the tether so much one day that she managed to eat the contents of my cold frame - a melon plant with 1 nearly ripe melon on it Laughing

I didn't laugh at the time. Then I went to electric mesh fences, but goats are too clever by half and listen for the clicks Confused

On my first reply when I was talking about Val Porter, that was for Shetland cows not Dexters as it sounds like.

Well you seem to have all the right ideas and plenty of good advice & sometimes you just have to do these things and then just think of all the good manure you'll get to help improve your land.

Course you will need my services to when she's grown up - perhaps I could come and stay for a week . . . . Shocked

Itsybitsy