MAC FARM DEXTER CATTLE

MAC FARM DEXTER CATTLE

SCROLL DOWN TO READ ABOUT MILK FACTORS

(Click to read about the CHRONDRO FACTOR (SHORT LEGGED OR LONG LEGGED)

SCROLL DOWN TO READ ABOUT AND SEE PRESENT AND PAST HERD SIRES

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE → https://macfarmdextercattle.com/index.htm#INDEX

Our small, MAC FARMS leans towards independence, survivability, and healthy living, so the Dexter cow was a natural choice for us when we decided to expand our farm from heart healthy goat meat to include heart healthy grass-fed beef. Because we did not have cattle experience, the Dexter's known good nature, smaller size, hardiness, fertility, and their efficient ability to convert their grass to meat were the reasons we chose this breed. We have had Dexter's since 2006, and have also found out that the grass fed meat from a 10 month and a 2 year old Dexter were both so much more tasty, tender, and red than the meat from an Angus/Herford cross steer that we grass raised with the Dexter's. An added bonus for us is that the Dexter is a dual meat/milking breed, so we are covered down the road should we ever need to get our milk from them. I have read that a milking Dexter cow can produce more milk per weight than any other breed. We made a good choice choosing the Dexter as we have never had any birthing problems or health issues, and have found ours to be docile and easy to manage.

The smaller size of the Dexter per age is penalized at the standard auctions where folks are usually buying young steers to feedlot or grow out for later butcher; but the size is perfect for the personal or the custom local consumer market that wants grass-fed and/or organic beef delivered on the hoof to their butcher of choice. The price, per pound, live weight will be as good or better than the smaller animal would bring at the local auction.

Additionally, by keeping good stock there is a breeder market for excess stock. Breeder market prices are affected by color, style (long or short leg) genetic and polled factors. That is why we choose herd sires, who are red, polled, short-legged, and tested Chrondrodysplasia/PHA free; which means they can be bred to any cow, even a carrier, without producing the chrondro factor caused "bulldog" syndrome which causes the calf to die before or after birth. The short leg style tends to produce more muscling (meat) per live weight than the long leg, and red is the most popular color.

LOBO MayThe4thBW/U is our latest herd sire and ALL of his offspring will be POLLED because he is homozygous polled, plus he is e/e/RED, PHA/Chrondo free and he carries the A2 gene which will go great with our girls who carry the A2, some being A2A2.

CONTACT INFO

SEND US AN EMAIL AT: macfarmdexters@yahoo.com and we will get in touch

We are located in the Ozarks, near the southern border of Missouri.....not far from the Arkansas border.

MILK FACTOR

Milk from diary cows has long provided a high quality source of protein and selected micronutrients such as calcium to humans. The differing structure of the beta-casein portion of the milk protein determines whether the milk is Type A1 or A2. Most dairy cows are A1, so-called because they give milk with an A1 protein. Other cows give milk with a combination of A1 and A2 proteins. A third smaller group produces milk containing just the A2 protein. Less than one per cent of the nation’s two million dairy cows are certified A2. Proponents of the A2 only milk believe that it is better for us. While most cow's milk contains both A2 and A1 beta-casein protein, originally all dairy cows produced milk containing only the A2 type of beta-casein protein. This protein may assist with your digestive wellbeing. Many people who perceive that they have problems drinking standard milk brands, report that they can enjoy all of the benefits of dairy when they switch to milk that doesn't contain the A1 protein.

CHONDRO FACTOR

SHORT LEGGED("Affected"== Has the chondrodysplasia (Dwarfism) gene)

LONG LEGGED ("Normal"==Non-carrier of the chondrodysplasia gene)

There are basically two kinds of Dexters, and lots of names for each. They are:

Short Leg, Classic Dexter, Dwarf, Achondroplastic or Chondrodysplastic Dwarf, Beef Type, Heterozygote, Carrier, Affected.
Long Leg, Normal, Kerry Type, Dairy Type, Proportionate, Homozygous Normal.

The problem is that most of the names are either inaccurate or offending. For instance, the Dexter breed as a whole is rather short legged, and even animals dubbed Long-legged are often short legged when compared to members of other breeds. Another problem is that there are a lot of rather large Dwarfs, and a lot of rather small Normals. The difference is mostly in the length of the cannon bone, and a shortened cannon bone produces the classic choppy gait of the Affected/Short leg.

We are at a point in our breed where technology is available to make educated decisions about how to handle the Short leg Dexters. There is now a genetic test available for breeders who are unable to tell what type they have, for animals that are borderline in type, or for people who just want to make sure. However, we do not need a witch hunt. If an animal is deemed to be chondrodysplasia free by a genetic test, it can not carry the Bulldog trait and cannot pass it on to it’s offspring. An animal that is from two chondrodysplasia-free parents cannot not carry the mutation. Period. You do not have to throw out five generations. Today our knowledge of genetics takes us beyond that. We have a relatively rare breed and cannot afford to lose all our genetic material over one gene.

Will people continue to breed Affected short legged Dexters? The answer is likely yes. Test or no test, the bottom line is that some people are attracted to the choppy gait and compressed shape of the Affected short leg type and will always be devoted to this model. The ethical problem is that many new breeders are not aware of the genotype of these animals and do not know what they are buying should always be bred to a non-carrier of the chondro gene so that they can avoid having the chondro genes doubling up to produce the Severely Affected/Bulldog calves which are aborted. The only way you can get a Bulldog calf is by breeding two Affected (chondro carriers) animals together. Also, breeding Affected (chondro carrier) to Normal (non chondro long legged) gives you the same number of short legged calves as breeding affected (short legged) to affected (short legged). And, breeding Affected to Normal eliminates the risk of Severely Affected/Bulldog calves and replaces this loss with Normal calves. Of course, if you only breed Normal to Normal, you don’t have to worry about any of this!

One factor not normally discussed: My hubby prefers longer teats for milking, and sometimes the short legged cows have smaller teats.

(See photo below for present and past Herd Sires)

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE → https://macfarmdextercattle.com/index.htm#INDEX