So what can we do in the weaning process and diet to maximize our heifers’ genetic potential and to meet the goal of 65% of mature weight at breeding and 85% of mature weight at first calving?

First, we are strong adherents of keeping the heifer on the cow for 6 months, letting nature do the best development possible. Even were we milking full-time we would do what we could to incorporate a suckler herd for our replacement and breeding stock heifers.

Second, at weaning time minimize the stressors on the heifer as much as possible. Some specifics. Practice a form of fence-line weaning until the “bawl” is out of your girls—a couple days. Vaccinate and de-horn either well prior to weaning or well after weaning—not within the first month. Don’t pile on! Provide a comfortable, well-bedded, clean area with access to shelter. Nothing worse than a dry dusty lot in summer or a wide open, unsheltered, wet, muddy pen in fall and winter for your future cows—respiratory maladies are just laying in wait to open up a big can of ‘set-back”.

Third, determine within your production model, how to keep the physiological growth and development of your heifers on an upward plane of movement, or at a minimum, a level plane for the next couple of months. You do not want to seem your heifers losing base body condition after weaning.

“Save your best hay for your calves” is not just an old saw—it is old wisdom. Your heifers should have access to all the best hay they will clean up without waste morning and evening. We strongly recommend the highest quality mixed grass/legume hay with a heavy percentage on the grass (75—80%). With this heavy percentage of grass, protein content in the 10—12% range is good.

At SMD we prefer the heavy grass content in our young stock hay. Our thinking being that we want the young heifers to be constantly expanding their stomach/rumen capacity. But it has to be high quality / “appetizing” hay. Utilizing a heavier grass hay we provide additional protein supplementation to meet the heifers needs and keep them moving upward on the developmental plane. A 50-50 mix of whole or rolled oats and a 13% sweet feed at about 1.5% of heifer weight, fed halves, morning and evening have worked well for us. This ration is used through the winter with our late fall weaning until first breeding.

There are multiple resources on the web to assist you design your own heifer development program or contact your local extension. Here are a couple of links to get that process started: Heifer Nutrition and Development Oregon State University and Replacement Heifer Development – Iowa Beef Center

These young girls are your herd’s future, keep them moving upward!

Ayshires – 279

Brown Swiss – 291

Jersey – 280

Hereford – 289

Guernsey – 284

Angus – 272

Over the course of the last 9 years of Dexter calving in which we bring the cow to the bull or artificial insemination, data have been collected on 58 Dexter gestations at SMD.

The 58 breeding of Dexter on Dexter have resulted in an average gestation length of 276 days. The standard deviation on this sample was 8 days. This suggests that nearly 70% of all your Dexter breedings will result in a calf from 268 to 283 days from the date of service.

We have constructed a Dexter specific gestation table based on the 276 day average. This table is available on our website. These data are from a single herd so your herd from other lines may vary. If you have date specific breedings and calvings you would like to include in these data please email to jmc@silvermapledexters.com.

A classification scheme is, as paraphrased from ADCA program description: an evaluation of an animal’s strengths and weakness with emphasis on functionality, longevity, and ability to produce.

If you are not familiar with what linear classification is or the methods used visit this link that fully describes the process. The classification schemes in place for both the PDCA and ADCA are consistent to the best of DP’s recent knowledge.

“First, should I classify?” Yes, we strongly encourage breeders seeking to improve their herd to participate in the classification program. The advantage of having an outside eye identify your herd’s strengths and weakness is very valuable to any breeder’s ability to make herd improvements. It also allows you to look across your herd on multiple traits, and do so within family lines, or within the offspring of individual sires and dams, to assist in planning your next steps in herd improvement.

“But why not just use the classification program myself?” Breeders should use the program themselves, but it is to the breeder’s benefit to have an official classification done as well—by an unbiased, outside evaluator. As much as we try “barn sidedness” can influence any of us. The classifiers are also trained specifically on the linear scoring scheme for each breed.

“When should I classify?” A general statement seen in most programs is once every three years. The classifiers rotate the season they are in different sections of the country so that any particular herd can be seen in milk, dry, etc. It is important in scheduling your classifications to consider having cows in milk at a classification so that the udder can be adequately examined. It is not necessary that every time you classify that your cows are in but try and schedule for every other classification – this will of course depend upon your calving season and the classification dates scheduled for your area of the country.

Keep in mind that animals must be 2 years of age and cows must have had at least one calf. There is a cost of $10 per head with a minimum cost of $100.

Incorporate the classification program available through either the ADCA or PDCA into your herd improvement program. Even in the very unlikely event after your herd is classified, you determine you have not learned a darn thing – consider how often you have the opportunity for a professional with a trained eye for cattle go through every animal in your herd and give you a detailed, unbiased, uninfluenced by feelings of friendship or whether a particular animal is out of a line they breed or have bred, critique? In my book that is valuable information to have.

Classification is time and money well spent.

There are of course things we would like to see different but that is the nature of member driven organizations—you don’t always get things YOUR way.

We are always mindful of the tremendous amount of time and effort the leadership and volunteers of each association put forth in the best interest of the breed.

Occasionally there are issues that develop within the associations that often seem far removed from the business at hand—cattle. While these situations are often unpleasant, they are sometimes unavoidable.

It seems clear that our duty as members of these associations and breeders of Dexter cattle is to bring to the attention of the associations issues that we believe impact the effective and professional registration and promotion of the breed.

We also believe that those involved in leading and serving in the associations are there serving the best interest of the breed.

Bottom line: Be involved. Be professional. Be respectful. We are all in this together.

JMC

Why the Dispatch? Well, first we thought it would be a nice way for us to keep in communication with all the wonderful and interesting people we have been fortunate to meet in the Dexter cattle world.

We also thought the Dispatch might be of some small use in filling what we have found to be a void of information on dual purpose cattle in general. To stimulate thoughts, ideas, and conversation on dual purpose cattle breeding, care, handling, and training, with the ultimate purpose of the production of quality beef and milk efficiently from a single type.

What is the Dispatch? As the why suggests, we hope the Dispatch can be a collection of information and resources that are useful to dual purpose cattle breeders, in particular Dexter cattle breeders.

The content of the Dispatch will be fluid and we sincerely hope that readers will choose to contribute their knowledge, experience, and information .

So again, thank you for taking the time, please let us know what you think, what you would like in the Dispatch and most especially consider providing content.