I have just got some test results back from USA for our bull calf Javelin who was born early December 2013. We are pleased to say he is double polled (homozygous) and carries the Red gene also but not Dun. We also tested for A2 protein and he is A1/A2. The picture shows him having his first taste of hay and even though mum seems to like it he looks like he doesn't know what she sees in it.!! Javelin also has another genetic feature you can see quite clearly in the photo, it is called crop ear where the very tips of his ears are missing (cropped). Looking at his mother now I see she has it too but I had not noticed as it is less noticeable as they grow older. Its purely cosmetic and is something you see from time to time in Celtic breeds of cattle. I have seen a lot of it in Highland cattle and also a lot around the 1990's in Dexters here that were bred from imported semen especially particular Dun bulls. At least two of the bulls we used around then had crop ear and my foundation Jersey/Angus/ Dexter cow that I graded up a good portion of my herd from, also had it. It is not considered a fault unless it severely deforms the ear altering its function. Anyway the good news for Javelin is that we will be growing him up as a replacement bull now that Gimlet and Friday have been sold and will be interested to see how he grows out. Already he is looking to be a very solid fellow much chunkier than this photo taken in December. Happy Dextering Gillian.
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In mid January we delivered Gimlet to his new home along with another heifer called Hollyday. They went to the same organic farm as Fruitie and Healie went to mid December. They all joined up again along with two Guernsey heifers and made a nice little herd. This time we had a look around the farm and were impressed by the amount of still green feed they had around. A very nice spot indeed, I know they will all be happy there.
To our surprise in early February we had an enquiry from someone looking for a black, longleg, polled, Dexter bull. This time we are happy to say the enquiry came from an internet search that found our website. As it just so happens the only animal we currently had for sale was just that! Damolock Friday is such a lovely character we enjoyed having him around but he was not a lot of use to us being too closely related to much of our herd. He was a little bit under used as we had him with only four girls. Earlier last year he had visited Shanoah Park Stud where he was busy and we had just had reports that his progeny were arriving! Mostly girls, polled and looking nice. He has also been to Mystique Charm Stud since then so they have some calves to look forward to as well. Lucky for us and Friday it turns out he fitted the bill for the people enquiring and within a few days he had been sold and collected and has a new home in Clackline. Last reports were he found their lovely Dexter heifers to his liking and got straight to work!! We have had an even drier summer than usual this year so even the couch and kikuyu are struggling. I heard on the radio the other day that we are heading for the driest summer on record in our area. Fortunately for us our stock numbers are lower than usual due to our recent sales so that makes things a little easier and the revenue from the sales means we can buy in more hay if the season stretches out. Meanwhile the new calves are growing like mad and are a joy to watch, playing around and running like racehorses. They all have names now. We have Javelin the bull calf and Janellie rose a lovely heifer from one of my oldest and favourite cows and lastly Jiamon a steer calf. Auntie Jessemine keeps an eye on them all when their mothers are out of sight with her being seven and a half months old she is king of the kids. Soon in March/April they will be joined by the "K" calves but that is a story for another day. Enjoy the sun for soon we will be complaining about the rain! Cheers Gillian |
AuthorGillian is a Dexter breeder of more than 27years living on 36 acres. Previously been employed in the medical laboratory and veterinary fields. Was self employed in own small business with her husband. Now retired and still very busy with the Dexters. Interested in Dexters, health and nutrition with emphasis on prevention and an interest in alternative medicine for animals and people. Archives
December 2022
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