April 2012

Humane Bloodless Castration

April 9, 2012
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by Gabriella Nanci When I started out with cattle, I was taught that the proper way to castrate was to use an emasculator and a scalpel. But again, I have found that there is a simpler way to castrate calves and adult bulls that is more humane and effective. Band Castration for Young Calves: Band [...]

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Rumen Magnets and Hardware Disease

April 9, 2012

by Gabriella Nanci Cows eat metal. There are various explanations for how and why. Sometimes it is accidental ingestion, such as wires baled into the hay. Sometimes they eat metal because of mineral deficiencies. Sometimes they are just curious or bored. When a cow eats a piece of metal it is taken into the cow’s [...]

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Markers/Microsatellites/VNTR

April 8, 2012

by Gabriella Nanci Markers: The genetic markers used for parentage testing are based on a designated set of microsatellites found in the cattle’s DNA. Microsattelites are the same thing as VNTR’s (Variable Number of Tandem Repeats). They are repeated segments of DNA that are apparently “junk,” i.e. do not actually code for a trait. At [...]

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Feeders

April 8, 2012
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by Gabriella Nanci Cattle that are eating hay or grain must be fed in feeders. Cows that eat off the ground are more likely to have worms, malnutrition, and copper deficiency, among other things. Cows that eat hay on the ground waste a considerable amount of hay because they urinate on the hay. The care-taker [...]

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Testicular Deformities

April 8, 2012

by Gabriella Nanci The most common testicular deformities are testicular hypoplasia and cyptorchidism. These conditions can be in one or both testicles. Testicular hypoplasia is a condition where the bull has an underdeveloped testicle. Cryptorchidism is an undescended testicle that has not come down into the scrotal sack. Both conditions are typically inherited and in [...]

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Notched Ears in Dexter Cattle

April 7, 2012
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by Gabriella Nanci Notched ears are known to appear in Dexter Cattle and other related breeds, such as Scottish Highland and maybe Ayrshire. It is generally considered part of their heritage. The notches are apparent at birth, and have no impact on the health or productivity of the animal. There have been very conflicting reports [...]

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Dexter Bulldogs and Waterbabies

April 5, 2012

With all the press the bulldog trait has received, it is common for any stillborn Dexter fetus to be called a bulldog by the breeder; regardless of cause, or presence/absence of deformity. Generally, these events are blessedly rare, so it is difficult for a breeder to compare his loss with other breeders. The fetus is [...]

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Fat Cows, Skinny Cows

April 5, 2012

Is my cow in proper condition? Many Dexter breeders are new to cattle. This means we must offer a lot of technical support to our buyer, and we need to be careful how we promote the breed. Breeders: please, please, please do not advertise Dexters as “able to thrive on poor pasture.”  This sentence is [...]

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