# What dual purpose breed?



## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

I would like to get a family milk cow in the future, hopefully not too far off, and want her calves for dinner. I would like them to have a decent amount of tallow so I could make candles from them, and want them to be able to be pastured and still grow well. As little grain needed is best. 

I would like a heritage breed, but don't really NEED one, and would like a higher milkfat to make yummy stuff from it. How much space would I need for a cow/calf pair, and can I put them together with goats? How do you tame a new cow to milking? I expect I will be getting a young calf and raising her up, because grown cows seem expensive. 

I have young kids and so she needs to be super tame, and I would like a pretty cow, but I think most cows are pretty. 

Any ideas?? any tips?


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I keep Dexter cattle for the same purposes. They share pasture with goats and they all get along. They are a heritagee breed. The ALBC lists them as recovering, not rare. They're actually getting pretty easy to find.

Dexters are very good at feed conversion, besides being small, so they would take about 1/2 the pasture that a large breed would. They give modest amounts of milk, probably 1/2 what you'd get from an average Jersey.

They have the best beef in the world, according to several contests in England, where they beat Angus and Kobe in one match-up. The ALBC did a blind taste test and Dexter beef came in third, behind Randall Lineback and the old Galloway, not the modern belted one. Angus was fourth.

They're probably the gentlest breed available. They've always been family cattle. They were selected for their ability to fit in on a family farm. They've never been commercialized.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

Normandys or shorthorns


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## triple divide (Jan 7, 2010)

Normandes. 

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/

I will be ET'ing inported Normans into our second calf heifer Ayrshires eventually. 

http://www.normandegenetics.com/

I'm convinced after years of research this is the breed that will best suit our need for a dual purpose breed. YMMV


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Well my vote is always Jersey, they are good cows, small calves at birth, and the steer calves can be eaten. They do well on grass, and wonderful to be around. My four year old daughter is around them all the time and can even milk her own cow. I`m sure you could get any type cow and get along well, just be careful getting your cow. Alot of people will take advantage of newbies if you don`t know what your looking for. > Thanks Marc


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I vote with genbo, I really love my Dexters. With Dexters you need to make sure that they are from a milking line if you want to use her for a milk cow.


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## Creamers (Aug 3, 2010)

I would really like a Dexter, so I'm going to say consider them, but I have a Jersey and adore her, but if you're looking for dual purpose - maybe not for you. I've also considered a shorthorn, and they are good dual purpose breeds. Where are you located? I know a breeder of Normandes and shorthorns in Oh


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

If you are interested in keeping them pure bred keep in mind the availability of breeding stock. While it may seem nice to choose a rare heritage breed, finding stock to breed to can be a huge pain. 

Personally, for what you are looking for I would look for a dairy/beef cross. You could breed to a beef breed and then your beef calf would be 3/4 beef bred.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

we milk a group of Normandys and they are some beefy animals. Close to a Holstein in size but beefier.
They do quite well on nothing but grass and a handful of oats or ground corn to get them in the parlor.

Quite popular with the organic grazers around here so getting a bull isn't a problem.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

milking shorthorn or just plain ol' simmental beef cow. Some Simmentals have a pretty large udder and give quite a lot of butter fat. They definately have good handles!


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I would go for a cow already trained to milk. They aren't always a whole bunch more expensive than a calf and you have to factor into the cost all the feed you have to put into them to raise them. If you haven't milked a cow before, a trained one is the way to go.


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## RdoubleD (Oct 12, 2004)

I raise Dexters so my vote is for them. LOL. I will say that if you are looking at them there are huge differences between them when it comes to milking or beef. I have done milk tests on some of the ones I have milked, I also like to keep track of beef yields because they are suppose to be dual purpose. Some of my Dexter's have tested with butterfat as high as 6% others lower. If you do look at Dexter you will want to ask question about milk production that is another HUGE variable. Better yet would be to purchase a Dexter that is a trained milk cow and has had some milk tests done since you are looking for high butter fat and they should also be able to tell you what her milk production is.


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Where were you, RDoubleD, when I was looking for my Dexter! Can you reccomend a breeder on the other side of the state?


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

What springvalley said.
I have always bought young stock, because of the expence, but I tend to do things the hard way. You don't need to. If you could find a bred Jeresy heifer, lead her around a lot. Get her used to being handled, all over. You should be alright. Buying a fully grown milking cow increases the risk that you are buying troubles from someone wiser than you.
Breed to a good Jeresy. If she gives you a heifer sell her and buy a real beef cow. 
Dual purpose never is. Think of the Amphacar, the dual purpose car/boat. Not really much of either. Airplane-car, dual purpose. Makes a lousy car and a clunky airplane. Dual purpose chickens produce fewer eggs than a laying breed and slower growth than a meat breed. 
Life is filled with compromises. If you want plenty of cream and don't need to fill two freezers with beef, get a Jeresy. If you don't mind less milk, need more meat, and can handle a big cow, get a beef breed. Many of the other choices are going to limit the amount of milk you get AND give you a reduced amount of freezer beef.
The amount of land you need depends on soil type, fertility, plant types, rotational grazing system and what area you are in. Lots of difference between FL and MN. There is a place for that info, right next to "location". Good luck.


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

Essentially all cattle are dual purpose, they can be trained to milk and you can eat them. You'll obviously get more on the milk end with some breeds and more on the beef end of others. Any rare breed is more expensive, but maybe you can sell calves for more if you find a niche market. I have raised and milked Jerseys, Guernseys, Dexters, dairy crossbreds and beef cows. I enjoyed all of them, but there are drawbacks to each and you'll need to find what fits your needs.

I adore Jerseys, I always have. But, they produce way too much milk for just two of us and since there are no dairies around here anymore, it's become extremely difficult to find a bottle calf to put on the cow. We like to go camping and take short trips, can't do that with a dairy cow that produces more than her calf will consume. 

I raised Dexters for many years, but as much as I enjoyed the cattle, I just couldn't stand the politics surrounding that breed any longer. And, I could not be competitive in the local market. You will lose your shirt if you take a Dexter to a sale barn. Niche marketing and lots of advertising was not something I wanted to pursue any longer. It was taking a lot of my enjoyment out of raising cattle. 

So, I started milking crossbreds and beef cows. I love it. I milk every other day or so, more if I'm making cheese. The cow raises her calf, so I don't have to. Plenty of butterfat. Beefy calves to sell or butcher. Started young, they are no different to train than a dairy heifer. I don't worry much at all about mastitis, ketosis, loss of condition or other problems associated with very high, prolonged milk production. 

This may not work for everyone and I have taken a lot of garbage about it (You CAN'T milk a beef cow, the milk's not good, you HAVE to milk a dairy cow). But it works so well for me that I ignore the negative comments and do what I enjoy doing. And, as my dh likes to say, if the feds really crack down on the home milk supply, no one is going to believe you milk that old beefer out in the back pasture.

Here's my 14 year old cow. She's 3/4 Angus and 1/4 Hereford. Nice udder, beefy calves. Less expensive and much easier to find in my area than a dairy cow.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

While you might lose your shirt if you raised Dexters exclusively and sold them through the sale barn, they still make wonderful family cows. When bred to an Angus they produce bigger calves that still sell well. We have had several Jersey/Red Angus cross cows that make great family cows.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Chalk Creek's post is worth another read. I've had several dairy milk cows too. Loved them all, but gave way more milk than I needed. Plus bottle calves. Next milk cow will be a beef breed for sure....Topside


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

linn said:


> While you might lose your shirt if you raised Dexters exclusively and sold them through the sale barn, they still make wonderful family cows. When bred to an Angus they produce bigger calves that still sell well. We have had several Jersey/Red Angus cross cows that make great family cows.


They are a great breed, I didn't mean to say they aren't. But, in my experience anyway, to be successful you need to raise registered stock if you plan on selling and for that you need to belong to either or both of the associations and the politics will effect you in one way or another. Also, I had to work hard at marketing because there isn't much demand for cattle around here that aren't commercial beef. Nearly all of my sales were out of state, so there were additional issues involved, health certificates, increasing state import regulations and so on. I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.

I have a couple Hereford x Dexter first calf heifers and I am very pleased with them. I have had several Dexter x Jersey milk cows over the years and love them. They are a great crossbred for homesteading, I think.


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## Glenda in MS (Sep 15, 2007)

We have a heritage breed called Pineywoods cattle. They are excellent milkers as well as meat cows. They will eat ANYTHING. They forage on material that commercial breeds would starve before eating it! We love our Piney's.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Glenda who sells Pineywoods cattle? Any points of contact would be helpful...Thanks


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## Glenda in MS (Sep 15, 2007)

Here is a link to the associasional website. http://www.pcrba.org/

I think we have some members in Tennessee!


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## Patt (May 18, 2003)

If you want one cow for your family to produce all the milk you need plus give you a calf every year for the freezer I would recommend either a Dexter or Jersey. Depends on the size of your family and how much milk you drink and beef you eat. If you have a small family go with a Dexter from a milking line. If you have a big family go Jersey and breed her to a beef bull every year for a heftier calf.


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## ArmyDoc (May 13, 2007)

I like dexters, if you want a small family cow. If you want a "full sized" heritage breed cow, that you could milk and would do well for beef production, you might want to consider the red pol. Let me know if you are interested, and I can put you in contact with the best red pol breeder I know of. His cattle are gorgeous.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Chalk Creek said:


> They are a great breed, I didn't mean to say they aren't. But, in my experience anyway, to be successful you need to raise registered stock if you plan on selling and for that you need to belong to either or both of the associations and the politics will effect you in one way or another. Also, I had to work hard at marketing because there isn't much demand for cattle around here that aren't commercial beef. Nearly all of my sales were out of state, so there were additional issues involved, health certificates, increasing state import regulations and so on. I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.
> 
> I have a couple Hereford x Dexter first calf heifers and I am very pleased with them. I have had several Dexter x Jersey milk cows over the years and love them. They are a great crossbred for homesteading, I think.


I agree with you on the commercial aspect. If one rasies Dexters exclusively then you need to have a market for them. I just have three which I dearly love. When my Dexters are bred to our Black Angus bull it is hard to tell their crossbred calves from the Angus calves.


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## 65284 (Sep 17, 2003)

I have just what you need, I have several Jersey X Dexter cross heifers. Don't know where you are located but if you are close to Missouri I would be glad to show them to you.


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## Shrarvrs88 (May 8, 2010)

I wish I was closer. I am over in OR. 

Thanks guys!


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