A Little Cow
I've been thinking about these so much that last night I dreamt I had one.
My sister, Rechelle, and I have a serious problem with dreaming of the next greatest thing. She will call me and say something like, "What I think we should do is turn your house into a guest house, build two new houses and renovate the barn. We will wear cute skirts, cardigan sweaters and sell lovely little things. And we need to have pretty baskets draped on our arms at all times with fresh produce. Yes, that's what we're going to do."
Sometimes Rechelle's dreams are a bit unrealistic.....I would never have a basket on my arm, I strictly use plastic buckets.
As for me? I'm just dreaming about a little cow. A teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, whittle cow. And when I get her, she will have a baby and then I will milk her. And, and, and then I will make artisan cheeses. Uh-huh, I will. And butter. And yogurt. And I will always have cream for my coffee. And people will love me more because I have a Dexter Cow!!!!
Oooh, oooh, oooh, and I'll train her to mow the lawn and only poop in the garden. And I will love her forever! She will have baby boys and I'll eat them and not feel guilty. I will only name them meatish names like Meatball, Gristle and Rump Roast.
I won't give up on this dream. I will have my cow. I will!!!!
But first, I need some fencing. And a big water trough. And a hay supplier. And I might need to find the cow. These are just some of the minor details.
So, do any of you have a Dexter? Any advice or wisdom you want to pass along?
23 comments:
I found you through CDW, who I found through Pioneer Woman. Anyway, you need to check out this blog: http://wagsranch.wordpress.com/
She's got two Dexters girl cows (heifers?).
PS - I need to get a life......I read blogs way too much!!
Yeah, I had a Dexter once but I divorced him; he turned out to be a pig. :)
So, I really can't help you. Wish you luck though.
Will they produce really cute, kid-sized steaks?
The offspring, that is. Not your teeny tiny itty bitty whittle agrotourism star!
I have a Dexter steer, but I only bought him so my mini-Jersey heifer would have a companion. Personally, I like my Jersey best.
Have you looked into Scotch Highlanders? We have a friend who has those, and they're really cute... long-horned, long-haired, and tiny.
Hurry up and get to work...I want to live vicariously through you. Can I be the cow's godmother? Have a great weekend.
I know what happened. You saw that cute calf on Pioneer Woman, didn't you?
No Dexter's here, but I did see some type of miniature steer at a rare breeds show at Garfield Farm Museum. They're small but they still weigh upwards of 700 lbs. That's alot of beef to try and wrangle.
- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife
My husband had a weakness for big brown eyes of the bovine kind. We had some unmilkable milk cows for a while. Just be aware that milking is a big responsibility, and it doesn't go away if you have to go away, although you can always throw the calf in with the mama. I bought milk from someone and made butter with an electric butter churn. (During hot weather, I had to put the butter churn jar in ice water to make the butter solidify.)
I have 4. 2 Dams and 2 heifers. I love my girls. I am working on buying a bull here shortly. What kind of info are you looking for?
Found your blog through your sister. You are a hoot. I just loved the clips of your kids describing your time spent trapped with the rooster. Hilarious!
Go with a Jersey cow. They are kind, good natured bovines, and I know many that use them for making crafty stuff made out of milk. LOL!
Amy
Ooooohhh, ooooohhh, I want a Dexter cow!
I grew up on a small ranch in central Texas, and we had a Jersey cow, I think. It had to be milked at least once a day (maybe two?), and my parents skimmed the fat off the top and we drank fresh milk...and I think they did other things with it to, but I don't remember.
It was a right of passage that any family or friends who came to stay with us had to milk the cow too. So we had tons of pictures of everyone milking cows. I still have the one of me going it, at like 4 years old. PRetty cute.
I'd love a milk cow. And a ranch.
Okay - not knowing . . . is a Dexter a breed of little cow? I know that miniature cows are becoming more popular but . . . that is about all I know! I think a little cow would be fabulous!
I want one too!! (Ok, so first I would have to have a farm, or at least a *yard*, and not a 23rd floor apartment... but still!!) I actually emailed my husband an article on them, and babydoll sheep, and suggested we could have a tiny farm of cuteness -- I'm not sure he was as enthusiastic as I...
Yes in fact we do have a "Dexter", but her name is Elsie Mae and we bought her from a local dairyman last January. We bottle fed her and now she is akin to a HUGE dog... Very interesting I might add, when you need to bottle feed another calf, cows are oh so stong even when they are 8 mos old! Anyway, I too plan on milking the cow and having baby boy calves(only) to eat!!!! What a wonderful idea it is what with the price of milk and cheese!!! Good luck finding a cow(heifer)! I do have one tip for you(my husbands Papa used to have a dairy)Holsteins make LOTS O MILK, and Jersey's make MORE CREAM, I can't remember what attribute Guernsey's have, but that is what I do know! Good luck and God bless!
Sarah T
I haven't had a Dexter but I did have an Oreo. No not a breed, just his name. He was so small, stunted I think and never did get very big, just fat. He looked about the size of the Dexters. But alas, he is in the freezer after three years. We make mini burgers with him.
We had dexters and loved them...gave great milk..very rich and creamy with great taste. I'm not sure why we sold them...I think the inlaws didn' feel liike they fit in with all the other big cows at the ranch...but I've been wanting to get another for quite some time.
What a coindicdence! My friend and I have just started brainstorming this week about how we could start our owm herd of mini breeds. I heard that minis make a lot more steak quality meat than other larger breeds. Good luck and wish us luck too!
Ok-so I should have clicked on the Dexter link!!! ;) I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer! Anyway, Dexter's look great for a family wanting a milk cow! What a fabulous idea! Where could you procure one of these cute little things? Do you know?
Sarah T
P.S. our "Elsie Mae" is a holstein/jersey cross!
We wanted a cow too - fresh milk, ice cream, yogurt, butter, cheese.....but cows are kinda big - even little uns. So now we are looking at goats. Goat milk is yummy and from what I've heard, you can keep 7 goats for the same price as 1 cow.
~the other
have you perchance been reading pie near woman telling about her calf????
I was at a flea market today and came across a tin of vintage dusting powder called "April Showers". I almost grabbed it for you but the seller was being obnoxious on the pricing. Anyway, maybe you can find one on ebay.
Awww Jean,
That was sweet of you to even think of lil' ole' me. April Showers Dusting Powder...hmmmm.
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