what breed do you prefer to work with?

[Howie]

The Devon of which we speak are from the Ruby Red or North Devon 400 years ago.
They are not high strung, just super smart. If he can see you or hear you, you are training him. Many people inadvertnly train him to do things they don’t want.
You can train a Devon in a fraction of the time it would take to train a Swiss.:)
The Devon has 400 years of oxen bred into him. He is very people oriented.

P.S. The Swiss make great oxen.

[Joshua Kingsley]

Howie
How are dexters in comparison with the devons as far as training?

I know my holstines are a little slow on the up take some times.

Joshua

[clayfoot-sandyman]

Thanks for the clarification – looks to me like Ruby Red or North Devon too but I guess having developed a bit differently after breeding for so long away from Devon!
The Ruby Red Devon is almost entirely a minority beef breed now in England, having been (like many of our traditional breeds) a widespread dual/triple purpose breed.
I include a wonderful photo by the photographer James Ravilious who photographed around Dartmoor for 30 years the last generation of traditional Dartmoor farmers. This photo taken in the late 70’s illustrates the Devon’s and a very different way of life quite nicely I think …..Ed

[cowGirl87]

Hi everyone and thank you for your comments… I am finally posting the pictures I promised of my Jersey/Swiss/Dex cross and her calf out of a Hereford bull. Hope you like them and if you want more just post on this thread or PM me and I will get to you hopefully faster next time…

cowGirl87

PS Has anyone ever tried Texas Longhorns for steers? That is my husband’s breed of choice if they’re good to handle…

[Vicki]

Joshua, Howie has way more experience than I do. His son trained Dexters; he trains Devons. I am not a natural at working cattle; I just refused to give up and keep trying to overcome my mistakes.

I trained Dexters and kept two Milking Devons for a couple years. My experience: Dexters are affectionate and pet-like if treated with gentleness but require firmness, though not a heavy hand. They will assert dominance so require a firm hand, but are high-strung and overreact to harshness ( not “forgiving” as some breeds.) They are very smart and have remarkable memory. They learn very fast. They are very alert. The wheels are always turning in their heads, not going on habit, and I like working with mine because of that.

Devons are not high-strung or prone to over react, but quite independent. They are very smart and learn fast. They do not “need” people and seem standoff-ish compared to cattle that are more “affectionate.” They are good workers if they respect your leadership which you must earn from them.

[Howie]

Joshua
The long leg Dexter is not to far behind the Devon as being quik to learn, He is faster to learn than than the Holstien.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

I think dairy cattle make way better oxen than most beef breeds – beef breeds here at least pretty much get left to their own devices and certainly things like limousins are just wild 😮 the exception for me is belgian blues – dopey, but super docile, and they make a goodlooking cross. I’m building up a herd of jerseyXBBs as a suckler herd, they look good, milk good, eat grass good and have nice temperaments 😀 I would not mind a jerseyXbb ox at all, but the last male calf I had I had to sell for the money – nobody here wanted to see him go though! I also find my herefordX heifers have good looks and a good temperament. The dexters take time to get to know you, and are the first of the bunch to escape if they want some fun….

All my oxen have been dairy or dairyX so far, the simmentalX turned out good, the brown swiss went bad – quick to learn and zippy despite what people say, but he learnt he was stronger than me and that was that.

Best by a mile so far has been Tex, my Ayrshire – I dunno if it’s a fluke, but he seems to have been born ready-trained.

[Author]

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